International rotunda wing
and glistened with drizzled citrus oil.
Many visit the Inn during the holiday
Festival of Lights with over 4 million lights
and 400 animated figures that is spectacular to see. Other events are Valentine’s Day
Specials, Sunday’s High Tea and collaborative arts programs. My friend, nearly 100
years old, told me she celebrated her 95th
Glockenspiel clock tower
hotel’s Kelly’s spa. I walked past the spa and
eucalyptus aroma drifted through the air. It
made me wish I had scheduled a massage,
facial or private yoga session in the luxurious spa but I had dinner on my mind.
Before my tour, I had sipped fresh iced tea
in the Presidential Lounge, which is easy to
find off the lobby because portraits of the
10 presidents who visited the Inn line the
wall. Now, I was hungry and of restaurant
choices that included Duane’s Steakhouse
and Seafood, Las Campanas Mexican
Restaurant, Bella Trattoria Italian Restaurant or The Mission Inn, I found myself
in the Mission Inn Restaurant. My order
of battered squash blossoms stuffed with
chicken salad was picturesque. Arranged as
if on the vine, an orchid gently laid on top
78
fwt
FALL 2016