New York Roof Gardens

We have no photos from the Ice Cream Social. Since we were all being so social, we forgot to take any! Keeping with our newsletter’s theme of “All Things Chelsea” this month, I thought I’d share a few from a visit to a gardening friend’s roof top garden in Brooklyn, New York last week, as well as some from a roof garden at the landmark Hotel Chelsea in Manhattan. 

Gordon Hawkins is a friend of mine from the gardening websites we both frequent. I had never met him before last week. When I mentioned we were going to New York City, he invited my daughter, grandson, and me to visit his garden. Better yet, he offered to drive in to Manhattan and pick us up. He later called and asked if we’d like to meet him at the Hotel Chelsea, which was closed to guests and due to become condominiums soon. He had friends there that would let us into their twelfth floor apartment to see their roof garden before we went to Brooklyn. We took a taxi to the hotel, met Gordon, and he signed us all in as guests of a film maker he knew. 

Seeing all the art work in the lobby and stairwell of the hotel and knowing it would probably soon disappear was exciting enough, but the views from the roof garden were amazing. Everything and every plant had to be removed, as the original brick and copper roof would have to be replaced before work on the condos could begin. Some of the residents had already cut down small trees and emptied large pots that would have to be broken to get them off the roof. We were watched by a security guard half way through our visit. (Sadly, three days after our visit, all the artwork was taken down and stored. Some pieces were owned by residents, but they would have to prove ownership before they could claim them.). Gordon drove us around to see some of the sights of NYC before heading to Brooklyn. We were trying to snap a photo of the Statue of Liberty from the car window, but he said to wait for a better view. Down a bumpy brick alley adjacent to the water and out to the end, we spotted the statue. He stopped the car and we jumped out to get great photos of Lady Liberty. 

Arriving at his third story apartment, we still had a story and a half of winding staircase in the hall to navigate before reaching the roof. The view was spectacular. He had suggested we come for late afternoon libations, take photos of the garden and the view, and then stay until dark so we could see the lights of the city across the water. All three of us, including the five year old, were snapping photos of the garden and the skyscrapers in the distance. As a gardener, I was enchanted by how many exotic plants he had attractively crammed into such a small space. As a tourist, I loved the view of the skyline. It looked just like a post card. The only things missing were the Twin Towers which, until ten years ago, had been visible directly cross the water from his garden. 

Our evening on the roof ended with delicious homemade ice cream. We then went downstairs to see some of the news clippings and photos of Gordon’s projects. There was even an article about him in the New Yorker magazine. Not wanting to press our luck with such a well-behaved kiddo, we called it an evening and Gordon drove us back to our hotel. He was the perfect host. It was an unforgettable, delightful experience for us.