Garden notes

Plants and markets

• Fresh Friday Night Farmer’s Market, 5 to 9 p.m. every Friday through April 26 at Railroad Square in downtown New Port Richey (on Nebraska Avenue between Grand Boulevard and Adams Street). Vendors sell produce, plants and specialty foods such as fish, meats, cheeses, bakery items, jellies and jams, honey, nuts, coffee and ethnic foods. Demonstrations, gardening tips and live entertainment. For information visit www.nprmainstreet.com.

• Longleaf Farmers Market, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Saturday in downtown Longleaf, off Starkey Boulevard and State Road 54, New Port Richey.

• Fresh Market at Wiregrass, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. this Saturday at the Shops at Wiregrass, 28211 Paseo Drive, Wesley Chapel. Features produce, Florida-grown plants and locally made jams, salsas, seasonings and sauces, plus the works of local artists. For information, visit tampabaymarkets.com.

• Suncoast Co-op offers fresh, locally grown, chemical-free produce. Register online at suncoastcoop.locallygrown.net to place your order; orders may be picked up from noon to 2 p.m. Saturdays at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore, 4131 Madison St., New Port Richey. The Suncoast Cafe, open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays at the ReStore, serves locally roasted organic coffee, homemade teas and baked goods.

• Baker House plant sale and open house, 9 a.m. to noon Jan. 19 and the third Saturday of the month, October through May. The historic Baker House is at 5744 Moog Road, behind Centennial Park Branch Library. Plants for sale by Elfers Centennial Garden Club. For information, call (727) 372-9954.

• Hernando County Farmers Market, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays at 2450 U.S. 19, Spring Hill.

• Spring Hill Garden Club’s Plant Nursery, 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays and Mondays at 1489 Parker Ave., off Spring Hill Drive (four-tenths of a mile from U.S. 19). Local plants for sale; people may also visit the nearby Nature Coast Botanical Gardens, the “best kept secret in Hernando County,” which is open daily from sunup to sundown. For information call (352) 683-9933 or visit www.naturecoastgardens.com.

Seminars

• Delicious Tomatoes, 6:30 to 7:40 p.m. Tuesday at Hudson Regional Library, 8012 Library Road. January is the best time to start tomato plants indoors for spring planting. This free seminar, taught by a local Master Gardener, will feature techniques on growing delicious tomatoes suited for Pasco gardens. For information, call Pasco County Cooperative Extension at (352) 518-0156.

• Avoiding Common Landscape Mistakes That Cost You Time and Money, 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at Spring Hill Library, 9220 Spring Hill Drive. Has your landscape been failing over time? How can this be when you are spending all that money on irrigation, fertilization and chemical pesticides? This class by Hernando County Extension Services will show you the landscape plant problems commonly experienced in Florida. For information call (352) 754-4433.

• Winterize Your Florida Lawn and Landscape, 10 a.m. to noon Jan. 11 at Hernando County Utilities Department, 21030 Cortez Blvd., Brooksville. Dr. Joan Bradshaw, Citrus County Extension Services director, will discuss covering plants for cold weather, fertilization, planting and maintenance of winter grass and other seasonal landscaping issues at this seminar, hosted by Hernando County Extension Services. For information contact Sylvia Durell at (352) 540-6230.

• Planning Your Spring Vegetable Garden, 9 to 10:30 a.m. Jan. 12 at the Land O’Lakes Community Center, 5401 Land O’Lakes Blvd. (U.S. 41). Methods for starting seeds and using transplants will be discussed at this free seminar taught by a local Master Gardener. For information, call Pasco County Cooperative Extension at (352) 518-0156.

• Rain Barrel Workshop, 5:30 p.m. Jan. 14 (preregistration required) at Hernando County Extension Office, 1653 Blaise Drive, Brooksville. Add a rain barrel to your landscape to provide water to plant beds and vegetable gardens. Diverting potential runoff also helps protect area waterways from potential pollution. Cost is $55 per person. For information contact Sylvia Durell at (352) 540-6230.

Garden clubs

• The Dade City Garden Club meets at 9:30 a.m. the third Monday of January, March, September and November at the club, 13630 Fifth St. (352) 521-6886.

• The Elfers Centennial Garden Club meets at 6:45 p.m. the first Monday of the month from October to June at the Colonial Hills Civic Center, 3825 Prime Place, New Port Richey. No meeting in December. (727) 372-9954 or (727) 849-8034.

• Gaia’s Garden Discussion Group meets at 7 p.m. on the second and fourth Thursdays of the month at Habitat for Humanity, 4131 Madison St., New Port Richey. Email themarket@westpascohabitat.com or visit codegreencommunity.com.

• The Hibiscus Circle meets at 10 a.m. the second Wednesday of each month from September through May at the Dade City Garden Club, 13630 Fifth St. (352) 521-6886.

• The Nature Coast Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society meets at 7 p.m. the second Tuesday of the month at the Land O’Lakes Community Center, 5401 Land O’Lakes Blvd. (U.S. 41). For information, call (727) 849-2335 or visit pasconativeplants.org.

• The New Port Richey Garden Club meets at 1 p.m. the second Wednesday of the month from September to May at the Jasmine Lakes Community Center, 7137 Jasmine Blvd. The program features a guest speaker followed by refreshments. Call (727) 863-8881.

• The Orange Blossom Garden Club of Lutz meets at 9:30 a.m. the first Wednesday of the month from September through June at the Lutz Community Center, 98 First Ave. NW. Refreshments followed by a presentation. (813) 949-1940.

• The Orchid Society of West Pasco meets at 7 p.m. the first Wednesday of the month at Buena Vista Manor Clubhouse, 5112 Rosada Ave., Holiday. Call club president Greg Sytch at (727) 841-9618.

Downtown San Diego is one of the most dynamic metropolitan areas in the country, drawing both visitors and residents to a sophisticated city center.  Framed by inland mountains and a beautiful natural harbor, downtown San Diego’s alluring cityscape is a testament to years of redevelopment and urban revitalization.

Downtown is composed of eight distinct neighborhoods ― Columbia, the Core, Cortez Hill, East Village, Gaslamp Quarter, Horton Plaza, Little Italy and Marina ― each with their own personality and allure.

EAST VILLAGE

Downtown’s largest neighborhood, encompassing 130 city blocks, East Village burst into life in the past 5-10 years. The revitalization of this once blighted warehouse district was ignited by the building of PETCO Park, the San Diego Padres’ state-of-the-art baseball stadium that opened in April 2004. Today, visitors can enjoy luxury hotels and restaurants, rooftop bars, cafes, boutique shops, galleries and live music venues scattered throughout the neighborhood. www.sdeastvillage.com

Hotels

• San Diego’s first LEED-certified hotel, Hotel Indigo San Diego opened in August 2009.  The 12-story, 210-room hotel features spa-inspired touches throughout the property and a rooftop terrace with a reflection pool, fire pits and views of PETCO Park. www.hotelindigo.com

• In December 2008, the 1,190-room Hilton San Diego Bayfront opened as San Diego’s newest waterfront hotel. Located adjacent to the San Diego Convention Center, the 30-story hotel features a sun-and-sea inspired design that complements its stunning panoramic views of San Diego Bay and downtown San Diego.  www.sandiegobayfront.hilton.com 
• The 159-room luxury Andaz San Diego features 16 suites, two presidential suites and one signature suite boasting two levels with a spiral staircase leading to a private poolside cabana.  Additional amenities include a rooftop bar, upscale restaurant, wine bar and underground nightclub.  www.sandiego.andaz.hyatt.com

• The luxury 511-room Omni San Diego Hotel spans views of San Diego Bay and neighboring PETCO Park baseball stadium.  In addition to the hotel’s sophisticated rooms and suites, guests can enjoy special amenities like a private pedestrian skywalk to PETCO Park. www.omnihotels.com
• The San Diego Marriott Gaslamp Quarter offers stunning views of downtown San Diego and stylish comfort in its 306 guestrooms and suites, all appointed with custom made furniture, granite countertops, rich wood tones and premier bedding.  www.sandiegogaslamphotel.com

• The 235-room Hotel Solamar, a Kimpton lifestyle hotel, serves as a “gateway” from the East Village to the historic Gaslamp Quarter.  Here, the city’s laid-back attitude blends with the hotel’s contemporary design creating a fresh, coastal-inspired vibe.   www.hotelsolamar.com

Restaurants

• The Hilton San Diego Bayfront’s signature restaurant, Vela, features a nautical theme and a menu that offers experiential journeys to the finest culinary regions of the world.  www.sandiegobayfront.hilton.com
• Combining a restaurant, bar and adjoining butcher shop, Cowboy Star offers foodies a unique dining environment.  Here, the highest quality meats and local produce are served up in contemporary American cuisine with a Western flare. www.thecowboystar.com
• Neighborhood serves a creative take on upscale classic American dishes like burgers and grilled cheese sandwiches paired with homemade gourmet sauces and sweet potato fries.  In addition, over 27 local microbrews are always on tap.  www.neighborhoodsd.com
• BASIC is an industrial lounge serving New Haven, Connecticut-style thin crust, brick oven pizzas and top-shelf cocktails. www.barbasic.com
• Soleil@K in the San Diego Marriott Gaslamp Quarter serves delicious and innovative dishes inspired by the culinary styles found in California’s Napa Valley wine country. www.soleilatk.com
• Jsix Restaurant in Hotel Solamar focuses on local seafood and farm-fresh ingredients from area growers. www.jsixsandiego.com
• Quarter Kitchen in the Andaz San Diego serves California cuisine with flavors and influences from around the world. www.quarterkitchen.com
• A small, lively bistro, Café Chloe offers light French fare with substantial breakfasts, svelte lunches and dinners and sophisticated bar-nibbles. www.cafechloe.com
• The Fleetwood serves up a menu of modern American dishes against a backdrop that marries an upscale sports bar with a chic lounge.  www.thefleetwood.com

