Pasadena have you lived there or visited

Tell me about it. \ \ Craigslist considers it a suburb of L.A. but is the air cleaner?\ \ Fun?\ \ Horrible?\ \ Job opportunity and never been.

• Pasadana (and San Marino next door) is the only area I much like in L.A. There are beautiful streets and great architecture.

  http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/781-Prospect-Blvd_Pasadena_CA_91103_M15439-64090

• Pasadena is nice. Lots of wealthy Asians live there as well as old family money. Has a really good shopping district called Old Towne. Some good restaurants as well. It is to the east and north of LA (about 25 minutes from downtown LA). Pasadena might be kind of expensive to live. There are some cool neighborhoods close like Eaglerock, South Pasadena, Mount Washington, Montecito Heights. It''s not very gay. I think it has one little sad gay bar. It is closer to the mountains than the beaches. Hope that helps.

• Thanks R2 that does help.\ \ I never go to bars, fucking hate them so no bars matters not to me.

• correction: Pasadena

  http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/2350-E-Orange-Grove-Blvd_Pasadena_CA_91104_M23247-60118

  R1

• Be sure to visit the Gamble House and the other Greene and Greene houses when they are open to the public. \ \ If you like nerds, dweebs, dorks and other really smart guys, check out visit Cal Tech. Fashion hint: wear a pocket protector.

• Wow, R4. $1.475 million, as "presented" by Tink Cheney.\ \ I wonder if she also presents her hole for that?

• Pasadena is right next to where I live - Glendale - and is a beautiful suburb only about 20 mins from Hollywood, Downtown LA.%0D\ %0D\ It''s got a smaller town vibe and South Pasadena is where nearly any tv show or movie films if they want a nice American neighborhood. 30 Something, My So Called Life, Brothers & Sisters, Mad Men...on and on.%0D\ %0D\ It''s got a nice old-town section with shopping and state of the art movie theaters, as well as older shops and independent movie houses.%0D\ %0D\ It is close to hiking in the mountains and freeway accessible. I dream of living and working there one day. As far as LA goes, it''s pretty nice. Quiet enough to be nice but close enough to city life so you can experience that if you want too.

• It does have the worst air quality in the LA area, however.\ \ It has improved, but if you''re at all sensitive, you''ll feel it: I get itchy eyes when I spend the day in Pasadena on a bad smog day.\ \ That said, the architecture is unique for the Los Angeles area -- houses that are actually a century old. Something you don''t find elsewhere in LA.\ \ And just because you got a job in Pasadena, doesn''t mean you have to live there... lots of other options.

• Are there nearby options that don''t involve long drives?\ \ I hate long drives to commute.

• The air is dirtier there because it funnels up to Pasadena from the LA basin which is much lower.%0D

• Sure. Live in downtown LA and take the Gold Line to Pasadena. That would involve no driving at all.

• No clue which end of the gold line is L.A. and which end is Pasadena. Can you educate me?\ \ Is downtown LA a good place to live? Not all homeless junkies?

• Areas that would be close to Pasadena for easy commuting: South Pasadena (it is a separate city), San Marino (expensive family suburb), Eaglerock, Mount Washington, Montecito Heights, Downtown LA (all trendy artists type neighborhoods, Altadena to the North has some beautiful mid century modern homes nestled in the hills. I haven''t really noticed the air quality but it is usually about 8 degrees warmer in Pasadena than LA proper. I''d work in Pasadena if the opportunity were good without hesitation. I''d live in Mount Washington, Eaglerock, South Pasadena, or Montecito Heights and commute though. Oakwood apartments has all sorts of short term housing in the area to utilize until you get settled and decide where you want to live.

• Your questions are odd, OP. Which makes me think this is some bizarre game you''re playing. I''m done here. \ \ Go do some basic research at some place other than Craigslist.

• [quote] No clue which end of the gold line is L.A. and which end is Pasadena. Can you educate me?%0D\ %0D\ Huh? What the fuck? I think you don''t have a clue about a lot of things.%0D\ %0D\ %0D\ %0D\ [quote] Is downtown LA a good place to live? Not all homeless junkies?%0D\ %0D\ No, a lot of junkies have spacious state-of-the-art lofts.

• [quote]Go do some basic research at some place other than Craigslist.\ \ A world of information in front us all, and people look in the damndest places.

  Craigslist says the capital of North Waziristan is Miranshah.

• A nice place to visit. I''ve been there several times.

• I lived downtown for four years. Loved it. Walked everywhere. Theaters, grocery, restaurants. Plus, you have Staples, Nokia Theater, Disney Hall.\ \ From downtown, you can easily take the Gold Line up to Pasadena, or the Red Line subway into Hollywood and Universal City.\ \ There are some very cool loft conversions and newer residential highrises.\ \ Yeah, there are still homeless...but much less than before.

