I've been attending The Orchid Show fairly regularly the past few years. It's not by design (har har) but rather that the show always seems to coincide with a beautiful weekend on which I want to visit a park far from the maddening crowds. And while the show itself can be crowded, the grounds of the New York Botannical Garden rarely are.

This year's show, Cuba in Flower, was designed by Jorge Sanchez. Throughout, he weaved iconic sights of Cuba. At the entrance, he has placed a replica of the La Giraldilla statue atop the Castillo de la Fuerza Real, which he has re-created in the Palms of the Americas Gallery reflecting pool. It's an arresting sight, causing traffic jams as people pause for photographs.

No less impressive is the finale, which had visitors gasping. White orchids form an archway along the length of the hall under which visitors pass. People stopped to take photos of each other, blocking the narrow path. One family turned to me and asked me to take their photo. I did, and smiled as they exclaimed it was the best photo they had of themselves that day. Crouched by another orchid, a photographer told me that her battery had just ran out. I offered my camera and told her she could use mine; I'd email her the photos. She demurred. She told me she already had over 2000 shots. But then she said she'd try her camera one more time.

More photos after the jump. Warning: lots of orchid photos!