School Reunion in Los Angeles
Malibu a stretch near PCH that’s just a memory.
“Home is where you story begins and continues to unfold.” - unknown
It was time for a school reunion and LA was host. My job was to plan the wandering part of the agenda, to show them my city at its best while having some fun.
As it turned out the Los Angeles fires put the kibosh on the reunion and some parts of the city will never be the same again.
Let’s visit some of my favorite places that were in the running or someone in the group wanted to include.
Marina Del Rey with its upscale hotels, eateries, and marina. You can do a boat ride in the marina, shop for tchotchkes, perhaps catch a sea lion or two as you wander around before catching a delightful seafood meal.
The Getty Villa with its antiquities, Romanesque architecture, and beautiful gardens. A wonderful retreat on the Pacific Coast near Malibu eateries on the beach, or Santa Monica where we could descend on the pier and indulge in the games while pretending to be young and carefree again.
Self-Realization Fellowship and Meditation Center on Sunset in Pacific Palisades. One of my personal favorite retreats in the city where you can get away from it all.
The modern Getty Museum with its beautiful gardens that appeal to all the five senses, two restaurants on the property and a wonderful art. Close to home and a wonderful place to while away a few hours enjoying the beauty and ambiance.
The Los Angeles Public Library with its beautiful rotunda that showcases LA’s history. It’s an absolute treasure to walk through and Books! how could anyone go wrong with books.
Some of the gals suggested dim sum for lunch following the library which was perfect since China Town is not too far at all from the library and would make a wonderful stop even as we could time with this with a quick run to union station to drop off a couple of girls who would be taking the train.
This interesting metallic sculpture has always fascinated me near Little Tokyo. Perhaps we could do Japanese food and wander through Little Tokyo instead of China Town.
Echo Park with its nearby Victorians and its swan shaped paddle boats might be a great adventure that incorporated the one mile walk around the lake and some fun having paddling competitions on the lake. Another beautiful urban retreat within sight of Downtown Los Angeles.
The Hollywood sign over the Hollywood reservoir but then we did the Hollywood theme the last time around spending time on the walk of fame and the iconic Hollywood attractions.
Some of the beautiful gardens and parks around Los Angeles, Huntington Gardens, Descanso Gardens, The Los Angeles Arboretum with its dancing peacocks sure to invoke memories of home.
Maybe just hang out at one of our homes playing board games and catching up on news and gossip and having lunch at one of my favorite places in a beautifully landscaped outdoor mall.
Alas the reunion never happened thanks to the outbreak of the fires and some of the places on my list might never be the same again, but I look forward to rescheduling and making it happen. Los Angeles is resilient and definitely has a lot to offer even without the theme parks which are one of the major attractions that bring visitors here.