San Gabriel, in its heyday, was one of the most important settlements in the Los Angeles Basin, both to the Tongva people who dominated the area from Malibu to San Bernardino, and to the Spanish interlopers who saw Alta California as the next Golden Paradise.  Mission San Gabriel Arcangel was the most important way station between San Diego de Alcala and Santa Barbara.

I spent about three hours on Sunday, March 23, in the Mission District of this still fascinating town on the eastern edge of Los Angeles County.  The arts have become full partners with the lovely and still vibrant Mission, in calling attention to San Gabriel.

This post focuses on the Mission Playhouse, now San Gabriel Civic Auditorium, and the other buildings immediately to the west of the Mission itself.  I arrived here about 10 A.M., after a brisk stretch-walk from El Monte to Rosemead and back, about a two-mile rounder.  Not much was happening there, but San Gabriel was my goal for the morning, anyway.

The Playhouse itself was closed, of course.  Who goes to plays on Sunday morning, even if they are about Padre Eusebio Kino?

I was treated to some lovely scenes, though.  Here are views of the grounds, and of the imposing edifice.

Both the Civic Auditorium and Mission San Gabriel itself have miniature exhibits of all the coastal missions in Alta California.

As with so much decorative art, one must never neglect a view of the doors.  Those found here, are second to none.

Nor should we overlook the ceiling!  This painted design is more modern, of course.  The Spaniards opted for wooden beams and other, more simple fare.

The alcoves are among my favourite  parts of the missions.

The full story of the Playhouse, and its transfer to the City of San Gabriel, is told here.

Grapevine Park is part of San Gabriel Senior Center now, and as such is only open during the week.  It has one of the original grapevines which helped defray the costs of the Mission.

The walls protected the privacy of the friars, back when this was part of the mission proper.  Today, they keep Mom and Pop safe from prying eyes.

There is a spot, though, where one is able to get a good view of the California Live Oak, on the Playhouse grounds.

Here is one last view of  San Gabriel Civic Auditorium, from the northwest.

Across the street from the old playhouse lies San Gabriel City Hall, built in 1914, in the Spanish Colonial style, on the grounds of the area’s Grist Mill.

Adjacent to City Hall is the Ramona Museum of California History.  It’s open from 1-4 PM on Saturdays, but the mural is there, 24/7.

North of the Civic Auditorium lies Bovard-Wilson-Hayes House, home to the area’s first Anglo-Californian settlers.  Reverend George Bovard, the first resident of this 1887 Victorian, was the fourth President of the University of Southern California.  When he moved to Pasadena, Judge Milton S. Wilson purchased this house.  Judge Wilson’s granddaughter, Mary Ruth Hayes, inherited the home and served as a school teacher in San Gabriel, for many years.  When she passed on, in 1990, her will deeded the house to the San Gabriel Historical Association.    The house is open to the public on the first Saturday of each month, from 1-4 PM.

So, it looks like I will need to pencil in a First Saturday afternoon in San Gabriel, at some point.

NEXT:  Mission San Gabriel Arcangel- The Quadrangle and Peace Garden

Santa Monica exists in at least three different forms:  UCLA and its attendant cultural features; the beach and its hotel/condo appendages and the Pier, with all that goes in, under and around its overarching presence.

I came here, to the end of Rte. 66, the beginning of I-10, and another few stops on the Pacific Coast Highway, just as a most respectable conglomerate of human beings had settled in for a day’s excitement at Pacific Park.

Except for my jaunt over the pedestrian part of the bridge to downtown, however, I not once felt crowded. There seemed to be a fairly even distribution among the various parts of this particular land’s end.

As always in a coastal town, I started my visit on the beach.

It was nearly deserted on this end, but there would be a fair number sunning themselves, closer to the Pier.  Still, the hotel/condo area, east of the beach, looked well-peopled.

Casa del Mar is a bit rich for my blood, yet, but like other venerable places, would be worth exploring its lobby and grounds at some point.  Another feature of west LA that I’d like to spend a day on, is the canal system.  Venice has more, in keeping with its eponymity to the grand Italian city, but this one in Santa Monica has a certain sweep to it.

After trekking across what seemed as desolate as the Sahara, I came upon- THE PIER!  Looking at this horizontal edifice  so often on NCIS, Los Angeles and Southland, I had to experience the end of Mid-America’s rainbow for real.

There were lots more people on the other side, as that is where the ticket booths for Pacific Park happen to be.  Then, too, the rides were full.

I have been on quite a few roller coasters in my time, though only one or two Ferris wheels.  When all is said and done, the waves and the water are what brings me contentment, in a place like this.

So, the Mother Road had to end somewhere, and the grand adventures that many seem to seek at Pacific Park dovetailed nicely with the end of this line from Chicago.

One could always just hop a boat and continue on to Santa Catalina, and some one of these days I will, but on that March 22 afternoon, I was content standing atop a mass of pilings.

