Lemon Heaven

It’s sad but true: Lemons are taken for granted in southern California. We grow them in our backyards or have access to them practically year-round at grocery stores and farmers markets. We celebrate the avocado and the orange and strawberry with festivals and myriad recipes, while the lemon sits in our kitchens, loyal and versatile, only noticed when we run out or realize they have gone up to a dollar apiece and we are being scandalously ripped off.

This summer, I discovered a place where the lemon gets its due. Limoneira Ranch in Santa Paula is one of the oldest working lemon ranches in the country. Its citrus groves stretch across 1,800 acres on ocean-kissed hillsides a few miles east of the Ventura coast. Avocados are also a major crop.

Started as a citrus co-op that pre-dated Sunkist, Limoneira has added real estate and beauty and bath products to its coffers, yet its ranch still takes you back to old California. The wood-shingled packinghouse dates to the early 1900s and boasts a factory line with workers who hand-sort the lemons (in I Love Lucy-style hairnets) before they are packed up and trucked to Philadelphia, Dallas, and other places with a sad lack of citrus-friendly features.

Anyone may take a tour of Limoneira for $20 ($10 for seniors). It’s not exactly a bargain, but it’s a rare opportunity to see what happens to lemons between picking and being loaded onto supermarket-bound trucks, and it includes stops at a solar-powered orchard (home to 5,000 photovoltaic solar panels and a collection of miniature English sheep who keep the weeds at bay) and the visitors center, which doubles as a museum with fantastic displays of 1920s-era fruit crate art. Best of all, you get a small bag of near-flawless lemons and avocadoes to take home. For some reason, the ranch also has what just may be the most scenic bocce courts you will find anywhere. Bocce tournaments are held some weekends, but the ranch also encourages pickup games if the courts are open (just call ahead to make sure a wedding party isn’t in the middle of a photo opp).

When you’ve lived in L.A. awhile, it can be challenging to find a place that’s both new and engaging enough to be worth the drive. Here’s a truly unique destination that manages to showcase the area’s rural beauty and history. Long live the lemon.

Upper Arroyo Seco is Back in Business

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I walked the upper Arroyo Seco trail from JPL to Gould Mesa Campground for the first time in three years, and it’s just as peaceful and New Hampshire-like as I remember it. The sawhorses, trucks, and KEEP OUT signs are all gone. Heavy rains washed out parts of the trail in 2008, then the Station Fire came perilously close to the trailhead in summer 2009.

There are still signs of fire damage, but also plenty of signs of growth and the creek is still surprisingly robust for mid-summer. I made it as far as Gould Mesa campground (which can also be accessed from La Canada), though it looks like you can keep going farther into the forest. This trail is a local treasure that so many Altadenans and others seek out for exercise, shade, and quiet moments.

Chilling in Long Beach

I wasn’t really expecting to discover anything new and peaceful on a recent weekday visit to the Aquarium of the Pacific. I love the place and was looking forward to showing it to Theo, but this was at least my fifth trip here and I knew what to expect: impressive collections of sting rays, sharks, and clownfish, surrounded by lots and lots of kids on school field trips.

But we took our time exploring and reached the tanks of sea jellies after the pint-size crowds had thinned. I never had a chance to stop and appreciate their graceful beauty before. Some tanks housed dozens of tiny luminescent jellies, while others featured just one or two as big as basketballs hovering amid an ethereal blue background. Theo dubbed them flowers at first, but was persuaded to say jellyfish by the end of the day.

The other peaceful element of our trip was lunch on the balcony of the aquarium’s restaurant, Cafe Scuba. I had always assumed it was just another overpriced eatery within an attraction. But the fried fish tacos, at a reasonable $7 and made from locally caught sea bass, rank right up there with east L.A.’s finest. I’m sure the deck gets busy on weekends, but T and I had it (and its fabulous marina views) all to ourselves.

Things to do in L.A. before you die (or move back to Iowa)

For a very brief window last month, it looked like we might pack up and leave Los Angeles, and I admit I was a little freaked out. Despite my East Coast roots, I have come to love this city and my never-a-dull-moment existence. So…instead of worrying about the usual tornado of things brought on by moving an entire family across the country (schools, property taxes, and adjusting to more than 6 overcast days a year, e.g.), I focused on all the places I must visit here before departing.

High on my L.A. bucket list (on par with a happy-hour Ray’s Mistake at the Tiki Ti and a hike up to Mount Lowe) was a stop at House of Silvanas in Hollywood. This little bakery-within-a-restaurant makes delectable buttercream cookies that can’t be duplicated elsewhere (except maybe their two other branches in Northern California and the Phillippines).

Silvanas taste like a lighter, ethereal cross between a French macaroon and a cream puff — you may feel the urge to put on an Enya CD or rent “Peter Pan” as you bite into one. They are sold in $10 boxes of 12 and flavors include strawberry, mocha, lemon, and plain buttercream (my favorite).

Even though we’re staying put for now, I ran over and picked up a couple of boxes this week. The little kiosk was still there inside Kusina, a turo-turo market (Filipino fast-food joint) near the corner of Fountain and Vermont Avenues. The braised pork stew at the lunch counter looked good, but on this day I had eyes only for the silvanas.

Check back as I compile and check off more items for my L.A. bucket list. I’m thinking beaches and burgers are next!

