OXYGEN!!!

Sometimes when I'm feeling pensive or in need of a little oxygen, I take the green line out to the Garfield Park Conservatory.  This is one of my favorite places in Chicago, especially in the winter time.  It's a huge, old greenhouse with room after room of incredible plants.

I was hoping to skip town for the new year, but it didn't work out and I was feeling the need for a little warmth and fresh air.  Ironically, one of the only places to find fresh air in Chicago in the winter is indoors, here at the conservatory.  They usually close at 5pm, but on Wednesdays they stay open until 8pm.  It happened to be Wednesday yesterday and I decided to go and read amongst the plants.  When I arrived, I was surprised to find that, though the conservatory was open, most of the lights had been turned off (or perhaps not turned on, as it is a big, glass building with plenty of natural light during the day).  Reading in this situation proved a bit difficult, so I just walked around and enjoyed the smells and extra oxygen.  Here are some pictures I managed to take with my camera propped against something to keep it steady.  If you ever find yourself looking for a place to escape to in the city, I highly recommend going here, and calling me up.

Some HUGE palms in the main (palm) room.

They're Agave plant is flowering!  This, apparently, is a rare event and the whole ordeal lasts up to a year or so.  The flowers bloom on the tips of a stalk that shoots up from the middle of the leaves and grows up to thirty feet tall.  The stalk, though I couldn't see it well in the dim light, is said to be reminiscent of asparagus (as the agave is related to asparagus).

Cool, green lights on the desert at night.

Chihuly, the famous blown glass artist, had an exhibit here a few years back in which he displayed his artwork along with the plants.  I remember thinking it was very impressive, and I was surprised at how well Chihuly was able to integrate his man-made works into the natural beauty supplied by the plants.  These are a few of the pieces he left for permanent display at the conservatory.