i always get a sense of impending doom when i'm surrounded by the reckless encroachment produced by…read morethe machiavellian builders developers and worshippers of the almighty dollar. when i emerged from the cinder block shadows i was soothed by this lovely little oasis. A COMMUNITY GARDEN! now that's my kind of community! this place has roots and a story of struggles, struggles that will continue alas, like the struggles of han's brinkers family in holland to keep the water from the land. this garden is like little hans brinker who kept his finger in the dike and kept the enemy water at bay, this garden keeps a little slice of earth, orange trumpet vines trumpet a small victory and butterfly bushes invite those stained glass creatures of the sky to alight upon lavender fronds. the tattered, soiled, inspiring teddy bear lives on.

Before last month, the last time I'd seen my old roommate and beloved friend in 2019, we were both…read morepregnant with our first children. Since then, we have had three babies between us, and another is about a month from arriving. My husband, toddler, and I visited New York in large part to meet all the COVID babies in our friend group, only to find COVID surging yet again, taking out my old roommate's family for most of our trip. Thankfully, we were in town just long enough that they started testing negative, and we spent three precious hours in the Lincoln Berkeley Community Garden, catching up and watching the children play. We met up on a Friday afternoon, gathering my friend's two kids at their day care in Park Slope and heading to this community garden for a leisurely hangout before all the babies had to go to bed. We'd intended to go to a park, but this was more convenient, and turned out to be pretty ideal. It's a community garden where you can pay membership fees to plant and grow things, but where I think anyone can come in and enjoy the space. There were places to sit, including a couple of picnic tables, and the kids were able to roam around looking at the chickens and marveling at the pinwheels spinning in the wind. My only complaint is that there were mosquitos out, but I'd honestly expected to get eaten alive and escaped with just a couple of bites that didn't even itch. We had a wonderful time here, a reunion for the adults and a first playdate for the kids, who really took to each other. I'm not a community member, but I am grateful for the Lincoln Berkeley Community Garden. What a lovely place to sow memories, even in these years of plague.

If you see the gate open that means a member of the garden is inside and anyone is invited to enter…read morethe garden as a guest while a member is in there. If you'd like to join as a member it only costs 20$ per year and you get on the waitlist to have a plot. More info can be provided to you if you see a member and ask them for details.

This was a serendipitous discovery. I was heading to a cafe that is a block away from this…read moreGreenspace. I did a u-turn when I saw the bookcase. As soon as I saw it, I snapped a picture of it and sent it via text message to a friend in my book club. She told me it's a little free library. While I was there, I saw a woman fixing up the garden. The sign outside states this greenspace is tended by volunteers. It's a cool space, I highly recommend checking it out when you are in the area.

Community gardens are just a great idea. It's wonderful to have even a small space to step in, sit…read moredown, and relax amidst the greenery. This space is actually administered by the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and is designed to showcase native plants. In practice, this mean a lot of the plants kinda look like common weeds. It would be great if there was more information on the different kinds of plants: what they are, how to recognize and grow them. It's nice to see what they're growing, as examples of things I don't have to pull out of my yard!

I would classify this beautiful space as a hidden treasure of peace and serenity. It is easy to…read morewalk by this park and not partake in its splendor. However, if you are a person like me that loves the beauty of nature that when you decide to take a peek, it will lure you in to want to spend more time here. I will come back much sooner rather than later. It is a great place to regroup and refresh yourself.

This is not really a 'park' but a Community Garden that's currently being re-renovated?Note the…read moreportapotty.