Real life Room of Requirements

Like everything else in New York, the trees are fake. Especially here. Someone in the guest book called it a real life Room of Requirements. That is exactly what it is. A room filled with trees and grass and warm light, all helping you forget the blistering cold and quickly falling snow outside.


Here, the trees are extra fake, made of plastic, wires, and fabric. The grass shines as if wet, but in reality it is as fake as the trees, a dry plastic carpet cut into symmetrical strips pretending to be grass. The light comes from bright triangle lamps on the ground behind the trees, as well as small lights on the roof, and a few Lekos with purplish diffuser gels.


Speaker boxes in the corners produce sounds of birds chirping, while white painted brick walls with exposed electrics contain the square bean bags and wooden picnic tables, and keep the cold snow out.


Real, dry leaves and twigs surround the base of each fake tree as adults of all ages enter and remark on the astounding artificial environment. Kids, none quite old enough to talk, some too young even to walk, light up with smiles as they chase brightly coloured balls around the comfortable, fake, green, Room of Requirements. A forested haven away from the grey snow-dirt slush outside the front room, perfectly camoflouged in The City. The cold outside waits, but for now the small group of people enjoy their moment in the artificial park.