#27: The Huntington Gardens

At my old job I used to get bored a lot, and one week I found myself voraciously reading about the history of Los Angeles on Wikipedia (I know, nerd alert). I read about the history of South Central, Hollywood, Long Beach, Santa Monica, and all the old rich neighborhoods like West Adams, Hancock Park, and Pasadena. There is so much fascinating history about each of these different neighborhoods, not to mention important cultural influences that are still seen today. But that's besides the point. What really matters here is that reading about the histories of these neighborhoods really made me want to explore them. I'll save South Central for another day, but at the top of my list was Pasadena, and with it, the Huntington Gardens.

The Huntington Gardens (full name: The Huntington Library, Art Collection and Botanical Gardens) is in one of the oldest, richest neighborhoods of South Pasadena. The land and buildings were actually donated by the Huntington family estate, and the main museum (that houses locally well-known paintings such as Pinkie and Blue Boy) was the family home. And by home I mean ridiculous 1800s old-money mansion. There is also an impressive research library, which counts a Gutenberg Bible and manuscript of The Canterbury Tales among its six million titles. Not to mention the 14 different botanical gardens on its grounds.

My friend Barbara and I headed over to Pasadena on a lovely Sunday during LA's "Carmageddon" weekend (aka the weekend they closed part of the 405 freeway and everyone thought there would be Earth-ending hellish traffic, when in fact, there were NO cars on the road) and it was the easiest drive to Pasadena I could have imagined. We paid the $10 entrance fee (it's $20 on weekends for adults but I showed my student ID to get the discount, don't judge) and began exploring. We started out walking the grounds around the main house, which included a huge lawn lined with statues, and shaded winding paths through different orchards. We stopped by the Japanese garden, which was unfortunately under construction and mostly blocked off. We then visited the Chinese garden, complete with pagodas, lily ponds and thousands of native Chinese plants. We walked through the Desert garden, the Camellia garden, and the Herb garden. They were all absolutely stunning, peaceful, colorful.... everything you'd expect from a botanical garden.

Then we headed over to the Rose garden, which was breathtaking, to say the least. Row after row, trellis after trellis of the most vibrant, pungent and creatively-named roses I've ever seen. There were roses of every color of the rainbow (and even others - like grey!) with awesome names like "Rainbow Knock-out," "Class Act," "Passionate Kisses" and "Playboy." I've been to botanical gardens before, but I've never seen a rose garden of this magnitude. It was like something out of a storybook!

After a thoroughly enjoyable (and long) stroll through the extensive rose garden, we went over to the rose garden tea room for a high-tea lunch. We completely stuffed ourselves with fresh scones (with clotted cream and jam!), tea sandwiches, fresh fruit, fancy crackers and even fancier cheeses, and various pastry treats all topped with pink lemonade. It was absolutely delicious and the perfect compliment to a lovely day in the garden. Plus, the air conditioning was amazing.

After we snuck a few scones into our purses, we headed over to the art museum to avoid the now sweltering heat outside. I especially wanted to see the view out of the back terrace, which has a magnificent view of greenery and mountains and you would never guess you were in LA! We saw all the paintings, artifacts, stained glass windows, and spent the remainder of the afternoon lounging on the shaded terrace. We leaned back in rattan chairs and looked out over all the surrounding gardens and greenery. It was absolutely lovely.

After a quick trip to the gift shop (which was stock-full of History of LA books.. I die!) we headed home, full of romantic dreams of what it must have been like to be insanely rich in Pasadena in the 1800s. I am so glad that Barbara showed me this gem of a place. It was so beautiful and romantic and relaxing and interesting and the absolute perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon. I highly, highly recommend a visit here (and make sure to bring your student ID!)

Pagoda in the Chinese Garden

Roses in the rose garden

The back veranda of the main house that overlooks all of South Pasadena

The shaded east terrace

Our amazing high tea meal!

Barbara and me rocking our sundresses in the rose garden

#1: Dodgers Game Behind Home Plate

My brother has inspired me to make it a life goal to see every baseball stadium in the country. I have been to 8 so far (out of 30) and they are all beautiful and unique in their own way. But the one that I will always love most is of course, Dodgers Stadium. It may not have a marina view like AT&T Park in San Francisco, you may not feel the ocean breeze like you do at Petco Park in San Diego, and it certainly doesn't have the old-time nostalgia of Wrigley Field in Chicago. But it is the stadium of my home-town team, and therefore will always be my favorite.

I have been to Dodgers Stadium dozens of times, and almost exclusively sit in the cheap seats. When I'm not in the outfield, I'm in the nosebleeds. I'm not complaining, and am actually grateful for the low ticket prices. But for years I have wanted to splurge and get the best seats in the house. When I decided to make my 2011 List, this was the very first thing I thought of, and is one of the items I was most determined to cross off.