• The Japanese-inspired The Dragon’s Den offers a raw bar, sushi menu and an array of authentic Asian small dishes, complemented by a selection of fine sake, craft beer and specialty cocktails made with organic and gluten-free spirits. www.thedragonsdensd.com
• The luxury Andaz San Diego boasts popular hot spots like Ivy Rooftop, a sultry rooftop lounge with a swimming pool, swinging chairs and beds, and Ivy Nightclub, a two- level underground lounge. www.sandiego.andaz.hyatt.com

Nightlife

• Hotel Solamar’s LOUNGEsix is a rooftop oasis where sexy singles sip fresh fruit cocktails and lounge by a sparkling pool and roaring fire pits. www.jsixsandiego.com
• Located on the 22^nd floor of the San Diego Marriott Gaslamp Quarter, Altitude offers guests breathtaking views of PETCO Park and the San Diego waterfront, along with music and martinis. www.sandiegogaslamphotel.com

Shopping

• Bacchus Wine Market, a secluded wine shop and tasting room, features a wide variety of Italian wines, cheeses and caviar, along with weekly wine tastings and wine accessories. www.bacchuswinemarket.com
• 5A Dime is the hottest stop for street wear, featuring men’s and women’s apparel and accessories from urban designers. www.5andadime.com
• Scott James, a trendy and cutting-edge boutique, offers a creative combination of home accessories, jewelry and designer gifts like hand-made retro suitcases, Italian CDs and Red Monkey watches. www.scottjameseastvillage.com

• The District appeals to the young and young at heart with some of the hottest names in today’s fashion. www.thedistrictsd.com
• Dianne O Studios features high-fashion clothes, accessories, cosmetics and more from the world’s top fashion Meccas, including Milan, New York and Paris. www.dianneo.com

 

HORTON PLAZA

Occupying 15 blocks, Horton Plaza is named after its main resident, Westfield Horton Plaza Shopping Mall, a multi-level, outdoor shopping and entertainment center. Opened in 1985, Horton Plaza offers 130 specialty shops, restaurants, a movie theatre and performing arts theatre.  Well-known for its whimsical and vibrantly colored design, Horton Plaza was created to resemble a European market place and function like an amusement park with colorful pathways, bridges and staggered levels.

Hotels

• Adjoining Horton Plaza, Westin Horton Plaza San Diego offers 450 guest rooms and suites, a restaurant, sports bar and grill, two lounges and health club. www.westin.com/hortonplaza

Restaurants

• At Dobson’s Bar Restaurant, guests are served house specialties like pan-roasted Chilean sea bass and chicken breast stuffed with olive tapenade. www.dobsonsrestaurant.com
• Local chain Sammy’s Woodfired Pizza specializes in pizzas with unique ingredients like Thai chicken and peanut sauce or duck sausage. www.sammyspizza.com
• Exotic and healthy food awaits at Bandar, downtown’s award-winning Persian restaurant. www.bandarrestaurant.com
• Hard Rock Café serves up American comfort food and classic tunes amongst rock ‘n’ roll memorabilia and décor.  www.hardrockcafe.com

Arts Culture/Entertainment

• The Lyceum Theater is home to the San Diego Repertory Theatre, which annually produces a six-play season featuring comedies and dramas that explore cultural diversity.  www.sdrep.com

• The 1,446-seat Spreckels Theater was built in 1912 and features neoclassical and art nouveau architecture; it currently houses everything from rock concerts to dance performances by the City Ballet of San Diego along with a healthy diet of special theater performances.  www.spreckels.net

• The historic 1920’s vaudeville Balboa Theatre was rehabilitated into a 1,534-seat facility in December 2007.  The venue is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and hosts a year-round line-up of diverse arts and cultural performances.     www.sdbalboa.org

GASLAMP QUARTER

In the historic Gaslamp Quarter, consisting of 16½-blocks around Fourth and Fifth Avenues, grand Victorian-era buildings are home to more than 100 of the city’s finest restaurants, 40 bars and nightclubs and 100 retail shops, as well as theaters, art galleries, offices and residential/work lofts.  When the sun sets, this downtown neighborhood attracts thousands of diners, shoppers, theatergoers and nightclub patrons. www.gaslamp.org

Hotels

• Opened in November 2009, the 14-story, 240-room Residence Inn San Diego Downtown/Gaslamp Quarter provides a residential feel with a strong sense of space and comfort. Amenities include pet-friendly guestrooms, a rooftop pool, fitness center, full-service lounge and bar.  www.marriott.com
• Embracing its trademark rock ‘n’ roll attitude, the Hard Rock Hotel San Diego features cutting-edge design, 24-7 service and high-octane nightlife for which Hard Rock is famous.  Guests can take pleasure in 420 guestrooms, the hotel’s rooftop bar, a downstairs nightclub, two restaurants and the Rock Spa.  www.hardrockhotelsd.com

• The boutique-style 35-room Keating Hotel features modern and expressive Italian design by Pininfarina, the world-renowned Italian design firm behind famed luxury brands Ferrari and Maserati. Guestrooms, called “stanzas,” are outfitted with exposed brick, wood trim, stainless steel lining, crimson plush bedding and hand-crafted Pininfarina furniture.  www.thekeating.com

·         Comprised of two hotels dating back to the 1880s, the Victorian-style 132-room Horton Grand Hotel was once home to Wyatt Earp during his seven-year stay in San Diego.  No two guestrooms are decorated alike, and each room futures elegant hand-crafted antique furniture with period decor and a gas marble fireplace. www.hortongrand.com

• The 282-room Hilton San Diego Gaslamp Quarter offers a selection of guestrooms and suites with signature Hilton amenities, in addition to 30 residential-style lofts that provide a “hotel within a hotel” environment. www.sandiegogaslampquarter.hilton.com
• The restored late-Victorian Gaslamp Plaza Suites was San Diego’s first skyscraper at 11 stories when it was built in 1913.  Today, the 64-room hotel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and serves as a welcoming reminder of downtown San Diego’s vibrant past. www.gaslampplaza.com

Restaurants

• Originally built in 1974, the family friendly Old Spaghetti Factory is a San Diego institution for residents and visitors alike.  www.osf.com

• A new neighborhood bar, The Lincoln Room pays respect to the 16^th president of the United States with a penny-laid bar, log cabin-like walls and simple American fare influenced by San Diego’s seasonal produce. www.thelincolnroomsd.com

• MerK Bistro Italiano in the Keating Hotel radiates a sleek sophistication while offering an affordable menu of rustic Italian dishes infused with a cool, California twist.  www.themerk.com
• The Marble Room offers a unique menu of California Tapas-style cuisine and innovative selections that are seasonal, delicious and adventurous. www.marbleroom.com

• La Puerta welcomes guests with an affordable menu of classic Mexican fare and an expansive tequila selection in a hip, neighborhood atmosphere.  http://taco619.com

• Set in the Hard Rock Hotel San Diego, Nobu, the signature restaurant from world-famous Nobu Matsuhisa, serves Matsuhisa’s classic sushi and modern Japanese cuisine. www.noburestaurants.com

• Croce’s Restaurants Bars, established by Ingrid Croce as a tribute to her late husband ‘70s singer/songwriter Jim Croce, is a local landmark combining live jazz and fine dining for more than 25 years. www.croces.com

• BICE San Diego offers a skillful mix of traditional and contemporary trends in Italian cuisine.  Using fresh local and seasonal ingredients, the menu includes a selection of homemade pastas, and its sophisticated Cheese Bar offers a variety of Italian cheeses, salumi plates and appetizers. www.bicesandiego.com

• Visitors can embark on culinary journeys around the world when dining in the Gaslamp Quarter’s 100 restaurants.  Cuisines to be savored include Afghan, Brazilian, Chinese, Indian, Italian, Mexican, Persian, Spanish, Thai and more. www.gaslamp.org

Nightlife

• FLUXX, a high-end dance club, opened in March 2010.  The venue incorporates organic décor amidst bright, bold colors and playful design elements including a large-scale adult tree house, a 15-ft. custom rope chandelier and eye-catching art. www.fluxxsd.com.

• Opened in May 2009, Syrah Spirit Wine Parlor is a subterranean hideaway that evokes an Alice in Wonderland setting in look and feel.  Syrah offers hand-made cocktails, unique beers and a diverse wine list.  www.syrahwineparlor.com
• Side Bar reopened in May 2009 after an extensive $1 million remodel.  Guests can drink and dance in this intimate and stylish club or grab a table and enjoy small bites from a delicious late-night menu. www.sidebarsd.com.

