Friday, March 22, 2019

Phoenix Flies into Plaza Theatre

This year's Phoenix Flies tours, an Atlanta Preservation Center program, have been fantastic, including "Atlanta’s oldest operating and only independent cinema since 1939", Plaza Theatre

The tour was led by none other than the owner himself, Christopher (Chris) Escobar, who purchased the theatre in 2017. The tour started on time (Thank you, Chris!) and was entertaining and substantial! A few of us hung around afterward and got to see some additional spaces, too!


Plaza Theatre | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor
Plaza Theatre | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor

The first time I ever saw The Rocky Horror Picture Show was in 2010 at Plaza Theatre! It was so AWESOME! Lips Down on Dixie, Atlanta's longest running cast, has delivered a screen-accurate performance of The Rocky Horror Picture Show every Friday night since December 2000! Talk about "Time Warp"! 

The photo above is "the" Rocky Horror photo-op in the theatre! While the midnight performances are geared for younger adult audiences, I had such an amazing time when I went. If you haven't seen it performed live (simultaneous with the film), treat yourself!


Plaza Theatre | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor
Plaza Theatre | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor

There were more approximately 30 of us on the tour—and we were greeted with free popcorn! It was a full theatre experience, plus we had a movie score playing while we were gathering. We were welcomed on the screening room "marquee", too!


Plaza Theatre | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor
Plaza Theatre | Lobby | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor

There's a new ticket stand in the lobby, fashioned after some other Art Deco elements in the theatre. LOTS of new updates and upgrades are and will be influenced by the theatre's Art Deco design and decor. Being one of my favorite design eras, I was loving it!


Plaza Theatre | "The Interview" | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor
Plaza Theatre | "The Interview" | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor

Many of us on the tour didn't know that Plaza Theatre was one of a handful of small theatres to screen the world premiere of The Interview, starring Seth Rogen and James Franco, (on Christmas Day in 2014)—and the exclusive theatre in Atlanta—an epic move on their part after major movie studios allowed a foreign government to influence our censorship practices. It was quite the scandal! 

Within 24 hours of announcing that Plaza Theatre would premiere the film, they gave approximately 40 interviews...to local and global news outlets!

In this same area—the Gallery—are the concessions stand—featuring only classic theatre treats, and a new bar—featuring more than 20 local craft beers and more! 


Plaza Theatre | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor
Plaza Theatre | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor

Plaza Theatre now has a movie house organ and a dedicated organist! Ron Carter, the lead organist, was there to play for us, share some of the history of theatre organs, and to let us know that Plaza Theatre will be featuring the organ—which sounds phenomenal!—during a monthly silent movie, as well as during the pre-show of The Rocky Horror Picture Show!

I'm super excited about a monthly silent film accompanied by a live organist. I've seen/heard the occasional silent movie with live music, but I don't know of anywhere else in Atlanta who's doing this. Do check it out!


Plaza Theatre | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor
Plaza Theatre | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor

One of the awesome upgrades are the super cushy seats! There are a lot of theatres, even the mainstream theatres, that have thin seats that tax the tooshie, or "gluteus maximus" if you're more the scientific sort. I love that the seats have an Art Deco stitched design, too! 


Plaza Theatre | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor
Plaza Theatre | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor

The "Legacy Lounge" has Art Deco stenciled walls (hand-stenciled by Chris and his wife!), Art Deco inspired pieces of furniture, and even the bathroom door handles are Art Deco! And there's more to come. Hearing Chris' ideas for what he wants to do to improve the physical space of the theatre as well as the programming was inspiring, to say the least.


Plaza Theatre | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor
Plaza Theatre | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor

Chris said the hand-stenciling needs touching up, but it looks awesome to me! I was shocked to find out that it was stenciled and not wallpaper! 


Plaza Theatre | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor
Plaza Theatre | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor

Theatres across the country were required to go digital by the end of 2013 and as expensive as it was to do, Plaza Theatre did just that, went digital. This was a move by Hollywood studios to save on printing and shipping 35mm movies to theatres across the country. They're even converting their 35mm inventory to save on storage space.

Not too long ago, after Chris purchased the theatre and was cleaning up, he found what he thought was—I forget what he thought it was, but it wasn't the 35mm projector that it turned out to be! He found two and one of them is on display in the theatre.

Chris hopes to have them restored and again show films on 35mm on special occasions.


