Yesterday was perhaps the best day I've had yet since moving to MN, because.....(drum roll)....we went to the ARBORETUM!!!
It was sunny and sometimes warm and, because it's rained more or less every day for the last month, lush and green. We saw all the demonstration gardens and took the tram ride along the drive. Next time I'll stroll through the park itself and look more at the trees.
It's a pity that it's so far from Mpls; it takes at least 40 minutes to get there, so you can't be popping over for a half-hour every week. But that distance protects it, I suppose; it's not overrun with humans.
The terrain is different out there in Chanhassen, too. Lots of relief, gently rolling hills. That's great for arboretum design: it creates lots of microclimates as well as lots of design opportunities. Being there, I wondered why I have "given up" landscape architecture. Partly budgets, probably: it's frustrating to design on a shoestring when you know how much better the site could be if you could only afford MORE. And then the impoverishment of design for public spaces - by the time you consider traffic patterns and microclimates and the limitations of your public works maintenance crew, the plant palette is limited, indeed. I did some cool stuff for the school department, but public schools are all but impossible to do anything wonderful for because of the intensive use and severe lack of maintenance.
This just sounds so defeatist. Landscape architects should THRIVE on the challenges of tough sites and tougher clientele, right? But maybe, instead of looking at the supply side (landscape architects) we should be looking at the demand side and asking why Americans don't have better public spaces. Part of it is lack of design understanding; part of it is budgets that are devoted to other priorities (like imperialism masquerading as saving the world for democracy).
I'm ranting now, so I'll stop. If you live in the Twin Cities, go to the Arboretum.
Posted by otto0114 at June 3, 2004 08:26 AMHere is a GREAT MONEY SAVING TIP for all the UofM folks out there...
The Arboretum is normally $7.00 per adult to get in... BUT, with the magic of a University ID, not only YOU, BUT THE WHOLE CAR LOAD OF PEOPLE GET IN FOR FREE!!!!!
Finally a good reason for paying all that tuition money!
NOTE: I am only ASSUMING that this discount works for professors and other employees, we are both STUDENTS and the discount worked for us!
BUT... don't forget your ID or it will cost you full price!
Have fun!
-B