Featured Destination: A Living Wall

This hotel caught our eye. Sure its uber-lux accommodations are exquisite, don't get us wrong, but it was the blanket of native plants cloaking its exterior that really tickled our fancy. The Athenaeum Hotel recently got a face lift unique to the world of high end hotels, showcasing lush green space instead of stark concrete walls. The self-irrigating Living Wall (or vertical garden as it is called in design circles), is made up of some 260 plant species and mirrors London's neighboring Green Park. The man behind this living tapestry is actually the inventor of the Vertical Garden concept, French architectural botanist, Patrick Blanc. Blanc's quest to spread biodiversity to urban centers is evident in his famous Vertical Gardens all over the world from Bangkok to Paris, New York to Tokyo and London. Hmmm, next stop Firestone Vineyard - wouldn't that be cool?