Going to the Broadmoor for Easter Brunch

Easter Sunday, April 25, 2011

      The Broadmoor Hotel is one of those very special places you just don't see every day.  In 1884, an investment land company was formed that became the grounds for the hotel you see today.  In 1890, construction began and it officially opened in 1918.  Clear mountain spring water filled the lake and it was stocked with trout that the guests could catch and bring in for the chefs to prepare for them.  If you are more interested in the history of the resort, please click on the link below the photograph and you can read more about how this opulent place came to be.

Celebrity guests range from John D. Rockefeller in 1918 to Presidents Kennedy, Nixon, Ford, Reagan, and both of the Bush Presidents.  Walt Disney has stayed there, as well as Bob Hope, Ted Turner, Jane Fonda and Joe DiMaggio! 
 And guess what?  Our own beloved Susan Branch has been there as well!  She did a book signing there some years ago.....

 It's been about 5 years since we've been there and my youngest daughter's husband had never been there before, so we all decided we'd have a splurge and drive the distance and go.  My oldest daughter lives about 30 minutes from here, so it was a nice change for her to have a short drive rather than the long drive to our house for dinner.  It was fun getting together and best of all, there were no preparations on our part and no dishes afterward! 

                                                     This is a relatively new section of The Broadmoor- new parking garage; you can see the dark skies of the day

lots of 'heads' on the walls, even with ornate ceilings and such; the paintings and artifacts come from the many travels of the Penrose Family all across Europe and the Orient

Coming in the front door.....Historic Registry of the building

the front lobby and where you would 'check in'

My middle daughter heading up the escalator to head out across lake to brunch.  She's carrying one of the Easter basket I put together for the granddaughters

Once we got to the top of the escalator, there are doors leading outside across the lake to the building you see in the distance.  The mountain behind The Broadmoor was covered in 'powdered sugar' snow....

Once past the above doors, this is how the outdoors looked.  In the distance, you can see the outdoor fireplace ablaze.  A lot of people began to 'huddle' around it to keep warm.  Temps were in the 40's F.

It was also quite foggy and this was mid-day.  Our brunch was at 1:30 PM

The trees around the lake were in full bloom in spite of the rather chilly temperatures

As we crossed the bridge to get to the other side, you can see a SWAN in the distance on the lake

This is the room we had the brunch in

This was our table; I think they got a bit 'cheap' on the decorations this year.  A blow-up 'peep'?  Really???

Left to Right: Middle Daughter, youngest daughter, son-in-law (married to youngest daughter)

Tea service

The buffet is divided into sections....seafood, carving station, breakfast foods, breads, fruits, desserts, vegetables/sides

My oldest daughter getting some mashed potatoes, my FAVORITE food!

youngest and her hubby deciding on what to choose

Ice sculptures, fresh flowers everywhere

Chefs in their attire

even caviar with toast points

these roses and lilies were so beautiful

My oldest granddaughter.....what a look! I can't have any ice cream?

and the youngest, playing with a little calculator I had placed in her Easter basket

yummy crab claws

and almost everyone made their own ice cream sundae

I think her ice cream was more delicious than her orange juice

After brunch, it was time for pictures.  I hope they'll always be good friends as well as sisters

from left to right: oldest (32 on May 4) and mom of the two above, youngest (28)  who just got married in September, and middle daughter (30)

and here's the family.  Hubby's children were not here for this event as his son is working on his master's degree at UC Berkeley and his daughter chose to ski in one of the last ski weekends of the season in CO; his son is 25 and daughter is 20.

I LOVE the color of the blossoms....they last for such a short time!

Heading back from the building in which the brunch was held....here is the back view of the front of the Broadmoor

The flowers were amazing; I'm certain they have wonderful gardeners who braved the cold temperatures to make sure everything looked beautiful for Easter Sunday

and here's how we ALL felt afterward....so full!!

When we walked across the bridge back to the main building, we warmed ourselves by the fireplace

The architecture is just stunning....from the ornate woodwork to the elaborate painting, carpets and lighting

The chandeliers were enormous

a main hallway on the top floor

the main dining room

inside one of the ballrooms where many weddings are held

and here we are....waiting for the car to be pulled up to the front by my son-in-law who drove us to Colorado Springs that day.  It was an almost 3 hour drive there but an almost 4 hour drive home as the weather turned horribly worse on the drive north.  There were many accidents on the highway.....we brought magazines to read in the car but we talked most of the way

the main desk up close where you check in if you are spending the night.  This is at the bottom of the stairs you see in the above photograph

and here's the car....and one of the hotel's attendants opening the door for us to get in

Bye-Bye for now....maybe we'll see you in another 5 years!!