·         Located in an historic warehouse, Stingaree is a luxury restaurant and nightlife venue offering three stories, floor-to-ceiling waterfalls and translucent floating staircases leading to a rooftop bar retreat.  www.stingsandiego.com

• Voyeur offers a seductive nightclub setting with a unique gothic-inspired design and house music pulsating from its multiple sound systems and stages. www.voyeursd.com

• At Thin, partygoers perch on polished steel barstools and sip Cadillac margaritas in a futuristic setting.  In the Onyx Room, located directly downstairs, urban beats move an energetic dance area and swinging lounge.  www.onyxroom.com
• At Café Sevilla, the DJ plays Latin disco and hip-hop music while flamenco dinner shows heat up the stage on Friday and Saturday nights. www.cafesevilla.com
• Overlooking the Gaslamp Quarter, Float is a rooftop bar and lounge atop the Hard Rock Hotel San Diego that serves as a stylish hangout with a poolside bar, fire pit seating and private VIP cabanas.  Downstairs adjacent to the hotel lobby, 207 is a laid-back bar and lounge, perfect for cocktails and conversation.  www.hardrockhotelsd.com
• Located throughout the bustling blocks of the Gaslamp Quarter, numerous bars and taverns offer patrons a friendly, laid-back atmosphere where award-winning local and national brews are on tap.  Popular venues include Nicky Rottens, Jimmy Loves, Whisky Girl, Henry’s Pub, the historic Tipsy Crow and many more.  www.gaslamp.org

 

Arts Culture/Entertainment

• The William Heath Davis Historical House Museum, a saltbox-style home shipped around Cape Horn and assembled in San Diego in 1850, is the Gaslamp Quarter’s oldest surviving structure. www.gaslampquarter.org/history/thehouse.php

• The Shout! House features dueling piano players sitting face-to-face at grand pianos and performing classic rock ‘n’ roll hits from the 50s to the present, driven by audience requests. www.theshouthouse.com
• The Tim Cantor Gallery features oil paintings, writings and conceptual works of art, www.timcantor.com; CJ Gallery showcases the works of contemporary Asian artists, www.cjartgallery.com; Michael J. Wolf Fine Arts displays fine art and works from emerging national and international artists, www.mjwfinearts.com; and the Brokers Building Art Gallery offers one of the largest gallery spaces in downtown, www.brokersgallery.com.

 

Shopping

• Visitors looking to expand their wardrobe can find cutting-edge fashion in quirky independent boutiques and retailers like Urban Outfitters, The Puma Store, Volcom and Quicksilver. Unusual shopping opportunities also abound, from the latest in skateboarding gear at Street Machine, to cigars hand-rolled on-site at the Cuban Cigar Factory, to outrageous pet fashions at Lucky Dog.  www.gaslamp.org

Tours

·         The Gaslamp Quarter Historical Foundation offers a vivid re-creation of the Gaslamp Quarter’s colorful history with a guided walking tour. Foundation guides share stories from the late 1800s when the area flourished as a red-light district. www.gaslampquarter.org

• Back Alley Tours highlights the naughty secrets and scandals that took place in the Gaslamp Quarter during the early 1900s when the buildings housed brothels and gambling halls and the naughty ladies of the Stingaree roamed the streets. http://backalleytours.com

Events

• Mardi Gras in the Gaslamp Quarter on Fat Tuesday is the largest Mardi Gras party on the U.S. West Coast and features a Mardi Gras parade and outdoor block party with several stages offering live musical acts. www.gaslamp.org/mardi-gras
• The annual Monster Bash in the Gaslamp Quarter on Halloween weekend is an outdoor music festival in the streets featuring bewitching live bands and an extreme costume contest. www.sandiegomonsterbash.com
• Occurring every St. Patrick’s Day, shamROCK is an evening of Irish food, live music and lucky libations including “green beer” and pints of Guinness. www.sandiegoshamrock.com

 

MARINA

The Marina district is home to the Embarcadero, Seaport Village and the bayside San Diego Convention Center with its unique architecture and sail-roofed Pavilion.

Hotels

• The 1,362-room San Diego Marriott Hotel Marina’s two curved and glass-sheathed towers lend their distinctive features to the San Diego skyline. www.marriott.com/sandt
• The double-towered, 1,625-room Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego features three restaurants and four bars, including The Top of the Hyatt on the 40^th floor, offering panoramic views of the city. www.manchestergrand.hyatt.com
• Located across the street from Seaport Village, the Embassy Suites Hotel San Diego Bay offers 337 spacious suites and a seafood restaurant. www.essandiegobay.com

Restaurants

• Sally’s Seafood on the Water at the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego offers a dynamic menu of the freshest flavors from both sea and land with special emphasis on seafood and sushi.  www.sallyssandiego.com
• Roy’s at the San Diego Marriott Hotel Marina features exciting and innovative Hawaiian fusioncuisine by noted chef Roy Yamaguchi; the menu features local ingredients, European sauces, bold Asian spices and a focus on fresh seafood. www.roysrestaurant.com

• A local breakfast favorite, the funky Café 222 serves up a menu of stuffed omelets, various benedicts and their signature peanut butter waffles. www.cafe222.com
• The Fish Market offers a casual dining experience with oyster and cocktail bars; the fine-dining menu served at the second-floor Top of the Market is paired with spectacular views of Coronado and San Diego Bay. www.thefishmarket.com
• The restaurants at Seaport Village can satisfy any craving with more than a dozen small eateries and restaurants that offer everything from surf and turf to burgers and pizza. www.seaportvillage.com/restaurants

 

Arts Culture

• Opened in May 2008, The New Children’s Museum offers an interactive arts destination for children and families. The museum encourages children to think, play and create with innovative, hands-on art opportunities, along with classes and exhibitions designed by emerging and established contemporary artists. The museum is downtown San Diego’s first public ‘green’ project with environmentally friendly architecture and infrastructure practices.  www.thinkplaycreate.org

Shopping

• Seaport Village, a 14-acre waterfront shopping, dining and entertainment complex, recreates a California harbor setting of a century ago with four miles of meandering cobblestone pathways, ponds, fountains, lush landscaping, 57 themed shops, restaurants and cafes. www.spvillage.com

Events

• Occurring annually in November, the three-day San Diego Bay Wine Food Festival is the region’s largest wine and culinary extravaganza; it includes events held in various downtown venues and culminates with the Grand Tasting Event, set at the waterfront Embarcadero Park North.  www.worldofwineevents.com

CORE

The Core is downtown’s central business district, home to government and arts-related venues like City Hall, the World Trade Center, Copley Symphony Hall and the Civic Theatre.

Hotels

• The Sé San Diego features 184 luxury rooms and suites with extensive room amenities, design and detail.  The 22-story hotel evokes a “zen-chic” theme with Asian elements throughout the property.  Sé San Diego also offers a world-class restaurant, 5,500-sq. ft. spa, an outdoor pool, bar and lounge.  www.setaisandiego.com
• After a $16-million renovation, the historic Pickwick Hotel reopened in December 2006 as the modern and stylish Sofia Hotel. Built in 1926, the 212-room hotel now features a fine dining restaurant and spa-inspired amenities, including a 24-hour fitness center and yoga studio. www.thesofiahotel.com.

 

• After a $52-million renovation, THE US GRANT reopened in November 2006 as a member of Starwood’s prestigious Luxury Collection. The historic 270-room hotel was enhanced to reflect its 1910 origins and now features roof-top gardens; original, one-of-a-kind art by noted French artist Yves Clement, and its signature 95-seat Grant Grill.  www.usgrant.net

 

• The elegant 223-room Westgate Hotel transports guests to a world of classic art and refinement with Baccarat crystal chandeliers, French tapestries and Persian carpets. www.westgatehotel.com
• The Bristol Hotel offers 102 casual and contemporary rooms with jazz-inspired décor. www.greystonehotels.com/bristol

Restaurants Nightlife

• Suite Tender in the Sé San Diego hotel features a seasonally changing menu of fresh seafood, steaks, salads and signature surf and turf dishes.  www.sesandiego.com
• The charming and sophisticated Grant Grill in THE US GRANT serves contemporary California cuisine with fresh, locally harvested ingredients and meticulous attention to detail. www.grantgrill.com
• At The Yard House, known for its extensive menu and self-proclaimed “world’s largest selection of draft beer,” guests can find a wide range of brews, including classic lagers and obscure ales and stouts, served in authentic goblets, pints and half-yard glasses.  www.yardhouse.com

• Located on the ground floor of the Sofia Hotel, Currant serves up chic bistro fare for lunch and dinner daily.  www.currantrestaurant.com

• On Broadway is located in a two-story historic bank building where multiple rooms, luxury décor, a VIP lounge, sushi bar and giant dance floors make up the ultimate club experience. www.obec.tv
• The extravagant and multifaceted House of Blues features a full-service restaurant and a multi-level Music Hall featuring national and local live entertainment.  www.hob.com

Arts Culture

• Broadway/San Diego, presenter of national touring Broadway shows year-round, and the San Diego Opera, Southern California’s longest established opera company, present lavish productions at the San Diego Civic Theatre.  www.broadwaysd.com, www.sdopera.net
• The San Diego Symphony Orchestra presents world-class orchestral works year-round in the historic Copley Symphony Hall.  www.sandiegosymphony.org

 

COLUMBIA

    Located along Broadway and stretching towards San Diego Bay, Columbia is comprised mostly of commercial development with residential condos dotted throughout the neighborhood.

