"Pasadena beyond the Rose Bowl" a Pasadena Travel Page by Dabs

Pasadena can easily be done as a daytrip from wherever you are staying in Los Angeles or if you have a little extra time in your schedule you could easily spend a couple of days here seeing all the wonderful things that Pasadena has to offer. Top on my list would be the Huntington Library, Art Collection and Gardens followed by the Norton Simon Art Museum, perhaps with a stop in Old Town Pasdena for lunch or dinner.

If you have the luxury of a couple of days in Pasadena or if you really enjoy architecture, make a stop at the Gamble House and I imagine they will be able to help you with an architectural tour through Pasadena in their bookstore.

The first time I went to Pasadena was to check out the huge flea market at the Rose Bowl held on the 2nd Sunday of every month. Since then I've returned six times, again to the Rose Bowl flea market and to the Norton Simon and Huntington Library, another trip to the Gamble House, to the Descanso Gardens in nearby La Canada, went on the Bungalow Heaven tour twice and another visit to drive through some of the areas listed in the walking tour guide.

Pasadena is perhaps best known though for the Tournament of Roses, the Rose Parade and the Rose Bowl usually held on New Year's Day each year (but never on Sunday). Since 1947, the Rose Bowl has been a college football game between the Big 10 champions and the Pac-10 champions although there seem to be a few exceptions in recent years.

The Tournament's official headquarters is the Wrigley Mansion, pictured above. It was donated to the city of Pasadena with the stipulation that it be used for that purpose.