Maggie's Farm

I was too busy getting lost, turning the wrong way, and competing with professional tour guides to take any photos.  I hope someone took a few, because this year's tour was a great one.  With 17 people (16 who finished, a very low attrition rate, with representatives from New Jersey, Connecticut, Vermont, New York, Massachusetts, and Illinois - again!), we covered about 9.7 miles and saw many sites and sights.  I'm not sure what those slow-walking people were doing - was it Tai-Chi of some kind, or perhaps a slow-moving flash mob?  We stumbled on Edna St. Vincent Millay's townhouse (which reportedly also housed Cary Grant).  Someone kindly purchased Magnolia Bakery cupcakes for the entire group (and they were delicious).  

Mrs. Bulldog says the highlight of the trip was a visit to the Manhattan Contrarian's secret lair.  It's beautiful and the location quite wonderful.  His knowledge, assistance and willingness to put up with our gang were all admirable.  I have to say, I always assumed magical, secret gardens existed, but now Mrs. Bulldog wants one.

I learned quite a bit more about Clement Clarke Moore and his family.  The Moore farm's name is now the name of the district, Chelsea, and the Churches they oversaw (St. Peter's) or started (St. Luke's in the Fields) were both stops.  Both churches are beautiful, and St. Luke's has some lovely gardens.  

The Weatherman Townhouse Explosion was very interesting.  Down the street from the smallest cemetery in NYC, it was actually quite an historic location.

Next hike is already being planned.  Alien environs, otherwise known as Brooklyn.  We'll start in Manhattan with a crossing of the Brooklyn Bridge, and from there we'll study hipster culture, taste local bourbon and beer, and see what life is like outside Manhattan.  Looking forward to it already.  If our group is half as good, or even half as large, we'll be in fine fettle. 

I'd like to thank Atlas Obscura for assistance in planning our trip.