As we roll into year two of Covid and I contemplate more time at home, it occurs to me that I need to change my mindset.  Instead of yearning for the Silk Road, Sri Lanka or the Left Bank of Paris, it is time to look closer to home for inspiration for DesignDestinations.   

This isn’t a problem really. We have an abundance of destinations and activities to photograph and to write about  here in my backyard. It’s time to get up off the couch and do it. 

I can’t be too hard on myself.  I have ventured out some….wearing my mask and avoiding the crowds.  

Frederik Meijer Gardens &  Sculpture Park

A most obvious place to explore repeatedly in Grand Rapids is Meijer Gardens with its wonderful new Welcome Center. 

I was fascinated with the Bonsai Show in the spring, even coming home with one that I am trying to keep alive.   The fall brings all kinds of events at the newly renovated venue that will draw me back.  

I never tire of the walk around the big pond in the middle of the Japanese Garden. It is like a trip to Asia, so authentic and serene. 

The Meijer Gardens  has many other places to walk and enjoy.  I personally find the sculptures fascinating and seem to find different ones to contemplate on every stroll.

Grand Rapids Art Museum

The other major institution I  love and go to repeatedly (its worth getting a membership) is the Grand Rapids Art Museum or GRAM as we call it.  

In March the “Art in Bloom” exhibit drew me in. This is an exhibit that happens every other year where the folks at the GRAM pair up local floral designers with specially selected pieces of art.  The designers create arrangements or displays inspired by the art.  For those of us who don’t head to Naples or Palm Springs for the winter, it is a bright spot during a gloomy time.  

Recently I attended a major craft exhibit at the GRAM called American Perspectives.  I think it is ending now but I show pictures here  because I think it typifies the effort that the staff at GRAM go to, to give us a wide range of art in our own backyard.  We don’t have to go to New York or Paris or Chicago to see varied and interesting exhibits.   

American Perspectives was a wonderful exhibit highlight folk artists and the stories they tell through their art.

Pilates on the Roof

I will highlight one last fun thing—Pilates on the roof top of a hip local eatery  on a Saturday morning followed with an adult beverage in a pretty glass.  Ahhhh….summmer in Michigan.    Thank you Pilates In East and the Friesian Gastro Pub for kicking off a summer weekend in such terrific style.  

 https://www.friesiangr.com

http://www.pilatesineast.com

https://www.artmuseumgr.org

https://www.meijergardens.org