Phipps Conservatory and the Cleveland Botanical Gardens
Winter 2014
We had a long, cold winter!
I enjoy winter activities so I usually make the most of a snowy season
but even I was getting the winter time blues brought on by the bleak
weather. However, my friends and I came up with a way
to get out of the freezing temperatures and escape to a tropical climate if
only for a few hours. The Cleveland
Botanical Gardens in Cleveland, Ohio and Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh, PA both hosted orchid displays
during the winter months.
My friend Scooter (from Pennsylvania) and I decided to meet
up at Phipps Conservatory ($15/pp- free parking along street) in Pittsburgh on
a Friday evening to take in their Orchids & Bonsai Show. Phipps has several large connected glasshouses
with various themes like the Palm Court or the Tropical Room with many
varieties of orchids placed along the walkways.
There was also a room displaying bonsai trees in various shapes and
sizes. Because we were there after dark,
many of the greenhouses were dim, lighted with simple strings of white twinkle
lights and illuminated paths and walkways.
The whole display was stunning. The
heat and humidity of the India Room was especially invigorating for me. Scooter and I made our way along the garden
walkway through all the rooms, pointing out our favorite orchids, plants and
trees.
We headed over to the Thunderbird Café next to see a band called
Cello Fury. The place was packed! We ended up sharing a veggie quesadilla and talking
the whole night. Luckily we were
stationed in front of a telecast of the stage so we could at least see the band
on screen.
The next weekend Meg, Neil, Holly, Red and I headed to
Cleveland Botanical Garden’s ($11/pp, $9 parking in deck) Orchid Mania
show. Cleveland’s glasshouse is smaller
than Phipps but it seemed as if they packed just as many orchids into a smaller
amount of space- there were orchids everywhere I looked. So many different varieties and vibrant colors
were displayed that I literally took 100+ pictures. The warm mist and sunlight of the rainforest
room felt energizing and the butterflies that filled the air were a
delight. What a lovely way to get out of
the cold for an afternoon!
We headed to lunch at Melt in Cleveland Heights on our way home and enjoyed huge gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches and hangover fries. Both excursions were the perfect ways to get out of the frigid winter and recharge with friends for a few hours.
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