Even though I have lived in Southern California for many years, I’ve never made it to Pasadena. I know about it only because the Rose Bowl is played there. But recently, a relative’s milestone birthday celebration brought me to this interesting city.
What first struck me was the architecture. Our hotel was walking distance from Old Pasadena. The district’s cobblestone courtyards and quaint alleyways date back to the 1880’s. Most striking to me was City Hall (shown below) which was completed in 1927.
I love cities that embrace public sculpture. This is one of my favorites.
In addition to cool shops, restaurants, colleges and tech companies, the biggest attraction is Huntington Library, Museum and Botanical Gardens. The grounds cover 120 acres. On our visit, we walked through the gardens which include over fifteen different themes. Unfortunately, it was 97 degrees during our visit, so I only lasted through four of them. I’m looking forward to a future visit in the winter!
I was too “wilted” to take out my phone for pics – enjoy this stock photo of the Chinese Garden.
