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Luminaria Nights
I’ve always found New Mexico to be a fascinating state. From its unique Southwestern architecture to their annual holiday traditions of luminarias, I wouldn’t be surprised if New Mexico were to meet almost all of my expectations and in the process, win my heart. Luminarias aren’t really a thing outside of New Mexico however I was still able to experience it here in Southern California, at the California Botanic Garden. Wonderful, isn’t it?
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Hidden Beauty at the South Coast Botanic Garden
I’ve always wondered why people bother with having an annual membership at a garden but here, at the South Coast Botanic Garden, it makes sense. You have the place to yourself when it’s not busy. And even when it’s busy, there’s ample space around as well as the option to come back another time for “free”. You don’t have to rush and each time you visit, you can easily catch sight of things you hadn’t noticed before.
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Hsi Lai Temple
With 2018 coming to a close, I felt it was necessary for me to do something spiritual.
I ended up visiting Fo Guang Shan Hsi Lai Temple. Got there early enough and was able to get a nice parking spot easily. It wasn’t crowded and I was free to roam the grounds of the temple.
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Panorama Nature Preserve
With the many things that have been going on in my life, I knew it was time for me to get rejuvenated. I thought of going to Disneyland, Knott’s Merry Farm or even LA Zoo Lights but in the end, decided against it all simply because I didn’t want to spend money. I’m sure I’ll go to one of these places in the near future, but it’ll be on a day when it’s less crowded and a little cheaper.So, what did I decide to do? On a whim (kind of), I decided to visit the Fullerton Arboretum however it didn’t exactly work out for me since their free parking lot was packed. In fact, getting in and out of the parking lot in itself was a bit of a chore. I thus decided to go elsewhere.
Not far from the Fullerton Arboretum is a place called Panorama Nature Preserve. I don’t think a lot of people are aware of Panorama Nature Reserve and I have a funny feeling the locals that live near the reserve want to keep it that way.
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San Gabriel Lunar New Year Festival
The dragon at San Gabriel Lunar New Year Festival If there’s anyone that likes free things, it’s got to be me.
As a freebie lover, I attended the San Gabriel Lunar New Year Festival, a free event held at the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse.
Parking wasn’t an issue as I was able to park on the street for free. Their event parking lot was also for free but already full by the time I had gotten there and I actually had gotten there before the start time of the festival. Meh. So, even though I had arrived early, by the time I decided on a parking spot, the festival had already begun.