Pasadena, California is much more than January 1

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You probably have a good idea of what happens in Pasadena, Calif., on the first day of almost every year.

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Thanks to television, those of us in the much colder areas of North America can watch the Tournament of Roses parade, with marching bands, horses, floats creatively decorated with flower parts, and a celebrity grand marshal travelling on sunny Colorado Blvd. Later in the day, there’s the Rose Bowl football game, in which two top U.S. college teams battle for supremacy in front of 90,000 or so spectators.

(Note: These take place on Jan. 1 “almost every year” because if Jan. 1 is a Sunday, the events happen on Jan. 2. The next time that occurs is in 2034.)

But Pasadena doesn’t cease to exist in the other 364 (or 365) days of the year.

Full disclosure: My wife Ruth and I have been to Pasadena many times, but we usually kept to the East Washington neighbourhood, home of many Armenian shops such as Aladdin Nuthouse. But thanks to Visit Pasadena, we recently learned a lot more about the city, and what visitors can see and do there.

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GOOD HUNTING

In nearby Hollywood, a “triple threat” is a valued performer who can sing, dance and act.

Just outside of Pasadena’s city boundary, in San Marino, Calif., is another valued triple threat: The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

“Huntington” was Henry E. Huntington. He and his wife Arabella, who were avid collectors and had the money to afford it, founded The Huntington in 1919. Today, visitors should budget for a full day there, with the understanding that even then, they will not see everything.

At an information booth, we met Mitchell, a volunteer whose first visit to The Huntington was 35 years ago. He noted that he has seen many improvements at The Huntington since then. “It’s always been wonderful,” he said. “It’s gone from wonderful to exceptional.”

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The 16 botanical gardens are spread out over 130 acres of the property. We concentrated on the Chinese Garden, where the plant life, and stunning examples of Chinese architecture, surround a peaceful pond.

The art museum is contained in many buildings. The European exhibits are inside the building which originally was the Huntingtons’ home. It’s home to the Thornton Portrait Gallery, which contains Thomas Gainsborough’s The Blue Boy … and at the other end of the room, the striking and provocative modern art A Portrait of a Young Gentleman by Kehinde Wiley, which takes the Blue Boy and replaces him with a Black man.

The library is primarily for researchers, but there are public displays of significant texts in The Huntington’s collection, such as the enormous The Birds of America: From Original Drawings by John James Audubon, a Gutenberg Bible, and a “First Folio” of Shakespeare’s plays from 1623.

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For the benefit of those with mobility issues, there is a shuttle bus which goes through the grounds.

WORTH A GAMBLE

An architectural gem in Pasadena is The Gamble House, which was constructed in 1908-09 for David and Mary Gamble and their family. Ticketed guided tours, with educational commentary from a docent, are available.

David Gamble was one of the sons of James Gamble, who with William Procter formed Procter & Gamble in 1837. (Aside: P&G’s Ivory Soap is in a cupboard in the house’s soundproof kitchen.)

As a result of P&G’s success, David Gamble was able to afford the property, the architects, and the quality of construction materials such that the house is as impressive today as it would have been more than 100 years ago.

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Earlier, the Gambles had been exposed to Japanese architectural elements, and had many of them included in the design of their house.

In 1966, members of the Gamble family donated the house to the city of Pasadena and USC.

Aside: The exterior of The Gamble House is in the movie Back to the Future as Doc Brown’s house.

SIMON SAYS

If you watch the television coverage of the Tournament of Roses parade, you may have noticed the Norton Simon Museum, a large building on the opposite side of Colorado Blvd. from the cameras.

Simon was an immensely successful 20th-century U.S. businessman, and used his wealth to accumulate a large art collection.

Galleries in the two levels of the building display European, American, and South and Southeast Asian art. There are two separate sculpture gardens outside, with the main one displaying many Henry Moore creations. Sculptures by Rodin are outside the main entrance.

