Riverside and the Cheech.
Marg and I started out around 7, or maybe a little later, to meet Annie, Pat, and the other David, by a wash near where Annie lives, where we took an early morning walk. It started out a little cool, but didn’t take too long to heat up.
Once back home, we hung out for a while, and then it was time for Marg to head to a rehearsal for a couple of hours. I took a couple of photos of Marg and Mark’s back garden, and then, at their recommendation, took off for Riverside to see the Cheech Marin museum of Chicano art, simply known as The Cheech.
Riverside is magnificent, What a beautiful town. I am so glad I visited. The streets are lined with trees and beautiful Spanish architecture buildings, and its a walking friendly town, with a couple of walking malls.
The entire downtown district is lovely, with a couple of pedestrian malls, and many beautiful buildings across the center. The topper, though, is the Riverside Mission Inn, an historic luxury hotel taking up most of an entire block in the downtown area. It was originally built in 1875 as a guest house, and expanded massively in the early 1900s, and now designated a national historic landmark. It is fantastic, with sprawling walkways, towers and bell towers, arches, and passageways, built in a range of historic styles.
I continued walking about town, enjoying the weather, the buildings, and the town overall, which on this sunny and warm day had such a good vibe. It’s a lovely town.
There is a giant indoor space, the Mission Galleria, on the corner of the walking mall and main street, that is full, and I mean full, of all sorts of things, like a giant but really great indoor antique and flea market. It’s so big and with so many things, ranging from tchotchkes and bric-a-brac to antiques, and everything in between, that I really can’t imagine how anyone could take it all in, let alone decide what to buy.
And then, finally, I went to The Cheech, the whole reason I came to Riverside in the first place. And glad I did. It is excellent, and in a great purpose-built space, and part of the Riverside Art Museum, which is just along the block. Officially, The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture, opened in 2022, is dedicated to Chicano art, and houses Cheech’s private collection of art, including paintings, graphics, and photos. It’s fabulous.
And then, after a great afternoon in Riverside, back to Claremont.
Tonight is my past night in Claremont, and heading into LA tomorrow where I’ll spend the night, as it’ll be far more convenient for getting to the airport for my flight on Tuesday. We just hung around and talked. Always sad getting ready to say goodbye.