• In early October I make a pilgrimage to South Pasadena and drive past the (Century) "Michael Meyers" House from Halloween! I would DIE to live there or even within sight of it...

  http://thecabinet.com/darkdestinations/location.php?sub_id=dark_destinations&letter=h&location_id=halloween_1978_the_myers_house

  Creepy Ass Lesbian

• [quote] That said, the architecture is unique for the Los Angeles area -- houses that are actually a century old. Something you don''t find elsewhere in LA.\ \ Yes, you do.\ \ Visit the Historic West Adams district sometime, or Heritage Square in Highland Park. There are also houses in other areas of Los Angeles that also fit that description.

• OP, there is a difference between Pasadena and South Pasadena. Both are individual cities within LA County. South Pasadena is much smaller and has lots of craftman style homes. It also has two main shopping streets with lots of small antique and trendy stores and restaurants. It is less expensive than Pasadena - (slightly) and an easy commute. LA has done a nice job of fixing up downtown LA with cool lofts and rehabbed buildings but it does have a large homeless population mainly centered around Skidrow (which is a neighborhood of downtown LA).

• Pasadena''s no place for a GLENDALE WUNDERKIND!

  Veda Pierce, coloratura soprano

• You have to pronounce it like a local, OP.\ \ Sounds somewhat like "Asserdeener" and said with a lockjaw smile.\ \ Practice before you go!

• Maybe r20 - but LA isn''t really known for its preservation of historic landmarks or architecture.%0D\ %0D\ I''ve lived in LA since 1989 and am often saddened at its complete lack of history. Everything just gets torn down for a mini mall or office building. Not much of a sense of history here.%0D\ %0D\ On the other hand, Pasadena does tend to have a feeling of history to it. The neighboring Mt. Washington and Eagle Rock are hip and up and coming areas to find affordable living if Pasadena is out of your price range OP. %0D\ %0D\ But Pasadena can be a great place for getting around on foot if you live/work in certain areas.

• Used to live in Valencia and loved going to Pasadena to shop. Bought my first car in La Crescenta.

• I grew up downtown LA, lived in Highland Park/Mt Washington and went to school in Pasadena. If you don''t want the long commute, living in Pasadena would be ideal. It''s not a bad place to be and it''s a big enough and diverse enough community to support what you need and want. It has really nice areas of course, like around the Rose Bowl and behind Pasadena City College bordering on San Marino and South Pasadena. I''m going to assume most of us wouldn''t be able to afford to buy there. But there are also middle to working class areas as you head towards Rosemead. There are some pretty rough areas just north of Old Town. Check out Altadena, Sierra Madre and Monrovia, all areas just north of the 210 Freeway. \ \ The air is crap though and it''s hotter in Pasadena than say, downtown LA which is only 8 miles away. Pasadena is in San Gabriel Valley and any of the valley areas will have hotter weather and crappier air quality. The Chinese and Vietnamese food in SGV is unbeatable.

• R14 your response is odd.

• [R6] LOL I have actually met Catherine "Tink" Cheney. And NO she certainly would not, especially for a listing of only 1.4 million. For some areas of Pasadena and San Marino that price would imply a fixer-upper. Although I no longer live there, I still own a home in Pasadena. It is a large city, and is comprised of many neighborhoods, and they can vary greatly with respect to desirability. Generally, however, Pasadena is wonderful place to live. The real estate and/or rental property is among the most expensive in So Cal - depending, of course, on which particular area of Pasadena. For example, there is a section near the Huntington Library which contains large homes and mansions that are more reminiscent of prestigious East Coast neighborhoods than anywhere else in California. Then, there are some neighborhoods in NW Pasadena that are really run down. Pasadena also has some reasonably nice condos and apartment developments right in the main civic center section. If you are serious about finding a place and really have no idea about Pasadena and the surrounding areas, I strongly suggest that you contact a real estate agent (Sadly, this would be beneath %E2%80%9CTink%E2%80%9D Cheney so don%E2%80%99t even think about contacting her) or a rental property management firm. That being said, I will echo the comments of others who posted here, in that simply because you work in Pasadena, does not mean you have to live in Pasadena. The whole surrounding area, i.e, South Pasadena, Glendale, and Arcadia would also be desirable. Keep in mind though, that the Pasadena area, (i.e., the 210 freeway and side streets) has really horrendous rush hour traffic so you do not want to live too far away from Pasadena, otherwise you will have an awful commute to work. As someone else posted here, Pasadena is serviced by the %E2%80%9CGold Line%E2%80%9D train service to downtown LA and to destinations east and south of Pasadena. You asked about the smog and, unfortunately, Pasadena receives more smog than downtown LA or points west of LA. Smog tends to blow east from LA and Pasadena has foothills and mountains which then trap the smog in the air. On some days there is a noticeable difference between the air quality in Pasadena and other parts of LA., so take that into consideration. Pasadena also experiences warmer temperatures by perhaps 5+ to even 10+ degrees more in summer than in downtown LA. That being said, consider yourself lucky in that Pasadena is one of the best places to live and work in So Cal -- trendy and upscale but somehow more real and less fake than most parts of West LA. People from other areas actually flock to Pasadena as a destination in and of itself because there is so much to do there. Lastly, there are significant numbers of gays living in Pasadena, mainly due to its high desirability, I might add.

