We wrote last week about the tree pits on 10th Avenue around 27th & 28th Streets that, we had understood, were being transformed by the The Horticultural Society of New York, a nonprofit engaged by the city council. It turns out that that was only partially true; we now understand that the Chelsea Garden Club—which is exactly what it sounds like—and, specifically, two intrepid gardeners named Luis and Milton have been caring for those pits now for about a year. Thank you Luis and Milton—and thanks also to Em Schaefer, who charmingly describes herself as “the purple-haired person” that you should introduce yourself to if you see her out in the pits.

We wrote a few weeks ago about Itty Island, the mini-garden down on 10th Avenue & 24th Street built for no apparent reason (the best apparent reason) by a group of enterprising Chelsea resident-gardeners. We also mused about similarly transforming some currently abandoned tree pits further up on 10th Avenue. Well I’m happy to report that those prayers were answered, because the New York City Council (legislature of NYC) recently engaged a nonprofit called The Horticultural Society of New York to transform at least three tree pits around 10th Avenue & 27th/28th Street into little oases. Amazing.

People will surprise you in the best way, and sometimes buildings will too, evidently. At the top of the Post Office building, covering an entire city block between 9th and 10th Avenues from 29th to 30th Streets, is a massive two-acre garden which spans the entire roof of the building. You can see a wide shot of it here (hold your phone landscape rather than portrait) and walk-through style videos of it here and here.

We muse occasionally about the secret to happiness around here and the fact is that some days it will feel like a weapons-grade state secret and other days it will feel just about within reach. On those latter days, you might be paying little closer attention to your five senses taking in small delights like Itty Island on 24th & 10th, a resident-constructed mini-garden that we wandered around and narrated last weekend.

This is a planter; there are other things called trees (not pictured). The NYC Parks Department gives these away for free. We are in touch with Carl Wilson’s staff (Carl Wilson is the NYC council member for our area) right now about getting one of these. We think they might add a little pop to the block.