Katharine Hepburn Garden

One of my favorite sayings is one by Katharine Hepburn – “If you always do what interests you, at least one person is pleased”. I seem to be identifying with it even more as I get older!

Katharine Hepburn was a regular fixture in Manhattan, where she spent a large part of her life at her home in Turtle Bay, which she moved to in 1932. An avid gardner, she was actively involved in not just growing flowers, but also protecting the trees and the neighborhood from encroaching development. This has led to 49th Street and 2nd Avenue being named Katharine Hepburn Place as I wrote about here.

There is a garden across the street at Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza at 224 E 47th St that has been named the Katharine Hepburn Garden in her honor to pay tribute to her love of flowers, and for her commitment to the park and the neighborhood.

There’s a section towards the middle that pays tribute to her movies –

There is currently an exhibit called El Dorado – The New Forty Niners in the park that I wrote about in my post here.

It is a great place to catch your breath, read or reflect if you are ever in Midtown Manhattan, as it is at all the parks that NYC seems to have tucked away in unexpected places.

#gottalovenewyork