 

Hotels

• The stylish 259-room W Hotel incorporates a sunny coastal theme, especially apparent in its popular rooftop Beach Bar featuring heated sand and cabanas. www.thewsandiegohotel.com
• Built in 1924, the historic Armed Services YMCA Building is now 500 West, an affordable, European-style hotel with 260 small and impeccably furnished rooms. www.500westhotel.com
• Located directly across from San Diego Bay and San Diego’s cruise ship terminal, the Holiday Inn on the Bay features 600 rooms with panoramic views of the downtown skyline and the bay. www.holiday-inn.com/san-onthebay

Restaurants Nightlife

• Established more than 60 years ago by the Ghio family, Anthony’s Fish Grotto on the Bay serves fresh seafood cooked with secret family recipes.  The full-service restaurant is complemented by its quick-service Fishette, which offers patio dining. www.gofishanthonys.com
• At the W Hotel, guests can dine at RICE where meals include a contemporary take on global cuisine with flavors from around the world.  After dinner, guests can head to BEACH, the hotel’s rooftop bar, with a heated sand floor, fire pit and private tented cabanas that bring a seaside vibe downtown.  Downstairs, LIVING ROOM is a bustling lobby bar with high-energy music that caters to the see-and-be-seen crowd. www.whotels.com

Arts Culture

• The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD) offers 10,000 sq. ft. of exhibition space within its downtown gallery, along with the ‘baggage building’ of the active Santa Fe Depot, a Nationally Registered Historic Landmark, located across the street.  MCASD presents an ever-changing line-up of internationally recognized artists, contemporary art exhibits and site-specific installations. www.mcasd.org

 

• The USS Midway Museum invites the public to learn about America’s longest-serving aircraft carrier with 35 exhibits and tours exploring its rich 47-year history. Many of the story-telling docents are veterans who served aboard the carrier. www.midway.org
• The floating Maritime Museum of San Diego features one of the finest collections of historic ships in the world, including the Star of India, the oldest active sailing ship. www.sdmaritime.org

 

• Thirty-one abstract tree sculptures are positioned along the North Embarcadero of San Diego Bay showcasing the talent and visions of local San Diego artists.  Titled Urban Trees, this fascinating display of tree art includes colourful and creative representations.  www.portofsandiego.org/sandiego_publicart/urbantrees

Activities

• San Diego is a popular cruise port on the U.S. West Coast and welcomes passengers on a variety of cruise lines.  Ships docking in San Diego offer itineraries that include the Mexican Riviera, Hawaiian Islands, Pacific Coast, Central America and the Panama Canal. www.portofsandiego.org
• Hornblower Cruises Events offers three-hour nightly dinner-dance cruises, Sunday champagne brunch cruises, daily one- and two-hour narrated harbor tours and seasonal whale watching adventures. www.hornblower.com.
• San Diego Harbor Excursion features daily one- and two-hour narrated harbor tours, seasonal whale watching adventures, dinner-dance and Sunday brunch cruises with live entertainment and excursions to Los Coronado Islands in Mexican waters.  www.flagshipsd.com

 

LITTLE ITALY

Once home to San Diego’s flourishing tuna fishing industry and generations of Italian families who made their living on the sea, Little Italy is a quaint and lively neighborhood filled with patio cafes, restaurants, pubs, art galleries, shops, hotels and the beautiful Amici Park. www.littleitalysd.com

 

Hotels

• The Porto Vista Hotel Suites offers 193 rooms and suites, a top-floor restaurant and lounge, 30-person Jacuzzi, fitness center and business center.  www.portovistasandiego.com
• The 75-room, Mediterranean-style La Pensione Hotel – Little Italy offers quaint accommodations along with a bistro, open-air courtyard and Italian restaurant. www.lapensionehotel.com
• Little Italy Inn is a boutique bed and breakfast with 23 rooms, each with their own style and décor. www.littleitalyhotel.com

Restaurants

• India Street, Little Italy’s main thoroughfare, is lined with several restaurants featuring cuisines of both Southern and Northern Italy; they include Sicilian dishes served with a modern flair at Trattoria Fantastica, www.trattoriafantastica.com, and sophisticated Italian food with a cozy ambiance at Buon Appetito, www.buonappetito.signonsandiego.com. Filippi’s Pizza Grotto features an old-fashioned Italian dining experience along with a delicatessen and market, which offers everything from prosciutto to mascarpone. www.filippispizzagrotto.com
• Indigo Grill’s varied colorful motifs and cuisines of the Pacific Northwest, Alaska and Oaxaca, Mexico provide a unique dining experience. www.cohnrestaurants.com

• Craft Commerce serves up made-to-order libations with an inventive menu of comfort food classics. www.craft-commerce.com

• Opened in June 2009, Burger Lounge serves organic burgers in a retro-meets-modern setting.  Burger Lounge is open for lunch and dinner and offers a menu of organic salads, homemade cupcakes, hand-cut fries and all-natural Tallgrass Beef burgers on house-made buns. www.burgerlounge.com

• The Glass Door, atop the Porto Vista Hotel Suites, offers panoramic views of San Diego Bay and a creative menu of New American cuisine. www.glassdoorsd.com
• Anthology embraces the spirit of a classic supper club from the 1940s with a decidedly modern spin; it draws renowned local and international musicians of jazz, classic rock, blues, Latin and world music to its stage. www.anthologysd.com

• Caffé Italia offers street-side tables and a serene courtyard atrium along with paninis, salads and a wide selection of Italian gelato. www.caffeitalialittleitaly.com
• The menu at Extraordinary Desserts is an innovative melding of the owner’s classic French background and her experiences in the tropics of Hawaii and Mexico. www.extraordinarydesserts.com

Nightlife

• Since 1934, the Waterfront Bar Grill has been a favorite local watering hole serving locally brewed ales and great burgers. www.watefrontbarandgrill.com
• British-owned and -operated, the British Princess Pub serves British and Irish beers along with traditional pub fare like fish and chips; patrons can also watch soccer and rugby via satellite TV. www.princesspubandgrille.com

 

Arts Culture

• Art galleries include Scott White Contemporary Art, which promotes the works of emerging and mid-career artists, www.scottwhiteart.com, and Perry L. Miller Fine Art, specializing in everything from 18^th-century art to contemporary works on paper, www.plmeyerfineart.com.

Shopping

·         The Kettner Art Design District along Kettner Street encompasses a group of retail shops and art galleries that feature selections of home furnishings and fashion accessories. Among its 21 shops are Mixture, featuring a young and fresh take on contemporary furniture, www.mixturedesigns.com, and Boomerang, featuring an ever-changing selection of quality vintage home décor items from America, Scandinavia and Europe, www.boomerangformodern.com.

• Also on Kettner Street, Architectural Salvage is a haven of vintage home décor and accessories like antique drawer handles. www.architecturalsalvagesd.com

• On Fir Street, a block of colorful cottages house boutiques that offer ultra-stylish options including independent designers of women’s clothing, accessories and shoes.  On India Street, shoppers find imported accessories of all kinds in an array of stylish boutiques.   www.littleitalysd.com

• Italian-inspired retail includes contemporary Italian-designed house wares at Disegno Italiano, www.disegno-italiano.biz, and elegant Italian ceramics and gifts at Bella Stanza, www.bellastanzagifts.com.

Events

• During the annual Art Walk in April, guests enjoy a variety of art displayed in outdoor venues, studios, galleries and local businesses, along with live entertainment. www.artwalksandiego.org
• Every October, the Annual Little Italy Festa, a traditional street festival with music, fine foods and specialty crafts, and the colorful Chalk La Strada, a classic Italian street painting exhibit with chalk, take place. www.littleitalysd.com/events/little-italy-festa
• Every May, the Annual Sicilian Festival comes to the streets of Little Italy with music, dance, culture, a parade of costumed dancers, Sicilian cuisine and more. www.sicilianfesta.com 
• Every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., guests can enjoy the Little Italy Mercato, an artisan farmers market that sells everything from organic pet food to sea urchin fresh from the ocean. Among its 90 booths that line Date Street, guests can find food from more than a dozen certified California producers, specialty items, artworks, flowers and more.  www.littleitalysd.com/mercato 

GETTING AROUND

 

With short city blocks and most streets running one way in a grid pattern for easy navigation, downtown San Diego is best explored on foot.  However, for visitors looking to give their weary feet a rest, downtown also offers fun alternative modes of transportation.

 

• The San Diego Trolley’s light-rail system offers routes running to various points in downtown; it operates seven days a week from 5 a.m. to midnight and runs every 15 minutes.  www.sdcommute.com
• Numerous pedicabs are available daily along most downtown streets, particularly in the Gaslamp Quarter and along the Embarcadero in the Marina and Columbia neighborhoods. Pedicabs are a unique alternative to taking a taxi and the next best thing to riding a bike around downtown. www.vippedicab.com
• Ivan Stewart’s Electric Bike Center rents electric bikes to guests interested in exploring the city in a new and environmentally friendly way.  Located in Little Italy, the Bike Center offers two-hour, half-day and full-day rental packages that include an electric bike, helmet and lock.  www.iselectricbikecenter.com
• GoCar Tours offer a fleet of three-wheel mini-cars designed for guests wanting to escape tour buses. Up to two people can jump into the open, miniature vehicles and enjoy a GPS-guided audio tour highlighting 100 San Diego sites. www.gocartours.com
• Cinderella Carriage Co. offers horse-drawn carriage rides along the Embarcadero and through the Gaslamp Quarter. www.cinderella-carriage.com

Happy happens in San Diego.  For more information on San Diego offerings, including exciting vacation packages and valuable coupons for attractions, restaurants and more, visit the San Diego Convention Visitors Bureau’s Web site, www.sandiego.org, or call (619) 236-1212.  In San Diego, visit the International Visitor Information Center, located along the Embarcadero at the corner of West Broadway and Harbor Drive in downtown; the La Jolla Visitor Center, located at the corner of Herschel Avenue and Prospect Street in La Jolla; or the California Welcome Center, located at the Viejas Outlet Center in Alpine.

