Peacock Day at the Arboretum

Peacock Day at the Los Angeles County Arboretum felt like Spring. It was sunny and the peacocks were “everywhere” on the grounds. It was highly likely that you’d catch a glimpse of a peacock showing off its spread out feathers in hopes to attract you (lol) and a potential mate!

In addition to seeing many peacocks, Peacock Day was a day to learn more about peacocks and to have food (Indian inspired) and drinks typically not offered at the Peacock Cafe. Food like spiced chickpea wraps, samosas, tandoori chicken and mango lassi were offered. For those with a sweet tooth, sugary drinks (agua frescas) and peacock colored churros were available as well. I originally thought about getting a churro but exercise (“hiking”) and sweets aren’t a good combination. I’m sure they were popular to the many kids present, though.

I’m clueless as to how much these specialty foods cost with an exception to their mango lassi. Yes, I opted to try their mango lassi which was a whopping $6 considering how it was given to me in a small cup. I was disappointed at the price and taste of the mango lassi. It wasn’t cold and it wasn’t good. This is where I like to say it’s sometimes better to not try new things at an event. Who would’ve thought that mango lassi could go wrong at an event like this, though?

And isn’t mango lassi supposed to be cold?

I was actually afraid that I’d get sick after consuming this mango lassi. To make matters worse, I forced myself to finish the mango lassi since I wasn’t going to trash $6. Fortunately, I was fine but it doesn’t change the fact that the mango lassi wasn’t good. If it was chilled, I can perhaps see how someone else might find it to their liking. It was on the thick (creamy) side which I found to be gross. Somebody please tell me I’m not the only one that found this mango lassi to be gross…

Anyway, I visited some educational booths and learned that the bird flu could be transmitted to peacocks as well. It makes sense since they’re birds…  Of course, right? LOL Because of this, I was informed that it’s not recommended for anyone to touch their feathers since you could catch it and give it to a pet (cat). Interesting… Fortunately for me, I only care to watch their beauty.

Supposedly, you could cosplay as a peacock on this day. I wasn’t expecting anyone to cosplay as a peacock but I did encounter someone in an amazing peacock outfit. She looked great and seemed to be having a good time.

I would have stayed longer had the weather not been so sunny. But I enjoyed my time there minus the mango lassi and my bathroom experience. Yes, before leaving, I had to make use of their trailer bathroom and it was gross since only one stall was working. Their bathrooms are usually decent but with their biggest bathroom closed off in the construction zone, there was no choice but to use this trailer bathroom, a porta potty or a smaller bathroom (closed for cleaning at the time). Not cool.

The highlight of Peacock Day would have to be seeing many of the peacocks’ feathers spread out, hearing the peacocks talk, seeing new flowers bloom (poppies!), encountering a bunny and venturing into a “new” path which led me to the Santa Anita Depot. The Santa Anita Depot on the grounds of the Arboretum was truly a hidden gem and I’ll make sure to blog about it soon.

**Click HERE to watch my video of Peacock Day!**