Plaza Theatre | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor
Plaza Theatre | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor

Plaza Theatre has faced extinction, probably more than once, but with Chris Escobar at the helm, there's only the plan to expand, improve, and to continue entertaining

Make your way to Plaza Theatre to take in a film—the variety is vast! And if you didn't make it on any of the 200+ free tours and events in the Atlanta Preservation Center's Phoenix Flies program, make a note to do so next year!

Thursday, March 14, 2019

Atlanta Blooms! 2019

My personal favorite season of the year is summer, but NOTHING beats spring at the Atlanta Botanical Garden! Year after year after year, the Atlanta Botanical Garden showcases spring's floral bounty like nowhere else! And the "Atlanta Blooms!" event/exhibition more spectacular than ever!

Atlanta Blooms! 2019 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor
Atlanta Blooms! 2019 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor

Did the few below-freezing nights last week kill all blossoms? No...no, no, no. This is Atlanta! The Garden is ablaze with blossoms, but spring turns to summer very quickly here, so go soon so you don't miss the hundreds of thousands of blossoms gracing the Garden right now!


Atlanta Blooms! 2019 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor
Atlanta Blooms! 2019 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor

If you can't make it to the Garden on the weekend, come out to "Garden Party" on Thursday night, March 21! This is going to be THE garden party of the year! 

You'll get to enjoy beer, wine, and a bubbly bar! AND, you'll be among the first to taste the Garden's new collaboration beer, a blend of lime leaves harvested from the Fuqua Conservatory's trees with hints of hibiscus and lemongrass made in partnership with Wild Heaven Brewery!

There will also be lots of photo ops, activities, food options and numerous live music experiences!

By the way, locals, if you're a member of the Garden, you get to attend events like this for free! It's the one membership I renew year after year!


Atlanta Blooms! 2019 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor
Atlanta Blooms! 2019 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor

I've shared this story before, but I love telling it, so I hope you'll indulge me.

My favorite flower is the tulip. Because of my late grandmother, Evelyn. I don't remember this but it's a story my mother has told countless times. One spring, when I was a toddler, there was a late freeze that killed all of grandmother's tulips except for one (this was farther north, so they weren't as resilient as Atlanta's tulips). 

The next day, into the house walks little Travis exclaiming to my mother, "Flower, mommy, flower!" I'd picked the sole freeze-surviving tulip! I've loved tulips since hearing this story the first time, when I was still a little kid!


Atlanta Blooms! 2019 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor
Atlanta Blooms! 2019 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor

What's your favorite springtime blossom?


Atlanta Blooms! 2019 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor
Atlanta Blooms! 2019 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor

I think the "Atlanta Blooms!" exhibit planners are brilliantly gifted. Again, they've included in this year's exhibition--which was planted in the fall--Pantone's "Color of the Year", which is "Living Coral", very close to the color of all the tulips in the above photo, except for the obvious purple one. 

This is huge, people! Pantone's "Color of the Year" influences fashion, special event themes, home decor...it's a color you'll see throughout the year, yet the Atlanta Botanical Garden planted it months and months before the actual announcement. Pure brilliance!


Atlanta Blooms! 2019 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor
Atlanta Blooms! 2019 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor

There is no filter on the above photos...these tulips are gorgeously bright pink! And I love the coupling of several other flowers in this bed. You'll find these leading into the relatively new Skyline Garden behind the Conservatory.


Atlanta Blooms! 2019 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor
Atlanta Blooms! 2019 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor

If you go to "Atlanta Blooms!" in the next few weeks, you'll also get to enjoy "Orchid Daze", Atlanta Botanical Garden's annual orchid exhibition featuring an additional thousands of orchid blossoms coupled with the largest collection of orchid species in the United States!


Atlanta Blooms! 2019 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor
Atlanta Blooms! 2019 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor

Have you heard of the "Ugly Food Movement"? It's especially strong in Europe and Australia. Meanwhile, the United States disposes of 40% of the food that we grow, some of it just because it's "ugly"...not pretty enough for grocery store shelves. 

The above camellia has a petal that's fallen into its stamen...it's not less beautiful, in my humble opinion. It's "real". My point is, of course, share your best photos, but those can include the not "perfect". I think this one is stunning! 


Atlanta Blooms! 2019 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor
Atlanta Blooms! 2019 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor

If you were not among the thousands and thousands of people who recently saw Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors at the High Museum of Art, you can still see one of her installations at the Atlanta Botanical Garden...Narcissus Garden through spring! 

Narcissus Garden was first presented in 1966 and is comprised of 1,400 stainless steel spheres! With every inch you change your viewing perspective, you get a unique view/experience of this installation...and this time of year, it'll change day-to-day as the Garden gets more and more green!


