Winter may be a magical time when Santa is delivering gifts and a ball in Times Square rings in the New Year, but once the tree is taken down and the final piece of confetti has hit the ground, what then? To many of us it means a long, cold New York City winter is upon us, and with this comes the dreaded winter blues. It’s a time when many stay inside rather then engaging is social activities. But fear not Gothamites, it doesn’t have to be that way much longer.

Brooklyn’s famed, hundred year old Botanical Gardens will be your refuge from said winter blues. On sundays throughout the winter season, tour guide and Psychotherpist, Lynne Spevack will be taking guests of the Brooklyn Botanical Garden on walking trips through the ground and explaining how to “Chase The Winter Blues Away.”

LocalBozo.com was fortunate enough to embark on one of the first tours of the season. The impressively large group gathered in front of the Visitor Center on this day, and will for subsequent tours as well. Miss Spevack met the group with a positive attitude, breaking the ice, and letting the guests know that this would be both uplifting and fun. After her initial introduction she led us toward the the Japanese Garden.

The Japanese Garden is one of BBG’s prized possessions and even during winter one can still see its beauty. We suggest you head to BBG for this site alone. “What is the Winter Blues?” she asked, before going into a detailed explanation.  The winter blues is a seasonal change in mood and or behavior, generally occurring during the darker, winter months and usually characterized by feeling tired or lazy. It also encompasses feelings of being down or blue.

Lynne was not going to simply leave us with a definition. No, this day was all about fighting these blues and chasing them away. She informed us that the trip to the Garden itself was helping us already, since being outdoors is the best method for self-treatment.  “It’s all about the daylight” she said, and even on day of rain or snow it’s still good to be outside.  Even when we are inside we should have the window shades open widely: it’s all about the natural light.

The rest of the tour was equally as enjoyable and informative. Miss Spevack pointed out the fact that plants and trees are still able to grow during the winter months, and even after the huge blizzard we just had.  Baby Bambo could be seen poking out of the packed in snow, thriving well during this frigid weather. Lynne went onto say that the snow actually helps protect these low growing plants. Spevack’s positive attitude and well-versed knowledge in everything we saw at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, helped my winter blues fade away. I highly advise you all to head out to Brooklyn this winter for one of these amazing tours. All you have to do is pay eight dollars for admission to the grounds and the tour is free. That means you can have a full day exploring a place that seems out of place, but once inside you’ll want to come back time and time again.

- Alan Smithee