Greenwood Cemetery In Spring

May 3rd

Today I attended a birthday party of a friend of a friend at Greenwood Cemetery. Now, celebrating in a place of death might seem really offensive or odd, but it was actually quite respectful and appropriate.

This is the birthday girl and we all celebrated with wine and cake (complete with skull icing) near the tomb of the man who invented carbonated soda water, Joseph Matthews.

His tomb was adorned with all sorts of dramatic gargoyles and frolicking animals. He is only one of several men and women of notoriety buried in the cemetery.

We were given a guided tour and taken into this gorgeous chapel, designed by the same company that did Grand Central Terminal. It is still used today for funeral services, concerts and even the occasional wedding. This was the weekend of the cherry blossom festival at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, but I feel that I got the most peaceful view of the trees in the borough. Like my last visit, I found this to be a wonderful green open space that wasn't packed with people...at least ones that were alive.

While I enjoyed rambling on our own before, it was really incredible to have a guide take us to some of the more interesting grave sites and tell stories of the families and history of New York City. However, our guide was stumped about why this particular grave had a headless statue and a cross bearing a dollar sign at its crux.

Here loving children planted a tree near their parents and a hundred years later, they live inside its core. Amazing.

(Note to anyone that might read this at my death - please plant me near a rad tree.)

The saddest story was of a 17 year old girl who died on the night of her birthday. Her father accompanied her friend to the door and when a clap of thunder spooked the horses, she was thrown from their carriage. In a twist of irony, she had spent the entire year designing a tomb meant for her maternal aunt that then became her very own final resting place. In a real life Romeo and Juliet moment, her betrothed killed himself upon hearing news of her demise. He is buried as far away as one who was not allowed to be buried in consecrated ground could be.

The saddest part, in my opinion, is that acid rain is melting all the intricate carving and embellishments her tomb (and many others).

The tour ended with the spectacular view from battle hill. The benefit of a tour guide - learning that something I've seen before (statue of Minerva dedicated to the American Revolution) was actually placed here and the woods obscuring her view removed, so she could salute Lady Liberty in perpetuity. You can read the full quote on the base of her monument and see lots of other pretty photos I took here.