George Thomas

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As you take down the Christmas tree, take a moment to imagine its next incarnation: Chipped up and mixed into soil, it might soon secure new grasses along some South Texas highway or sustain vegetable sprouts in someone’s garden.

Adding weathered plant material back into the soil is becoming the norm for a growing number of people who are buying and using mulch and compost.

While San Antonio has for years been turning brush into mulch and offering the compost at a minimal cost to residents, other cities are catching on.

Two decades ago Houston offered only a couple of places to buy it; now there are more than 60. Beyond buying, more people are learning how to make compost themselves from clipped grass and wilted vegetables.

“We are in a high growth mode and poised to steamroll,” said Michael Virga, executive director of the U.S. Compost Council, which plans to debut a campaign this spring with a message aimed at landscapers, green builders and the public about soil quality and the importance of recycling food.

“Compost Camp” is offered by the State of Texas Alliance for Recycling. Urban Harvest, the Houston gardening nonprofit, offers classes in compost and soil.

The Texas Compost Council, with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, plans to offer a Master Composter program, like the better-known Master Gardener training. Its aim, council director Alan Watts said, is to “communicate to citizens how they will save time, money and effort with natural landscaping practices.”

San Antonio has offered mulch for a minimal cost per pound from its brush pickup sites for many years and accepts undecorated cut Christmas trees at locations around the city after each holiday season.

This year, Christmas trees can be dropped off from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and again on Jan. 12 and 13. The Bitters Road and Nelson Gardens brush sites will take trees all month. After the trees are ground into mulch, residents can return to the drop-off location and pick up mulch for free while supplies last.

Beneficial fungi

Soil is supposed to contain more than tiny bits of rock, clay and sand. That’s only the building block. Soil needs plant material in various stages of decay to feed plants and hold soil so it doesn’t float away in the first heavy rain. To be complete, soil also requires bacteria and fungi that colonize plant matter and break it down, releasing a trove of nutrients in the process.

For John Ferguson, who now finds himself surrounded by warm piles of live soil, the “aha” moment came long after a master’s degree in physics, even courses in soil science.

He got sick while using the fungicide Captan. Fungicides kill unwanted pests, but they also kill beneficial fungi. Fungi play a fundamental role in unlocking nitrogen, a primary plant food.

When Ferguson realized the importance of natural plant decay in soil, he tried to buy compost. But not enough people were making it, so he began producing it himself and now owns Nature’s Way Resources in Conroe.

Twenty-three states have banned organic material in landfills. Often they are places where landfill space is scarce.

But Texas is long on land, and disposal fees at landfills are comparatively cheap. Watts thinks this doesn’t matter, because Texans are ready for a more sophisticated understanding of the reason to compost.

“Saying that we’re running out of landfill space as a reason to compost is like saying we are running out of graveyard space as a reason to cure disease,” he said. “It’s not the land you’re trying to save, it’s the material that is going into the ground.”

Composting has grown significantly in Texas for a different reason, and it has a lot to do with the Texas Department of Transportation. It has become, it believes, the single largest purchaser of compost in the country.

Driven by TxDOT

In 1985, landscape architect Barrie Cogburn tried to help TxDOT determine why its freshly graded slopes so frequently slumped away in the rain, taking with them the department’s expensive plantings. Cogburn noticed that new topsoil brought in by subcontractors was often little more than finely ground rock.

At a workshop she learned just how much organic material was ending up in Texas landfills.

“They have too much, and we don’t have enough,” she thought. “There has to be a way to come together on this.”

Cogburn and Scott McCoy of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality teamed up in an experiment adding compost to TxDOT’s soil. They also added dairy manure that was piling up in Bosque County, polluting water all the way downstream to Waco.

The results were favorable: TxDOT embankments started staying in place. And the organic material retained water, so the department had to irrigate less. The practice is now widespread.

Drought, hardpan, climate change predictions, soil depletion, the current popularity of gardening all point the same direction. Ferguson puts it this way: “We have got to get it out of our landfills, and get it back into our soils.”

ingrid.lobet@chron.com

Express-News Staff Writer Mary Heidbrink contributed to this report.

City program affords easy, environmentally-friendly disposal

The city of Henderson is encouraging residents to give their holiday trees a new lease on life through recycling. The city’s free holiday tree recycling program helps to greatly reduce the number of trees sent to the landfill while also providing nutrient-rich mulch to promote the growth of trees citywide.

“Last year we recycled 3,970 holiday trees,” said Doug Guild, Parks superintendent, city of Henderson Parks and Recreation Department.

“Recycling makes sense because holiday trees are all natural and biodegradable, while mulch provides important nutrients for other trees and plants so they can thrive in our harsh desert environment.”

Americans purchase around 30 million Christmas trees each year from 12,000 growers nationwide. Ninety three percent of these trees eventually are recycled either at private homes or in in one of the nation’s 4,000 tree recycling programs.

Holiday trees can be dropped off during regular park hours Dec. 26, 2012, through Jan. 17, 2013, at seven locations throughout Henderson (see box below).

All non-organic material must first be removed from trees, including lights, ornaments, wires, tinsel, and nails. These items cannot be recycled and could damage chipping equipment. Flocked trees cannot be recycled.

The Parks and Recreation Department will chip the trees into mulch for use in parks and landscaping around Henderson municipal buildings.

Free mulch will also be made available to the public from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Jan. 5, 2013, at Pecos Legacy Park, 150 Pecos Rd., and Jan. 12, 2013, at Acacia Demonstration Gardens, 50 Casa Del Fuego St.

For additional information, call 267-4000 or visit cityofhenderson.com/parks.

As we look back on 2012 at “Rosie on the House,” it’s clear that a handful of topics hit home with Arizona homeowners.

You wanted to know how to handle electricity problems; how to fix plumbing messes; how to keep homes, garages and attics cooler in the summer; and how to kill scorpions, cockroaches, termites and pests invading homes and gardens.

You’re not alone out there in the wilds of your Arizona subdivision; we’re on your side. You’ve got problems at your house, and we’ve got answers.

Here’s what drew the most traffic on our website this year:

1. “How can I get rid of crickets in and around my home?” (42,698 hits) This is a real Arizona problem, because where crickets are, scorpions will follow.

2. “What is the correct mortar mix ratio for masonry?” (23,486 hits) C’mon folks, is there really that much do-it-yourself mortaring going on in Arizona?

3. “What are the pros and cons of Kool Deck vs. an acrylic pool deck?” (10,677 hits) Kool Deck was invented in 1962; acrylic is a bit newer alternative, but in Arizona, homeowners are using lots of other options these days.

4. “CanI replace the broken glass in an aluminum frame window?” (4,971 hits) Yes, you can, and it’s easy to do.

5. “Howcan I remove nail polish that spilled on my wood floor?” (4,949 hits) Evidently, there are lots of botched DIY manicures out there. A visit to the salon might be a cheaper way to go.

6. “How can I renew my cultured-marble countertops?” (4,354 hits) Yes, you can spiff them up, and you might be surprised that it takes a trip to the auto-supply store first.

Here’s a sampling of calls to our radio show this year:

In August it was bugs, bugs and more bugs; evidently our muggy monsoon made the desert more inviting for critters.

On one program, we heard from John in Mesa about earwigs coming up through his drains; Miguel in Maricopa whose backyard was being overrun by ants; and Grace in Carefree who had a tarantula she wanted to protect so it would eat other bugs. There were also homeowners fighting agave snout weevils, bedbugs, spring mites and termites.

By the way, you can trap earwigs by setting out a couple of empty tuna cans filled with fish oil or vegetable oil — if you can stand the thought of doing that in a bathroom or kitchen.

In October, Tom in Tucson wanted to know how to protect his electrical panel from lightning strikes. We recommended a whole-house surge protector plus lightning protection.

Every time Dee in Phoenix turned on her dining-room light or her washing machine, there was static on her radio. We urged her to call the utility company. And all four new outlets in Gary’s new garage addition in Peoria were just plain dead, and no circuit breakers were tripping. That sounds to us like the wiring was done wrong somewhere. (Call your contractor, Gary!)

Let’s not forget the ever-popular conversations on odors. One November radio show was probably the most successful ever at drawing listeners to respond to our topic of the day: bad smells.

To recap: Bradley in Tucson wanted to vent an exhaust fan to the outside of his house to get smells out of the kitchen. We suggested calling a heating and air-conditioning company.

Diane in Dewey noticed a gasoline smell in the garage of a house she considered buying from a man who loves cars. She added a contingency to her offer requiring a pre-sale garage cleaning.

Terry in Flagstaff had a smell in his bathroom sinks, even after removing the P-traps to clean them. If he runs Bio-Clean through the sinks and toilets once a week for four to six weeks, it could help. If not, he may need an ex- haust fan on his main sewer pipe.

We had answers for all those issues. But a few questions had us scratching our heads:

How do I wash my rocks (the crushed granite) in my yard?

Our first response: “Why would you want to do that?” But other callers set us straight. Washing your rocks is important, they said, especially after pruning back that giant lantana and leaving a big dirty ring of messy gravel around the plant.

The really tidy gardeners apparently put ArmorAll into a garden sprayer and splash it around the rocks. ArmorAll typically contains water, PDMS, diethylene glycol, glycerin, and various other chemicals. I’m not sure if that will help your plants or not.

How do I get rid of the geckoes climbing up my walls? They upset my dog.

