by Kelly Filipczuk ‘ 24
Honors recently hosted a trip to the iconic Queens Botanical Garden. Students, as well as Honors Academic Advisors Eli and Justin, met outside One Pace Plaza and together took the 4 and 7 trains to Flushing.
After reaching our destination stop, we began the short walk to the garden. Several of us made a pit stop at Xing Fu Tang for bubble tea. This popular shop was close to the Queens Public Library in Flushing, which immediately caught my attention as a book lover! The architecture was stunning, and the pigeons certainly loved sunbathing on the roof. Once we had our drinks, we finished the small journey required to enter the garden. I was immediately overwhelmed by the gorgeous scenery; there was plenty of fall foliage, lots of vibrant green grass, and several blossoming flowers. I found myself taking photos every couple of minutes as there was so much beauty in the nature around me!
The pumpkin patch inside the Queens Botanical Garden was the perfect way to begin the fall season. There were many pumpkins laid out to choose from, with several smaller options ideal for dorm life. There were multiple stations set up, and straw was an essential decor item! We even saw an adorable cat make its way through one of the pumpkin stations!
Just past the pumpkin patch was an area where you could plant your own flower and take it home! Here, the Queens Botanical Garden employees gave me a small plastic pot to place soil and several flower seeds in. For those who are interested, mine has yet to grow, but I have hope for it! This station was close to a chalk area where people could write on asphalt. We may have left behind a message that T-bone was here, as well as a shout-out to Pace!
We then made our way through the rest of the garden. There were so many trees and flowers to look at, as well as an herb garden and a koi pond! We spent a good couple of hours walking around, soaking in the beautiful sights. I couldn’t help but look up at the sky as there were so many airplanes making takeoffs and landings. We also saw an interesting art piece, where the public was allowed to fill in the blank: “love is _”.
On our way back to the subway station, we decided to stop at the Corner 28 Food Court, specifically at Followsoshi. Those who ordered something to eat said that it was delicious!
Spending the day outdoors taking in so many lovely sights and interacting with fellow Honors students allowed me to destress during midterm season and make so many memories! I highly recommend going to the events that the Honors College hosts; get yourself out there, and you just might find yourself having a great time and making many connections!