DINING
AND SHOPPING
In
Old Town Pasadena, mostly on Colorado Blvd. between Los Robles and Fair Oaks,
you will find a wide array of chain restaurants and shops.
South
Lake Avenue (between California Blvd and Colorado Blvd) also features top
retailers (including a giant Macy’s), boutiques and good restaurants.
Most
of the Old Town Pasadena restaurants get pretty busy on weekend nights; so if
you want to try something away from the tourist zone and you’ve already
tried/don’t like the restaurants near your hotel, here are our suggestions:
Rosco’s
House of Chicken N’ Waffles
830
N. Lake Ave (between Orange Grove and Washington)
626-791-4890
Fried
chicken and waffles on the same plate? We
know it sounds odd (Ruth laughed uproariously at the office when first told
about it), but it is AMAZING. Soul
food at its finest! Just don’t
come expecting any ambience. Try it
for brunch. Ask for a menu to take
home with you; show it to your disbelieving friends back home.
Average
entrée price: $5-7.
Bona
Corso’s Italian Restaurant
220
N. Lake Ave (corner of Lake and Walnut)
626-795-6816
Straightforward,
unpretentious Italian food in big portions.
Try the Spaghetti (Marinara, Meat Sauce, or Carbona are all excellent),
Eggplant Parmesan and Pizza.
Average
entrée price is $10.
Fortune
Chinese Cuisine
60
N. Raymond Avenue (corner of Raymond and Union)
626-577-1888
Elegant
atmosphere, tasty Mandarin cuisine. Emphasis
on healthy preparation. Try their
Orange Chicken or Shrimp, Pan-fried Dumplings and Spicy Dried String Beans.
Has
great lunch specials and offers free delivery!
Average
entrée price is $8-11.
Parkway
Grill
510
S. Arroyo Parkway
626-795-1001
Trendy,
upscale and romantic. This is
Ruth’s favorite restaurant. Try
their whole fried catfish served with ponzu sauce and their steaks.
Great sauces and spices! Wonderful
drinks (Martinis, Cosmopolitans).
Reservations
strongly recommended.
Average
entrée price is +$20.
Also
quite excellent (and similarily priced) are Parkway Grill’s sister
restaurants:
Ducz
(Pan-Asian menu) at 110 S. Lake Ave, 626-792-9999.
Arroyo
Chop House
(Steak House menu) which is right next door to the Parkway Grill at 536 S.
Arroyo Parkway, 626-577-7463
ATTRACTIONS
Brookside
Golf Course
1133
Rosemont Ave, Pasadena
626-796-0177
Open
to the public, Brookside features two 18-hole championship courses, a clubhouse,
restaurant, dining room, golf shop, putting greens, driving range and ample
parking.
The
Gamble House
4
Westmoreland Place, Pasadena
Tours:
Thursday - Sunday, 12 pm – 3 pm
626-793-3334
Built
in 1908 during the American Arts and Crafts movement, this masterpiece is the
best preserved example of work from the internationally recognized architects
Greene and Greene. Listed on the
National register of Historic Places.
Huntington
Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens
1151
Oxford Road, San Marino
Tuesday
- Friday: 12:00 to 4:30 p.m.
Saturday & Sunday: 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m
626-405-2100
Home
of 18th and 19th Century British and French masterpieces,
including “Blue Boy” and “Pinkie.”
The Botanical Gardens cover 150 acres.
I highly recommend making reservations for afternoon tea in the Rose
Garden room by calling (626)
683-8131.
Jet
Propulsion Laboratory
4800
Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena
Tours
by appointment
818-354-9314
JPL
is a world-renowned research, development and flight center for NASA.
Kidspace
Museum
390
S. El Molino Avenue, Pasadena
Tuesday
– Thursday: 1 pm - 5 pm
Saturday
& Sunday: 10 am – 5 pm
626-449-9144
A
participatory museum with hands-on exhibits, including a TV Studio, The Beach,
Fire Station, and more.
Norton
Simon Museum
411
W Colorado Blvd, Pasadena
Thursday
– Sunday, 12 pm – 6 pm
Features
seven centuries of European art from the Renaissance to the 20th
Century, including works by Van Gogh, Picasso and Rembrandt.
Also features an extensive collection of South Asian sculpture and a
sculpture garden with works of Rodin.
The
Pasadena Playhouse
39
S. El Molino Ave, Pasadena
626-792-8672
800-233-3123
for tickets ($15 + $4.75 service fee per person)
The
State Theatre of California and a historic landmark.
Built in 1917, the theatre offers year-round productions.
During May, the play Side Man
will be showing (click here for more
details).
Rose
Bowl
1001
Rose Bowl Drive, Pasadena
626-577-3100
This
world-famous stadium is home to the annual Rose Bowl Game, the UCLA Bruins and
the Los Angeles Galaxy soccer team.
AREA
ATTRACTIONS OUTSIDE OF PASADENA
(details
coming soon)
Santa
Monica Pier and Third Street Promenade
Be in the audience at a taping of a television show
Be in the audience of The Tonight Show