New York City is finally seeing some nice weather, and we can resume our Excursion Fridays, where we visit the many magnificent nature sites the city has to offer.
It is surprisingly easy to find nature in NYC but difficult to squeeze in the time when you’re tethered to an office job. Now that Scott has joined me in the virtual consulting world, we have the flexibility to take advantage of the thinner weekday crowds and spectacular weather when we can get it.
We did both in our recent trip to the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx. New York can fluctuate between polar vortex cold and intolerably sticky hot, but on this particular Wednesday, the weather was just right.
We started out doing a walk through our neighborhood, but then realized that NYBG is free on Wednesdays! This is a big savings of $15-$25 per person, depending on the type of admission you get. After a quick call to confirm, we hopped in the car for the 15 minute drive over there.
You still need to pay for parking ($17, not a typo), but we were able to get street parking for free in the residential neighborhood that is near the garden. The free admission only includes the grounds (regularly $15) – you have to pay extra for the Conservatory, Children’s Garden and other specialty places (that’s the $25 all-access option).
However, there was enough to see with just the grounds pass. Our previous visits have always been with our kids, and on those trips we would focus on the things to see on the main pathways, and rely on the tram to take us around. Without the kids, we were able to just wander around, and follow various paths through the woods.
In total, we walked over 3 miles. It was leisurely, in that we took time to examine the trees and flowers, and read some of the many explanation signs around, but it was still a workout.
We saw the lilac garden, featuring different colors and varieties from the US, Russia and China. The lilacs were a bit past their peak bloom, but the smell was incredible. My favorite was the yellow variety, which was in bloom.
We saw the rose garden, which was not yet in full bloom. Still, there were bushes of fragrant perfumed roses, and some of them had started to emerge.
We walked various trails in the woods, several of which crossed over or ambled next to the Bronx River, and explored a waterfall on a lookout point above the river.
We wanted to go through the Rock Garden but were unable to enter because you need the all-access pass for that, but you could still see part of it from the outside.
Visiting the NYBG on the free Wednesdays is a great deal. A regular trip would cost $47 for two grounds passes and parking. Many museums, nature sites and cultural sites offer free admission days.
Wave Hill is another favorite garden of ours, and it’s walking distance from our apartment. It is free on Tuesday morning and all-day Saturdays. That will be another Excursion Friday that moves to mid-week.
We are Scott and Caroline, 50-somethings who spent the first 20+ years of our adult lives in New York City, working traditional careers and raising 2 kids. We left full-time work in our mid-40’s for location-independent, part-time consulting projects and real estate investing, in order to create a more flexible and travel-centric lifestyle. 
Financial independence and early retirement is not something we originally focused on, but over time realized it was possible. Our free report, 
