Just like you were there: A Perfect Afternoon in Oakland
Last week I spent a perfect afternoon in Oakland just east of downtown Pittsburgh and home to University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon.
I met a dear friend for one last walk through the Summer Flower Show at the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. This wasn’t my first visit, more like my 50th because it is one of my favorite places in Pittsburgh. I highly recommend seeing the Phipps in person but, until then, this online tour is really nice.
First, we sat at Café Phipps, drank tea and chatted. Then, we wandered through the plants and flowers in each room, taking our time and occasionally stopping to snap photos of something particularly inspiring. We sat by a ‘fire’ in the Tropical Forest Congo exhibit and talked for what felt like forever. What a joy it is to just sit and talk with a friend.
Afterwards, we went to Craig Street and had lunch at Lulu’s Noodles, poked around the Caliban Book Shop, stopped in at Top Notch Art Supply and bought a few gifts at Snowlion Imports.
What a perfect afternoon! Look through these photos that we took at the Phipps – it’ll be just like you were there.
The lovely Firecracker Plant in the Serpentine Room
The Madagascar Ocotillo in the Desert Room
The Bolivian Hummingbird Sage in the Sunken Garden
The Lantana ‘Gold Rush’ in the Sunken Garden
The Rattlesnake Plant in the Victoria Room
Beaded elephant masks in the Tropical Forest Congo
