re-orienting the gardens

the botanical gardens new visitor center opened this weekend, along with its new "sage parking facility," which as those things go isn't a bad one, especially when they get vines growing all over it---the original park road remains open, with the visitor center set back into the hillside---instead of fencing off the park and wishing it weren't there, the garden is now feeling more like part of the park---

the first of the piedmont park conservancy's "north woods" expansion is getting under way, too, with a new entrance to the park from monroe drive leading to the first floor of the parking garage and the park---the old park drive entrance is permanently closed and the old parking lot will be dug up and reclaimed for landscaping---i thought their master plan was all pie in the sky, but now i'm thinking it might happen after all