Unfortunately for the dog, you need those geckoes to eat the armies of insects that could invade your yard. One idea: Spray the bugs so that the geckoes move next door.

What tree won’t sprout roots that invade pipes?

We often hear from homeowners asking about tree roots clogging sewage pipes. Just before Thanksgiving, one caller complained that her neighborhood has been invaded by roots of sisu trees planted by the homebuilder.

One neighbor even found a root crawling up into his toilet. That was a new one for me! Now the HOA is pulling out trees to replant with something better.

Unfortunately, there are no trees that won’t invade plumbing. Any variety of tree could cause problems, not just the sisu, a native of India.

By the way, when homeowners have roots clogging plumbing, it’s generally in a bathroom at the front of the house where the biggest landscaping trees were planted.

Here’s to many merry home repairs in 2013 and a happy new year to all. We’ll be talking next week about how to successfully hang artwork and shelves using the latest DIY technology.

For more do-it-yourself tips, go to rosieonthehouse.com. Rosie Romero is the host of the Rosie on the House radio program from 8 to 11a.m. Saturdays on KTAR-FM (92.3) in Phoenix, KQNA-AM (1130) in Prescott, KAZM-AM (780) in Sedona, KAFF-AM (930) in Flagstaff and KNST-AM (790) in Tucson. Reach him at 888-767-4348.

The Cirque du Soleil had plenty of options when it considered where to build its corporate headquarters, but it chose to invest $100-million in a barren site on the edge of a giant garbage dump in the Montreal neighbourhood of Saint-Michel.

“Every little municipality, every mayor wanted Cirque du Soleil. We really chose the worst compared to the others,” says Gaétan Morency, vice-president of citizenship. But the company, which creates shows seen by millions of people around the world, had unusual criteria for its decision. “We wanted to help a community grow and be proud again,” Mr. Morency says.

In the 15 years since it moved in, Cirque du Soleil has created jobs for young people in a neighbourhood with a history of gang violence and where many families live in poverty. It has launched a program in the local schools and is one of the partners in TOHU, a neighbourhood cultural centre with a circular stage that offers regular performances. The headquarters has expanded twice with new additions in 2001 and 2007.

But far fewer businesses have followed the company into the area than Mr. Morency expected. “It is not an easy neighbourhood, maybe that is why it reacts less rapidly,” he says.

Saint-Michel is in the north end of Montreal and was a separate municipality until the mid-1960s. The Autoroute Metropolitaine, a major highway also known as the 40, cuts through it connecting Montreal to Quebec City.

The area around the Cirque du Soleil headquarters feels windswept and far emptier than the busy streets in many other parts of Montreal even though 2,000 people work at the headquarters and all the artists hired by Cirque come for preparatory training sessions that can last several months. As well, thousands of people attend regular shows and events at TOHU.

“We have seen a few retail stores, and a new restaurant in front. But it closed at the end of the summer,” Mr. Morency says.

But that may be about to change.

In neighbourhoods closer to downtown, such as the Plateau-Mont-Royal, industrial buildings once used by the garment and textile industry have been converted into offices or condominiums, says Jordan Perlis, an agent with Colliers International in Montreal.

This wave of development is now spreading north, toward Saint-Michel, fuelled in part by the demand of the city’s growing video game industry.

“I am hoping that trend will continue,” says Mr. Perlis, who is seeking commercial tenants for a building in the neighbourhood. The presence of Cirque du Soleil gives the area a “level of credibility,” he adds.

Pierre Durocher, who works with the non-profit community organization Vivre Saint-Michel en Santé, says Cirque du Soleil has helped to restore the pride of a community that had been in steady decline for years. But the effort to turn the neighbourhood around began before the company arrived, Mr. Durocher says.

One of the top priorities of residents was getting the city to stop throwing household waste into the old Miron quarry. After the Second World War, the limestone quarry was a source of pride and jobs in the neighbourhood. But then the city began dumping its garbage there. The stench helped to define Saint-Michel as the home of one of largest urban landfills in the country.

Cirque du Soleil helped to push the municipal government to stop dumping in the quarry in 2000 and to adopt an ambitious plan to turn the dump into a park with an artificial lake and bike paths. Now officially called the Saint-Michel Environmental Complex, the two-square-kilometre park is slowly being transformed. Grass grows on what used to be mounds of refuse. Gas from the decomposing garbage that once leaked into local basements is now collected by a network of pipes sunk into the garbage and burned by a Biothermica power plant to produce electricity.

“It was all part of us coming here, that the site would be managed,” Mr. Morency says. “Now, there is no more landfill going in.”

The park, to be completed in 2020, will change the feel of the neighbourhood, Mr. Durocher adds, and should attract developers and businesses.

Worried that people living in Saint-Michel will get pushed out by higher housing prices, he is working with others in the community on plans to prevent that from happening. They want to encourage the development of co-operative housing and they also have a scheme to help residents become homeowners.

Mr. Morency is proud of the social and cultural contributions Cirque du Soleil makes to Saint-Michel.

All the original landscaping was done by young people as part of a project with the Montreal police department. TOHU, the cultural centre, also offers regular work to locals. “It creates an alternative for those young people, from being in a street gang,” Mr. Morency says.

Cirque du Soleil has offered programming in local schools for seven years, which has helped it become rooted in the community.

“We have always strived to be a neighbour of choice. To be a neighbour of choice you have to meet your neighbours and know them and see what their issues are,” Mr. Morency says. “We never had graffiti on any of our buildings because they feel part of it.”

He thinks one of the company’s biggest contributions has been in changing the way residents think about their neighbourhood.

“Instead of being the landfill neighbourhood, it is the Cirque du Soleil neighbourhood. That’s a very big difference.”

Mr. Durocher doesn’t go quite that far. There is more to Saint-Michel than the Cirque du Soleil, and the community had already began its long, slow climb upward before the company built its headquarters here. But he is grateful for all it has done.

“They have played a very positive role.”

The Cirque complex

The Montreal headquarters is the heart of the Cirque du Soleil’s artistic enterprise.

It is where shows are developed, where costumes, wigs and outrageous clown shoes are crafted and where the performers come from around the world to learn their routines and how to apply their own makeup. The complex is three buildings in one. The first, known as the studio, was finished in 1997 and holds three acrobatic training rooms, with trapezes and built-in trampolinesthat send performers flying up past the office windows of the people in charge of getting the shows on the road.

An addition called the Ateliers was added in 2001. This is where master shoemakers, milliners, wig makers and carpenters construct the props and costumes for every show.

A third wing, called le Mat, or the mast, was added in 2007 to address a need for more administrative space and has eight floors of offices. A separate building, finished in 2003, is where many of the artists are housed when they visit Montreal.

 

 

As we look back on the year that was, let’s honor some of the outstanding issues and accomplishments for community sustainability that came to light during the year.  In many cases, naming a particular item one of the best of 2012 may be a bit (not completely) arbitrary:  by definition, sustainability is seldom a single “event” that occurs wholly within one calendar year.  But, in each of these cases, something caught my attention this year.

Mine is a very personal list.  Yours may differ, which is part of the fun.  Let’s get to it.

• Best community sustainability issue that reached critical mass this year: water.  Maybe it’s that I work for NRDC, whose water team has become invested in community solutions in a big way.  My colleagues published the second edition of our major green infrastructure report, Rooftops to Rivers, late last year, celebrating the efforts of cities across the country in solving serious runoff pollution problems with smart landscaping, green roofs, permeable paving and related approaches that also make dense neighborhoods healthier and more beautiful.  This year, they followed up with another (and seriously wonky) report detailing how local and state governments can potentially stimulate billions of dollars in private investment in these solutions.  And, as the year drew to a close, superstorm Sandy had demonstrated with terrible ferocity the importance of urban water management to a resilient future.  

But, beyond NRDC’s work or individual storm events, a lot of good things happened in 2012 to mark significant progress in using soft approaches to cleaner watersheds.  In particular, the federal EPA approved Philadelphia’s plan to deploy the most comprehensive green infrastructure program found in any US city; New York City announced that it, too, was embarking on a major green infrastructure program to reduce runoff and resulting sewage overflows; Washington, DC proposed a comprehensive zoning update that will include, among other things, green infrastructure requirements for new construction, and settled a lawsuit by agreeing to tighter deadlines for waterway cleanup.

Meanwhile, the city of Chicago announced a program of small grants to help individual homeowners adopt “backyard” projects such as plantings and rain barrels that help clean the watershed; and, in Seattle, long a leader in these issues, Washington State University and the non-profit Stewardship Partners are working to install 12,000 rain gardens in Puget Sound communities by 2016.  If you’re working on city sustainability and aren’t including clean water solutions in your portfolio, you’re not just overlooking a critical set of concerns but also missing a lot of creativity and excitement.

• Best regional plans for thoughtful land use and transportation investment:  the Southern California and Sacramento Sustainable Communities Strategies.  The best work to emerge so far from the implementation of California’s SB 375, the state’s landmark smart growth legislation, these two plans tackle climate change by placing a majority of new homes and jobs in transit-accessible locations, reducing traffic and related carbon emissions, preserving single-family neighborhoods, and saving hundreds of square miles of farmland and open space.  Now the plans must be carried out, of course, but the law’s mix of carrots and sticks makes me hopeful.
• Best provocative new book:  The Space Between.  This one was a very tough call, given The Walkable City, Jeff Speck’s definitive work on how to shape cities that put people, not cars, first, and Chuck Marohn’s burning fiscal indictment of sprawl, Thoughts on Building Strong Towns.  But my nod goes to Eric Jacobsen’s Christian case for cities, The Space Between, because of its freshness.
• Best expansion of the green city vocabulary:  Walk Appeal.  This one comes from Steve Mouzon, who also gave us the apt phrase “original green” to describe buildings and communities that respond to environmental issues naturally rather than with technological add-ons.  “Walk appeal” describes the extent to which a street or community induces us to use our feet simply because it’s enjoyable.  (Honorable mention:  Scott Doyon’s “pub shed.”) 

