Bar Car Night at the NY Botanical Garden Bleecker December 27, 2014 Featured, NYC Experiences Last week I headed to the Bronx to go to the New York Botanical Garden’s Bar Car Night. Upon arrival my date and I were given our tickets for our complementary drink. We headed into the Pine Tree Café, which had been transformed into a fun evening space. The band Les Chauds Lapins preformed French jazz and set the mood for a romantic and special evening. A bar served specialty cocktails, beer, wine and spirits. I opted for the boxcar punch, a mix of cranberry, pineapple, lemon, frambroise, gin and prosecco. The punch was delicious and refreshing and not too sweet. Other seasonal drinks included spiked hot chocolate and rum cider. All of the food looked good but we chose to share the pork belly sliders and the wood fired meatballs. The sliders were my favorite, with Vietnamese coleslaw, siracha mayo and cilantro. Next we headed back outside over to the conservatory. We had to wait in line for about 10 minutes before entry to the train show. With a drink in hand it didn’t seem long at all before we were inside the little world of trains. Although my parents claim that I went to the train show as a child, I cannot remember any of it, so to me it was all brand new! I loved seeing all of the replications of numerous familiar New York buildings! Some of the highlights include Yankee stadium, Grand Central and the NYBG Conservatory. Fun Fact: each of the replicas is also based off the original building from a specific year. As I mentioned in my previous article, what is most impressive is that all of the replicas are made completely out of plant materials! I took a close up photo of Grand Central so you would be able to see the amazing detail. Grand Central Grand Central Up Close After viewing the entire Holiday Train Show, we went into the rainforest wing of the Conservatory, which was open later for the Bar Car Night. The rainforest section of the conservatory has always been one of my favorite spots in the Botanical Garden. Yet, at night, it was even more beautiful and magical. Back outside we stopped to watch the amazing ice carvers from Okamoto Studios making a larger than life train conductor! Also that night performers from Cirque de Light did mesmerizing demonstrations of fire poi. If you’ve never seen professional do poi, it is a sight to see! Ice Carvers I had an absolutely great time at the Bar Car Night, and with the metro north just across the street it was just as easy to get back into Manhattan for the rest of the night. There are only a few more Bar Car Nights left this year. Tickets are available online and at the Garden but they do sell out, so get yours before this event is gone! For more info on Bar Car Night at the New York Botanical Garden click HERE Bar Car Night – More Images from Inside the Holiday Train Show
