To celebrate my 66th birthday, and also the start of my Social Security benefits, we decided to take a little trip down to San Juan Capistrano, about 27 miles south of Huntington Beach. This little town is about a 15-minute drive from the beach and is famous for the annual return of the swallows to Mission San Juan Capistrano. The Mission was founded by Spaniard Father Junipero Serra in 1776. The Juaneno Indians were indigenous to the region before the mission was built, and most of the natives made a living by working the mission ranch.
The mission was restored after a devastating earthquake in 1812, and that notoriety resulted in the town becoming a tourist attraction due to its proximity to the ocean. It was also used as a wild west town in many Hollywood productions.
In 2009, urban sprawl caused the swallows to move their migratory pattern to the Chino Hills. The Mission built fake swallow nests and used swallow calls to reattract the birds, and by 2017, they had returned to their annual pattern.
This is what I wore to explore on the first day. These purple and black slacks are from Mario Serrani, and the black cardigan is from August Silk. The magenta T shirt underneath came from Nordstrom. I wore my Old Navy moto jacket and my Steve Madden booties.
Our first stop was the public library. They have a nice used bookstore. I got two books and Doc got one from 1908.
This is a view from the library parking lot. The brown house in the middle was huge - it was just tall and narrow.
We left the car there and walked down Aciachema Street - this word is another name that the Juaneno Indians go by.
This is the Basilica San Juan Capistrano. it sits at the corner of Aciachema and Camino Capistrano.
On the other side of the street is what used to be a reservoir and dam, both of which were destroyed in the earthquake. Then it was used as a factory to make the adobe bricks to rebuild the mission.
We walked down Camino Capistrano for about a mile to the downtown area.
Across the street from the mission is the Capistrano Trading Post, a souvenir shop.
Here is a view down the main drag.
We walked about another mile to our next destination - the Old Barn Antiques Mall.
There are about 60 vendors in there.
I got a bracelet and a perfume bottle for my collection. I will show you the bottle at the end of this post.
Then we walked another mile to the end of the old part of town and the beginning of the modern commercial district, starting at Del Obispo Street.
We passed the Armed Forces Memorial Park, built in 2002. The flag was at half-staff due to Jimmy Carter's death.
This is the Esslinger Building. Built in 1939, it is a one-story building in the streamline moderne style. It served as a medical clinic for Dr. Paul Esslinger until his death in the 1960s. It is a great example of Art Deco architecture.
This is the Richard Egan House. It was built in 1883 for Judge Richard Egan. A fire destroyed the top story in 1897, and it was rebuilt in the classic Victorian style. It served as a courtroom until 1923 and is now a bakery called Ellie's Table.
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| Egan House |
At Del Obispo, we turned around and headed back toward downtown. We stopped at one thrift shop, but I didn't get anything except a free bag of candy corn, which was great!
We turned down Verdugo Street and headed toward the Los Rios Historic District.
These are some of the businesses down there.
This is the law office of Stephen M Rios. I am not sure if he has anything to do with the Los Rios Historic District.
This is Old Mr. Tree, circa 1800.
This is the Montanez Adobe, circa 1794. It housed the Indians who worked at the mission and served as the office of Polonia Montanez, the town's midwife. It is now a butterfly sanctuary.
This is the Las Catronas Boutique. This house was part of the trio of the Trulis House, the Sanchez house, and the Rios/Stanfield house, all built from 1884 - 1890. They are now all used for retail shops.
This Fortune Teller occupied one of the other houses.
The Tea House is located in the Rodman House, circa 1910. They serve a full English high tea there.
There were a couple of venues for rent for parties and weddings.
There are quite a number of private residences back there.
This one, with its matching birdhouse, is one of my favorites.
The Farm School has a morning program that teaches children to have empathy and compassion for animals. They also teach about farming, sustainability, and healthy eating. The kids go one day a week.
Then we walked up River Street and saw photos of the original area, along with Modesta Avila, a felon who objected to the Santa Fe Railroad running through her mother's land and protested by hanging her laundry across the tracks. She was sentenced to three years in San Quentin but died after two. The train still runs right through the town.
The Zoomars Petting Zoo was closed.
There is a new development built in 2023, called River Street.
The Rodeo is a food hall.
The River Street Ranch is a playground, model railroad, and Petting Zoo.
This emu didn't seem too happy.
Then we walked back to the Amtrak Station. Trevor's on the Tracks is the gourmet restaurant there.
This is the dome of the Old Mission.
We had hamburgers at Hennessey's Tavern. It was two-fer Tuesday, so burgers were two for one price. We got a Wagyu beef burger and a Dubliner that had bourbon sauce and onion straws. They were delicious, and we plan to repeat this feat at the Hennessey's in Seal Beach some Tuesday.
We stayed at the Best Western Capistrano Inn. it had a free breakfast buffet. It was clean and quiet and very affordable. The next morning, we went to an antique shop up in Mission Viejo that was going out of business. It was called Landmark Antiques. I wore a waterfall cardigan from Alberto Makali and ponte slacks from Express.
I got this necklace at that shop.
I also got two perfume bottles. The first one is the one I picked up at the Old Barn.
I rearranged my collection. It's completely full now.
Here is a map that depicts our entire trip around this beautiful little historic town.
My birthday was nice and relaxing. I enjoyed our little trip and spending time with Doc. Here's hoping that the rest of my 66th year is just as nice!
