Get Pumped, it’s the Weekend! Take in some culture, taste the bacon in Williamsburg, & a new exhibit at the New York Botanical Garden.
Tag Archives: garden
Find solace in an urban sanctuary at Main Street Garden
Main Street Garden is a little park right in the middle of downtown. It has a good stretch of green, a little playground and a cafe (whose operating hours seem to be “whenever the hell we want to be open”). It also has a digital art display and some pretty rad looking green walls. The park is free and open to the public, although sometimes special events are held in the space (like Dallas’ annual Homegrown Music Festival). The best thing about Main Street Garden is that it seems to be right under everyone’s radar; unless there is a special event, it’s never crowded.
Jayson Home and Garden: a gardener’s dream
Rarely do we ever see a beautiful garden anywhere in the city but in a park, if we’re lucky, or someone’s back yard. Not so in Lincoln Park’s Jayson Home and Garden. Unlike cookie-cutter gardening stores, like Home Depot, this gardening oasis is an absolute delight to all the senses, particularly in their outdoor garden store. Even though they’ve cut back recently in their floral selection, Jayson Home and Garden offers top-notch plants as well as decor for inside and outside the home. Don’t expect to find wilting perennials here; rather this gardening store draws patrons in with a plethora of blooming flowers, and keeps you there — if only to browse — with unique and beautiful pieces.
Longwood Gardens
When you’re at Longwood Gardens, it’s easy to imagine that you’re at a giant, royal garden in Europe. Stroll along the many paths through acres of exquisitely maintained grounds featuring 11,000 different types of plants.
Encounter a new vista at each turn: the Italian Water Garden, Flower Garden Walk, aquatic display gardens and many others. Amble through Peirce’s Woods, eight outdoor “rooms” of distinct woodland habitats.
Inside the Conservatory is a lush world of exotic flowers, cacti, bromeliads, ferns and bonsai. Each season brings a different pleasure: spring magnolias and azaleas; summer roses and water lilies; fall foliage and chrysanthemums; and winter camellias, orchids and palms.
On land Quaker settler George Peirce purchased from William Penn, Peirce’s grandsons planted an impressive arboretum. The presence of a sawmill on the property prompted industrialist Pierre Samuel du Pont to buy the land in 1906 to save the trees.
The Fruit & Spice Park
The Fruit & Spice Park is the only garden of its kind in the United States, a 30-acre park exhibiting over 500 varieties of fruits, veggies, spices, herbs, nuts and exotic edibles. An old schoolhouse and coral rock building chart Florida’s pioneer life. Another throwback to the fruit farming of old is Robert is Here, which started life in 1959 when the shop’s namesake, then six, began selling the family’s cucumbers from a small stall. Since then, it has grown into an exotic emporium of fruit and veg. In the lovely setting you can drink fruity milkshakes and buy sweet gifts.
Chicagoland Flower and Garden Show March 5 – 13, 2011
Chicagoland Flower and Garden Show 2011 – March 5 – 13, 2011: For those of you with a green thumb (which is so not me), definitely plan on heading over to the Chicagoland Flower and Garden Show at Navy Pier. The show features over 100 exhibitors offering gardening products and services as well as numerous gardening seminars.
Visions: The Women’s Expo Aug 28th-29th
Visions has over 300 unique displays of shopping, fashion, food, entertainment, fun, bargains, cosmetics, travel, vacation and free health & beauty screenings. Indulge yourself with free facials, free hair styling, meet with leading community organizations, enjoy interactive displays or relax with a glass of wine in the garden.
Miami Beach Botanical Garden: Zen among the buzz of South Beach
Buzzing, bustling and busy Washington and Collins Avenues, Ocean Drive and Lincoln Road, some of South Beach’s busiest streets, are just a stone’s throw away from the Miami Beach Botanical Garden and that’s hard to imagine with the the zen that overcomes anyone who visits this place.
Located across from the always busy Miami Beach Convention Center, the Garden is a place to come and get away from it all. The folks who run this place describe themselves perfectly as “Urban Greenspace in the heart of South Beach.” During the annual Art Basel mega month of December the place is abuzz, hosting events and year-round, they’re known for their own innovative revolving exhibitions held in the gardens.
The shows are far from traditional though, actually pushing the envelope of outdoor installations with unique contemporary pieces like the Giants in the City show which features 22 inflatable pieces fabricated from nylon. There are also regularly scheduled classes and lectures held here.
Miami Beach Botanical Garden is located at 2000 Convention Center Drive
Paradise Spa Escape at Four Seasons Westlake Village
For the ultimate spa day getaway The Four Seasons Spa in 
Westlake Village is incredible. Just one spa treatment grants an all access pass to paradise.
For the perfect day, massages are just the beginning. Dive deeper into the zen with a stroll through the gardens, greenhouse, Asian inspired gazebo and koi pond. There’s no need to ditch the plush robe for uncomfortable day clothes as the spa has a private pool just for patrons. For lunch, enjoy smoothies and sandwiches served poolside, while catching up on your perfect LA tan or relaxing in the robe. The meals are deliciously upscale spa-y health food that leaves you satisfied, and not famished. Cap the day with a steam, sauna, and whirlpool dip before showering and heading home. Returning to reality is hard, but this relaxed rejuvenation is truly hard to forget.
Insider’s Tip: Book treatments when traffic is in your favor because it’s a 40 minute drive out of the city, but book early enough to maximize the day there.