I was trying to figure out which game I wanted to go to (truthfully, I was looking for games against an unpopular team because tickets would be cheaper, and the Dodgers might actually have a chance of winning). I started to worry that I still wouldn't be able to afford tickets, and that there would be no way I could convince a friend to spend that kind of money to go with me. But luckily for me, my boyfriend is an avid baseball fan too, and surprised me with behind-home-plate tickets to the July 4th game (complete with fireworks!) for our anniversary. True love people, I'm telling you.

After eating an amazing meal at Philippe's, we went to the stadium early. I've never gotten to the stadium in time for batting practice (typical Angeleno, I usually show up in the 3rd inning) so seeing the whole team practice was a treat. We even went onto the field with the hope of getting autographs, but all the players were too busy to sign. Oh well! It was burning hot, so we cooled ourselves down with beer and ice cream. Mmm.

The game was great. I literally felt like I was watching the game on TV, our seats were so close. But of course it was better because I could smell the grass and watch the sunset. The Dodgers played well, and my favorite player, Matt Kemp, scored twice. During the 7th Inning Stretch, I showed Ronny one of my favorite Dodgers Stadium traditions by singing the song twice instead of once (he thought it was excessive). After the game, they had a pretty fantastic fireworks show, complete with all the popular patriotic songs. There are few things I love more in life than 4th of July Fireworks, and watching them from the MVP Box at Dodgers Stadium with my boyfriend was pretty special.

If only I had had some apple pie, I just might have just died of pure patriotic happiness.

Our fancy expensive tickets!

Wearing my sweet new white-on-white hat (also part of my present!)

Opening pitch

I borrowed this picture from the Dodgers Facebook page. During the National Anthem, dozens of soldiers went out onto the field and unfolded a ridiculously large American flag. For once, a scene best seen from the nosebleeds, not field level.

Beautiful sunset over the ravine

PS- Yes, I am completely ignoring the fact that the Dodgers lost the game. That part doesn't even matter.

#23: Philippe's The Original French Dip

Originally, #23 on my list was to rent a paddle boat on Echo Park Lake. I think I was inspired by that one scene in 10 Things I Hate About You, even though that was supposed to be set in Seattle. Anyway. As I was doing a bit of research on boat fees, I found out that not only has the Echo Park boathouse been closed down, but the entire lake had been fenced off for a complete remodel and won't reopen until 2012. So much for that!

Later that week, my boyfriend told me about a restaurant he had heard about on one of his favorite travel channel shows, Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations, called Philippe's Original. I had heard of it, but had never been there. It is one of those classic LA restaurants. Not one of those "hot right now" places, but a place that has been in downtown LA for over 100 years, and has a legitimate claim to having invented the French-dip sandwich. I do love a French-dip, and decided it needed to be on my list.

Ronny and I ventured downtown on the 4th of July, on our way to a Dodgers game. We walked into Philippe's full of high expectations, because after all, when Anthony Bourdain raves, Ronny listens. And Philippe's did not disappoint. Much to Ronny's delight, Philippe's is located near Chinatown, and it seems to be far away from all the hipster-cool downtown-chic places. Here was a restaurant with no pretentiousness, no airs, and was simply about delicious French-dip sandwiches. The menu was limited, with only I think 5 different sandwiches to order, along with deli style potato salads and coleslaws. Hanging above the counter was a sign that said "Lemonade, $0.75" and I thought it was one of those cute vintage tin signs. No, the lemonade actually cost 75 cents! I ordered the beef dip with potato salad, Ronny ordered the lamb dip with cole slaw, and we each got a lemonade. Total bill was just over $20. I have ordered cocktails that (with tip) cost as much!

Touristy as ever, I started to take pictures of our sandwiches, but was abruptly stopped by Ronny. "Really Suz, could you please stop? This is kind of a private moment." Though Ronny may have been more serious about it, I have to agree that the sandwiches really were that good. He has already asked me twice when we can go back.

Behind the counter

All the goods... Ronny's hands in the background ready to pounce!

Yaaay!!

If a restaurant can exist for over 100 years in Los Angeles, it's legit in my eyes!

#11: The Playboy Mansion

When I was in college I was pretty obsessed with the show The Girls Next Door. The only celebrity autograph I keep on my bulletin board is from Bridget Marquardt (on a Sprinkles cupcake box lid, no less), and Kendra is still one of my favorite current reality stars. At one point, my college roommate Liz and I decided our new life "goal" was to become Hef's girlfriends so that we could live and play in the Playboy Mansion.

When I moved to LA, seeing the Playboy Mansion was one of the first things on my list to do. But it certainly isn't very easy! I knew that the chances of me getting an invite to one of their parties were pre-tty slim, but luckily, my friend Tracy's brother Gabe is a chef at the Mansion and offered me a tour a long time ago. I finally took him up on the offer, and brought along Ronny, my friend Jaclyn (who is one of Tracy's best friends) and Jac's mom, Susan.

