A 90-degree-plus day in Grand Rapids, or so it felt. So naturally we headed for the tropical conservatory at Frederik Meijer Gardens, where we saw a Fiji Fan Palm that looked pretty much like this:
And something called a Travellers Tree, native to Madagascar; a huge, impressive creature.
Actually, while the tropical conservatory, desert conservatory and Victorian garden were all great, the real highlight in today's sweltering heat were the waist-high outdoor pools shaped exactly like the three Great Lakes surrounding the state of Michigan. The kids got to push little plastic boats all around, and it was cooler there.
The huge horse was impressive, as well. The sculpture garden would've been well worth a whirl on a somewhat cooler day; plus there's a good cafe, an indoor art gallery filled now with some really odd bronze sculpture; and a summer concerts series in a beautiful outdoor setting with a fine sound system, and some quality acts, including Jonny Lang on Sept. 1.
Posted by Matt Rosenberg at July 14, 2005 05:12 PM
Sounds like a great place to visit, but oh, the summer heat. Like you I'm a transplant to the Puget Sound region. I lived my first 40 years in that climate, but it's remarkable how quickly you lose your tolerance for hot, steamy summer weather once you've been out here for a while. I have a trip to Ohio scheduled in a few weeks, and I'm just dreading it.
Posted by: jsa at July 14, 2005 06:30 PM