A moment of silence...

for Shield's Date Gardens in Indio, which will be closing in April, after more than 80 years in business. Here's a little write-up by Jane and Michael Stern for the Splendid Table. Not only was this a great place to get a date shake or buy some date crystals, where else could you see a film about the romance and sex life of the date? Going to Shield's -- a trip equal in importance to visiting Hadley's, the dinosaurs and the tramway -- was like taking a trip back to a sleepier time, when date groves carpeted the desert floor and swamp coolers ineffectually chilled the blast furnace summers.

R.I.P. Shield's Date Gardens