The Huntington

If you've never been to The Huntington, in San Marino, CA, you really should go. The Huntington is a private nonprofit collections-based institution, founded in 1919 by Henry E. Huntington. This site is one of the finest research libraries in the world. It also houses a fabulous art collection, including The Blue Boy by Thomas Gainsborough, circa 1770, and Pinkie by Sir Thomas Lawrence, 1794.

There is also an array of more than a dozen botanical gardens with plants from a geographic range spanning the globe, which covers 120 acres of the 207-acre grounds. There were several roses named after famous ladies. Unfortunately, the picture I took of the Princess Diana rose didn't do it justice. You can't possibly see it all in one day, which is why several in our group had already been there a few times.

You can make arrangements for a guided tour, which I would recommend. Our guide had a myriad of tales and had worked at The Huntington over 50 years ago. She was very interesting.

The Library's collection of rare books and manuscripts in the fields of British and American history and literature is extraordinary. It has on display some of the finest rare books and manuscripts of Anglo-American civilization. Altogether, there are about 6 million items! Again...not all in one day.

We had a lovely tea buffet luncheon with finger sandwiches (I know it sounds very girlie, but the guys enjoyed it too), with many different kinds of wonderful cheese, and the desserts were scrumptious, pecan tarts, lemon bars, and of course something chocolate. Fortunately, we were able to walk off a calorie or two after lunch. The unfortunate thing about the day was the temperature. If it wasn't 100 degrees, it was very close.
Heed the warning to wear comfortable shoes.

They had a nice gift shop too. Of course, I never met a gift shop I didn't like, but the little "rose" items, such as soap and stationery, make nice presents. And it was air conditioned! A big bonus for the day.

We were all speculating on how much this land would cost today, as our guide mentioned that when Henry bought it in 1902 for $600,000, everyone thought he was a little crazy, because there was nothing much there. Such is a visionary.