Today I went down to the Department of City Planning to file an appeal. It didn’t take as long as I expected, so after I was through I decided to wander around and check the place out.

The building itself is a pretty drab example of institutional architecture. I walked across the lobby to the little cafe and thought about getting some coffee. Decided against it. Then I thought I’d check out the patio at the back of the building. The most interesting thing about that space is it’s just a couple hundred feet from the Harbor Freeway. I wondered if the few people scattered around were bothered by the traffic noise. But I guess you can get used to anything.

I decided to move on, so I walked around the side of the building, on my way back to the plaza. And I came across a beautiful little garden.

When I was younger I paid no attention to gardens. The older I get, the more I love them. This was so unexpected I had to stop and take some photos. This little garden, tucked away on one side of a couple of drab office towers, made the whole trip worthwhile.