Day-trip to the LA County Arboretum!
Find me under the palm trees in my cute dress from Zara!
Sun bathing in this amazing fall number from Zara!
Dragon Lady in this blue dress from DKNY! (available at Macys)
LA County Arboretum
I woke up this past Sunday morning with an itch to visit somewhere new in the city. Don’t get me wrong… that’s hard to do, especially since almost every weekend I find myself lost in a different corner of this great metropolis. Believe it or not, there are still many places that I have yet to write about. Heck, my husband was born and raised in LA and the city is so big and spread out that there are many places that even he hasn’t been to or heard about! Since neither of us have ever been to the LA County Arboretum, that’s where I decided to go. I drove to Arcadia, a suburb on the outskirts of Pasadena. Some of you may have heard of Arcadia from the mid-2000s TV drama “Joan of Arcadia”. I pulled up to a place where peafowl (peacocks and peahens) roam the streets and palm trees line the driveways. It reminds me of the Huntington Gardens but with a different vibe; a place that consists of many gardens and landscapes. Now through January 12th, you can check out the Moonlight Forest, which is a magical lantern festival that lights up in the evenings; a perfect family outing for the holidays! I caught a glimpse of the Chinese dragon, the elephants, and crocodiles and it looked spectacular!
Coach Barn
One of the most beautiful and historical structures on the property, located adjacent to Queen Anne’s Cottage, is a barn called Coach Barn. An example of Victorian elegance, this beautiful barn was built in the 1800s and is covered in cedar and redwood paneling. Lucky Baldwin (one of the greatest pioneers of California business) housed his three carriages here and even some of his guests’ carriages as well. When you step inside, it is so beautiful and smells like it was just built yesterday. We took some amazing shots in the main room and stayed nice and cool away from the uncharacteristic November heat. One of Baldwin’s carriages is still on display in the main room. For a very long time, the Barn was used at Baldwin’s main headquarters of this sprawling 46,000 acre ranch! It is one massive property!
What a historic barn!
Ruminating on the beauty of this place. They have the original carriage here :)
Dont mind me…basking in the sun is becoming a new and easy favorite!
Sunny days are my favorite in the fall in LA :)
Catch me loungin!
Baldwin Lake
Located in the heart of the Arboretum, this lake was purchased along with the property by Lucky Baldwin in 1875. He acquired not only the natural lakes on the property, but water rights in both Big and Little Santa Anita Canyons just north of his homesite. The Baldwin Ranch was situated on a 2,000 acre belt, a benefit of its location atop the Raymond Hill Fault. Sixty percent of Baldwin Ranch irrigation waters came from artesian sources with the remaining 40 percent coming from canyon waters. Baldwin Lake, which served as a holding reservoir for ranch irrigation projects, was dredged and deepened, perhaps 12 to 15 feet, by Baldwin in the late 1880s. A retaining wall, capped by granite boulders, was constructed around the lake edge. The lake is in the shape of a horseshoe and made for a scenic walk. If you go now, you can view all of the installations that are up for the Moonlight Forest event (which is held at night here). I danced in front of the Chinese dragon (see below) and it was an incredible experience!
Prancing around the lake is so much fun!
This dress is perfect for fall and so cozy :)
Love the way it flows and I am a sucker for the color blue.
The perfect red dress for the holidays for under $100!
Love this dress so much! Such a classic!
