Assistant Innkeeper, Shelley, had muffin duty this morning so Phil and I had some free time. We decided to check out the Japanese Garden in the Arboretum since they re-opened last month after some renovation work. From Salisbury House it’s not far to walk to the Garden, but it is a little adventurous. You walk east on Aloha down the hill and cross 23rd at the light, continuing down what must be some of the steepest blocks in the city, some of the sidewalks are ribbed, to provide more secure footing in damp weather- this isn’t a route for bad knees. At the bottom of the hill you find a ravine, which is in fact the edge of the Arboretum, but you need to turn to the left and walk about half a block until you see a small Park Department service yard; at the north side of the yard is a path that takes you past a tatty storage area then down into the leafy depths of the Arboretum and into the parking lot that serves the Japanese Garden and some playing fields to the south.
The major changes at the Japanese Garden are only at the entrance, which is now designed to look like a small village. Happily the nearly fifty-year old garden hasn’t been fussed with, though it is still meticulously maintained. I love how the Garden seems like the inset of a map, imposed on the lower left corner of the huge, messy and well-used Arboretum.
It was a sultry morning and while it is a warm month away from the blooming azaleas, rhododendrons, and cherry trees, still the air was scented with the sweet scents of foliage and the water lilies were blooming on the small lake. Sitting in the middle of one island of lilies was a large heron, fishing quietly, or perhaps just posing for pictures from the visitors. On bridge a girl feed the salmon sized carp, a few hungry turtles and one placid duck who seemed undisturbed by the roiling fish underneath him.
From the Japanese Garden you can go onto explore more of the Arboretum, but we headed south along Lake Washington Blvd. to Madison St. to one of our favorite restaurants, Cafe Flora, for rosemary lemonades and pizza. The little Madison Valley neighborhood has a number of good choices for lunch and some interesting shops for browsing but we headed back up the hill after lunch. An alternative is the #8 bus which will take you up steep Madison to Thomas where you can hop off the bus right at 16th St. just four, or five, flat blocks from Salisbury House.
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