Pasadena is a city in the northwestern San Gabriel Valley of Southern California. Pasadena, the City of Roses, is most famous on New Year's Day for its Rose Parade and Rose Bowl football game. The number of people in the city balloons every year after Christmas as visitors come from all over to decorate and view the floats, as well as to attend arguably the most famous college football bowl game of the year. Pasadena also boasts the California Institute of Technology which is known for its Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Downtown Pasadena is a cultural Mecca with museums, theatre houses, and movie theatres playing independent films. Most visitors to Pasadena will also not want to miss the Huntington Library with its large art collection but more famous for its 150 acres of botanical gardens used as a backdrop for many Hollywood films.

Attractions

 • Old Town Pasadena, a popular area home to many small shops and restaurants. Get off the Gold Line at Memorial Park.
 • The Huntington Library, Art collections, research, and 150 acres of botanical gardens make this a popular stop. Wells Fargo Bank is currently sponsoring a "Free Tuesdays" promotion where all visitors on Tuesdays can forgo the $10 entrance fee. (626) 405-2100
 • Pacific Asia Museum, Hosts a permanent collection of some 14,000 pieces of Asian art along with temporary exhibits. Admission is $7. Operates daily until 5pm with extended hours on Fridays. Bargain hunters can get in for free the fourth Friday of each month. (626) 499-2742
 • The Gamble House An example of architecture designed by Charles and Henry Greene. Admission $8. (626) 793-3334
 • Pasadena Museum of California Art, Open Wed-Sat until 5 pm. Admission is $6 with the first Friday of the month being their free day. (626) 568-3665
 • Pasadena Museum of History, Hours vary for exhibits and a Fenyes Mansion available for tour. A library containing a large collection of documents is also open for researchers. Fee varies from $5-$7 depending on what you wish to see. (626) 577-1660
 • Norton Simon Museum, hosts a private collection of art from various places and times. Open until 5pm with extended hours on Friday. Admission $6.00. (626) 449-6840

Activities

The hills above Pasadena offer some excellent hiking opportunities. Of specific interest are some of the hikes along the abandoned Mount Lowe Railway in the Angeles National Forest. You can pass such places as the site of the White City, Echo Mountain, the site of an old observatory, and Inspiration Point. Start at the northern end of Lake Avenue. Visitors around the New Year will most likely want to see the Parade of Roses. The parade moves along a five and one half mile course west to east through the center of the city. The easiest way to get a view of the parade is to buy tickets to bleachers setup along the route. For the budget viewer, space has to be found well in advance. Most parade viewers arrive the night before with blankets or sleeping bags to secure their seat for the parade. There is a general party the night before with everyone sleeping out to reserve their seats. If you want to see the parade and don't want to pay for a seat or arrive the night before, then you will want to bring something to stand on. A nice tall step-ladder placed behind the crowd watching the parade will allow you to see. Keep in mind that the parade start time is for the beginning of the route, and it can take a couple hours to reach the end of the route. So if you wake up late, head for the end of the route.

If you don't want to deal with the dense crowds at the parade, head to Orange Street the day after, where the Floats are parked for a couple days. There is an admission charge of $10, but once inside, you can walk right up to the floats, and take your time to examine the detailed flower work. Another great experience: Volunteer to decorate a float. The floats start getting put together in early to mid December. Although the work is detailed and repetititive, it is incredibly fun and exciting to know that you glued the thousands of poppy seeds that became a shadow on a giant leaf. There is a sense of camaraderie amongst the volunteers, and you get to be on ACTUAL floats. Children under 16 are not allowed, but if you have older kids, this is an excellent family activity. You only work in four hour shifts, and Volunteers are fed out of a chow wagon for free. Pasadena's Rose Bowl Stadium is home of the UCLA football team, the New Year's Day Rose Bowl game, and various special events. The stadium holds approximately 100,000 people and consists of a single level. If you get a seat more then half way up, you will need to not be afraid of heights and bring binoculars. Tickets for the Rose Bowl game start at $125. Downtown Pasadena has a number of theatre and movie houses and is a good place to see some of the latest independent or foreign films.

Dining

 • In-N-Out Burger, 2114 E. Foothill Blvd., with many more locations throughout Southern California. The best burgers in the country. Well worth the lines and the wait.
 • Orean's: The Health Express, 817 N. Lake Avenue (north of the 210 Freeway). 626-794-0861. Vegetarian/vegan fast food, yummy. A bit on the pricy side for fast food -- about for a five dollars per person.
 • All India Cafe, 39 S. Fair Oaks Ave., just south of Colorado Blvd. in Old Pasadena. Good Indian food.
 • Marston's, 151 E. Walnut St., between Fair Oaks and Marengo. GREAT breakfasts in a converted old home. Come early because the crowds start to build up on weekends in the late morning. Especially recommended is the corn flake encrusted French toast.
 • Kabuki, 88 W. Colorado Blvd. in Old Pasadena and 3539 E. Foothill Blvd. in Hastings Ranch. Popular Japanese food chain, moderately priced.