Proximity to trees is important to me, which is why we ended up in our current apartment, a tiny space perched on the edge of a park. My first memories are of living in a tiny brick house surrounded by forest, and my sister and I used to like to go out in the yard and survey the trees by standing on little stumps. There were two little stumps in the yard, and Rachel would take one, and I would take the other, and we would stand there and take stock of all we saw. Looking at trees has always been something I liked to do.
So far, my favorite trees to look at in New York are the American Elms in Central Park, particularly along the Mall and the Literary Walk. The story of the American Elm is a sad one - they were widespread in North America until the arrival of Dutch Elm Disease, which decimated the population to the point that many people thought that American Elm was doomed. Work is still being done to save them. So visiting the tall elms in Central Park is peculiarly thrilling to me - they are special, survivors in an unexpected place.