If you are ever in Colorado, I hope you'll go see it, walk around the ground and throw a penny in the fountain....it's a very magical place!

A Mother-Daughter Get-Away

About a week and a half ago, my middle daughter and I went on an 'extended weekend' get-away to California......  

Shhhhhh, don't tell Nancy, because she thinks I should move there. 

The truth is: I have lived there---for almost 5 years, so it does feel like 'going home'

My daughter has this haircut that she just loves and there have only been a couple of salons that have successfully cut her hair.  Her last haircut was 7 months prior and so she was 'due' for a cut.  So, she asked me if I'd like to come along....

The place she loves is Vidal Sassoon and the cut is very precise....

Who can resist some time in sunshine? 

not me

so we got on our Frontier Airlines flight.....books and magazines in tow!

This was the 'bunny photograph' staging area @ Fashion Island in Newport Beach

she LOVES make-up and this INGLOT store was brand new...so of course, we had to take a little browse

These were all the nail polish colors!!! 

Our first night, we ate at Cafe R&D....we had a really yummy salad and meatloaf, mashed potatoes and other yummy things.....it's awesome.  Here's the link in case you are interested:  CAFE R&D

Here she is with her meatloaf dinner---sorry about lighting; we were outside under heat lamps and lighting was not that good

Here she is at the salon just as her haircut was getting started.  Her appointment was Sunday morning @ 9:00 a.m.  That was great because it got us up and going.   We had an afternoon tea planned @ Paris in a Cup in Old Town Orange.  I had recently recommended it to Susan Branch but she didn't have a reservation and couldn't get in, but she did have a take-out hot tea as she walked around with her mom there.....
We could hardly wait!!

As you can see, quite a bit of hair came off!

I walked around South Coast Plaza and this gorgeous Spring Asian 'garden' was set up in the center concourse.  Her haircut took almost 2 hours and the stores hadn't opened yet, but there was a place for coffee/tea, so I ordered some coffee and walked around.....

South Coast Plaza has some 'snazzy' stores....but we were there for the haircut and the flowers....which were everywhere!

This was the main part of South Coast Plaza and all of the Easter decorations.....
You should see it at Christmas!

                                                                      

Here's the back....almost finished

and there she is....all smiling!

so off we went for tea!
Paris in a Cup

I love their little sugar cube holders....and the little tongs

                                                        

Here's the dessert menu from Paris in a Cup....sorry it's sideways; I flipped the photo before placing, but it flipped it back...one of the quirky things about blogger

                                                                         

Then we visited many of the antique stores.....she LOVES old hats!!

I loved this old sewing machine and barkcloth fabric

We visited Savory Spice Shop...we actually have one of these in Denver

the weather was crisp but sunshine was upon us!

ooh....lookey there Rachel!!!!  It's PLENTY by Yotam Ottolenghi....
I loved looking through it...it's on my list of cookbooks to get....

just look at the flowers....go back and look at the pictures of my garden right now and you'll know how much I LOVED seeing these colors!!!! I soaked it all in!

the poppies were so delightful!

and the water fountains there were bubbly blue

                                          

We had to have a little visit to Sprinkles Cupcakes

Love their cute little emblems!

We love this little cafe called Pain du Monde....here, we're having fresh organic mangoes, fresh squeezed orange juice, California Rolls, Paradise Tea and yummy coffee---I know, strange combination, huh? 

                                                                               


I couldn't help but smile!!!!


So....when I was missing for a few days, that's where I was.....we didn't buy anything really....I got a rabbit in a floral dress from Country Road Antique Store in Old Town Orange, and my daughter got a pair of shoes....but mostly, we just ate delicious food, walked around, talked, and did facials in our hotel room.  We brought cleansers, scrubs and masks and took pictures of each other with masks on....they're pretty silly!!!!  I wished my other daughters could have come along as well, but my youngest is in vet school and we left on Saturday night and came home on Tuesday night so that would have been two days of missed school.  And my oldest daughter was actually in NYC at the same time....but hopefully, this summer we'll go again.....we do it every summer!!!

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter Sunday....we'll all be together having a brunch; I'll be busy putting together Easter baskets for everyone and thinking of you all!!

Love and Blessings.....  xx