Exploring Sarasota

This is going to be a busy week. School starts in three short weeks, and there is a lot to do before day one. I'm going to spend most of today on the phone trying to get appointments and closing out New Jersey business. You would be happy to know that the cable company here is just as incompetent as the cable company back home. 

Last Friday, my family surprised me with a trip to Sarasota. I was told to be ready by 8:30am ......somewhere around 9 am we left the house. Sarasota is just under a two hour drive from Naples. First stop...the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens.

The gardens have breathtaking views of the ocean throughout the seven acres of lush landscaping and rare plants.

These pink Caladium's look beautiful among the sea of ferns.

It was definitely time for lunch at the Koi pond.

From there, we had a lovely lunch and then onto the next event. A Segway tour of Sarasota. I am definitely buying one of these.....and I will NEVER show a picture of myself on one. It's like a moped, fun to ride, buy you would not want your friends to see you on one. 

An hour of shopping at St. Armands Circle.

On our way to dinner we stopped at Siesta Key Beach, one of the most beautiful beaches in the Country. According to Travelers Choice, it's the thrid best beach in the Country second only to Hawaii. The sand was soft powder white, and felt like baby powder. 

We had dinner at the Carmel Cafe, just north of Sarasota. Each table is given iPads to peruse the menu and wine selection. You can order directly off the iPad or with the aide of the waitress. Each entre has two different wine pairings that are recommended to accompany it. 

And if that wasn't enough for the day....we had dessert at Subzero, an ice cream store featured on Shark Tank. What makes this place so unique is that the ice cream is made to order from scratch using liquid Nitrogen to freeze it immediately. 

It was a great day. 
 

Orchid Exposition

I love looking at orchids. Every time I visit a Botanical Garden I make my way to the Orchids display. The last time I was able to see an abundance of Orchids was when I visited the New York Botanical Gardens. Wow, I just checked the date of that post, and it has been too long.

Next month, the Annual Pacific Orchid Exposition, the largest Orchid show in the United States, will be taking place in San Francisco. The show is running February 20-23 and I am sad that I cannot attend. In a few years, when my daughter goes to college in the Bay Area (my plan, not hers) I will make sure to visit her while the Orchid Exposition is open. Hopefully it will coordinate nicely with the Fancy Food Show. 

All Images Courtesy of the San Francisco Orchid Society

Aren't these pictures stunning? Have you ever attended a flower show?

 

Let's Wander to the Orchid Show

This is going to be total eye candy today. Sandy, from the blog You May be Wandering, is giving us a flower  show tour. If you are not familiar with Sandy's blog, she writes about all things travel related. Her information is great, but I just love all the beautiful images she posts. Totally Pinterest-Worthy.

Wandering to...The New York Botanical Garden for The Orchid Show:

"A woman loves orchids because it makes her feel like she is floating on a cloud of possibility"

-from the movie, A Perfect Man

The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) is one of the great treasures of New York City.  My family and I have been members for years. We enjoy strolling through the beautiful gardens and seeing what is in bloom - spring bulbs, azaleas and flowering trees; summer roses and perennial gardens; and fall foliage at the height of its color. And, while most people wouldn't think of visiting a botanical garden in the winter, the Holiday Train Show is truly enchanting. Another annual exhibit happens each March just when we have all had just about enough of winter in the New York area, The Orchid Show.

A few weeks ago, I stepped inside the large Victorian glasshouse also known as the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, where the 11th annual Orchid Show was being held.  I was instantly transported to a tropical oasis and surrounded by thousands of spectacular orchids.

 

The NYBG Orchid Show is the largest curated orchid show in the United States and contains over 7,000 orchid plants representing species from Australia, South America and Africa. This years show was designed by one of the NYBG's own, Francisca Coelho. 

The NYBG was hit hard by Hurricane Sandy. Coelho decided to bring some of the fallen trees inside to incorporate into the design of the show.

All photos are by Sandy at You May Be Wandering

The Orchid Show will continue at the New York Botanical Gardens until April 22, 2013. It is definitely well worth a day trip up to the Bronx to view this beautiful exhibit.

Thanks for the tour, Sandy. I love to stroll through Botanical Gardens.....wherever they are.

You can check out Sandy's blog and see all the travel related things she posts about, here.