Hiking in Solace

I was looking for a little down time Sunday before the Halloween activities reached full tilt. So I snuck away for a walk through one of my favorite neighborhoods, Mount Washington. Its Jack Smith Trail isn’t really a trail so much as a very pleasant nature-meets-city walk, but I included it in my book, 60 Hikes within 60 Miles: Los Angeles. It’s a great workout if you start at the steps on Marmion Way. They used to follow a funicular railway that carried Mt. W residents to and from their hilltop homes.

It was as nice and tranquil as I remembered it, but what made the walk even better was a detour down Seaview Lane just past Mt. Washington Elementary School. Follow the road until it ends, then continue on the dirt path.

You won’t be disappointed; when I saw the bench, I really wished I had brought along coffee and the Sunday papers.

Keep following the dirt path around and you will see that it reconnects with San Rafael Ave. From here, you can follow Moon Avenue, then noodle your way downhill to the Southwest Museum and Marmion Way. Next time I’ll take the kids (and skip the steps)…but on this day, I had the clear views and incredibly clean post-rain air to myself.

Finding peace at Disneyland

It may be the happiest place on earth, but it certainly isn’t the quietest. Yet Disneyland came pretty close to being downright peaceful this past weekend. I think we hit it at the right time — just after the start of school and before the Halloween festivities rev up. Lines were short for most attractions (except, of course, Peter Pan!) and we walked right up to the 9 p.m. World of Color show and found a pretty good viewing spot near the Rocketships ride.

I also found a peaceful place to hide out in California Adventure when the crowds do get crazy. During my book presentations, I sometimes get asked if I know of any tranquil spots to seek out at Disney. To be honest, I usually just write off the whole day as decidedly UNPEACEFUL, but I do like the alley near the exit to Pirates of the Caribbean for a quick breather. There’s a small nook with a staircase that leads to a Cast Members Only sign, and the area below the stairs is usually deserted.

This weekend I discovered an even quieter place: the waterfront sitting area under the Silly Symphony Swings ride. You can’t see it easily from the main thoroughfare, but it’s spacious with lots of benches and has a terrific view of Paradise Bay. Theo and I had the place to ourselves (except for one furiously texting man) while Jack and his dad rode the swings. A nice respite from Goofy, et al.

p.s. Jack took his first ride on Thunder Mountain Railroad, and deemed it “just a little bit too scary.” He seemed proud that he survived though.

Brown-bag Tuesdays at the Gamble

Many Pasadenans probably drive by the Gamble House at least a couple of times a month and think to themselves, “I really should take the tour.” Now’s your chance: until the end of October, the venerable Arts & Crafts home is open on Tuesdays for picnic lunches and abbreviated tours. That means us common folk can pretend for just a little while that we actually reside in the gorgeous house and have lunch (bring your own) on the beautiful back patio or lawn. It’s all very casual, and a handful of shaded patio tables are available on a first-come basis.

I brought Mr. T (and his grandparents), but it’s not exactly geared toward the under-10 set. Lunch was a quiet affair so we quickly ate our tacos from La Estrella and strolled the grounds. The half-hour tours are $5 and start at 12:15 and 12:45. It’s a pleasant, low-key way to spend a lunch hour.

The world’s loudest rock garden

I had every intention of including the LA Police Academy’s rock garden in my book, Peaceful Places: Los Angeles. It fit the mold of many of my destinations: interesting, unusual, and not widely known. But I wasn’t able to scope it out before my deadline, so it was relegated to the “someday” list.

Lucky for me. It’s a strangely beautiful place near Dodger Stadium — with giant landscaped rock formations, waterfalls, and a “Land of the Lost” vibe — but its proximity next to the LAPD’s firing range will have you running for cover within minutes. Piercing is the best way to describe the sounds you’ll hear if you find yourself at the garden on a weekday. I think this photo says it all.

The rock garden is right behind the LAPD’s Revolver and Athletic Club’s Cafe, a frozen-in-time diner with prices to match the decor. The menu features typical diner food (burgers, grilled cheese, Cobb salad) and prices (nothing is over $7) — though the bread pudding seems to have a big following. “That ain’t right,” sighed one office worker when a server told him they were out of it.

The turtle ponds of Cal Tech

Mr. T and I have started a tradition: we drop Jack at camp and then walk over to Cal Tech to explore. First stop is always the commissary, which opens at 7 am, where I get a dollar cup of coffee. Then we always end up at the turtle ponds near the Millikan library. Its official name is Throop Memorial Pond, but turtles are what you’ll remember most about this peaceful little park. There are dozens of them (along with the occasional koi fish) and it’s great fun to watch them lumbering in and out of the water. Theo has a brief conversation with them before following the path up the little hill to the big fountain in front of the library. It’s a nice, quiet way to start the day – though I’m sure the area will get busier in a few weeks when school is back in session.

Hidden Laguna

Laguna Beach in the summer is often anything but peaceful. But there are pockets of solitude, especially when you wander south of the Main Street beach area. This lookout at the end of Brooks Street (pictured above) is an idyllic place to watch the sun set or observe some surfing action up close. There’s always lots of elbow room in the tiered sitting area.

Another place to escape the crowds is Splashes restaurant, tucked away at beach level of the Surf & Sand Resort. The views of the ocean rank among the best along the Pacific coast, and after a meal you can walk right down the stairs to a fabulous, often uncrowded, stretch of sand. Go for the views; stay for the mouth-watering cuisine of new chef Jeff Armstrong (chilled tomato and buttermilk soup, BBQ lamb loin, sweet corn ravioli). Or just get a bottomless cup of coffee (it opens early) and regroup for an hour or three.