Alt Breaks

Monday: Though it was a little disappointing to not be able to work in the gardens, it was a wonderful opportunity to meet Green Thumb to see how a government funded organization worked, and to see what its employees were like. We learned a lot about the role that Green Thumb plays with the city's community gardens, and its history with the movement. One of my favorite parts of the trip was actually the walk we took to view the closed gardens, seeing the creativity and diversity of each park was so inspiring and contemplative.
Tuesday: This day was frustrating for me because I felt like we didn't do much work, though of course this was no one's fault.
Wednesday: I really enjoyed learning about how city trees are taken care of, especially the tree identification that we were introduced to. I was not that bothered by the fact that we didn't do much pruning; I valued the learning I got out of it. The Central Park tour was nice because I hadn't realized there might be more natural-looking areas, a good example of the idea that even parks in the middle of the city can have a multitude of environments other than the pruned field look. The tracks exercise was quality, though I didn't really get a good sense of the wildlife in the park.
Thursday: A very fulfilling day. I enjoyed the walk to Harlem. The visit with WE ACT I thought was too short and I would have liked to understand more of what they do and how they operate, but nonetheless I learned a lot about the innovative actions they initiate. Working and seeing the community garden was a really essential thing - I can't imagine what it would have been like to have missed this part, to not have been able to talk to a member of the bottom rung of community garden "bureaucracy".
Friday: It seemed harder to connect the Solaire tour to what we were doing the rest of the week, but nonetheless I loved seeing the technology.

All in all, I look back on the week and am incredibly impressed by all that we did. I loved the fact that we were never really doing the same thing twice. We got a good look into all the levels of urban greenery, from the goverment sponsored groups, to the NGOs, to the business side, and community members, as well as a good background in the different ways that urban greenery REPRESENTS itself: parks, sidewalk trees, community gardens, business ventures, memorials.
I found this trip amazing on at least another 3 levels beyond simply the programmed activities, the reason for which should go mostly to our T.A. I learned so much about New York, its feel, the different areas, but also its people and cultures that I've never been so close to before. I'd barely ever considered working with the city before, but this experience makes me want to explore that option more. I also feel so inspired because all of the group members were so interested in the topic and so interesting to talk to, and I loved getting to know everyone a little better each day. Everything we did left me with so much to talk and think about.