Disappointed that I was not in Tokyo this month to enjoy the hanami (cherry blossom viewing), I was determined to catch a glimpse of my second favorite flower (orchids are number one) at the Cherry Blossom Festival in the Brooklyn Botanical Garden in Prospect Park this past Sunday. Already annoyed by the $8 admission fee (would have been FREE in Japan) to enter an overcrowded park, I was even more disappointed by the pathetic cluster of four cherry blossom trees they call a garden - half of which weren't even in full bloom. The park even attempted to sell "authentic" Japanese food: bento boxes and plates of chicken drumsticks and noodles for $12 a pop. Yea nice try - except they were actually sold out. The only highlight was running into my coworker who was fenced in eating ice cream (not allowed to step into the "garden" with food. Riiiiight.) Adding salt to injury, my friends in Tokyo emailed me about how especially beautiful the sakura (cherry blossom) was this year and how I missed out on picnicing (with REAL Japanese bento boxes sans chicken drumsticks for a mere 500 yen) under the mesmerizing sky of pink snowflakes.
Picture: This is how sakura is done in Japan (I guess it's really not fair to compare the two as the Brooklyn Botanical Garden doesn't even hold a candle to the Tidal Basin in DC.) See - that could have been ME eating in that picture - I'm definitely crying on the inside.
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