Off to One of My Favorite Places Tomorrow

Tomorrow morning, rain or shine, I'll be at the Huntington Library, Art Collection and Botanical Gardens for a photography class that will be running for three Saturdays in a row. It's supposed to be raining and I'm dragging from a chest cold, but whatever it takes I'll be there.

For those unfamiliar with the Huntington, it's located in San Marino just south of Pasadena. It was founded in 1919 by Henry E. Huntington, an businessman who made a fortune in railroad companies, utilities, and real estate holdings in Southern California.

The library has many rare books and manuscripts on display, including the Ellesmere manuscript of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, a Gutenberg Bible on vellum, the double-elephant folio edition of Audubon’s Birds of America, and a world-class collection of the early editions of Shakespeare’s works.The Huntington Art Gallery was originally the Huntington residence. Gainsborough’s "Blue Boy" and Lawrence’s "Pinkie" are both there.

The gardens include a Rose Garden, a Japanese Garden, a Chinese Garden, a Shakespeare Garden, an Herb Garden, An Australian Garden, a Camellia Garden and a Children's Garden, and more. I've been there more times than I can remember and I have yet to visit all of the gardens.

And then there's the Tea Room. Without a doubt the finest place to have tea in Southern California. It's actually a buffet of tea sandwiches, salads, delicacies like caviar, and desserts. It's pricey and you should have a reservation, but it's worth it.

For those of you who haven't been to the Huntington, here are some pics I've taken over the years.