It was after an hour or so, with LA’s core in mind, that I left the iconic pier and trudged over the bridge,

past the hotel of song and secrets,

and an inviting garden path,

to my trusty car, which was too dirty to photograph.  Oh, and I did take a photo of the Santa Monica snake charmer, his boa and a brave, but petrified, college coed.  In the interests of the sensibilities of some of my most loyal readers, I have left that one in my Flickr account.

I would find that the Page Museum, near LACMA, was closed when I got to Museum Row, and I was exhausted anyway, so it was on to El Monte, and a healthy Chinese meal at Ming Yuen Restaurant (“You no need white rice this time of day!”), followed by deep slumber at a Budget Inn.

NEXT:  San Gabriel, Part 1:  Mission Playhouse and Downtown

Whenever I happen upon a beach resort that is oriented towards  the masses of American people, I am thrown back to my childhood- to beaches like: Lynn, Revere, Nantasket, Nahant, Crane’s, Plum Island and Wingaersheek, MA; Narragansett and Galilee, RI; Hampton and Rye, NH and Old Orchard, ME.  Millions are also familiar with Long Island, the Jersey Shore, Eastern Shore of Maryland, the Delaware Coast, Myrtle Beach, Virginia Beach, Waveland, MS and Daytona Beach.

These places may remind some of theme parks, or WalMart, but they are essential to the well-being of lots and lots of good folk.  I visited two such mass-oriented beaches, along the western edge of Los Angeles, on Saturday, March 22.  It would have been my late father’s 87th birthday, and Dad loved these kinds of places, so I joined the throngs, and had a blast.

Venice, CA sits at the western tip of the City of Los Angeles, which operates the beach park that lies between upscale Marina del Rey and the bustling suburb of Santa Monica.  There is plenty of kitsch to go around, and I enjoyed an all-beef sausage sandwich from Jody Maroney’s, for a quick, satisfying lunch.

I may be an adventurous diner, at times, but I am never too far from my roots.

The next order of business, though, was the beach.  I was surprised that there were not that many people around the water.  Most of the action remained along the Promenade and in the park, inland from the beach.  I went into the water, just a bit, though.  It was exhilarating!

In short order, though, I came to Venice Pier.

With a nod to the few surfers who were headed out to play in the ocean, I went up to see how the fishermen were doing.

People were a bit more even-tempered than those I encountered earlier, in Manhattan Beach.  Maybe the fish were more accommodating here.  An egret seemed to think so.

The water looked refreshing, from pierside, as well.

After about a half hour along the beach, I gradually made my way up to greener pastures.

There were many colours in evidence on the People’s Wall.

Venice’s downtown also is riot of shades and hues- building-wise.

A snake charmer was doing a fine job of handling his serpentine friend, on one of these corners.  I decided not to take his photo, lest I capture something unfortunate.  He ended up doing his act just fine, though, so I gave him a small tip.

“In the end, only kindness matters.”- Jewel  I will carry this message with me as well, from a bric-a-brac merchant in said Sidewalk Market:

You’d have had a great time here, Dad.  I was glad to have had the chance to make the trip, in your stead.

Next:  Santa Monica’s Beach and Pier

Manhattan Beach is a curious name for a place of sand and surf, smack in the southwest corner of Los Angeles County, yet the naming has a logical source:  The town’s developer, Stewart Merrill, was a proud son of the Big Apple.  There is another parallel:  This capital of Beach Volleyball is one of the most expensive parts of LA, even outpacing Beverly Hills in the Big Bucks department.

No one turned their nose up at yours truly, though, when I rolled on up from Lomita, on March 22.  After a good night’s sleep at Lomita Motel and decent breakfast at Hot n’ Tot Family Restaurant, I was ready for the completion of one trifecta- the South Bay Beach cities (having visited Redondo and Hermosa Beaches two years ago) and making Manhattan Beach the first of three stops on that lovely Saturday (followed by Venice/Marina del Rey and Santa Monica Pier).

The morning started briskly enough, walking downhill to the water’s edge.

The famous Beach Volleyball Tournament was getting started, as I walked down towards the pier.

There is a nice beginning of a community garden, along Manhattan Beach Strand.

After looking at this for a bit, with a curious Filipino boy and his mother, I set my sights on the main focus of the morning, Manhattan Beach Pier, and its aquarium.

Of course, the walk along the pier afforded some fine sights, of beach and surf.

The aquarium was being cleaned by a patrol of Girl Scouts, under the watchful eyes of their Scoutmistresses. It was a good thing, as within earshot of the girls were a trio of foul-mouthed fishermen, who only shut up when the old Mexican snack bar vendor went out and told them  “Tienes respeto por las ninas”.

In the donations-only facility, there are several small tanks, featuring both marine invertebrates and small ocean fish.  There are a few skulls of marine mammals, such as these porpoises.

The Great White Shark would require two of this size facility.

The little critters seem quite content, though, especially with the girls cleaning the outside window panes of their tanks.

