Green-Wood Cemetery | An oasis in the heart of Brooklyn

Let’s be frank: when passing through New York, it’s not the place where you spontaneously think of going for a day stroll. However, if you want a moment of calm and serenity, between two or three, let’s say, more lively activities, this splendid Brooklyn cemetery is well worth the detour.

This is not to be neglected: just half an hour by metro from Times Square, Green-Wood is a real oasis where it is possible to walk for a few hours, without necessarily meeting any passers-by. Original architecture, winding paths, ponds here and there, the place is ideal for taking a nap, meditating in the open air, or reading a book in peace. Or, of course, glean names of personalities.

Before going any further, let’s get one thing straight: no, Green-Wood is not the announced Père-Lachaise of New York. Even if we would have liked to believe it, and if some have insinuated it, we look in vain here for celebrities. Apart from a Jean-Michel Basquiat (and his humble tombstone “he really wasn’t wealthy!”, as the director of communications, Stacy Locke rightly reminds us) and a handful of famous names (the composer of West Side Story Leonard Bernstein, the family of Theodore Roosevelt, excluding the main person concerned), we come across here mainly former soldiers and a number of peaceful strangers (and their families, in several very impressive monuments). In total, there are nearly 600,000 “permanent residents”, as they are curiously called here.

Which does not mean that the garden (because it really is one) is devoid of interest, far from it. Where to start ? Founded almost 200 years ago (1838), the Green-Wood cemetery, thought of as a “rural” cemetery at the time, is best known for its monumental portico, with a Gothic appearance, designed by Richard Upjohn. It should be noted that this same portico has also been home to countless parakeets since the 1970s, which will delight all budding ornithologists. Impossible to miss them, they fly and cry to their heart’s content, from morning to evening.

Several myths also surround their presence. The most persistent is that they arrived by plane in a cargo ship, direct from Brazil or Argentina, for the illegal pet trade. It is said that they fled and took up residence here. Note that if we have tried, in vain, to dislodge them, they always happily return to nestle in the hollow of the arches.

More realistically, Stacey Locke believes, a few tame parakeets probably escaped years ago, producing a number of babies since then. Who knows. It’s not the tenants who are going to help us solve this amusing enigma…

Directly past the portico, it is impossible to miss the pretty chapel, where concerts and other celebrations are held, in addition to all the services. Then, going back to the left, you are right where an important battle was held, the Battle of Brooklyn, lost at the hands of the English (1776). The hill is aptly named “Battle Hill”. There is also an imposing revolutionary statue here, a tribute to the goddess of wisdom Minerva (1920), which can be seen greeting the Statue of Liberty in the distance. The view of the city is magnificent.

A few works of art, planted here and there, top it all off very nicely. We would not be surprised if this cemetery, which is said to have inspired the creators of Central Park, is gaining interest these days. This is a rare free activity, in this city where everything is expensive. Without crowds or lines, completely exotic. What could be better ?

Part of the costs of this trip were paid by the New York Tourist Office, which had no right to review the content of this report.

Good to know

• Less than 30 minutes from Times Square by subway
• Open every day, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Free admission

500.25^e Street, Brooklyn