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Pasadena
The crown jewel of the San Gabriel Valley, Pasadena is an oasis of style
and culture. In the early 1900s, this one-time stretch of orange groves
beneath the picturesque San Gabriel Mountains attracted wealthy East Coasters
looking to escape harsh winters. But once the sun-seeking aris-
tocrats arrived, many decided to stay. Elaborate Victorian mansions, Craftsman-style
bungalows, and other lavish edifices soon sprang up around the rural community,
and a sophisticated society with theater, museums, and elegant gardens
quickly followed.
Today, this refined city possesses an air of old money, with its restored
historic district and vast cultural offerings; and in contrast to neighboring
Los Angeles's flashy community, it attracts more of a pearls and-loafers
crowd, who reside in lavish bungalows and drive Volvos.
Pasadena is perhaps best known for its January 1 TOURNAMENT OF ROSES PARADE
AND ROSE BOWL football game (626/449-7673), where the annual Big 10 versus
Pac 10 football rivalry is played out. For the rest of the year the city's
most popular draw is OLD TOWN (bordered by Arroyo Parkway on the east,
Pasadena Avenue on the west. Walnut Street on the north, and Del Mar on
the south), a 20-block stretch of shops, restaurants, cafes, art galleries,
and movie theaters. This bustling district, awash with restored buildings
from the late 1800s, has in recent years attracted a whole new crowd to
Pasadena, who come for the newly chic historic atmosphere, shopping, and
restaurants and only later discover the historic city's museums and cultural
attractions. At the western end of Old Town, the NORTON SIMON MUSEUM (411
W Colorado Boulevard; 626/449-6840) offers an impressive collection of
Impressionist works by the likes of van Gogh, Renoir, Degas, and Monet.
Farther east, the PACIFIC ASIA MUSEUM (46 N Los Robles Avenue; 626/449-2742),
complete with Chinese-style garden and koi pond, celebrates Asian-inspired
art from the Far East.
For a close-up look at Pasadena's early architecture, the GAMBLE HOUSE
(4 Westmorland Place; 626/793-3334) is the area's finest example of Craftsman
style and is open for public viewing. Built in 1908 by famed architects
Greene & Greene, the bungalow features amazing hand-crafted teak woodwork,
Tiffany glass, and many of the home's original furnishings.
The Rose Bowl may be best known for its annual namesake New Year's Day
football game and as the home of UCLA football, but the stadium also hosts
an amazing FLEA MARKET (RG Canning Flea Market at the Rose Bowl; 213/560-7469)
on the second Sunday of every month,
when the stadium parking lot is overflowing with collectibles, albums,antiques,
furniture, carpets, and virtually everything else you can imagine.
For more information on the Pasadena area, call the PASADENA CONVENTION
& VISITORS BUREAU (171 S Los Robles Avenue; 626/795- 9311; www.PasadenaCal.com).
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