Friday, September 14, 2007
Atlanta Botanical Gardens
And now for a continuation of the Atlanta trip recap . . . .
On Friday last (a week ago), after some morning museum stuff, the Hubby and I caught the train - and then a MARTA bus - to the Atlanta Botanical Garden (ABG). The garden is on the north side of Piedmont Park. My brother suggested that we go to Piedmont Park, but when we saw there was a botanical garden, we were all over it. It was a hot, hot, hot, clear day. Good thing we had water. ABG is beautiful. There are pieces of artwork mixed in among the plants. We took lots of pictures, a few of which are above. The top picture is a sculpture tucked in along one of the walking paths. The second and third photos are of two glass pieces done by Dale Chihuly. Chihuly is a glass god. Really. If you aren't impressed by these two pieces, check out the other work on his website. His biography is worth a read, too. The green piece above is in the Conservatory near the rain forest area. When I walked in, I thought it was a real plant. Isn't it gorgeous with all the mist? That mist was a lifesaver, cooling us down after strolling through the sweaty heat outside. The fourth photo is of orchids from the orchid room. And the fifth photo? The green one is me.
After we were through at ABG, we walked around to Piedmont Park. Piedmont is HUGE! There's a pond in the park, and ball fields, and a place big enough to hold 50,000 people for a Dave Matthews Band concert. Well, if I couldn't go to the concert Saturday night, at least I could visit the park Friday and see where they were going to play. As we moved from the north part of the park to the south, we were trying to figure out where the concert would be. We ran into an area that was roped off, with signs that said that area was closed for an event. It didn't make sense. The area was rolling hills and trees - not good for a concert at all. As we continued down the road, we ran into Budweiser and ice semis and U-Haul trucks. We looked back toward the north, into an area partially hidden by trees, and saw the stage. Aha! We found the concert site. By this time, we were dragging and we'd reached the south entrance to the park, so we left and caught a bus back to town. This particular concert by DMB was a green concert. Because there is very little parking around Piedmont Park, concert-goers were encouraged to use MARTA to come to the concert. Very cool of the band to think of such things in order to reduce global warming. We used MARTA because we are cheap and lazy.
Labels: art, atlanta, atlanta botanical garden, dale chihuly, dave matthews band, husband, piedmont park
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Karlos
I have days worth of Atlanta observations to dole out, which means that I'm hesitating while trying to decide what to tell you about next.
Let's turn to southern hospitality. I have to say that everyone we interacted with in Atlanta was kind and helpful, from the lady who helped us purchase our Breeze passes for the MARTA train, to the concierge who recommended the restaurant Thrive, to the Italian waiter at Thrive (his name was Erjon (pronounced Aaron) - he's been in the United States three years and is in school) to the police officers who helped us with directions to the bus driver who took us to the Atlanta Botanical Garden (he told us the secret to the good life is to never go into debt - pay cash for everything) to the man who took our admission fee at the Atlanta Botanical Garden who informed us that he's seen evidence of global warming in Atlanta. Even the panhandlers were soft-spoken and helpful while attempting to pry cash out of us unsuspecting tourists.
Far and away my favorite of all was Karlos, our waiter at the Omni Hotel. We first met Karlos at a small museums luncheon on Thursday. He stood out immediately because of his skill at his job and his regal bearing. He was attentive beyond belief. If he saw anyone hesitate or look in need of something, he was immediately at the table to offer his assistance. Watching him was like watching professional ballet, he was so smooth in his movements. I did not catch his name at the small museums luncheon, but found it out later during the awards banquet on Saturday night. When Hubby and I got seated, Karlos suddenly appeared and I was so surprised and pleased to see him that I blurted out, "Oh, goody! We get you again tonight!" I was delighted to be able to watch him work again. It's pure joy to see someone perform a job so well, and especially a job as hard as waiting tables. At the end of the banquet, Hubby and I saw him clearing tables and I was determined to go shake his hand, which I did. I complimented him on his work and he said that hearing that was better than getting a tip. He asked if Hubby and I were married and when we answered in the affirmative, he asked how long. We said eighteen years and his eyes grew wide and he gave us a smile and said he hoped his upcoming marriage would last that long. He is due to get married in December. We congratulated him and wished him well. If he is anywhere near as attentive to his future wife as he was to us, his marriage will indeed be long and fruitful.
Let's turn to southern hospitality. I have to say that everyone we interacted with in Atlanta was kind and helpful, from the lady who helped us purchase our Breeze passes for the MARTA train, to the concierge who recommended the restaurant Thrive, to the Italian waiter at Thrive (his name was Erjon (pronounced Aaron) - he's been in the United States three years and is in school) to the police officers who helped us with directions to the bus driver who took us to the Atlanta Botanical Garden (he told us the secret to the good life is to never go into debt - pay cash for everything) to the man who took our admission fee at the Atlanta Botanical Garden who informed us that he's seen evidence of global warming in Atlanta. Even the panhandlers were soft-spoken and helpful while attempting to pry cash out of us unsuspecting tourists.
Far and away my favorite of all was Karlos, our waiter at the Omni Hotel. We first met Karlos at a small museums luncheon on Thursday. He stood out immediately because of his skill at his job and his regal bearing. He was attentive beyond belief. If he saw anyone hesitate or look in need of something, he was immediately at the table to offer his assistance. Watching him was like watching professional ballet, he was so smooth in his movements. I did not catch his name at the small museums luncheon, but found it out later during the awards banquet on Saturday night. When Hubby and I got seated, Karlos suddenly appeared and I was so surprised and pleased to see him that I blurted out, "Oh, goody! We get you again tonight!" I was delighted to be able to watch him work again. It's pure joy to see someone perform a job so well, and especially a job as hard as waiting tables. At the end of the banquet, Hubby and I saw him clearing tables and I was determined to go shake his hand, which I did. I complimented him on his work and he said that hearing that was better than getting a tip. He asked if Hubby and I were married and when we answered in the affirmative, he asked how long. We said eighteen years and his eyes grew wide and he gave us a smile and said he hoped his upcoming marriage would last that long. He is due to get married in December. We congratulated him and wished him well. If he is anywhere near as attentive to his future wife as he was to us, his marriage will indeed be long and fruitful.
Labels: atlanta, atlanta botanical garden, hotel, hubby, karlos, museum, southern hospitality, thrive, trip, waiter
