Conference House, Staten Island

On September 11, 1776, representatives from both sides of the revolutionary war met at a house on the Southern tip of Staten Island. There was some hope to end the war, but no agreement was reached.
The meeting place became known as Conference House, and is now a NYC park.
We went with our SI friend - stopped for deli sandwiches on the way, walked around the grounds a bit, picnicked, and relaxed!

Here's the Conference House

You can see the New Jersey shore from the bottom of the lawn

This is the Biddle house

With interesting benches

Further out on the bluff is the Rutan-Beckett house

The backyard view

And the backyard view :-)

(This entire flower is no bigger than the tip of my pinkie)

~~~~~~~
Where is it?

Chinese Scholar's Garden, Staten Island

The highlight of our trip to the Snug Harbor park was the Chinese Scholar's Garden.  It was very beautiful, and extremely relaxing.

The framed views were exciting!

Architectural details were interesting

The floor patterns were all different!

(This is the 2 cranes mural)

Of course, there were koi!

And more plants :-)

~~~~~
Landscape architect: Zou Gongwu

From the placard:
In 1998, skilled artisans from Suzhou, China, arrived at Snug Harbor to create the first Chinese Scholar's Garden in North America. Every floor tile, door hinge, and wooden beam was handcrafted by the Chinese artisans. The enclosed one-acre Garden is an exquisite example of the private classical gardens developed in the city of Suzhou during the Ming Dynasty between 1368 and 1644. As early as the Third Century BC, Chinese scholars would retreat to these gardens and seek refuge from their stressful and demanding jobs in government service. Even though Scholar's Gardens are designed to be harmonious and elegant, there are surprises hidden around every corner. Be sure to look through the moon gate and imagine distant vistas, or peer through floral windows to see varying perspectives of nature.

Snug Harbor, Staten Island

Snug Harbor was the first retirement home for sailors in the United States.
We parked and lunched near the duck pond

Continued to the governor's garden

Walked past several cottages

And the glass house

Saw lots of flowers

And wandered down the Enchanted Pathway :-)

~~~~~~~
The blue dot shows the location