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1. Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens
- Priceless Sight-Seeing
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- Attractions
- Pasadena/San Gabriel Valley
- 2.3 miles
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2. Millard Canyon Falls Trail
- A hike by the falls
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- Hiking
- Pasadena/San Gabriel Valley
- 5.0 miles
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3. Descanso Gardens
- Get Back to Nature
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- Picnics, Parks & Gardens
- 5.4 miles
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4. El Molino Viejo
- Early 19th-century mill
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- Landmarks
- Pasadena/San Gabriel Valley
- 2.2 miles
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5. Pasadena Pops Orchestra Desconso Gardens Concerts
- Free music under the stars
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- Events
- 0.0 miles
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6. Patagonia
- Patagonia grew out of a small company that made tools for climbers. Alpinism remains at the heart of...
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- Shopping
- Pasadena/San Gabriel Valley
- 0.3 miles
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7. Gold Class Cinemas
- Gold Class Cinemas is equivalent to flying first class, and actually, customers say it is better. Movie...
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- Shows
- Pasadena/San Gabriel Valley
- 0.4 miles
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8. Brookside Park
- A Well-Maintained Park
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- Picnics, Parks & Gardens
- 1.2 miles
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9. Lacy Park
- Private park in San Marino
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- Picnics, Parks & Gardens
- Pasadena/San Gabriel Valley
- 2.3 miles
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10. Eagle Rock
- Massive natural landmark
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- Outdoor Recreation
- East Los Angeles
- 2.6 miles
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The Best of NileGuide
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Pasadena is an affluent neighborhood located to the South-East of downtown L.A. at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains; this municipality was incorporated in 1886 and is an older city in Southland terms.
The famous Tournament of Roses parade on January 1st was first held in 1890 (the Rose Bowl was built in 1923). Pasadena is home to great craftsmen architecture from these early days, like the 1908 Gamble House. Up through the 1930s, Pasadena was a grand tourist and wintering destination for the wealthy; the depression marked the end of this early golden era.
In 1940 the first freeway in west, the Arroyo Seco Parkway (Interstate 110), was completed. This linked Pasadena to Los Angeles and bode well for the area's future suburban explosion.
The boom of post World War II investment in defense and aerospace technology saw a real upswing of fortune for Pasadena, home to the auspicious California Institute of Technology and the affiliated Jet Propulsion Laboratory. (Cold War defense spending was a huge economic boost for much of Southern California.)
The Pasadena area has a lot to offer the visitor today. The premiere destinations here are the large and eclectic Norton Simon Museum of Art and the beautiful Huntington Library and Gardens.
Pasadena is also a premiere shopping area. Paseo Colorado is a nice mall; the shopping options continue with many, many more shops in Old Town Pasadena on Colorado Boulevard and Green St. just west of there.
Being at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains makes Pasadena a great area for hikes and outdoor adventures. The hikes listed here are just a sampling of the excursions nearby. If you are looking for a landscaped environment, in addition to the previously mentioned Huntington Gardens and the Descanso Gardens are the lovely Wrigley Gardens.
