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| - Kay wanted to go to Phipps Conservatory in the worst way, so yesterday afternoon, I came here for the first time in nearly 20 years.
You see, this was never exactly my thing. In the past, I'd only come here on field trips and be bored. Or occasionally we'd bring my grandmother, and I'd be bored.
When last I visited, it was with a group of classmates; we had just finished some sort of elaborate electronic project, and we brought it here to be displayed. Unfortunately, I can't recall much about said project other than it was centered around a big, metallic contraption with flashing lights.
As a child, I liked the Desert Room the most since it reminded me of a Western film with all the cacti and dry heat and used to wish that I could bring my action figures so I could play with them in these beautifully strange, stark environs.
On this dreary, rainy day, however, Orchids and Tropical Bonsais were the focal point.
Perhaps I'm maturing, but I think I appreciate the conservatory much more now than I did as a youngster. Mother Nature created many exquisite photosynthetic crafts, many of which can be found here, and they all reminded me of certain things. Orchids looked like dragons. Certain hanging plants were giant spiders. The patterns on some of the trees told stories. Massive leaves acted as umbrellas. Some were comforting and playful. Others were striking, almost fearsome in appearance.
As I age, I'm learning to be more patient, to savor experiences more. It is said that it takes 60 to 90 minutes to get through this floral labyrinth of wonder, but you want to dally instead, being mindful of each and every plant. You want to study them, remember them (in vain), try to root through the files of your mind to retrieve a memory capsule from the year a particular Bonsai was brought to Phipps. Where were you in 1996? 1991? 1985? 1980? 1960 (oops! too far back!)? For me, to travel through the various gardens was to travel through time or allow time to stand still, to forget about the industrialized world for a few hours.
And yes, I still have a young lad in my psyche, and he wanted to pose Lord of the Rings figurines about, put tiny boats in the artificial micro-rivers that rushed beneath the wooden bridges, and simply stare in awe at the miniature railroad (ok, who's the wiseguy that stuck a T-Rex next to the fawns? he's gonna eat 'em!). The romantic adult in me wanted to steal a kiss from Kay near the waterfall while she became entranced by the more aromatic flowers, Kay being an aromatic and rare flower herself...to me.
The goofball in me wondered what a hoot it would be to bring my cat here and watch him climb, explore, harass the fish, take a nap under a fern, and get hissy and growly when its time to leave.
The more time I spent in it, the more Phipps seemed like it existed in its own dimension or pocket universe. Its exterior and interior architecture remain magnificently futuristic despite being built well over a century ago, and it is throughout that architecture that the multitudinous forms of vegetation weave themselves seamlessly. It is as if the plants merely allow the metal and stone to co-exist there. Phipps Conservatory is a realm ruled collectively and benevolently by plants that urge you to visit as often as you like, beckoning you with fragrance, color, aesthetic, and knowledge.
We need plants to feed us, protect us, and cure us. Humankind needs to return the favor, and the conservatory helps enlighten us to that. So come. Touch, feel, gawk, absorb, admire, smell, learn. Lose yourself in Gaia's magical, botanical playground. Allow yourself to be captivated by this earthbound pageant of Life, and help sustain it with your patronage so that your children and grandchildren can do the same.
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