This past weekend at BlogHer Food 2011 in Atlanta was a whirlwind. There were so many wonderful people all talking about what we love—food, cooking, gardening, restaurants, and anything related—that I found myself wishing there was more time, maybe an additional day with no sessions planned just set aside to hang out with everyone and have fun. I lucked out this time and Michael and I didn’t have to meet early at the airport to do the kid handoff because he didn’t have to travel, so I booked my flights to allow some time to see Atlanta and spend time with friends old and new that I hardly ever get to see.
After Sunday morning breakfast with Susan and Sean, they headed to the airport (or tried to as you may have seen in their tweets) and I set off to spend the afternoon at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. I heard they have an edible garden and were doing cooking demonstrations that day, so as soon as I arrived I made a beeline for their outdoor kitchen, which is right next to the edible garden. Megan McCarthy was leading the demonstration using fresh chard grown just a few steps away from the kitchen. After the demo I took a leisurely stroll through the gardens, taking notes of plants we could add to our garden and creative ways to prop plants that need support. The afternoon was hot but not too humid, and I sat for a while under the shade of enormous magnolia trees in bloom. In spite of the heat, I felt refreshed and relaxed when it was time to leave and promised myself that I would set aside time to do this more often.
You can view more photos from my visit to the garden on Flickr.
If you are thinking about visiting the garden, check out their Thursday evening Cocktails in the Garden events, which run May through September.
How to Get There
1345 Piedmont Ave. NE
Atlanta, GA 30309
404.876.5859
Map
This sounds so lovely, Andrea. I wish I could have joined you Sunday morning, it was the end of many late nights and a little too much imbibing that held me back. What a treat to see pictures of the botanic gardens in Atlanta, in California I'm used to the eternal growing season and can easily lose sight of the power of a specific season.
We missed you, but I understand about all the late nights, I've had a few too many myself lately. I'm always a bit envious of my California friends and the year-round growing there, but you are right, it makes me appreciate each season even more.
When I saw you Sunday morning and found out where you were headed that day, I was kicking myself for making such early departure plans. However, your photos gave me a taste of what will definitely be on my to-do list the next time I am in Atlanta.
Aloha Andrea,
The trip to the botanical gardens sounds delightful-what a great way to end your visit to Atlanta. I agree about wishing there was a bit more time for unstructured "visiting"-the dinner we had Saturday night was a highlight of my time at BlogHer; great to meet you and the other 6 other ladies over a meal, drinks, gossip, and laughter.
I'll be back in Atlanta in July so will definitely checkout the Thursday night Cocktails in the Garden!
Hi Lori! It was great to meet you this weekend, and yes, I think you would enjoy the gardens, they were very beautiful.
Hi Susie! Dinner Saturday night was a lot of fun! Had a great time with all you gals and I look forward to more evenings like that together.
Hi Andrea - thanks for sharing this, I'm terribly jealous. We decided to skip the botanical gardens but when I saw your photos I regretted that decision. 🙂 It was great to meet you this weekend.
I was there last year, and it was looking fairly small and minimal except for the vertical herb wall (amazing!!!). Sounds like it's improved somewhat.
They had some interesting grains, but otherwise seemed to be pretty standard tomatoes, eggplant, corn, and squash.
Sorry to have had such an early flight out of Atlanta. I was jealous reading your tweets after I was already settled in at the airport. Sounds like you had a wonderful day -- the garden photos are beautiful!