The South Bay still has much which I will explore later, including its Botanical Garden, near Redondo Beach, as well as San Pedro, Seal Beach and the looming presence of Long Beach.  Awaiting me  next on that day, however, was Marina del Rey.

The second half of my March 20 visit to San Diego’s Balboa Park was devoted entirely to nature, and Man’s interpretation of it.  Space and air are meant to be explored, now that we have a handle on virtually all of our planet’s land areas.  We must remember, though, that each of us remains free to explore this world, on a personal level.

I have been to Japanese-style gardens before.  This was my first visit, though, to the Japanese-American Friendship Garden, a work in progress that is an outgrowth of the Sister City relationship between San Diego and Yokohama.  I passed through the Ceremonial Gate, into an environment  far more serene than even the relatively calm streets of Balboa Park.

Upon entering, the first sight is of San-Kei-En Entrance Stone.  San-Kei-En is the name of a famous garden in Yokohama.  It means “Three Scene Garden”.  The three scenes are Water, Pastoral and Mountain.

The water scene is exemplified by the koi ponds, and by two tools used by rural Japanese.

The first tool I came upon was shishi-odoshi, used for scaring off deer, which come into the gardens in search of food.

The second tool is tsukubai, used by visitors to a temple to purify themselves, before entering the temple.

Koi ponds always fascinate me, and the fish in this pond were curious and friendly.

Water is the key to the serenity of any garden.

The pastoral element is furnished by the cherry and other lowland blossoms, including chrysanthemum, which gave its name to the very throne of Japan’s emperors.

The mountain scene is exemplified by bonsai, the miniature versions of pine trees, by the Exhibit House, reminiscent of a rural Japanese inn and by the stone lanterns:  Oribe-doro and Light of Friendship.

Here is the Exhibit House, where Japanese ceramics and other cultural staples are on display.

Stained rocks lead one along a curved path, to the bonsai collection.

The stone lanterns are intended to light the traveler’s way, in peace and harmony.

A farewell of sorts is offered by the Light of Friendship.  Then again, it also serves as a greeting, depending on which direction one follows.

As I was headed towards Florida Canyon, I saw that there is much room for expansion of this magnificent garden.  I am sure to return when this area is cultivated, in the name of friendship.

Having felt the love of one of my favourite cities, it was nonetheless time to move on, and I did, to a fabulous meal and sweet live music at Carlsbad’s Mediterranean Cafe, followed by a rest at EconoLodge, my customary overnight stop in Carlsbad, unless it’s warm enough to sleep at the beach.

Next:  Dana Point, Doheny and The Loud Menagerie

March 20, 2014- Once Aram and the ship had departed, I had a game plan for the rest of the day.  First and foremost, I replaced the low beam headlight bulb, on the passenger’s side of  my Kia.  Next, was a stop at Old Town San Diego, where I hope to restock my stash of exotic jerky.  It must be only a seasonal thing, as only ordinary jerky was available at the General Store.  I did sit for a few minutes, though, and watch three actors in a theater troupe rehearse a scene from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”.

This is one of my favourite whimsical plays, but after a few minutes, the troupe started discussing their craft, so I decided to head for Balboa Park.  One place I had never visited there is the San Diego Air and Space Museum, which presents as complete a picture of manned flight as any place west of the Mississippi.  It is one of two museums there that were initiated by the industrialist and aviator, Ruben H. Fleet, whose name adorns the Science Center nearby.

I spent  about 2 1/2 hours in this unique institution, absorbing what I could of the story of one of  Man’s greatest dreams come true- from the sketches of Leonardo da Vinci to the most recent G-force experiments.  This museum presents the story of flight in objective fashion- including the achievements of America’s friends and enemies alike.

Among the first replicas one encounters is that of  The Spirit of St. Louis,  just inside the entry way.

Close by Lindbergh’s epic plane is a replica of an Apollo spacecraft.

There is, as the sign suggests, a display called Ripley’s Believe It or Not, but it was enough for me to take in the main exhibits.

The combat exhibits are comprehensive, with Messerschmitts and Zeros taking their places alongside Allied warplanes.  One of the first exhibits tells the story of General Claire Chennault’s Flying Tigers, who impeded the Japanese occupation of south China and Burma, probably shortening World War II.

Yet, World War I, and the exploits of all concerned, were fully covered as well.  Here is a shot of the first synchronized gear mechanism on a fighter plane.

Here is a replica of  Manfred von Richtofen’s Red Fokker Dr. 1 Triplane.

A Sopwith Camel is shown in the same area of the facility.

In the Forties section are a Piper Cub

and a Messerschmitt Bf 109G-14

 In the Edwin D. McKellar Pavilion of Flight,

a full range of air and space craft is shown.

Just before I exited, a father and son were inside a Zero Gravity simulation machine, experiencing astronaut life, in a safe manner.

There is no doubt in my mind that this amazing collection will continue to grow, as our treasury of air and space craft continues to evolve.

After taking in this dizzying collection of vehicles, I was ready for some peace and calm, so the Japanese-American Friendship Garden beckoned.