Out & About

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The New York Sun

NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN

For some Manhattan residents, the New York Botanical Garden may as well be in the North Pole. The 250-acre nature palace in the Bronx seems far, far away from the skyscrapers, nightclubs, and traffic of the Center of It All.

On Friday evening, however, the North Pole was the place to be. A cold snap had hit, Fifth Avenue was clogged with tourists and people had reached their limits with in-laws and the planning of family vacations. So the garden welcomed more than 200 guests for its annual Winter Wonderland Ball in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory.

This garden’s main attraction and conversation starter was the holiday train show, featuring more than 100 replicas of New York buildings made of twigs and leaves. Elyse New house told of family visits to the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania. Peter and Karla Harwich recommended the train show in the Citicorp Center.

Female guests created their own spectacle by interpreting the invitation’s dress-code prompt: “winter whites, blues, and silver.” Gillian Miniter wore Marchesa. Tatyana Ahlers wore her wedding gown designed by Ulla Maija. Lara Meiland couldn’t do that quite yet: The gown for her February 3 nuptials to Claude Shaw, with a train that is 16 feet long, is still being made.

Some guests swapped suggestions of where to buy gifts this season. Stephen and Elizabeth Dougherty recommended the holiday sale of students’ artwork at the Art Students League. Others were simply enjoying the calm before the storm of business holiday parties this week and next, such as the Lauder family’s quiet gathering at Nobu 57, Prudential Elliman’s soiree at Cipriani 42nd Street, and the hedge fund Pequot’s blow-out at Brasserie 8 1/2.

agordon@nysun.com


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