• Best well-deserved recognition for a sustainability leader:  Dr. Richard Jackson’s Heinz award.  Long a champion of safe, walkable, clean neighborhoods, Dick Jackson is chair of the department of environmental health sciences at UCLA.  He’ll be the first to tell you that he’s far from the only one who is showing us why we need to improve our built environment to protect human health.  But no one does it with more conviction and authority.  This year Dick’s fantastic work earned a prestigious Heinz award; I can’t think of anyone more deserving.
• Best new idea in community revitalization:  use of LEED-ND as a planning framework for recovering neighborhoods.  OK, I’m (very) biased on this one.  But many of us involved in the creation of the green rating and certification system LEED for Neighborhood Development hoped from the beginning that the system would find multiple informal uses for citizens and planners in addition to its formal application in honoring worthy new development with certification.  Constructed as a logical, ordered framework of standards measuring neighborhood characteristics that affect sustainability, LEED-ND also provides a structure for guiding the thinking of community development corporations and other leaders of distressed city neighborhoods as they plan improvements.  It is now being used for just that purpose in Philadelphia, Indianapolis, Boston, Los Angeles, and perhaps elsewhere.       
• Best municipal blueprint for changing an unsustainable community into a sustainable one:  Plan El Paso.  This superlative city plan could just as easily have been picked as one of the best in 2011, when it was preliminary and EPA recognized it with a national award for achievement in smart growth.  But, in March of this year, the city council formally adopted it and, in November, El Paso voters approved the issuance of $473 million dollars’ worth of bonds to begin funding it.  These actions give us another opportunity to salute the city’s leadership – and the skill of its planning team – in moving forward with what may well be the nation’s best-articulated commitment to a more sustainable future in a community not previously known for environmental aspiration.
• Best continually improving and evolving sustainability tool: Walk Score.  The genius of Walk Score is its simplicity:  enter an address and you get a numerical rating from zero to 100 instantly.  Walk Score isn’t perfect, particularly because it relies on imperfect databases and also because it attempts to quantify something – walkability – that is partially subjective.  But it’s incredibly good in approximating the relative completeness and convenience of locations.  Best of all, its keepers don’t rest on their laurels but continuously tinker with the system’s underpinnings to make it more reliably accurate.  (Honorable mention in this category goes to the ever-improving and highly useful Housing + Transportation Affordability Index from the Center for Neighborhood Technology.)
• Best accumulated body of recent work by a federal agency:  HUD.   As I wrote earlier this month, I have been seriously impressed by the community-building work of the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development since its Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities was created almost three years ago.  Working with an extremely limited budget (as federal programs go), HUD continues to assist cities and towns all over the country as they develop commitments and investment for a more resilient, greener future.  It’s a remarkable portfolio of accomplishment.  (Honorable mention to the work of the National Endowment for the Arts, including its Our Town program, and to EPA’s always-impressive Office of Sustainable Communities.) 
• Best little-known work by a community-based non-profit that deserves a pat on the back:  The Boston Project.  A faith-based organization in the city’s Talbot Norfolk Triangle district, the Boston Project embodies “a passion for seeing renewal in urban neighborhoods.”  It was founded by Paul and Glenna Malkemes, who run the organization’s activities out of their house; the first floor serves as a free, pleasant and safe drop-in center where youth can come and go at their leisure to do homework or enjoy fellowship.  With its affiliate TNT Neighbors United, the project is working, with some success, to create “a multi-site urban garden” with a walkable route that connects community green spaces such as planned play areas, passive parks, vegetable gardens, and orchards. 

 

• Best body of educational work by a national non-profit:  American Society of Landscape Architects.  With a relatively small staff, ASLA is quietly doing incredibly innovative work that improves city communities.  Go to the organization’s web site and see, among other things, 30 (mostly urban) case studies that illustrate the transformative effects of sustainable landscape design; animations of the possible, using Google Sketchup to show how to build parks out of waste, design neighborhoods for active living, create smart landscaping that saves energy, transform ugly transportation infrastructure into attractive people spaces, and design wildlife-friendly neighborhoods; a guide to the beautiful hidden spaces of Washington, DC; a study on the economic benefits of green infrastructure; an interactive tour of the Society’s own innovative green roof; materials on brownfields transformation; and much more.  Not to mention the Sustainable Sites Initiative, a partnership undertaking that seeks to do for landscapes what LEED has done for buildings and neighborhood development.  Very, very impressive.  (Honorable mention:  Project for Public Spaces.)
• Best sustained excellence in writing about people and community:  PlaceShakers.  The hard-to-define, geographically dispersed firm PlaceMakers does a lot of things, but what I like best about them is their writing, in the PlaceShakers blog.  Scott Doyon, Ben Brown, Hazel Borys and company are kind of all over the place in what they think and write about, and that’s a very good thing.  While it all comes back, one way or another, to a decidedly new urbanist view of community design (form-based codes, the transect, skinny streets, and so forth), it’s a refreshingly broad and very well-written take on that approach.  Scott, for instance, explains walkability by reference to where the bars are in his community; Hazel links neighborhood feel to Christmas carols and a meditation on the Ode to Joy that most of us know as the last movement of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony; when Ben discusses the intricacies of housing market trends, you feel as if they are being explained by your favorite uncle.  And, yes, the rest of them write, too.  Their articles aren’t lectures so much as stories told by interesting and fun people who, in the process, tell you as much about themselves as about their subject matter. 

• Best architecture/planning firm of the year:  Mithun.  There are firms that design outstanding urbanism.  And there are firms that design outstanding green buildings and community features.  But there is none that integrates those two important concepts – both critical for sustainability – better than Seattle-based Mithun.  I reported on two of its projects during the year:  the firm was the guiding force behind Denver’s award-winning Mariposa project as well as the master planner for the excellent green revitalization concept for the Sunset neighborhood of Renton, Washington.  Late in 2012 Mithun added significant talent and capacity by merging with the highly accomplished, San Francisco-based Daniel Solomon Design Partners, long a leader in urbanist design solutions.  It will be exciting to see how the firm’s work will continue to evolve.

Not a bad year, that.  Next, I’ll look at some stories to follow in 2013.  Happy New Year, everybody.

Related posts:

• HUD builds impressive record of support for smarter community planning (December 5, 2012)
• EPA honors seven outstanding community sustainability projects (November 28, 2012)
• Sandy as preview: making communities more resilient to severe climate events (with Lee Epstein) (November 5, 2012)
• How California is planning growth for a prosperous economy and clean environment (September 25, 2012)
• How far will we walk to go somewhere? It depends. (July 30, 2012)
• Walk Score gets interactive, makes space for user photos comments (September 26, 2012)
• Kaidslist: the trendy Ins and Outs of smart growth sustainability (February 15, 2011)

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Kaid Benfield writes about community, development, and the environment, here and in the national media.  For more posts, see his blog’s home page

The Master Gardeners of Blanco County will be holding classes for new members beginning January 8, 2013. There is still room for a few more students. Our next classes will not be held until January 2015.

Master Gardeners is an active organization that throughout the year gives gardening advice, presentations, and occasionally helps with the hard work it takes to create beautiful landscaping and successful gardens throughout Blanco County.

To become a part of this group you must first complete 50 hours of training done with the cooperation of AgriLife Extension Office, Texas AM University and Master Gardeners of Blanco County. Classes will be held from 1pm to 5pm each Tuesday afternoon in the Hoppe Room of the Blanco County Annex in Johnson City. Applications are available at the AgriLife Extension office, 101 E. Cypress, Johnson City or call the Extension office at 830-868-7167 and they will email an application to you. Don’t miss out on enjoying the fun activities.

Click photo to enlarge

Marin

• West Marin Commons offers a weekly harvest exchange at 1:30 p.m. Saturdays at the Livery Stable gardens on the commons in Point Reyes Station. Go to www.west marincommons.org.

• Volunteers are sought to help in Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy nurseries from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesdays at Muir Woods or 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays or 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays in the Marin Headlands. Call 561-3077 or go to www.parks conservancy.org/volunteer. $5. Call 457-6045.

• John Valenzuela of the Golden Gate Chapter of the California Rare Fruit Growers speaks about “Choosing the Best Fruit to Grow” at a Marin Master Gardeners program at 7 p.m. Jan. 3 in the Livermore Pavilion at the Marin Art Garden Center at 30 Sir Francis Drake Blvd. in Ross. $5. Call 473-4204 or go to www.crfg.org or www.cornucopiafood forest.com.

• Growing Excellence in Marin (GEM), a program providing horticultural vocational training for Marin residents with disabilities, has a weekly plant sale from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fridays at 2500 Fifth Ave. in San Rafael. Items offered include garden plants, potted plants, cut flowers and microgreens. Call 226-8693 or email michael@connectics.org.

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The SPAWN (Salmon Protection and Watershed Network) native plant nursery days are from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Fridays and weekends. Call 663-8590, ext. 114, or email jonathan@tirn.net to register and for directions.

