The concept of a secret garden has always enchanted me- the twinkly lights, the frilly wrought iron chairs, the winding blooms and private hedges. The concept enchanted me so much that I read The Secret Garden multiple times as a child and watched the movie at least twice a year. It was a more challenging read that earned me a spot with some of the other ‘advanced’ readers in my elementary school, and was one that unlocked an everlasting obsession with seeking out spaces made for fairies.
(At the time, I wholeheartedly believed in fairies and would write them letters and leave them in places where I thought they lived)
The multitude of small and seemingly secret greenspaces in New York are certainly not limited- in fact, certain neighborhoods have what I like to call a… fairy garden on every block. It took me a few times of actually looking up from my phone or readjusting the heavy grocery bags indenting my arms to see what I was missing. Most of these gardens seem to be maintained by the elderly who have poured their hearts and souls into creating lush escapes from our concrete surroundings. I once spoke to one of the gardeners at one of my favorites on 6th St and Ave B as she was dusting off a family of garden gnomes and she told me she was doing this for the ‘community and the creatures’.
She probably meant the native creatures of the Avenue B ecosystem, [yknow the various bugs and birds that occasionally show up in the cracks of our apartments], but something in between the lines made me think she meant something more and mystical.
So, I thought I’d have fun with this one and talk about places in New York that I feel like are straight out of a fairy tale and really lean into the whimsy and folklore.
NYC’s most whimsical spots
1. Binx
West Village
I walked past Binx on my way home a few weeks ago. It wasn’t open yet, but I could see pastels and murals reflecting onto the pavement like colored chalk on a suburban driveway. I peaked my head in and the kind host invited me in for a quick second and told me they were opening that weekend and were a sister restaurant to Moonflower (which is another whimsical favorite).
Naturally, it moved to the top of my list to try (immediately), and I soon found myself amongst the woodland creature lanterns at the bar, sipping a clementine Aperol spritz completely and totally enchanted by the murals on the walls and the butterfly cushions I was resting on. The tuna tartare and french fries combo was notably delicious and should become the next “new york happy meal”, and the kimchi fried chicken was also an unexpected hit. They just opened lovely sidewalk seating if anyone is looking to seek shelter from the same 4 places to drink outside in the West Village.
2. 6BC Botanical Garden
Alphabet City
6BC Botanical is a true, real life magic treehouse delicately nestled between Avenues B and C. You can climb right up in the treehouse, which also has lots of books to choose from (and definitely a few bugs probably living within those books) and read, bring lunch, and admire all of the blooms below. Their gardeners have done an extraordinary job making this feel like one of the safest spaces in the city, with similar charm to the famed Elizabeth Street Garden, but plenty of space to spread out and still feel like you’re in slight solitude.
The hours of the garden are very limited, only really being open to the public on weekends, but it’s the best excuse ever to get pastries and breakfast sandwiches at one of my favorite places around the corner, C&B, and sit in the garden and enjoy them (with a few spare croissant flakes for our bird friends in the garden!!)
3. Maison Premiere
Williamsburg
Maison Premiere probably has the most special backyard in all of New York, and the best part is- every single cocktail on the menu is tippy top tier to wash down their incredible raw bar selection. This secret garden is somewhere you could walk in at 4pm to get some much needed afternoon shade and spritz, and then accidentally transition into an evening of dirty martinis and blankets they kindly provide on every chair for that cool summer breeze that comes with the moon.
4. Milk and Roses
Greenpoint
Milk and Roses is stellar for those looking to WFH in a storybook for the day. There is tons of space inside what feels like a castle with floor to ceiling bookshelves and chandeliers, and outside in the garden at a wrought iron table under walls of ivy.
It almost felt a bit too good to be true to just order a $7 coffee and hang out here all day with zero interruptions, but when I asked the waitress if it was ok to just do coffee, she said “of course you can just do coffee!” in the kindest way and didn’t make me feel bad at all for having my laptop out and not ordering a full lunch (although the menu looked good). It was a bit too hot to sit outside the entire time I was there, but as soon as it cooled off a bit, I found the garden was the perfect place to switch to creative writing instead of work.
5. Saturn Road
Cobble Hill
Cobble hill alone is a fairy dream land. (Reason one being- I could probably never afford it, but other than that), everywhere you turn, you see greenery and vines climbing brownstones and hugging the tiny wine bars. Saturn road is another peaceful place to enjoy a garden setting with a laptop and strawberry milk matcha in hand. I was pleasantly surprised that my matcha had a tiny dusting of pink glitter on the top- not in a gimmicky way, but in a *celestial* way that made the matcha even more special.
Strings of lights shine here in broad daylight and make it feel like a true backyard full of family gatherings and birthday celebrations- this seems to be a special place for community gatherings on a Sunday afternoon in the neighborhood.
6. Mari Vanna
Flatiron
Mari Vanna, simply put, is made for a princess. It feels like the perfect petit palace. Other than the prim decor that feels like you’re in a royal tea parlour, you’ll also find that the food is actually really good. I know I always find myself saying phrases like that when discussing interiors like this, but the truth is, when a restaurant is pretty on the outside, the food isn’t always that good on the inside, and I do think they have solid Eastern European fare with a very good pickle and horseradish martini. Did fairy princesses drink those?
7. The Met Cloisters
Washington Heights
Ok the Met Cloisters is an actual castle. Not just something I’m saying is a castle or a palace for the fun of this newsletter. I read about the unicorn tapestry in the Cloisters in a Magic Schoolhouse book when I was like 8 years old, and then shortly after decided I had to see it for myself in New York when my family took a trip up for the weekend. Now, in my adult life, it felt inherently necessary for me to go visit the Cloisters again and feel that very same magic as I did as a child who was literally obsessed with unicorns.
This was actually the starting point of my “walk the entirety of Manhattan” with one of my best friends almost 2 years ago now. In hindsight, it was literally like 20 miles, but we had a damn blast doing it and saw so many corners of the city we otherwise wouldn’t have.
Fairy food
Food in nyc that I think was made for fairies, instead of humans
Pavlo Mochi- A precious, very pink Ukrainian owned mochi shop on Avenue B that has the most delicious mochi (mango flavor is the best)
Frozen fruit whip at Happy Zoe’s Bakery- This has now gone “viral”, but it’s truly so delicious and every color of the rainbow tastes like the specific fruit it is
(Everything on the menu at) Cafe DAE- Like LOOK at that matcha toast…so fairy coded
Tiny cake at Confectionary- There’s just no way that was made for a human
Saint Street Cakes- They were sold out when I went during opening weekend but everything here was made for a princess
Ok bye!!!!!!!! Hopefully you had some fun with this one and don’t take me too seriously 🧚
I’m so in for this roundup, my inner child is absolutely VIBING
Wow this was essential reading. Also, I'm always surprised by how many people have never been to the Cloisters! It's my #1 spot to take people when I want to impress them because they're always surprised that we have a literal castle in NYC.