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Why New Year's in Pasadena should be on your bucket list

L.A.'s neighbour ushers in the New Year with a vibrant mix of sports fervour and scenic beauty

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People are falling from the sky. Squinting in the bright California sunshine, I make out the shape of paragliders floating quietly above the expectant crowd milling around historic Rose Bowl stadium.??

It’s game day in Pasadena, whose name is an Ojibwa word interpreted as “crown of the valley.” The Bowl grounds teem with fans hyped by the high-flying pre-game boosters. It’s a veritable ocean of blue and gold, the proud colours of the hometown UCLA Bruins football team.?

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Pasadena is just 20 minutes northeast of Los Angeles.
Pasadena is just 20 minutes northeast of Los Angeles. PHOTO BY THOMAS DE WEVER/GETTY IMAGES

Pasadena plays host to both the Tournament of Roses Parade (since 1890) and since 1902, the annual New Year’s Day Rose Bowl college football contest. They take college football very seriously here, and while I’m not a huge gridiron devotee, I can appreciate the enthusiasm of fans and students (both current and those who graduated last century) coming together to witness the spectacle.?

Whether you know Pasadena through sport or song, (like Jan and Dean’s catchy 1960s hit, The Little Old Lady from Pasadena), there’s a lot more to the City of Roses than just games of men in tights.

UCLA's blue and gold rules the roost at the historic Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena.
UCLA’s blue and gold rules the roost at the historic Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena. PHOTO BY CLAUDIA LAROYE?

This city, just 20 minutes northeast of Los Angeles, is a place of science, home of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), as well as cultural, architectural and culinary delights that offer an enticing break from L.A.’s non-stop buzz.?

I’m one of those pining for a coastal respite and am delighted to find it while strolling the grounds of Pasadena’s renowned Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens.??

Finding Zen in the quiet beauty and symmetry of the Huntington's Japanese Garden.
Finding Zen in the quiet beauty and symmetry of the Huntington’s Japanese Garden. PHOTO BY CLAUDIA LAROYE

The famous Botanical Gardens encompass about 130 acres of 16 themed gardens with more than 83,000 living plants, as well as art galleries and the Huntington Library, one of the world’s greatest research libraries. ?

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I take my time wandering through the tranquil and meditative Japanese and Chinese Gardens, and drink in the heady aroma of multicoloured roses in the Rose Garden, vines climbing trellises with soft flower petals forming a bower over my head.??

Bridges and temples reflect the symmetry of the Japanese Garden at the Huntington.
Bridges and temples reflect the symmetry of the Japanese Garden at the Huntington. PHOTO BY CLAUDIA LAROYE

A day at the Huntington is incomplete without visiting the elegant and recently renovated Rose Garden Tearoom (reservations required). I sip afternoon tea with my pinky up and devour crustless sandwiches, including a surprisingly delicious “James Beard” Vidalia sweet onion morsel, while a nearby party of moms and littles in their best party dresses do the same.?

Pasadena is home to a surprising array of distinctive historic architecture, including one of the state’s most unique buildings, the storybook-like, 125-year-old Castle Green. The eclectic Moorish-influenced National Historic Monument is not open to the public except on specially designated visiting days, so I content myself with peeking through the estate’s wrought iron gates.?

The arts and crafts grandeur of the Gamble House is the embodiment of architecture as fine art.
The arts and crafts grandeur of the Gamble House is the embodiment of architecture as fine art. PHOTO BY CLAUDIA LAROYE

Fortunately, another of Pasadena’s most historic buildings, The Gamble House, is open to visitors throughout the year. Built in 1908 as a prime example of the American Arts and Crafts Movement, this spectacular home is the embodiment of architecture as fine art, where the designers and craftspeople came together in a common vision, well-resourced by owners David and Mary Gamble of the Procter and Gamble Company.??

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Guide Robert Siminger has been a docent here since 1999. His deep knowledge of the design elements and history of the property make my guided tour come alive. He describes how the Gambles’ love of Japan influenced the floral themes and delicate nature scenes carved on Burmese teak panels in the living room.??

The famous Botanical Gardens encompass about 130 acres of 16 themed gardens with more than 83,000 living plants.
The famous Botanical Gardens encompass about 130 acres of 16 themed gardens with more than 83,000 living plants. PHOTO BY CLAUDIA LAROYE

In the kitchen, Siminger points to a bar of Ivory near the sink and quips how it is the “soap that made the house,” alluding to the flagship product’s contribution to the Gamble family fortune.?

History is not confined to dwellings alone. Old Pasadena, the charming and eclectic old town is a walkable grid of one and two-storey brick buildings, independent boutiques and busy farm-to-table restaurants radiating along and away from the main thoroughfare, Colorado Boulevard.?

Pasadena’s stately City Hall grounds is as beautiful by night as it is popular with photographers during the day. PHOTO BY CLAUDIA LAROYE
Pasadena’s stately City Hall grounds is as beautiful by night as it is popular with photographers during the day. PHOTO BY CLAUDIA LAROYE

On the foodie front, the city has come a long way since Lionel Clark Sternberger introduced the cheeseburger to the world at his father’s restaurant along Pasadena’s portion of Route 66 in 1924.??

In the lobby of the historic Pasadena Hotel & Pool, I breakfast on dream-inducing burritos at BBAD (Breakfast Burritos All Day), where owner Jason Hobbs is reinventing the savoury handheld meal with compressed deep-fried pavé potatoes and mushroom chorizo.??

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At neo-bistro Bar Chelou, next door to the Pasadena Playhouse, the official state theatre of California since 1937, exquisite Spanish tapas like boquerones (piquillo peppers), asparagus tempura, salt-kissed sardines, jámon and imported cheese crowd the table.?

Spanish-influenced tapas flavour an evening out at Bar Chelou in downtown Pasadena.
Spanish-influenced tapas flavour an evening out at Bar Chelou in downtown Pasadena. PHOTO BY CLAUDIA LAROYE

As a college town, Pasadena has a bumping nightlife, but this wasn’t always the case. The city was incorporated in 1886 partly to abolish saloons and the sale of alcohol in the area. Prohibition is a distant memory, but you can still find illicit speakeasy vibes at subterranean Ladies and Gentlemen.?

I gain entry by flushing a gold-plated skull in the “Ladies,” and proceed to a clubby dark booth flush against a wall covered in more gilded heads. The craft cocktail menu is extensive. I order “Burning and Man,” which arrives as a wooden man holding what looks like a clump of dried moss, which is set alight over top of the drink, adding smokiness to the cocktail’s hazelnut and chocolate flavours.?

Take the path to Pasadena and enjoy a marvelous mix of culture and sophistication in the shadow of the San Gabriel Mountains.?

The writer was a guest of Visit Pasadena, which did not review this article.

Searching for the best hotel prices for your next trip? Check out?YourTravelDeals.ca?for exclusive savings on over one million hotels worldwide. Sign-up is free.

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