The Los Angeles County Arboretum

This past week our Chinese visitors were able to take a little trip to the Los Angeles County Arboretum here in Arcadia. The botanical gardens are local, cheap and a highly recommended visit is called for especially when the weather is moderate.

The start of any day is best served with fresh coffee from the Coffee Bean in Sierra Madre. The coffee bean has been visited by some very famous persons including my mom. Last year we were able to go up there to the quant little coffee shop together.

This was the first visit for Xiao Hui to the Coffee Bean and the little town of Sierra Madre which by the way is one of the oldest settlements here along the San Bernardino ridge just to the East of Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles Arboretum is a wonderful place to spend a pleasant afternoon. The flowers and trees are spectacular at every season. The planning of the gardens is such that something is blooming almost year round. Having Xiao Hui here was a perfect excuse to visit again after several years away.

One of the features of the Arboretum is the wild Peacocks that roam across the gardens and lawns of the place. In many places we could see little chicks following their hen mothers in groups of 5 or 6. Good thing they did not decide to start their racket. From what I understand they can make a lot of noise especially around 4:30 in the morning.