Spring at Green-Wood Cemetery
The last time I visited Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn was for Nightfall: an after-dark October event when the graveyard was eerily illuminated and the sounds of violins, acoustic guitars, and jazz bands tickled the night air.
Visiting on an April afternoon was a different story altogether. I still recognized some of the larger landmarks, but now the cemetery popped with pink blossoms and blue and yellow wildflowers, and it was peaceful and bright. I saw turtles sunning themselves on rocks, and caught a glimpse of a cardinal hiding in a cherry tree.
It was fairly warm but there was a little wind from time to time, which meant pink and white petals were pulling free and twirling to the ground. It was very magical.
I wandered around the lake by the historic chapel for a while, watching the turtles try to climb over each other (why?) and looking at the gorgeous blossoming trees. Then I threaded my way up the winding path among the gravestones, wandering aimlessly.
One of the places my wanderings took me was to this weird thing. The longer you look at it, the werider it gets.
Eventually I came to another pond, with a stunning white mausoleum and snow-colored cherry trees. I sat on a bench with white petals falling around me and thought how wonderful it is to have such a peaceful sanctuary in New York City.
Nearby I found the burial plot of a family that sure knew how to name 'em. George A. Zographo was apparently a "prominent India rubber merchant" from Constantinople. His children were named Anastasia, Artemisia, Androcles (my favorite), and A. George. Wonder what the A stood for. I feel this information should not have been withheld.
Eventually I reached the Hill of Graves, where I came across a group of Civil War soldiers, among them a 12-year-old drummer boy who became Brooklyn's first Civil War casualty and was commemorated with a monument.
Past that, the hill turned into a lonely meadow with modest gravestones scrubbed of their names by the wind.
But they have beautiful ancient trees for company.
At this point I was starting to run out of stamina and realized that if I wanted to see any of the things on the map, I needed to stop wandering and make a plan. So after some initial confusion I headed for Battle Hill.
On the way I ran into this atrocity.
Purportedly a monument to Civic Virtue, it was originally intended for City Hall but removed when feminists said it looked more like a monument to toxic masculinity. (The Mayor also said he didn't enjoy seeing a huge naked bum every morning.) Apparently they moved it a couple more times before it ended up here. Can't say I'm a fan.
Finally I made it to Battle Hill, so named because it was the site of a pivotal battle in the Revolutionary War. Atop this hill, supposedly, a vastly outnumbered band of Americans held out against thousands of British for a surprisingly long time before they were forced to retreat and, not realizing the rest of the army had already retreated without them, they were captured. It was the first battle fought after the Declaration of Independence had been signed, so in a way it was a test of our newly declared ideals.
Now the spot is marked by the Altar to Liberty, with a sculpture of the Roman Goddess Minerva. She stands facing the Statue of Liberty across the harbor, her arm raised in a salute.
Find the Statue of Liberty. Hint: it's very small.
By some strange but convenient chance, Leonard Bernstein also happens to be buried on Battle Hill. As one of the most famous residents of the cemetery, you might expect him to have a monument matching some of the others in grandeur, but he simply has a flat grave marker and a simple stone bench, surrounded by lovely cherry trees and a few flowers. As you can see, people have left offerings for him.
According to the internet, Bernstein was buried with the score of Gustav Mahler's Fifth Symphony over his heart. He was also buried with his conductor's baton and a copy of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Did I mention I love Leonard Bernstein?
Battle Hill is the highest point in Brooklyn, and it offers a spectacular view of Manhattan. I was pretty proud of this shot.
I took soooo many pictures.
Green-Wood's natural beauty took my breath away. I was there for four hours and was exhausted by the time I finally left, but of course, I didn't see everything. It's simply too big. Perhaps I'll go back sometime.
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