Alright, let me tell ya ’bout this Garfield Park place, yeah, Garfield Park Reservation, that’s what they call it. It ain’t fancy like them city parks, no sir. It’s just…well, it’s somethin’ else.
First off, it’s big, real big. They say it’s got acres and acres, but I ain’t never measured it myself. Too much walkin’ for this old lady! But you can wander around for a good long while, that’s for sure. Plenty of space to stretch your legs, if you’re into that sort of thing.
Now, they got this here Garfield Park Conservatory thingy. I went in there once, smelled like a whole lotta flowers, almost made me sneeze my head off. Pretty though, all them plants and such. They got plants from all over, I reckon. Not my cup of tea, but some folks like it. If you’re plannin’ on goin’, they say you gotta tell ’em ahead of time if you need somethin’ special, like a wheelchair or somethin’. Email ’em or call ’em, they say. Don’t ask me what the email is, I ain’t got no computer. But you can find it, I’m sure. They got a phone number too, somethin’ like seven-seven-three somethin’ somethin’, I can’t remember all that stuff anymore.
Anyways, back to the park. They got gardens outside too, lots of ’em. And they ain’t just any gardens, they’re real purdy, with all sorts of flowers and stuff. They say it’s ten acres of ’em. That’s a whole lotta diggin’, I tell ya. And inside, they got even more, like eight whole gardens inside, big as two acres! That’s a lot of plants, more than I can count.
- They got picnic areas, so you can bring your lunch and eat outside.
- They got trails, for walkin’ and such. Some are short, some are longer, depends on how much you feel like walkin’.
- And they got this here Mill Creek waterfall. It ain’t Niagara Falls or nothin’, but it’s pretty. Water comin’ down over the rocks, makes a nice sound. Good place to sit and think, or just sit, depends on how much thinkin’ you wanna do.
- They also got a marsh, which is kinda swampy and full of critters, I bet. I ain’t been down there myself, too many bugs for my likin’.
Folks say this park is old, got some history to it. I don’t know much about that, but you can see it, you know? Old stone bridges and such, real pretty. They say them bridges are like, a hundred years old! Can you believe that? A hundred years! That’s older than me, and that’s sayin’ somethin’!
Now, where is this place? It’s in Garfield Heights, Ohio. Some folks call it Cleveland, but it ain’t really in the city, it’s more on the edge, like. Easy to get to, though. Just drive on down, you can’t miss it. Lots of signs and such. And you can just look for the Mill Creek waterfall too, that’ll tell you where you are.
They say it’s a good place for hikin’. I don’t do no hikin’ no more, my knees ain’t what they used to be. But I see young folks out there all the time, walkin’ and such. Good for them, I guess. Gets ’em out of the house, away from them video games and whatnot.
And when the weather gets nice, after all that winter rain goes away, well, that’s the best time to go. Flowers are bloomin’, birds are singin’, it’s real peaceful like. ‘Course, everybody else thinks so too, so it can get a bit crowded. But you can always find a quiet spot if you look hard enough.
So, if you’re lookin’ for somethin’ to do, somethin’ outdoorsy and not too fancy, this Garfield Park Reservation might just be the ticket. It’s got something for everybody, even old ladies like me who just want to sit and watch the world go by.
It’s a good place, this Garfield Park. Real good. Not too fancy, not too wild, just right. You should go check it out sometime. Bring a sandwich, wear good shoes, and enjoy the scenery. It ain’t gonna cost ya nothin’ but a little bit of time, and time’s somethin’ we all got plenty of, ain’t we?
I reckon that’s all I gotta say ’bout it. You go on now, and see for yourself. And don’t forget to tell ’em old Betty sent ya, not that they’ll know who that is, but it sounds nice, don’t it?
