Cappuccino Thoughts 122: On A Tale of 3 Botanical Gardens—The Easiest City Escape this Summer
+ a Cap Thoughts retreat!!
Cappuccino Thoughts is a weekly newsletter about culture and creativity in New York.
As the weather shifts, all I’ve wanted to do is unroll a beach towel, plop myself down in some greenery, and read a great book under the sunshine.
In the last few weeks, I’ve visited each of New York City’s botanical gardens. (Okay, so I haven’t actually been to Staten Island’s, but let’s face it, isn’t that basically New Jersey?) A day spent in the gardens is my new favorite way to hit refresh. Here’s my short review of each.
Bronx Botanical Gardens:
Foliage and Facilities: 5/5. This place is absolutely stunning and will make you forget you’re anywhere near a major city! There is a beautiful greenhouse with rotating exhibitions. Currently, it’s a floral exhibit inspired by Vincent Van Gogh. There is an amazing rose garden that’s not to be missed.
Accessibility: 3/5. It’s a little hard to get there without a car. You can take the 4 train almost all the way there, but then you have to take the bus/walk/call a car for the last mile.
Price: 1/5. A single adult ticket for a non-resident is $39 on the weekends! Happily, with a New York ID, that comes down to $15. Still, it’s by far the most expensive.
Overall Rating: 4.5/5
Brooklyn Botanical Gardens:
Foliage and Facilities: 4/5. The garden is massive and has an impressive array of plants from diverse climates and different parts of the world. I particularly loved the bonsai hall, the garden where you are encouraged to touch the plants, and the Warm Temperate Pavilion, which features plants from the tropics.
Accessibility: 5/5. The garden is right off the 4/5 train and right next to the Brooklyn Museum. Very easy to access from Manhattan or Brooklyn.
Price: 3/5. A single adult ticket is $22 and there is no discount for NY residents. You can, though, get a combined ticket with the Brooklyn Museum for $34 and enjoy a slight discount on both sites.
Overall Rating: 4/5
Queens Botanical Gardens:
Foliage and Facilities: 3/5. The garden is pretty nice and we saw a very cute purple-themed wedding going on. There was also a bird-watching tour that was sold out, which I found quite charming. However, it doesn’t have the diversity of plants, special exhibitions, or dedicated gardens by species of the other gardens.
Accessibility: 4/5. The garden is an easy walk from Flushing Main Street, which you can get to on the 7 train.
Price: 5/5. A single adult ticket is just $6. A steal!
Overall Rating: 3/5
Enjoy! Let me know in the comments if you’ve been to any of the gardens.
Cappuccino Thoughts Getaway
Four days. One island. Countless thoughts.
This September, I’m partnering with Nautica Collective to host the very first Cappuccino Thoughts Cruise — a floating retreat around Mallorca for readers, writers, explorers, and anyone craving space to breathe.
From September 6–9, we’ll set sail on a private yacht with a full-time skipper and chef, exploring the island’s quiet coves and cliffside villages. Expect sun-warmed pages, swim stops, wine at sunset, and conversations that linger.
🛏 5 luxury cabins available
🍽️ All meals, drinks, and activities included
💸 Shared cabin: $2,495 | Solo: $4,595
Join me! The cava, olives, and your first cappuccino are waiting.
The pencil case in all her glory. I was also honored to be selected as one of the featured products on The Locavore Variety Store’s new web shop.
Nothing makes me quite as happy as a dapper older man in a fantastic outfit. I loved this color-coordinated orange number this fellow wore just to get his groceries. He’s sporting an orange overcoat with the sleeves elegantly cuffed, matching orange plaid pants, orange and purple suede sneakers, and a purple scarf that picks up on the details of the shoes. He’s also accessorized with a practical yet fashionable straw hat with a burnt orange ribbon and that stunning white moustache. Even his flowers are in the same color family as the look. Bravo.
Three things I love, covet, or think are worth covering.
💅Red Nail Polish: One “hack” I’ve started doing is bringing my own bottle of nail polish when I get my nails done. That way I can do small touch-ups at home in between visits and extend the life of my pedicure. I love this vibrant red for my toes.
💧Sparkling Water Machine: I am a sparkling water fiend. I quickly realized once I moved into my own place that I was probably going to bankrupt myself with how much sparkling water I went through in a day and that I could not physically lug that many bottles into my apartment. Enter: Sodastream. This surprisingly affordable machine is great, and you can even add flavors to it.
👄Glossier Lip Balm: I’m very conscious of my lips getting chapped, so I always have a couple different lip products with me. I have been using the Glossier Balm Dot Com since high school, and it’s one of the only products I can put on at night and wake up feeling moisturized. I like the rose flavor.
Whenever I go to a museum with a friend, I ask them what piece they most like and where they would hang it in their house. The people in The Art Thief, by Michael Finkel, took that notion to heart. This is a non-fiction book that reads like the most far-fetched fiction. It’s about Stéphane Breitweiser and Anne Kleinklaus, a couple who became the most prolific art thieves in history. They were a seemingly normal couple until they started stealing art out of small museums on the weekends. They ended up with a trove of over 200 artworks stolen from 7 countries. And the craziest part is that they didn’t have any sophisticated plans or use any weapons. They would simply walk into under-resourced museums with few guards and take what most appealed to them. It’s a fascinating psychological portrait primarily of Stéphane, who refuses to accept that he’s a kleptomaniac, and instead insists he’s just passionate about art and was merely “borrowing” the pieces. I won’t spoil it, but the ending is so perfect and underscores how people are always themselves at the end of the day. Five stars.
Recommended viewing to accompany this book: How to Steal a Million with Audrey Hepburn and Peter O’Toole.
This week I am going to Montréal for my second-ever Formula 1 race. Can’t wait!
All my best,
So exciting 🤩⛵️