No HeyGo, So Had to go OUT into the World

[lydamorehouse]

 
Image: cherry blossoms at the MN Arboretum 

My friend naomikritzer and I were talking about things we would appropriate from other cultures the other day (mostly, we discussed how much better Jewish people do funerals,) and I brought up the idea of Hanami. What I like about the idea of Hanami is that people in Japan will often take time off work to just go look at flowers (specifically cherry blossoms, but if you read the Wikipedia article, you can see that it really applies to any flower.) We don't have anything like this in the US, possibly because there is no single flower that blooms everywhere in the US, since we're such a massive country. I feel like the closest we have to this kind of thing in the Midwest is leaf peeping in the fall. 

But, so Naomi and I decided to have a day of intentional flower viewing. We'd hoped that there would be enough flowering trees of some sort blooming at the Minnesota Arboretum, but, the cherry blossoms, had not entirely popped yet, alas. 

However, the tulips were in full bloom.


Image: so many tulips!

Naomi brought a picnic basket and had made us both a lovely chicken salad and so we wandered around the arboretum for a long time, checking out the tulip display and some of the other things that were in bloom. Yesterday was a very gorgeous day, with lots of sun (although it got quite warm, into the 80s F / 27 C.) 

This was my second time out at the MN Arboretum and, if you've never been, I have some advice for how best to appreciate it. My suggestion would be to go into the Welcome/Interpretive Center and get a map from the information desk. However, be warned, the maps and signage are fairly terrible. But, they always have a decent seasonal display very near the welcome center (again, ask for directions, because it's not self-evident how to get there--you need to go through the building, up the stairs/elevator, go to the right to get to the door, and once outside go left.) Near here is also the Japanese garden, which, ironically, had no cherry trees, but does have a koi pond.  I would, had I to do this again, wander these nearby gardens for awhile, and then hop back into the car and drive their "three mile road." The drive, which Naomi and I ended up doing at the end, will give you a good sense of what else there is to see in the arboretum. Then, you can decide where you might like to return to and/or hike to.  You can drive the loop as often as you like, so you could go around once just to see what there is to see and then drive it again and park at one of the official stops along the way and checkout whatever interests you. Had we done this first, Naomi and I probably would have stopped to admire the sculpture garden more, the Chinese garden, and the Rhododendron garden. As it was, we tried to walk the three mile walk (not difficult terrain and paved, but... it doesn't have great vantage points, and so) and ended up not seeing the Chinese garden from where we were.  

Anyway, that's my advice. Take it or leave it. If you are a seasoned hiker/walker the three-mile walk is really quite pleasant. I don't regret walking much of it, but I think if I go back I really want to check out the Bog Walk and some of the other less popular destinations. 


Image: pasqueflowers

Comments

[profiterole_reads]

That's lovely.

[lydamorehouse]

It was such a great day. Thanks.

[oracne]

What a lovely day.

[lydamorehouse]

Indeed. Very much.

[sraun]

We have an on-again off-again relationship with the Arboretum. We have bought an annual membership several times, meaning to get out enough to make it worthwhile, and then haven't done so.

Every time we've gone, we've had a great experience!

Our default practice is walk around the visitor center, then do Three Mile Drive. We never have done any of the longer walking paths.

[lydamorehouse]

Yeah, this was my tension, too? Like, I wanted to get a membership, but it's a helluva drive down there! So, I can see how you never make it out as often as you'd like.

[rachelmanija]

Those are gorgeous! A couple of my tulips are blooming now too.

[lydamorehouse]

My tulips all get eaten by the squirrels. I wonder how the arboretum keeps those little scoundrels out of the beds? Chicken wire in the ground, maybe?

[sabotabby]

We have a tradition of seeing the cherry blossoms here, although it is such a thing, and there is such a grind culture in Toronto, that you go on the weekend and it's crowded and hard to take pictures of. I miss it anyway.

[lydamorehouse]

I guess Washington, DC has enough cherry trees to make this a thing there, too. I would totally go out every year with you and be miserable in the crowds. I mean, I imagine that's part of what happens in Japan, too. On the Heygos it always seemed idyllic, but I have to remember that those tour guides were up at like 7 am to give us a 6pm (the previous day) tour, and even THEN we often saw a ton of other people out taking photos, etc.

[leia_solo]

That is a lovely concept. I really admire different concepts from different countries that have no equivalent here in the U.S.

[lydamorehouse]

Same! I am considering stealing the holiday of Moon Viewing (Tsukimi) from the Japanese too: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsukimi

[mtbc]

The median Japanese worker probably gets a few more paid days off per year than Americans too. Not to a Scandinavian extent but at least somewhat, they have a fair few national holidays and such too.

[lydamorehouse]

They also have the concept of Karoshi, working yourself to death, which I could do without. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karoshi

[lydamorehouse]

So, what we need to do is mix-and-match cultures, replace karoshi with siesta from Mexico and fika from Sweden and the French tradition of two hour lunches or whatever. Is there something you think we should steal from the UK to add to this perfect society??

[mtbc]

I doubt there's anything to steal from the UK that the French or Swedes wouldn't already have better!