Traveling, working, and living in Pasadena, California

Pasadena, California is home to world-class museums, a prestigious research university, the Rose Bowl parade and game, trendy shops, and a variety of urban challenges. To understand Pasadena and map out a way to visit, it's important to understand how the city is divided into various districts.

Old Town: upscale retail stores along with bars and ethnic restaurants make Old Town Pasadena a night-time and weekend destination.

Playhouse District: stretching along Colorado Boulevard from Marengo Avenue close to Lake Avenue, there is the famed Vroman's Bookstore, Laemelle Theater and the Pasadena Playhouse.

South Lake Avenue: From the Corner Bakery and Macy's to long-time restaurant Burger Continental, South Lake is a treasured spot for many local shoppers.

Hastings Ranch: to the east along Foothill Boulevard between Madre and Michillinda Avenue, the area encompasses several blocks of retail and grocery stores.

What I like most about the city:

• Convenience. There are five major grocery stores within three miles of our house; some of our children needed specialized services while growing up and these were readily available.

• Mountains and trails. This really adds beauty to the foothill cities and makes it possible to escape the urban sprawl. When I first ran up Henniger Flats after moving to the area in the mid-80s, I couldn't believe the pines and the fact that in only a few miles we were 3,000 feet above sea level.

• Restaurants. I like unique tastes and the city has them -- and not necessarily expensive. There are many places to go for an affordable breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

What I like least:

• Stoplights. Driving from one part of the city to another is a journey in stop-and-go, stop-and-go with signals turning green only to turn red within one or blocks.

• Housing prices. Even with a drop in housing prices, the area still commands more than $ 500,000 to $ 700,000 for average homes. I often wonder what my kids will do. Renting one bedroom inside an apartment can cost as much as $500 per month.

Midwesteners settled Pasadena in the late 1800s and formed what was called the Indiana Colony. Before the turn of the century, the residents put on a parade they called the "Rose Parade" to take pictures on January 1 and send the photos back to friends and relatives in the Midwest.

The Rose Parade now attracts up to one million spectators along the six-mile route. I've spent the night on the parade route several times and the crowds are usually well-behaved. I've never seen any fights break out. Just lots of revelers who may get drunk and silly before settling down.

The LA County Sheriff's Department and the Pasadena Police do an excellent job of patrolling the route the night before the parade and during the event.

Several museums of international renown and local interest are in the city. Tour the Gamble House to get acquainted with the early 20th century building for the Gamble family of Proctor and Gamble fame. The bungalow style developed by the Greene Brothers is popular in various parts of Pasadena and neighboring Altadena.

Here are my museum recommendations.

Huntington Library and Gardens -- got limited time? Make a point to see the Huntington with its recently opened Chinese gardens. Allow a few hours.

Los Angeles County Arboretum - is an outstanding display of foliage and flowers with a pond where the popular TV show Fantasy Island was filmed. It's in Arcadia off the 210 freeway at Baldwin Avenue. Allow two to three hours.

The Norton Simon museum comes second with its Rembrandts, impressionist paintings, and Asian art. Allow up to two hours -- or more depending on your interest in art.

Gamble House is about one-half mile from the Norton Simon and is worth the tour. It's easy to see in about an hour.

Pasadena Museum of History is near both the Norton Simon and the Gamble House. It's a local museum -- yet does an excellent job of capturing the city's early years. An hour max.

Descanso Gardens is to the west in La Canada Flintridge and Verdugo Hills. Similar to both the Huntington and the Arboretum, Descanso is spread along the hills and offers its own special features. Allow two to three hours.

Shopping really is split between a few different districts. Upscale retail outlets for department stores and clothing stores are in Old Town, the Paseo along Colorado and Marengo Avenue, and Hastings Ranch.

There are specialty clothing stores along Green Street just east of Lake Avenue and before Hill Avenue.

Book stores

I'd rather spend time in a book store than just about any other type of store so I'm mentioning two favorite stores where it's fun to browse.

Barnes and Noble is in Old Town Pasadena on Colorado Boulevard about two blocks west of Fair Oaks.

Vroman's is in the Playhouse District near the Laemelle Theater. There's a smaller Vroman's in Hastings Ranch at Foothill and Rosemead near the Whole Foods Market.

Pasadena Restaurants

There are tastes for everyone -- from In'N'Out Burgers, to dozens of Mexican, Thai, Chinese, Japanese, and Indian restaurants. Log on to Restaurants.com and at last count there were 169 restaurants of all varieties within a 10-mile radius of Pasadena's City Hall.

Pasadena Education

Pasadena is home to the California Institute of Technology, one of the nation's most prestigious research universities.

The Art Center College of Design is a leading institution for graphic artists and filmmakers.

Pasadena City College rivals the enrollment of many universities and colleges in the east. PCC has many excellent programs and a large international student population.

Pasadena's public schools surprisingly don't have a good reputation. A large percentage of elementary school students, middle school, and high school students attend private schools in the area.

Pasadena Housing

A dramatic mixture of housing styles and economic classes add tremendous diversity. Pasadena has estates that rival Beverly Hills. The city borders affluent San Marino. There are also suburban areas and a densely populated inner city in northwest Pasadena. In Altadena, an unincorporated part of Los Angeles County, some neighborhoods seem rural in nature thanks to the mountains and many pine trees.

Pasadena Employers

Notable employers include the Jet Propulsion Laboratory which is like its own city just north of the Rose Bowl.

Jacob's Engineering had revenues of nearly $10 billion in 2010, providing world-class technical and construction support.

For a complete list of Pasadena's top employers click here for the city manager's web site.

Lodging

The most luxurious hotel in the city is the Langham. The hotel has contracts with National League baseball teams who stay there while playing the Dodgers.

The Sheraton and Doubletree are near the Pasadena Convention Center and the Paseo while a large number of mid-price hotels and motels are found along Colorado Boulevard.