Page 128 - 2020 Travel Guide to California

PASADENA
Stunning architecture, glorious gardens and a world-famous parade
»DINE, SHOP,
BASK IN ART
Pasadena Tourism
Information
visitpasadena.com
PASADENA COLORADO STREET BRIDGE,
above; Japanese Garden, below.
SUNNY, TEMPERATE PASADENA
abuts the snow-capped San Gabriel Moun-
tains just 10 miles northeast of downtown
Los Angeles. The flower-bedecked Tourna-
ment of Roses Parade and the UCLA Bruins’
games in the Rose Bowl (which also hosts a
popular flea market on the second Sunday
of every month) are its most famous attrac-
tions, but there’s much more to explore.
You can easily spend a full day at the
Huntington Library, Art Museum and
Botanical Gardens. Boojum trees and tow-
ering cardon cacti rise beside flowering
succulents in the Desert Garden, while the
Rose Garden Tea Room offers lunch, pas-
tries and Earl Grey. The Norton Simon
Museum displays artworks from van Gogh
and Picasso, and the 1917 Pasadena Play-
house, the official State Theatre of
California, presents Broadway-bound plays.
Other attractions blend into the cityscape.
Architectural Highlights
Pasadena boasts several architectural gems,
including the Italian Renaissance Wrigley
Mansion (also referred to as the Pasadena
Tournament of Roses Headquarters) on Mil-
lionaire’s Row, a stretch of Orange Grove
Boulevard lined with opulent homes from
the early 20th century. Some residents chose
to build Swiss chalets or French chateaus,
while others preferred the burgeoning
American Arts & Crafts style best repre-
sented in the stately Gamble House. The
B Y M A R I B E T H M E L L I N
1908 home, designed by Henry and Charles
Greene, is open to the public for docent-led
tours and is filled with gorgeous wooden
furnishings and built-in details. Pasadena
has such a large selection of the artistic bun-
galows it hosts a Craftsman Week every
November. Other architectural highlights
include the graceful curvilinear Colorado
Street Bridge across the Arroyo Seco, and the
Mediterranean-style Pasadena City Hall, a
vision of domes, towers and archways.
Vibrant Neighborhoods
Walking is a favorite mode of transporta-
tion in Pasadena’s 16 historic districts. In
some areas, tree-lined sidewalks edge
family homes in architectural standouts,
while other areas bustle with diversions.
Restaurants abound in Julia Child’s birth
city, where there are 650 more dining estab-
lishments per capita than in New York City,
and there are plenty of places to linger over
a drink or meal while checking out the local
scene. Old Pasadena draws foodies and
shoppers to a 22-block district packed with
galleries, clubs, boutiques and eateries.
Commerce rules South Lake Avenue with
businesses for all interests, from depart-
ment stores to nail salons to dining
enclaves interspersed by sculptures, statues
and murals. The Playhouse District, named
for the Spanish-Moorish theater, has an
artistic flair, with bookstores, museums
and wine bars.
126 2020 TRAVEL GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA
JAMIE PHAM; HUNTINGTON LIBRARY, ART COLLECTION, AND BOTANICAL GARDENS