Costa Mesa is located in Orange County (California) and is known as "The City of the Arts." Over the past few decades the City has grown from a small farming community into one of the areas largest commercial/industrial centers.
I remember when we were young and our Mother would take us to California, we always want to stay at the Ali Baba Motel in Costa Mesa because it sounded adventurous. We could just imagine magic lamps, flying carpets, and Arabian soldiers riding across the sand dunes. I don't think we ever stayed there, but we did get to go to Disneyland where we had all kinds of adventures.
Went Spanish explorers arrived in what is now Costa Mesa, the land was being farmed by people of the Acjachemen and Tongva cultures. Then, in the 1820s the Spanish built Diego Sepulveda Adobe to serve as an estancia (station) of the San Juan Capistrano Mission for the herdsmen who cared for the cattle. However, by the 1870s floods and droughts ended the cattle industry; so the building was converted into a private residence until 1963, when it was donated to the City of Costa Mesa to be used for a museum.
Isamu Noguchi's California Scenario, located in downtown Costa Mesa, is "recognized as one of the country's preeminent sculpture gardens and the most important publicly accessible outdoor sculpture oasis in Southern California." Various indigenous plants and materials are used to symbolize six geographical California characteristics. Located in the center of the garden is The Spirit of the Lima Bean sculpture, which is composed of 15 rust-colored granite rocks and received it name because the garden was once the site of a Lima Bean Farm. California Scenario is described as "both a metaphorical garden and a minimalist theatrical installation."
Segerstrom Hall, Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, and the David Emmes/Martin Benson Theatre Center are located across the street from each other in Costa Mesa. I remember one time at the last minute we decided to see if we could get same-day tickets to the stage production of Wicked. As it turned out, we did get tickets; but our seats were so high up and so far back from the stage that I had trouble even seeing the actors. Oh well, Wicked isn't one of my favorite stage production anyway.
The Costa Mesa Historical Society was closed the day I stopped by the museum, but there is a large flower garden on the property that was open. Unfortunately, I was about two week too late to see the flowers at their peak.
Crevier Classic Cars is a museum of high-end and collectible vehicles, some of which are for sale. There are over 100 vehicles on display, so there is something of interest for everyone.
BONUS PICTURES (part of Ronnie's Collectio)
