By Doug Hansen
In the early 1900s, few citizens could have been more enthusiastic about their community than the people of Pasadena, California. In the Oct. 1, 1914, edition of the Pasadena Daily News, readers were asked to share their views about their hometown, and most of them echoed this person's sentiments: "Pasadena is the best place to live because it is ideally situated at the base of the beautiful Sierra Madre mountains ... a few minutes' ride over excellent boulevards to a dozen ocean resorts ... and (it has) the prettiest homes and the healthiest people on earth without a saloon to mar the harmony of life in this land of sunshine, fruit and flowers."
A century later, my wife and I decided to explore Pasadena and see if it could live up to the rave reviews from the past. Nowadays most people associate Pasadena with the Rose Bowl and the Rose Parade, but we discovered that it offers so much more.
We stayed at the historic Langham Huntington Hotel, which owes much of its success to the uber-wealthy railroad magnate, Henry Huntington, who bought the hotel in 1911 and had it completely redesigned. It quickly became an international magnet for upscale travelers, with the local paper gushing: "Here, there and everywhere are cozy nooks, with comfortable seats, all commanding tantalizing views, that make one forget the cares of a busy world, and bring with them the impression of being in a fairyland, with nothing but joy and peace and happiness all about."
Any romantics who have the extra cash to impress their fiancee can, for a mere $100,000, arrange for the hotel's "Proposal of the Century" that includes a $35,000 custom diamond ring, a private Rose Bowl venue in which to propose to the accompaniment of the 40-piece Pasadena Symphony Orchestra, followed by two blissful nights in the hotel's Tournament of Roses Presidential Suite. How much more joy and peace and happiness could one ask for?
We were anxious to discover what else Pasadena offered, so we headed to the Norton Simon Museum, just past Old Town Pasadena. We appreciated that the museum's manageable size, with only two floors, made it easy to explore this remarkable private art collection that combines European paintings from the Renaissance to the 20th century and ancient artifacts from Southeast Asia. The outdoor restaurant, Sculpture Garden and ponds also provide a graceful touch.
One of the main attractions that drew us to Pasadena was the immense Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens situated on 207 acres tucked away in the middle of a residential neighborhood in nearby San Marino. We set aside a few hours for this visit, but we needed many more hours, or even days, to fully enjoy the magnificent collections of artwork, books and plants.
Take the library for example: It contains more than 9 million items, including some of the most prized books in the Anglo-American world, such as an original Gutenberg Bible whose movable type changed the course of human history, original Lincoln letters and one of my favorites, the original writings of Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson extolling the virtues of pristine nature.
In the Huntington Art Gallery, an audio guide led us through what the guidebook calls "one of the finest collections of European art in the nation." We were surprised to learn that the gargantuan set of French tapestries downstairs cost more than the entire mansion cost to build. Money was no object for Mr. and Mrs. Huntington when they wanted an art object, as evidenced by their purchase of Thomas Gainsborough's Blue Boy painting in 1919 for $700,000 — the highest price ever paid for a painting at that time (equivalent to around $9 million today). The galleries' treasures included not only paintings but also intricately inlaid furniture, ornate clocks, statues and miniatures, and so much more.
With our time and our feet running out, we headed for the desert garden. I've seen several fine desert gardens around the Southwest, but nothing has compared with the expansive collection of succulents and cacti that are so beautifully laid out here. The trails meander through one spectacular landscape to the next, eventually leading to a huge pond filled with lily pads and then transitioning through a verdant rainforest. When we left, we realized that not being able to see all of the estate gave us an excuse to return and savor again the magnificent collections.
Pasadena is known for its architectural diversity, including the renowned Gamble House built by David and Mary Gamble (of the Proctor and Gamble business empire) in 1909. This grand home dominates "Millionaire's Row" and is venerated by those who admire the early 20th century Arts and Crafts style. The house was dark, but the woodwork and craftsmanship were fabulous. We thoroughly enjoyed driving through various neighborhoods and admiring the parade of grandiose mansions and magnificent oak trees overhanging many residential streets. In addition, the Pasadena Visitors Center provided a brochure with 10 self-guided walking, biking or driving tours that helped us learn more about the area.
Some things have changed a lot in the last hundred years because Pasadena now boasts of a thriving night life with high-quality restaurants and "saloons" to enhance the citizens' lives. In fact, there are more restaurants per capita in Pasadena than in New York City. Strolling down Colorado Boulevard we could see how downtown Pasadena has become energized with chic stores, restaurants and bars.
Pasadena proved to be a terrific place to explore over a long weekend, and my wife and I agreed with Elizabeth B. Harbert, formerly of Evanston, Illinois, who pithily wrote in the 1914 newspaper's review of Pasadena: "We came, we saw, we were conquered."
WHEN YOU GO
Langham Huntington Hotel and Spa: 626-568-3900, www.pasadena.langhamhotels.com
Norton Simon Museum: 626-449-6840, www.nortonsimon.org
The Huntington Library: 626-405-2100, www.huntington.org
The Gamble House: 800-979-3370, www.gamblehouse.org
Cafe Santorini (Mediterranean food): 626-564-4200, www.cafesantorini.com
La Grande Orange Cafe (former train station with three venues): 626-356-4444, www.lgostationcafe.com
Racion (international food): 626-356-4444, www.racionrestaurant.com
Trattoria Neapolis (Italian): 626-792-3000, www.trattorianeapolis.com
Pasadena Convention and Visitors Bureau: 626-795-9311, www.visitpasadena.com/visitors
Doug Hansen is a freelance writer and photographer whose photos and articles are at www.hansentravel.org. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
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