maitaitom

The USC Pacific Asia Museum is another Southern California hidden gem museum; this one located in Pasadena. The building was once describd as "“far and away the most beautiful building of which Pasadena can boast.” It is listed on the National Register Of Historic Places.

The museum contains more than 15,000 artifacts “spanning more than 4,000 years.”

I took a little tour last week (link below with photos). If you go, you can enjoy (according to one guidebook) "one of only two authentic Chinese courtyard gardens in the United States." I'm still trying to figure out where the other one is located.

http://travelswithmaitaitom.com/21934-2/

k_marie

I wonder if it's the one within the Metropolitan Museum in NYC.

Thanks for bringing this to our attention. We had planned to spend one day of our visit next month at the Nixon library but I see that the main building won't reopen until later in the year. We may add this museum to our list.

maitaitom

The Pacific Asia Museum was fine, but if you're going to be in this area in April, I would highly recommend The Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens in San Marino (adjacent to Pasadena). The flowers and gardens will be popping in April and May, and they have some good art galleries, too. I go often, and the below is a compilation of visits, but the really colorful photos are primarily from a spring visit. I would recommend this more than the Pacific Asia Museum. The Japanese Garden and Chinese Garden at the Huntington are also both spectacular, and the roses should be in bloom.

http://travelswithmaitaitom.com/the-huntington-library-art-collections-botanical-gardens-san-marino/

k_marie

Yes, the Huntington is always a delight. I imagine some of the desert collection will be in bloom as you have had some rain this year. (I know we will have already missed much of the superbloom in Death Valley because of the high temperatures and the wind. Perhaps we'll have more of a 'show' of desert bloom at the Huntington.)

We have not been back to Descanso gardens since my daughter was married there 12 years ago. I should check their website to see what's in bloom there, too. There was a plan at one time to remove all the camellias (thousands of plants!) and revert to native plants.

maitaitom

Love Descanso also. Fortunately the camellias remain.

sylvia3

"Carp that were playing it koi"
OK, morning coffee snort.
Nice mini TR, thanks! Maybe on the next visit to the in laws.

k_marie

The Huntington gardens were spectacular, as always. We were particularly interested in the desert garden, after our 2.5 days in Death Valley NP. While we were concerned that we might have missed the best of the superbloom in the park, our son-in-law and guide knew where to find the flowers--we drove miles of dirt roads with rocks and bumps and potholes, and mostly yellow blooms to the right and left and down the middle of the road. Occasional red, pink and purple blooms punctuated the scene.

At the Huntington, the desert blooms were more varied, of course, since they are not limited to native plants. One plant (the puya?) was blooming--for the first time in six years!