L.A.’s neighbour ushers in the New Year with a vibrant mix of sports fervour and scenic beauty
Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page.
Recommended Videos
It’s game day in Pasadena, whose name is an Ojibwa word interpreted as “crown of the valley.” The Bowl grounds teem with fans hyped by the high-flying pre-game boosters. It’s a veritable ocean of blue and gold, the proud colours of the hometown UCLA Bruins football team.
Pasadena plays host to both the Tournament of Roses Parade (since 1890) and since 1902, the annual New Year’s Day Rose Bowl college football contest. They take college football very seriously here, and while I’m not a huge gridiron devotee, I can appreciate the enthusiasm of fans and students (both current and those who graduated last century) coming together to witness the spectacle.
Whether you know Pasadena through sport or song, (like Jan and Dean’s catchy 1960s hit, The Little Old Lady from Pasadena), there’s a lot more to the City of Roses than just games of men in tights.
This city, just 20 minutes northeast of Los Angeles, is a place of science, home of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), as well as cultural, architectural and culinary delights that offer an enticing break from L.A.’s non-stop buzz.
I take my time wandering through the tranquil and meditative Japanese and Chinese Gardens, and drink in the heady aroma of multicoloured roses in the Rose Garden, vines climbing trellises with soft flower petals forming a bower over my head.
Guide Robert Siminger has been a docent here since 1999. His deep knowledge of the design elements and history of the property make my guided tour come alive. He describes how the Gambles’ love of Japan influenced the floral themes and delicate nature scenes carved on Burmese teak panels in the living room.
In the kitchen, Siminger points to a bar of Ivory near the sink and quips how it is the “soap that made the house,” alluding to the flagship product’s contribution to the Gamble family fortune.
I gain entry by flushing a gold-plated skull in the “Ladies,” and proceed to a clubby dark booth flush against a wall covered in more gilded heads. The craft cocktail menu is extensive. I order “Burning and Man,” which arrives as a wooden man holding what looks like a clump of dried moss, which is set alight over top of the drink, adding smokiness to the cocktail’s hazelnut and chocolate flavours.
Take the path to Pasadena and enjoy a marvelous mix of culture and sophistication in the shadow of the San Gabriel Mountains.
The writer was a guest of Visit Pasadena, which did not review this article.