By Clarissa Wei
Pasadena is usually associated with the Rose Parade and football games, but there’s much more to the city than those seasonal attractions. It’s a town with a buzzing culinary scene and an incredibly pedestrian-friendly center. Once you get there, you can spend the entire day in Pasadena without having to drive a car. Here are a few suggestions on where to go on your walking tour of this cool town.
Restaurants
The culinary side of Pasadena is as vibrant and diverse as the city; you can get anything from Italian to Chinese. Pizza aficionados: 800 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzeria graced Pasadena with its presence in the fall of 2014. They focus on made-to-order individual pizzas, baked in a custom-made wood-firing oven at, — of course, — 800 degrees. The same restaurateur is also responsible for Umami Burger. It’s a gourmet chain with delectable, truffle-marinated burgers. Yes, portions are small and prices are high, but the flavoring of the burger is well worth a try.
For meals revolving round farmers’ market fare, try Bruce Kalman’s Union . The restaurant focuses on seasonal dishes, and the pastas are house-made, topped with wondrous ingredients like squid ink or wild boar sausage. Most notably, Chinese food has also made its way into Pasadena. Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot does glorious family-style pots with a DIY attitude. Patrons cook the meats and vegetables of their choice in an herbal, aromatic broth. And then there’s Lunasia, one of the best dim sum restaurants in Los Angeles County, renowned for its quality and epic portions. The Pasadena branch opened this year, and dim sum is available all day long.
If you can get in or have a friend at Caltech, there’s a private membership club called the Athenaeum affiliated with California Institute of Technology. Albert Einstein once dined here. An application is available online, but your best bet is to find someone who knows someone. The club is hidden behind shrubs and has an old-boys-club feel to it. There’s a full-on dining room and a gastro-pub-themed parlor downstairs for academics and scholars to discuss intellectual matters over beer and nachos. The Athenaeum also has suites available for those looking to spend the night.
For post-dinner coffee, try Lavender & Honey Espresso Bar, a whimsical cafe with lavender-infused and honey-sweetened lattes. It’s overwhelmingly cute in here. Sandwiches are available too and they make an Instagram-worthy bread with goat cheese, sprinkled on top with lavender and a mad drizzle of honey.
Finish off with desserts at ConfeXion Cupcakes + Cake. 780. Cupcakes are a dime a dozen in Pasadena, but ConfeXion rises above the fold with its intensely flavored creations. We recommend the vanilla passion fruit — a vanilla cupcake with passion fruit curd and passion fruit flavored whipped cream.
Shops
There’s quite a range of things to buy in Pasadena, but what really sets this neighborhood apart are the boutique, family-owned and operated treasures. For bath and body needs, try the Soap Kitchen. The mother-daughter duo does everything in-house. Soaps are handmade — in the actual store completely from scratch without preservatives and synthetic ingredients.
Bookworms — there’s a bookstore called Book Alley that has been around for nearly two decades. It carries over 50,000 selections with a vinyl collection as well.
And if you’re into art, the Gold Bug is an eclectic art- gallery-meets-boutique shop. It has a rotating exhibition of various artists from around the world, and all things are available for purchase. On any given day, you might spot skull-shaped pool table balls or a poster-sized drawing of a leech. Things get weird in here, but that seems to be the whole point.
Play
There’s a large ice-skating rink in the heart of Old Town, where 2010 Olympic figure skating contender Mirai Nagasu spent her early years training. Public skating starts at 10 dollars a pop, and ice hockey and figure skating lessons are available for those interested.
For moviegoers, there’s an iPic Theater where attendees pay a premium price for a luxurious movie experience. What that means: a full bar and lounge chairs, food, and a button for waiter service.
And if and when shopping gets to be too much, the Norton Simon Museum is a lovely place to wind down, with a collection that houses Impressionist artworks as well as contemporary pieces from big-name folks like Sam Francis, Richard Diebenkorn, and Edward Ruscha . The museum also has a lovely sculpture garden complete with a pond and a small trail for kids to frolic on.