Atlanta Blooms! 2019 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor
Atlanta Blooms! 2019 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor

It's going to be a nice weekend, so head over to the Atlanta Botanical Garden for "Atlanta Blooms!" Spring is here, but the seasons change quickly this time of year, so don't wait! 

You can enjoy more and larger photos of my visit to the Atlanta Blooms! 2019 event over on the wanderlust ATLANTA Facebook page. If you share them, please give credit to "wanderlust ATLANTA" or "Travis Swann Taylor". Enjoy!

Saturday, March 2, 2019

Orchid Daze 2019

Get out of the cold and get into the tropical warmth, vibrant colors and delightful fragrances that are this year's Orchid Daze at the Atlanta Botanical Garden! Your experience begins in the Conservatory Lobby...

Orchid Daze 2019 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor
Orchid Daze 2019 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor

Orchid Daze is one of my favorite wintertime getaways and it can be yours too through 
Sunday, April 7. (If you're a local, keep an eye out for the "Gently Used Orchid Sale" following the close of the exhibition.)

The exhibition begins in the Conservatory Lobby and continues throughout most of the connected Orchid Center. There's not a specific theme, per se, but the exhibition is cohesive and spectacular. The colors, the featured art, and the display techniques are all dazzling. I truly believe you'll just love it!

Orchid Daze 2019 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor
Orchid Daze 2019 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor

Throughout the Orchid Daze exhibition are brilliant, large-format orchid photographs! They're spectacular! The photo above is one of them, me peeking at it through live orchids on the right and upper right.

The artist of these magnificent photographs is local, award-winning photographer Parish Kohanim. I've just read a long article about his life and it's fascinating. More than that, his devotion to his craft is heartwarming and inspiring. 

See more of Parish's work at Parish Kohanim Fine Art.

Orchid Daze 2019 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor
Orchid Daze 2019 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor

My favorite feature of this year's Orchid Daze exhibition are the six pendulous displays of bamboo canes featuring a wide range of orchids in varying colors, many of them the large-flowered orchids! Those displays are in the Orchid Center.

Orchid Daze 2019 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor
Orchid Daze 2019 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor

Tomorrow is the Garden's annual Vanilla Sunday, 1pm-4pm. There will be activities for kids and adults, discovery stations, cooking demonstrations and more! 

Orchid Daze 2019 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor
Orchid Daze 2019 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor

There's another spectacular Parish Kohanim photograph behind these gorgeous orchids!

I've mentioned is many times before, but maybe you missed it or your a new wanderlust ATLANTA follower. If you're a avid orchid enthusiast, not only do you have to see this exhibition, you'll also want to follow The Orchid Column, a blog about orchids written and beautifully photographed by the Atlanta Botanical Garden's Orchid Center Manager Becky Brinkman.

Orchid Daze 2019 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor
Orchid Daze 2019 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor

Also, for every level of orchid enthusiast, the annual Atlanta Orchid Society Show & Sale will take place Friday-Sunday, March 8-10, 9am-5pm. I've attended many times over the years and it's always splendid! You'll be glad you went. 

Think about making it a day at the Garden. See the Orchid show in Day Hall, see Orchid Daze, see Atlanta Blooms!, make lots of photos to enjoy later, and then take in lunch or dinner at Longleaf

Orchid Daze 2019 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor
Orchid Daze 2019 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor

Be sure to stop by the Garden House Gallery to see "Conservation through Creation: The Works of Ed, Philip and Matt Moulthrop", three generations of woodturners! Some of the approximately 40 pieces on display are made from downed trees from the Atlanta Botanical Garden! 

To give you an idea of the level of craftsmanship and artistry you'll see in this exhibition, they have works on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the American Craft Museum of New York, the Carnegie Museum of Art, and Atlanta's High Museum of Art. The pieces on display are also available for purchase.

Orchid Daze 2019 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor
Orchid Daze 2019 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor

Speaking of the High Museum of Art, if you missed Yayoi Kusama's "Infinity Mirrors" exhibition, through spring of 2019 you can see her installation "Narcissus Garden" in Storza Woods. The site-specific exhibition is comprised of approximately 1,400 stainless steel spheres arranged by staff from Kusama's studio in Japan. This work dates to 1966!

Orchid Daze 2019 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor
Orchid Daze 2019 | Atlanta Botanical Garden | Photo: Travis Swann Taylor

Remember to see Orchid Daze at the Atlanta Botanical Garden by Sunday, April 7, and definitely remember your camera, phone camera, sketch pad, and/or eidetic memory...you'll want remember these beauties well into spring, summer and fall.