“The problem is, it’s sunny all the time in Pasadena,” an Uber driver tells us.
Which means he’s too spoiled to live anywhere else. After our recent trip to Southern California, we had to agree. We got a big dose of Vitamin D while exploring the family-friendly city of Pasadena before the WSU-UCLA game.
Talking game: flower pot
This year, the Pac-12 downsized to the Pac-2. For the legions of Cougar fans beleaguered in Seattle, this season may be your last chance to see the crimson and gray in the Rose Bowl. Washington State University plays UCLA on October 7.
Family-Friendly Pasadena: Be a tourist and enjoy the weather
Pasadena is known for the Rose Bowl and Rose Parade. It is also home to The original Trader Joe’s (610 South Arroyo Parkway) Local tradition says it is the birthplace of the cheeseburger.
The city is located at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains, just 10 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles. Instead of a sea of concrete, the big blue sky seems to go on forever.
If you want to stand out as a tourist in Pasadena, keep craning your neck up to look at those palm trees. I couldn’t help myself. The trees looked like something out of the Lorax, and the locals here take them for granted.
They also take moderate temperatures for granted. We met Pasadena natives who never attend the annual Rose Parade because it’s “too cold.” Fifty degrees in January.
advice: If the heat reaches you, resort to Pasadena Ice Skating Center (300 East Green Street) – The coolest place in Pasadena.
Arriving in Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a 2-hour direct flight from Sea-Tac. Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) is much closer than Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), as it is only a 20-minute drive from Pasadena. Burbank is small, so you can easily pass through the barely-there security line.
Things to do with family
Whether you’re heading to Pasadena to play soccer or soak up the California sunshine (or both!), here’s where to bring your kids:
World famous rose bowl
Do you know where the term “bowl game” in football comes from? the Rose Bowl Stadium (1001 Rose Bowl Drive). “Find them all,” says tour guide Sam Hodson. “It all started here.”
The century-old stadium hosts 15 events annually, including six UCLA Bruins home games and the annual Rose Bowl. It has also hosted five Super Bowls, two World Cup Finals, and two Olympic Games.
advice: On the last Friday of the month, you can attend a public tour to take a look behind the scenes of the stadium. Walk the same halls as Beyoncé and Mick Jagger! The stadium hosts a huge flea market on the second Sunday of every month.
Stop for photos at City Hall
The first thing I noticed after hThe real turn off of our trip was how clean Pasadena was. The city attorney at City Hall revealed the secret: The building is power washed twice a week.
Seattle City Hall is just a building. Pasadena City Hall (100 Garfield Street) It is a work of art. Stunningly beautiful, the 1927 Beaux Arts building is the second most photographed site in Los Angeles County. The lawyer complained about having to constantly avoid photo ops and sweets. We saw girls floating in their quinceañera dresses and they were breathtaking.
If the building looks familiar, it may be because Pasadena City Hall doubled as Pawnee City Hall Parks and entertainment resorts. The domed tower can also be seen from the window of Leonard and Shelton’s apartment The Big Bang Theory.
Historical walk around Old Pasadena
When you think of Los Angeles County, you might think of traffic, sprawl, and gridlock. However, Old Pasadena is surprisingly pedestrian-friendly. Some intersections also have diagonal crosswalks.
These 22 buildings make up the city’s original commercial district and are full of architectural charm. The Rose Parade passes through Old Pasadena on Colorado Boulevard, historic Route 66. In children’s parlance, Route 66 is the road that Lightning McQueen ends up on when he gets lost.
Old Town Pasadena is outside of Los Angeles’ Asian enclaves, so we weren’t expecting to find seriously legit dim sum here. turns up Chef Tony (2 East Colorado Boulevard) He’s the same Chef Tony behind a chain of restaurants in British Columbia.
Get your vibrations at the Kidspace Children’s Museum
Kidsspace Children’s Museum (480 North Arroyo Boulevard) is located next to the Rose Bowl, which is a must if you have toddlers or preschoolers. The museum is mostly outdoors, with a beautiful hillside path leading to different areas for imaginative play: a pretend campsite with luxury snacks, a mini market, an artificial lake made of blue sand, and the smallest tricycle filling stations. You will definitely die from gravity.
Be sure to bring a swimsuit for the water play area. There is a large playground in front of the Children’s Museum as well.
Hanging out with the Old Masters and Impressionists
There are a lot of crowd pleasers in Norton Simon Museum (411 West Colorado Boulevard)From Rembrandt to Picasso to Van Gogh. Even the outdoor sculpture garden is inspired by the works of Monet, with a beautiful pond filled with water lilies. Everyone loves the Impressionists.
The museum’s interior galleries were designed in the 1990s by Frank Gehry, the famous architect who created our very own MoPop. In a surprising twist here, Gehry squared off the previously rounded corners of the galleries.
Reward children by following through Small flower (1424 West Colorado Street), about a mile west of the museum. This hidden gem is famous for its caramel. You can also get quiche and sandwiches to take out next to the Ventura Expressway. (Classic California vibe, am I right?) While you wait for your order, browse their fantastic selection of kids toys and art supplies. Scented Glitter Gel Pens, I Love You.
Visit Little London
A group of children turning a corner Burlington Arcade He exclaimed, “It’s Diagon Alley!”
While the rest of Pasadena favors Spanish-inspired red clay tile roofs, Burlington Arcade (380 Southlake Ave.) runs through London. It even comes with a red phone booth – no doubt locked to prevent you from reaching the Ministry of Magic.
The shopping plaza is reserved Float Cafe (seriously amazing sandwiches) and Awinkmo Buba At the other end. One sip of the taro bubble tea and the boba connoisseurs were very impressed.
Take a journey through Asian culture and art
Take a wild guess at what’s inside USC Pacific and Asia Museum (46 North Los Robles Street). Did you say art from Asia and the Pacific? The big clue is the facade of the building, with its upturned roof and stone lions guarding the entrance. Turn-of-the-century art Antique collector Grace Nicholson wanted a palace of her own (#goals), so she built a mansion in Pasadena, modeled on the Imperial Palace in Beijing.
Upon check-in, the receptionist handed us a pair of 3D glasses to watch a stop-motion movie made from 10,000 wooden blocks. They also impressed the children by welcoming them with a gift bag full of art activities.
Choose new reads in the Froman Library
Froman Library (695 East Colorado Boulevard), founded in 1894, is the largest and oldest independent bookstore in SoCal. For many years, it was the largest library west of the Mississippi River. Today, it is owned by descendants of the store’s first employees.
The spacious children’s department occupies almost the entire second floor! Feel free to visit the store’s section dedicated to luxury stationery or the real newsstand along Colorado Avenue.
We had dinner at enchiladas outdoors a block away under the palm trees and stars. A-plus for ambiance the gate (695 East Greene Street).
Stroll through the galleries and gardens at The Huntington
Technically, it’s in neighboring San Marino, however The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens (1151 Oxford Rd) Definitely worth Ubering.
My biggest regret is only spending the afternoon here. It’s easy to spend a full day exploring the 130 acres of gardens and galleries. Chinese and Japanese gardens are the most fun places for children to wander around because they are full of bridges and small paths. One of the genius dads even brought sketchpads for a Dad and I art session.
The large art museum was originally here winter Home of railroad tycoon Henry E. Huntington (well la dee dah). Don’t miss the famous Gainsborough’s Restaurant Blue boydirectly opposite Wiley’s Portrait of a young man.
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