We drove over to the Mansion on an early Saturday morning. I was shocked how close the Mansion actually is to places I go to all the time! I guess it's easy to forget that it is actually a house, in a normal (though rich) neighborhood in Hollywood. Gabe met us in the front of the Mansion, and though we weren't allowed to actually go in the house, he showed us all around the grounds. The place is a complete labyrinth! I'll let the pictures do the talking from here.

Here's the entrance of the Mansion, with Hef's new girlfriend's BMW out front.

The interior of the game room, full of vintage arcade games, all with Playboy themes!

On every table surface were current issues of the magazine.

Next, Gabe took us through the aviary, which was converted from a greenhouse. Apparently Hef loves exotic birds, and owns dozens of parrots, peacocks, and even a toucan!

There were several peacocks roaming around in the backyard, including two albino peacocks. They loved showing off for us!

Me and Ronny striking a pose in the backyard.

Main pool in the backyard. On the other side of the bridge is a koi pond.

Inside the famous "grotto"

Ronny was not excited at all to be in the grotto... :)

Jaclyn and her mom inside the grotto. They took pictures and kept sending them to Jac's dad to make him "jealous"

My car parked outside the Playboy Mansion, no big deal!

We also saw the tennis court, the guest house, the monkey cages, the pool house, the slip-n-slide hill (primed and ready for the 4th of July party!) and we even snuck into a few places I'm not supposed to tell about! It was an AWESOME experience, and I am very grateful for friends that help me cross things off my list!!

#3: Hike to the Hollywood Sign

A few years ago I made friends with a German girl named Bernadette, who was visiting the United States for six months while she student-taught at a German-immersion elementary school. I immediately decided to be her official LA tour guide. The first weekend we hung out, I drove her out to Malibu, then down the Sunset Strip, and all of a sudden she gasped.

"Are those the Hollywood letters?!" she asked excitedly as she pointed up at the Santa Monica Mountains.

"Yeah, that's the Hollywood sign."

"Oh my gosh!! Who would have ever thought that a girl from a little town in Germany would ever get to see the HOLLYWOOD LETTERS?!?!" She was beyond excited.

I have to admit, I have become a bit jaded about the Hollywood sign myself. I do work in Hollywood, after all, and everyday when I drive into work I see it. But seeing Bernadette's excitement reminded me what the Hollywood sign might symbolize to non-jaded people in the world outside of LA. To her, the Hollywood sign was a symbol of almost a fantasy land, where movies are made and famous people drive expensive cars down roads lined with palm trees and it's sunny every day of the year. And here we were!

While Bernadette was here, we talked several times about hiking up to the sign, but for one reason or another we never got around to it. So now, 2 years later, I finally decided to make the trek. With Ronny and 2 dogs we were watching for the weekend in tow, we drove up Beechwood Dr. to the trailhead. We got there around 9:30am, early enough to find parking and also early enough so we (and the pups) didn't die in the summer heat.

The trail is easy enough. It is a wide dirt road and then halfway it becomes a paved road up to the top. The round trip is only about 3 miles, but the beginning of the hike is pretty steep (not to mention covered in horse poop! We had quite a struggle steering the dogs around all the piles). Ronny and I were huffing and puffing, and the usually endlessly energetic dogs were even walking instead of straining with all their might against their leashes to run. There was limited shade, so whenever we came across some we took advantage of a little rest break and water break for the dogs.

The trail doesn't lead to the front of the sign, instead we had to hike around the back of the mountain and approach the sign from behind. That means for the first half of the hike, there were amazing vistas of LA behind us, and for the second half of the hike the San Fernando Valley was in front of us. When we finally reached the top, we were greeted by a 20-foot tall chain link fence, through which you could see part of the sign. The sign is so large (the letters are 45 feet tall) I couldn't even fit it into one picture.

We were able to scramble up a small hill at the top to see over the chain-link fence. At the top we could see all of the LA basin, and I'm sure on a clearer day we would have been able to see all the way to the ocean. But it was very hazy the morning we went (I refuse to say it was smoggy), and it was even a bit difficult to see downtown.

It was a fun hike, and a great way to tire out those energetic pups for an entire day. But it was also interesting to see the sign up close and personal. What started as an advertisement for a new housing complex in "Hollywoodland" has now become an iconic symbol synonymous with the glitz and glam and dreams of making it big in the movie biz. And I could be jaded and say that up close, it's just a bunch of steel and chain-link and security cameras, but who am I to deny the excitement one gets from seeing the Hollywood "letters" for the first time? I can't deny that I got excited the first time I saw it, and I still got a little excited hiking up to it!

The view about halfway up the hike

Me at the top with my adopted pups Archie and Walter

The sign is too big to fit in one picture from this close!

Me and Bernadette the day she saw the Hollywood sign circa 2009 (you can barely see it in the background)