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Those who appreciate art can spend a lot of time here, admiring sculptures such as Dancing Ganesha, and artwork such as Coronation of the Virgin Altarpiece, a 14th-century work by Guariento di Arpo. However, visitors might be left scratching their heads at Ellsworth Kelly’s Red Orange White Green Blue.

The museum offers a First Friday promotion: Admission is free from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on the first Friday of each month.

WALKABLE OLD PASADENA

It may seem odd to consider a neighbourhood in the Los Angeles area as a great spot to go carless, but Old Pasadena merits that description.

For those flying in to LAX, Old Pasadena can be reached by public transit. Take the “LAX Flyaway” to Union Station in downtown L.A., then transfer to the Metro A light-rail line, exiting at Memorial Park station.

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From there, it’s only two blocks to the hotel where we stayed during our visit, the recently renovated Courtyard Los Angeles Pasadena/Old Town.

Old Pasadena is a vibrant area filled with restaurants and shops, all of which are reachable by a short, pleasant walk. Many of the buildings date from 1875 to 1949. Memorial Park is home to a bandshell which dates to the 1930s where free concerts are presented.

HALL OF A VIEW

As a visitor to Pasadena, you don’t have to go to City Hall for business, just pleasure.

The exterior of the building, which was finished in 1927, is visually stunning.

Outside City Hall are the Pasadena Robinson Memorial sculptures. You may know that baseball icon Jackie Robinson was born in Pasadena, but you may not know about his brother. Mack Robinson also was an athlete, who finished second to Jesse Owens in the 100 metres at the 1936 Olympics. Jackie’s statue looks east, toward Brooklyn, while Mack, who stayed in Pasadena, looks at City Hall.

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ROSE TO THE OCCASION

It’s easy to have your own personal Rose experiences in Pasadena if you are there outside of Jan. 1.

Start by going to Tournament House, also known as the Wrigley Mansion. “Wrigley” was chewing gum magnate William Wrigley Jr., who donated the house to the city of Pasadena upon the death of his wife in 1958 to be used as the home of the Tournament of Roses. Free guided tours of Tournament House are available only at certain times of the year, but the public is welcome to visit the grounds and the rose gardens at the side of the building.

If you want to walk the 8.8-kilometre parade route, a map can be found inside the city’s visitors guide. Start on Orange Grove Blvd., turn right on Colorado Blvd., and eventually turn left on Sierra Madre Blvd. The route is also shown by a pink line in the middle of the street, which acts as a guide for float drivers.

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The gradual low slope of the stands at the Rose Bowl stadium will be a surprise to sports fans who are used to steeper seating areas. Events at the Rose Bowl include UCLA football, ticketed tours on the last Friday of each month, a flea market on the second Sunday of each month, and in June 2025, some FIFA Club World Cup soccer games.

TAKE A BITE

When we began our Pasadena visit, we made sure to have our first meal at a long-time favourite restaurant, Zankou Chicken. The local chain serves a menu of chicken, falafel, kebabs, salads, and other Mediterranean dishes.

When our visit ended, we had two additional favourite restaurants, both of which opened recently.

Bar Chelou, located beside the Pasadena Playhouse, was opened in 2023 by Chef Douglas Rankin. The menu is an imaginative take on French cuisine, with limited choices which allow Bar Chelou to focus on quality. The restaurant was full, and there’s very little empty space, so your menu choices might be swayed by what has been served at a nearby (really nearby) table. Our meal (Iberico pork chop, lamb ribs, carrots, asparagus tempura and crispy potatoes) was excellent.

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Pez Coastal Kitchen, which opened in 2024, is in an Old Pasadena building which was built in 1896. Chef Bret Thompson’s menu has a strong focus on seafood, but since the menu is seasonal, what we ate (and enjoyed) may not be on the menu for your visit.

Fans of the TV show The Big Bang Theory will be delighted that there indeed is a Cheesecake Factory in Pasadena. We didn’t visit, but I would assume that asking if Penny can be your waitress is not amusing to the actual staff there any more.

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