spring break in Los Angeles

I have been remiss in talking about my vacation with my brother in Los Angeles. I always assumed that LA was too flashy for me but honestly, it is much more down to earth. Of course, we braved the traffic to head downtown and see the hot spots in Hollywood. But then we drove up into the hills, Beverly Hills that is, and my mouth dropped at the gorgeous palm tree lined roads and wonderfully landscaped mansions. There is the flash. But after that, our time was spent at the Santa Anita race track where I actually won $2 on Lucius Antonious. I lost it on the the next bet though. We also visited the LA county Arboretum where we walked among the peacocks and explored the natural wonders of the world: flowers, trees, shrubs, all types. The track and the arboretum were just a walk away from my brother's home so it all felt extremely relaxing. I can not forget though that my amazing brother exceeded all of that by purchasing tickets to the opening game of the LA Galaxy. Obviously, that was the grandest part.