Vacation in the backyard

March 6th, 2007 · No Comments

As the last part of Aimee’s Christmas present from last year, I had planned a little weekend getaway to Pasadena for a night, which we enjoyed this past weekend. We left just after 9:00 on Saturday morning, and arrived…about fifteen minutes later. Not that I thought it would take very long to get there, but it felt sort of silly to have a hotel reservation when you were that close to home. It turned out to be a good idea, because we were really able to enjoy two full days exploring Old Town, various museums and neighborhoods, and a few different restaurants. The weather was terrific, and the weekend was a lot of fun.

After some shopping, browsing at the Apple Store, and lunch, we walked from Old Town to The Gamble House, where we took the 2:00 tour of the magnificent Arts & Crafts building. I haven’t been on that many house tours, but the Gamble House may be the most beautiful house I’ve ever seen; the detail, simplicity, and style of every element of the construction and design of the place is pretty breathtaking.

Gamble House

We had a chance to walk around the neighborhood and look at some of the other Greene & Greene houses in the area as well, before walking back into town. We browsed through the three bookstores in the 600 block of Colorado, the very impressive Vroman’s, as well as the two used bookstores down the street, and then headed back to the hotel for a nap.

Our dinner reservation was at The CrepeVine, just off Colorado down a little alley. Our dinner was delicious, and the place had great atmosphere. We went to Lucky Baldwin’s for a real ale afterwards, one of their 63 beers on tap, apparently. Still looking for a place like that here in L.A., with a great, affordable beer selection, within walking distance. Somehow, I don’t think that’s going to happen anytime soon, but I can still hope.

Sunday morning, we headed to South Pasadena for breakfast at Mike and Anne’s, where we ate in the shade outside and enjoyed a delicious, fresh fruit-filled breakfast. We saw a lot of really great looking restaurants and antique stores and other things to do the next time we’re in Pasadena. We toured another neighborhood full of Greene & Greene-designed homes before heading to the Norton Simon Museum for our last stop of the trip. There was a beehive-related emergency going on when we arrived, so we had to enter through an emergency exit; I believe it was somewhere near this bronze of Rodin’s Burghers of Calais, hence the cone and yellow tape.

Norton Simon Museum

We started by watching Davis Guggenheim’s Art of Norton Simon in the museum theater, and then enjoyed the amazing collection of six centuries of European art. What a story, from Simon’s early business successes to his discovery of art at the age of 40, and his subsequent obsession with amassing one of the greatest private art collections in the world. We also enjoyed the photography exhibition in the lower level, and have plenty of things to return to the next time we visit the museum.

Norton Simon Museum

Tags: Los Angeles · Travel