Cool or Not Cool: Electric Christmas Tree in Grand Army Plaza
Karen | Wednesday, December 18, 2013 at 12:10PM 
Did you know there's been a Christmas Tree near the Grand Army Plaza Arch since 1920? Thanks for that fun fact Daily News! The thing is, this year's tree is very different from the trees of years past, what with being made entirely of strings of electric lights, and all. During the day, even while lit, you can barely see it, although I'm sure at night it's quite beautiful. Not everyone is thrilled with this change:
“It doesn’t fit with the location, the park, the neighborhood or the holiday,” said Park Slope resident Maria Artiga, 54, who says she has gone to visit the tree for decades. “The real tree makes it an extension of the park.”
I don't have a strong opinion on this particular issue -- could be the whole being Jewish thing. It is kinda cool that you can stand in the middle and look up and see this:
Apparently, last year's tree cost $3100, and the Grand Army Plaza Coalition had to raise money to pay for it, since the Prospect Park Alliance said they couldn't foot the bill. This year, the Alliance stepped up and spent about $3000-$4000 on these strands of Christmas lights, which...seems like a lot of money for Christmas lights, maybe? How much do those things cost anyway??? But, in true Park Slope fashion, this electric tree is SUSTAINABLE and RE-USABLE. And I suppose less tacky then the artificial trees that look like trees, but come in different colors.
What do you think? Is the new tree cool or not cool?
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Reader Comments (1)
It sucks.
I hadn't realized that the "tree" part of it was totally invisible until I passed by there Monday night. Said (to myself) "Where the fuck is the TREE?"
Well, now I understand.
But it still sucks.