The Beautiful Greenery of the Elevated Acre in Lower Manhattan

We spent the past weekend exploring some different parts of Manhattan in New York City. We have visited New York previously and did most of the traditional tourist items like going Rockefeller Plaza, the Top of the Rock, Empire State Building, and seeing a play on Broadway, so this trip we wanted to do some different things. It was quite hot over the weekend, so one thing that we certainly appreciated along with the people who live in New York is taking advantage of whatever green spaces there are in the city. One of the places we went to see was the Elevated Acre, which is located at 55 Water Street.

Flower Garden
Views of the City
Great Place to Relax

The Elevated Acre is an outdoor park with flowers, benches, and views of the river, making it a great spot to relax on a summer afternoon. There is also an area of artificial grass where people can rest or play. Part of the appeal is the fact that it is somewhat elevated, which provides for a slight breeze as well as the interesting views. There were several tourists boats out on the river as well as a helicopter pad nearby where we saw a few different helicopters landing and taking off.

People on the Artificial Grass
One of the River Cruise Ships
Green Space

We went to a few different parks during our weekend trip, including returning to Central Park for further exploring, but we certainly enjoyed going to the Elevated Acre. We could certainly see it being a place where local businesspeople could go for a relaxing lunch break and almost forget about the fact that they were in the midst of the big city. There was a groundskeeper in the plaza while we were there and clearly, they take good care of the plants and green spaces.

Helicopters Landing and Taking Off
Looking Down at Another Park
Forgetting About the City
Trees and Skyscrapers

The Denver Botanic Gardens – A Beautiful Oasis

There are several cities with wonderful botanical gardens, but we believe that the Denver Botanic Gardens is one of the best. Between the tropical flowers, rotating art displays, and special events, there is always something interesting to see at the gardens. We especially enjoyed the variety of colorful orchids that we saw during our visit there. It is a great way to spend a summer afternoon, walking the flower lined paths and seeing the gardens dedicated to different regions around the world.

One of the Garden Displays
Lily Pond
Orchid in the Hot House
Walking the Grounds of the Botanic Garden

The Denver Botanic Gardens will often create displays on the 16th Street Mall in downtown Denver to allow shoppers to see some of the wonderful flowers that can be found there. The colors are definitely amazing and the time spent there is very relaxing. If you are planning a trip to Denver, we’d definitely recommend that you consider adding the Botanic Gardens to your itinerary.

Colorful Flowers
Another Orchid
Bridge Over the Water
Reflections in the Pond
Statues Made of Drift Wood
Walking Through the Hot House
Victorian Secret Garden
Water Feature in the Garden
Garden Outside of the Hot House
Unique Tropical Flowers

Some of Our Favorite Flower Photographs

Regardless of where we travel to, our eyes are naturally drawn to colorful flowers. Sometimes we take photographs of an entire bed of flowers, but other times we will focus in on a single flower to see all of the amazing details. It is also a way to see how various parts of the flower reflects light differently, creating unique contrasts. Here are some of our favorite flower photographs that we’ve taken during different trips to different parts of the world.

Beautiful Wildflower
White and Red Orchid
Tropical Flower
Colorful Flower in Ecuador
Butterfly on a Flower
Very Unique
Flower in the Jungle of Panama
Purple Wildflower
Interesting Yellow Wildflower
Tropical Flower in Panama