My life is in boxes right now as I am putting my belongings into storage and preparing for my cross country drive out to New York. I washed the car for the first time in about a year in preparation! There isn’t a single strand of straw flying around or spilled garden soil in my car – amazing!
I am living in Brooklyn for the summer and am excited to check out ultra-urban gardening there. The NYT has written a few articles lately on New Yorkers that cultivate mushrooms in abandoned lots, visit farms on weekends to put in a hard day’s work, and install rooftop farms. All pretty exciting stuff I hope to visit while I am there! I am also excited to become a short-term member of the Park Slope Food Co-op and spend the summer making slow food, practicing watercolors and learning to play guitar.
There are 3,000 miles standing between me and my little summer home in Brooklyn. My current plans take me down I-5 with a stop in Berkeley and Los Angeles to visit friends. We then head east, stopping to camp in the Grand Canyon, before landing in Oklahoma to visit family for a few days.
Jay flies back to work in New York from Oklahoma. That means I will be heading out solo for perhaps the only chance in my life to dilly-dally through the South. I think I’ll visit Austin, TX and then stop into New Orleans perhaps to watch the sad black oil wash up on the coast. I was thinking of heading through Savannah, Georgia, and then straddling the eastern seaboard all the way up to New York.
Have any suggestions for me? I would love to visit some historic gardens and cool urban farming sites. Other than that I have no real plans or any kind of strict schedule I need to adhere to. I know so embarrassing little about the South, but I am excited to see it.
You will still be hearing from me while I am on the road. I have a few posts about projects I wrapped up here in Oregon, plus I am hoping to give periodic reports on my travels east. I am looking forward to some quiet car time, fried southern food and exploring new places.
Oooh – the Melissa Garden in Healdsburg.
http://www.themelissagarden.com/
If you can find a way to do the drive from Shreveport down to New Orleans I would totally recommend it. This was one of the top stretches of road due to the amazing scenery/nature (Driving through Utah was awesome too).
Also while you’re in LA you should be sure to check out the Huntington Gardens. It’s amazing and totally worth going to. Also on the West Side (of LA) is the Lake Shrine, which is also really cool http://www.lakeshrine.org/
Charleston S.C. is great! Wonderful history and food! I found Savannah GA to be way overrated.
I’d echo the Charleston recommendation and also my hometown, Chattanooga, TN. Not a huge draw specifically to Chattanooga, but it’s a nice town to stop in and we have great options for local food.
The Farm, near Nashville, TN, is also an interesting place to spend a night if you have any interest in intentional communities.
Good luck on your drive…
brooklyn is pretty nice for gardening, but it’ll surely be a different world than oregon.
i live in park slope, brooklyn and garden primarily at a community garden in bed stuy. i’ve done the roof garden, and while it was fun, it was pretty difficult as i had no water source up there. also on semi-permanent hiatus from the food co-op, heh.
I live in Austin! It’s a great place–if you happen to be coming through here on a Saturday, then be sure to hit the Farmer’s Market–there are also a ton of cafes downtown that specialize in local cuisine every day of the week. Sandra Bullock has a bakery here, too, but it’s overpriced. Have so much fun on your roadtrip! Here’s a website about Austin you might find useful/fun: http://www.edibleaustin.com/content/ Looking forward to reading your road posts!
Have a safe and wonderful trip! I have family in Oklahoma too mostly in the pan handle area. I don’t have any great suggestions for you as I am right there with ya on not knowing much about the area. I will be interested in what you find along the way. Longwood Gardens is a beautiful place to visit just south of Philly, we found that one while on a trip a couple of years ago. Enjoy your adventure!
I know I dont visit your blog often, but when I do you’re always making a big decision or making a big move… Hope the trip to Brooklyn allows you some precious time to yourself and time to connect with gorgeous aspects of the elements, such as the Grand Canyon. Being Australia, I cant comment on where to go, but in my experience of travelling east, there’s alot of beautiful country out there. I’ll look forward to visiting your site again soon, and see what’s happening in Brooklyn.
Excellent recommendations everyone! Just landed in Oklahoma and looking forward to the road ahead. Travel posts will show up next week!
while living in brooklyn, if you get a chance to get out to NJ, i recommend checking out craftsman farms in parsippany, it is gustav’s stickley’s homestead and its interesting to learn how sustainable and forward thinking he was already in 1905. there are so many great spots to visit in pa, ny and nj, i could write a giant list. i miss the east but yet love portland too
Rachel, good tip – I’ll look into it! Got out the other day for a nice float down the Delaware River.