May 22, 2008...2:15 pm
A Visitor’s Tale - Part 1
(Editor’s note: This is a guest post by a dear friend of mine who visited the Treasure Valley last weekend. It was not her first visit, but she definitely knew the sights she wanted to hit while here! Part 2 will be posted tomorrow. For more about this author, visit www.glutenfreebowlofsoul.blogspot.com Enjoy!)
Boise through my eyes ~ a Visitor’s Tale…Part 1
The author of Boise Goodlife was so kind as to ask me to be a guest blogger this week, knowing that I was headed north to spend a three-day weekend in the lovely city of Les Bois…so here’s all-things-Boise, through the eyes of a visitor.
The first delight of the weekend was learning that the weather was going to be reminiscent of summertime, reaching 90 plus degrees all weekend – wool scarves be gone – hello flip-flops! Luckily, I packed a fair amount of sunscreen because my boyfriend (a native Idahoan) and I spent the majority of our weekend outside in the beautiful sunshine. Who could resist!
I’ve been visiting Boise for many years now, and the more I visit, the more I like the City and its abundant community activities and well-planned events – and I’m not just saying this because of my Basque ties. It’s very inspiring to me, an out-of-towner, to see how a relatively small city has created such vibrant and cultured diversity for its residents to enjoy, throughout every season.
Another noteworthy mention is the sheer number of well-kempt parks throughout the City. We spent some of our time playing Frisbee and picnicking in the shade of a very large maple tree in the Northend of town at Camel’s Back Park, (http://www.cityofboise.org/parks/parks_facilities/parks/index.aspx?id=cb_park_facts) just down from the historic Hyde Park district. (http://www.northend.org/) Earlier that morning, it was essential that we visit my favorite coffee house, Java (http://www.bowlofsoul.com/java.html). That’s saying a lot to choose a favorite, because there are a vast plethora of good coffee houses throughout the city, each with their own unique grind on how to create that perfect latte or cappuccino.
Since I’m mentioning some Northend attractions, there’s a nursery that I MUST bring up, though I’m sure it’s common-knowledge to all Boise-ites, BUT Edward’s Greenhouse (http://www.edwardsgreenhouse.com/) is incredible…a true must-see, or as I thought to myself, “I’m going to drive up here from Reno just to load up my car with the most amazing geraniums I’ve seen, and driving them back home!”
Walking into the nursery is a treat in itself, as you are greeted with an overwhelming visual delight of the brightest-petaled flowers around, along with finding every flowering plant, shrub, tree, rose bush, ground cover, potted plant, garden swag and mounds of potting soil one could ever wish for in a life-time of gardening. And the best part?…they have the original red Radio Flyer wagons you can use for a shopping cart!
(TO BE CONTINUED….)
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