3. Spring Comes Early at Macy’s Flower Show April 1-11
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Macy’s is already a must-see when visiting New York City, but this month there’s more of a reason to visit the iconic store. The Macy’s Flower Show, this year titled Spring Is In The Air, is invading the 8 floors of the gigantic department store. Highlights include 10 different garden environments, 30,000 different exotic trees, flowers, and plants, and a hot air balloon centerpiece. But, this is a store after all, and many of the retailers are offering discounts, promotions and specialized gardens on nearly every single floor. This is one of the most beautiful flower displays, and it’s all in the heart of Manhattan.
Bryant Park Has the Best of Both Worlds
Watch out, Central Park. Sure, Bryant Park might not be New York’s most famous park, but definitely puts up some good competition. Here, it’s the best of both worlds: tall Manhattan skyscrapers surrounding a green lawn that features some of the most iconic New York events, like Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week and the HBO Summer Movie Screenings.
Just one block from Times Square, the park is a popular lunch break getaway for the suits and ties, eating at Top Chef’s Tom Colicchio’s casual ‘wichcraft or at the Bryant Park Grill’s enviable patio space. For those looking to relax and soak up the few rays of Manhattan sunshine, there’s free Wi-Fi access as well as intermittent racks of books (Bryant Park is directly behind the New York Library). For those with children, the custom-built carousel is a must.
Bryant Park is always alive; every season comes a new batch of highly anticipated and high quality events. In the summer, the HBO Summer Film Festival screens free films for those on the lawn, and various concerts, including the GMA Summer Series and Broadway in Bryant Park. If you come in the winter, there are the independent merchants at the Holiday Shops as well as The Pond, a free-admission ice-skating rink that has been touted as NYC’s best.
The U.S. Botanic Garden is Always in Bloom
Right next to bustling Capitol Hill is haven of breathtaking 
flowers, roses and gardens at the U.S. Botanic Garden. Tracing its beginnings to 1816, The U.S. Botanic Garden the oldest of its kind in North America.
It is divided into three locations: the Conservatory, Bartholdi Park, and the National Garden. The newly renovated Conservatory is one big greenhouse divided into separate rooms and holds over 4,000 living species. Each room simulates a different habitat and contains various types of plants that ordinarily would not survive in Washington D.C., from desert species to Southern plants to medicinal plants.
Bartholdi Park serves as a home landscape demonstration garden and is home to a beautiful fountain that is 30 feet high. There is also the National Garden, which contains the Rose Garden and the First ladies Water Garden, as well as an outdoor amphitheater.
5th Annual International Tamale Festival
The 5th Annual International Tamale Festival is expected to draw over 50,000 hot tamales the second weekend of November. Come to see fun contests like the Tamale Cook-Off, Tamale Eating Contest, and Best Homemade Tamale Contest, or just relax at the beer garden over a freshly made tamale.
Gandhi & Presley Sought Serenity at the Self-Realization Center
Serenity at the Self-Realization Center is an understatment. Many of the world’s most influential people loved this place; Elvis Presley made it a point to visit often, Beatle George Harrison had his memorial services here and it’s one of the few places in the world where you can actually visit the ashes of Mahatma Gandhi.
The secret to the Center is how it creates a spiritual and physical utopia for its visitors. The gardens and natural spring lake are home to many different plants and animals, including swans, ducks, koi and lotus flowers. With a beautiful rose garden surrounded by small monuments to the major religions- Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism- it’s a haven for free thinkers and the spiritual alike. A visit to the temple, a walk through the peaceful garden, and maybe a chance for some contemplative meditation, is a wonderful way to get out of the city without ever leaving
Enid A. Haupt Garden’s Unexpected Break From City Life
There’s only one spot in DC where you can travel to China, Philadelphia and the 19th century all while on a rooftop. This break from city life can be had at the exquisite Enid A. Haupt Garden, filled with brick paths taking you to elaborate flowerbeds and exotic plants. Named after its donor, a noted supporter of horticulture, this garden offers something for everyone, from the avid horticulturist to someone just looking to relax.
With plant-filled urns, water fou
ntains and baskets hanging from reproduction 19th-century lampposts, the four-acre garden is actually located on the roofs of the National Museum of African Art, the Arthur M. Sackley Gallery and S. Dillon Ripley Center. Make sure to visit the Haupt Parterre that’s inspired by the design from the 1876 Centennial Exposition’s Horticultural Hall.
Also, make your way to the Moongate Garden (part of the Haupt Garden), inspired by the gardens and architecture of the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, China. Inside, there is a circular pool made out of granite that’s next to nine-feet tall pink granite moon gates.
Tours are offered every Wednesday during the summer. For those who just want to sit and relax, there are plenty of benches as well as Wi-Fi access throughout the garden.
Escape to Rome at the Franciscan Monastery
When you think of D.C. architecture, the first thing that comes to mind is usually not a Roman style building. Yet, that’s exactly what you’ll find at the Mount St. Sepulchre Franciscan Monastery .
This DC National Historical Monument is absolutely stunning. Stroll through the gardens and take a moment to enjoy the beautiful landscape. Undergroudn, there’s a replica of Roman catacombs, which is quite an experience in itself. There is also an archive, a library, and bones of Saint Benignus of Armagh, brought from the Italian Roman Catacombs.
The Byzantine style church was designed by the Roman architect Aristide Leonori and built in 1898. Around the church is the Rosary Portico, with 15 chapels commemorating Jesus and Mary. The monastery grounds contain replicas of shrines in the Holy Land, as well as a greenhouse. The Franciscan Monastery is definitely a unique landmark in the middle of the nation’s capital.
Alcatraz
Take a boat ride to and a tour through the small island full of rich history. Alcatraz was one of the first US forts on the west coast, an infamous federal penitentiary, and occupied by Native Americans for eighteen months. Alcatraz also has gardens, tide pools, and a view of the city like none other. For a highly entertaining and educational excursion, visit Alcatraz Island.