The hook
One of the country's best sculpture gardens is a free acre and a half of desert, forest, and stone tucked between two office towers in Costa Mesa.
01Why it's worth it
In 1982 Isamu Noguchi, near the end of his life, finished this for the developer Henry Segerstrom on what had been the family's lima bean farm. It's called California Scenario, and that's exactly what it is: six areas standing in for the state's landscapes, a desert of cactus and red sandstone, a forest walk, a stream that runs from a rough stone source down to a triangular pool, all set on pale paving between walls of mirrored glass. The centerpiece is fifteen blocks of granite cut to fit together into a single form, which Noguchi named The Spirit of the Lima Bean as a nod to how the Segerstroms made their money. It should feel out of place among the office towers, and instead the towers disappear. Almost nobody's ever there, and it costs nothing.
02How to experience it
It's in Costa Mesa near South Coast Plaza, about seven hours from the Bay. It's free and open to the public in the plaza between the office buildings, and it's easy to miss, so look for the gap between the towers. Weekday mornings are quietest. Give it half an hour and actually sit in it.