• A free Marin Bee Company workshop, “The Basics of Beekeeping,” is at 11 a.m. Jan. 5 at Whole Foods Market at 790 De Long Ave. in Novato. Call 878-0455 or go to www.marinbee company.com/workshops.html.

• Marin Open Garden Project (MOGP) volunteers are available to help Marin residents glean excess fruit from their trees for donations to local organizations serving people in need and to build raised beds to start vegetable gardens through the Micro-Gardens program. MGOP also offers a garden tool lending library. Go to www.opengardenproject.org or email contact@opengardenproject.org.

• Marin Master Gardeners and the Marin Municipal Water District offer free residential Bay-Friendly Garden Walks to MMWD customers. The year-round service helps home-owners identify water-saving opportunities and soil conservation techniques for their landscaping. Call 473-4204 to request a visit to your garden.

San Francisco

• The Conservatory of Flowers, at 100 John F. Kennedy Drive in Golden Gate Park, displays permanent galleries of tropical plant species as well as changing special exhibits from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays. $2 to $7; free on first Tuesdays. Call 831-2090 or go to www.conservatoryofflowers.org. Volunteers are sought to serve as docents and school tour Jungle Guides at the conservatory. A new seven-week training program begins on Jan. 9. Call 637-4326 or email efrank@sfcof.org for details and to register.

• The San Francisco Botanical Garden Society, at Ninth Avenue and Lincoln Way in Golden Gate Park, offers several ongoing events. $7; free to San Francisco residents, members and school groups. Call 661-1316 or go to www.sfbotanicalgarden.org. Free docent tours leave from the Strybing Bookstore near the main gate at 1:30 p.m. weekdays, 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. weekends; and from the north entrance at 2 p.m. Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Groups of 10 or more can call ahead for special-focus tours.

Around the Bay

• Cornerstone Gardens is a permanent, gallery-style garden featuring walk-through installations by international landscape designers on nine acres at 23570 Highway 121 in Sonoma. Free. Call 707-933-3010 or go to www.corner stonegardens.com.

The Trowel Glove Calendar appears Saturdays. Send high-resolution jpg photo attachments and details about your event to calendar@marinij.com or mail to Home and Garden Calendar/Lifestyles, Marin Independent Journal, 4000 Civic Center Drive, Suite 301, San Rafael, CA 94903. Items should be sent two weeks in advance. Photos should be a minimum of 1 megabyte and include caption information. Include a daytime phone number on your release.

• The Luther Burbank Home at Santa Rosa and Sonoma avenues in Santa Rosa has docent-led tours of the greenhouse and a portion of the gardens every half hour from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays. $7. Call 707-524-5445.

• McEvoy Ranch at 5935 Red Hill Road in Petaluma offers tips on planting olive trees and has olive trees for sale by appointment. Call 707-769-4123 or go to www.mcevoyranch.com.

• Wednesdays are volunteer days from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Occidental Arts and Ecology Center at 15290 Coleman Valley Road in Occidental. Call 707-874-1557, ext. 201, or go to www.oaec.org.

• Quarryhill Botanical Garden at 12841 Sonoma Highway in Glen Ellen covers 61 acres and showcases a large selection of scientifically documented wild source temperate Asian plants. The garden is open for self-guided tours from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. $5 to $10. Call 707-996-3166 or go to www.quarryhillbg.org.

The Trowel Glove Calendar appears Saturdays. Send high-resolution jpg photo attachments and details about your event to calendar@marinij.com or mail to Home and Garden Calendar/Lifestyles, Marin Independent Journal, 4000 Civic Center Drive, Suite 301, San Rafael, CA 94903. Items should be sent two weeks in advance. Photos should be a minimum of 1 megabyte and include caption information. Include a daytime phone number on your release.

Speaking personally, though likely for many readers, one of the nice things about living in the modern age is that many of the homes and estates of the wealthy and privileged have been opened to folk from the lower orders, meaning we can now freely clod-hop through their elegant drawing rooms and gawp at their heirlooms and art works.

In Japan, of course, clod-hopping becomes sock-hopping, because of having to remove outer footwear before entering any home — let alone one boasting the polished zelkova or cherrywood flooring of heritage villas and grand residencies.

The lobbies of these homes are typically spacious, with a stone floor laid beneath a wooden deck, where footwear is dealt with. In cases when owners commissioned the construction of particularly impressive gardens, the convention was to step onto a kutsu-nugu-ishi (shoe-removing stone) before gaining a purchase on even the lobby flooring of the residence proper.

These days, you are more likely to see these large, semi-flat rocks at the rear of the house. This is the case at the Kyu Asakura Residence in Tokyo’s Daikanyama district, a fashionable quarter of the central Shibuya Ward. The home and garden, commissioned in 1919 by Torajiro Asakura, a chairman of the then Metropolitan Assembly, are just a five-minute walk from the station.

Yet if ancient gardens were the dwellings of the gods, those from the period spanning the Meiji and Taisho eras (1868-1926) were conspicuously grandiose adjuncts to the residences of the powerful and affluent. Hence, the shoe-removing stone past which those entering the main garden at the Kyu Asakura Residence must go is more like a transplanted slab of shoreline than a rock.

Such hints of hubris were characteristic of landscapes of those eras, designs that were commissioned by rising industrialists, politicians and the new order of aristocracy created by the awarding of titles such as baron and marquis to a chosen few.

Indeed, imposing and ostentatious stones such as Kyu Asakura’s can be seen elsewhere in gardens of a similar age. In the case of the Maeda Residence’s garden in the capital’s Komaba district of Meguro Ward, a crane and a truck were used to carry the shoe-removing stone from the family’s Hongo home across the city in Bunkyo Ward to the sumptuous villa they had built in 1929.

Again, looking at this period in garden design for the wealthy, a similarly massive stone is prominent at the Iwasaki Mansion built in 1896 just a few minutes’ walk from city-center Ueno Station in Tokyo. Designed by British architect Josiah Conder for the founding family of the Mitsubishi conglomerate, this residence also displayed a taste for oversize garden features, notably its tall chozubachi (water-laver basins) that were a symbol of affluence in that period. There are other similar examples of these at the Rakujuen Garden in Mishima, Shizuoka Prefecture, and down the road from there at the Kiunkaku Villa in coastal Atami.

The stone lanterns of the Kyu Asakura Garden demonstrate a similar fascination, or identification, with the gargantuan. The dominant style here is the nigatsudo (pedestal) type, a very solidly designed object that brings to mind a huge stone lantern at the Kyu Furukawa Residence in the Komagome district of Toshima Ward. In both cases, though these ornaments may tend to look like miniature lighthouses, their very scale serves to ground the central building itself.

Yet moderating any unseemly whiffs of pride is the landscaping itself, with much of Kyu Asakura’s rear garden built on a bluff above a dell, bringing to mind the Gotoh Museum’s garden in the Kaminoge district of Setagaya Ward. Natural forms like this are godsends for garden designers, who might otherwise have to haul in tons of earth to create interesting landforms.

In the Kyu Asakura Garden, winding and undulating paths run beneath a thick canopy of trees, screening off any potentially intrusive elements. Water basins, large rocks, smaller rounded stones and roof tiles embedded beside paths add rustic touches that evoke some of the aesthetics of the tea garden.

Knowledge of the tea ceremony, the architecture of tearooms and the principals of the tea garden were once considered the acme of sophistication. Commenting on this phenomena, the renowned Meiji Era art critic Okakura Kakuzo (1862-1913) went as far as asserting, “Teaism is a cult founded on the adoration of the beautiful among the sordid facts of everyday existence.”

Leafy dell: Stone placements alone impinge the naturalism beautifully fostered here.

The route amid the greenery and along the path of the tea garden was meant to be transformative, a cleansing process. In this spirit, the Kyu Asakura Garden certainly provides a counterworld to the one experienced beyond its walls — even in this relatively quiet corner of the city.

One feature of gardens in the Meiji and Taisho eras, manifest also in the early Showa Era (1926-89), was a fascination with Western-style naturalism expressed in the use of lawns, large amounts of vegetation and fully matured trees. The pathways meandering through the Kyu Asakura Garden are set at different levels in the wooded dell, creating a sense of spatial depth.

Meanwhile, space here flows in much the same way as light: fluidly, following its own contours and circulations. Akin to walking along the roji pathways in tea gardens, the density of foliage, and well-placed stones, promotes a sensation of detachment from the urban domain. This in turn engenders a mood of refined introspection.

If the stillness of this garden owes much to its location, the sounds it produces also enhance its tranquility. Chinese gardens were the first, perhaps, to incorporate certain audio effects that would deepen the poetry of the experience.

Hence plants were enlisted for their acoustic properties, with broad-leaved varieties placed where rain or wind on them could be heard. The serenity of nature could be further replicated by planting Chinese parasol trees beneath a window, or a plantain grove in a corner of a wall where its rustling in the breeze could be heard.

Pines were similarly installed for the sound of air passing through the branches, an effect compared to the soughing of wind in a remote mountain valley, while giant bamboo was used for its creaking in the moving air. Similar audio effects, along with insect sounds in certain seasons, can be heard in the Kyu Asakura Garden.

In his “Song of Meditation,” the Zen monk and poet Hakuin Ekaku (1686-1768) wrote of the joys of “unobstructed repose.” For urban dwellers, the temporary sanctuary of the Kyu Asakura Garden provides just the right counterbalance to the negative forces generated by cities.

A lucky few, however, may find that the state of suspended thrall created by such gardens, the contact with nature and its plenitude, turn out to be less escapism than connection.