Green-Wood was part of the rural cemetery movement, a response to overcrowded urban graveyards. The idea, borrowed from Père Lachaise in Paris, was to create park-like settings outside city limits where families could bury their dead and return for contemplative visits. Green-Wood's founder, Henry Evelyn Pierrepont, purchased a farm in Brooklyn with natural hills and valleys. The landscape was designed for beauty: winding paths, ponds, Gothic monuments, and carefully chosen plantings. The cemetery became so popular that it helped catalyze the creation of public parks - if people would travel to visit the dead in pleasant surroundings, perhaps they'd appreciate living parks too.

Over 600,000 people rest in Green-Wood, including some of New York's most famous and infamous. Boss Tweed, the corrupt political boss of Tammany Hall, is here. So is Horace Greeley, newspaper editor and presidential candidate. Leonard Bernstein, composer and conductor of 'West Side Story.' Jean-Michel Basquiat, the graffiti artist turned art world sensation. Samuel Morse, inventor of the telegraph. Louis Comfort Tiffany, the stained-glass artist. William Poole, the 'Bill the Butcher' of 'Gangs of New York.' The cemetery's monuments range from simple headstones to elaborate mausoleums - a stone catalog of 19th and 20th-century wealth, power, and creativity.

Green-Wood's most unexpected residents are wild monk parakeets - bright green parrots that have established a colony in the Gothic Revival main gate. The parakeets, native to South America, arrived in New York in the late 1960s, probably escaped or released from shipping containers at JFK Airport. They found Green-Wood's elaborate Gothic stonework ideal for nesting - the spires and arches provide warmth in winter and protection from predators. The colony has thrived for decades, the birds' squawking chatter audible throughout the cemetery entrance. Green-Wood has embraced its parakeets, who bring color and unlikely life to the gates of the dead.

Green-Wood operates as both active cemetery and public space. Burials continue - there are still plots available, including green burials without embalming. But the cemetery also hosts concerts, tours, art installations, and theatrical performances. Battle Hill, the highest point in Brooklyn and site of the largest battle of the Revolutionary War, offers panoramic views of the harbor and Manhattan. The cemetery's trolley tours visit notable graves and monuments. Annual events include Memorial Day commemoration and special tours highlighting specific communities - African Americans, women, LGBTQ individuals - buried within. Green-Wood bridges death and life in ways few cemeteries attempt.

Green-Wood Cemetery is located at 500 25th Street in Brooklyn, New York. The main entrance is the Gothic Revival gates at 5th Avenue and 25th Street - look up for the parakeets. The cemetery is open daily; hours vary seasonally. Admission is free for self-guided visits. Trolley tours, walking tours, and special events are offered through the Green-Wood Historic Fund; many require advance registration. The cemetery is accessible via the R train to 25th Street or the D/N/R to 36th Street. The grounds are hilly; comfortable walking shoes recommended. Maps are available at the entrance. Allow 2-3 hours for thorough exploration - the cemetery is nearly 500 acres.