• Thanks to all of your for the great information. The offer was tended and accepted. I will be moving to a city I have never set foot in on the basis of DL advice. Call me crazy but why not?

• Isn''t Descanzo (sp?) Gardens near Pasadena? \ \ Really enjoyed visiting that place.

• R29 Congratulations on your job offer! I''ve only been to Pasadena a few times, but an old co-worker just bought a place in South Pasadena. From what I''ve heard, it''s a more affordable area and quite nice. Good luck!

• Old, old money. And lots of old houses.\ \ In Los Angeles where it doesn''t rain for 6 months, all the old LA towns were where the water was. Pasadena is at the base of the mountains. Downtown LA on the LA river (now an open sewer). Long Beach was at the mouth of the LA and San Garbriel rivers.\ \ The California aqueduct brought water 300 miles from the north and allowed people to build anywhere, and the city exploded. See the movie "Chinatown".\ \ Except at the rivers, there was no fresh water at the beach, so nobody lived there. There were huge tracts of vacant beachfront land well into the 1960''s, and you can still find a few vacant lots today.

• Pasadena is lovely and quiet, until about halfway through dinner or 9:40 pm.

  Julia Walker

• Congratulations, OP! If I were forced to live in Southern California short of a beach house in Malibu, it would be suicide or Pasadena, and I would have to have a pool or access to one.\ \ As a long-time smoker, however, I really notice the smog in Summer. Believe it or not there is one benefit to bad air: spectacular sunsets!\ \ Several posters said something like "just because you work in Pasadena doesn''t mean you have to live there...". That is such a SoCal attitude: drive, drive, and drive some more.

  SF/NorCal Dude

• Not to change the subject, but New Orleans has a real cottage industry going with the Mardi Gras floats. Is Pasadena full of float designers and big warehouses where floats are being constructed for the Rose Parade?

• Congrats OP on your new job. If they're still hiring, let me know. I wouldn't mind coming home and living/working in Pasadena. I'm R26 and I agree with R34. I've been carless in DC for 7 years now and it's a top priority for me to live near public transportation and my job. Having to drive is one of the biggest reasons I haven't pursued moving back to LA. Yes, yes, I know, you can live in LA without a car...and I did as my family didn't have a car until I went to college so I know the drill. You can live in LA without a car but your life is fairly limited as it's not like NYC or DC where most things are reasonably accessible by public transportation. In LA you can get somewhere by bus, but because of the sprawl, it can take a long time to get anywhere especially with multiple transfers. I remember going down Orange County from Downtown LA once for a noon concert and it took me 2 1/2 hours each way. So for a one hour show, I had to take the day out for it. The most annoying thing was the buses were never on schedule so you could end up waiting anywhere from 10-30 minutes for them. Add in transfers and returns and you've got 30-60 minutes tacked on the trip just for standing at the bus stops.

• One of the big warehouses where floats are being constructed for the Rose Parade, Rose.

  http://www.planetware.com/i/photo/pasadena-gamble-house-los-angeles-ca625.jpg

• What is Redondo Beach like?

• WOW \ \ What are you, R34, the freakin car nazi? \ \ Dude, assuming you have even the remotest familiarity with So Cal, certainly you must realize that driving an automobile is just a fact of life in LA as well as all of So Cal. \ \ What would you have us tell the OP?\ \ YOU WORK IN PASADENA -- YOU LIVE IN PASADENA -- NO COMMUTING FOR YOU!\ \ We were just giving OP solid and realistic advice, that there are other options out there besides living right in Pasadena. \ \ Sheesh ....\ \ And SF has its share of commuters and automobile traffic, so you can just drop the sanctimonious attitude. \ \ FYI: SF has some of the worst traffic jams in the country, i.e., the Golden Gate Bridge and Interstate 238. LA traffic is the worst as cited by many sources, but SF traffic is also known for being among the worst in the country, as is DC traffic.

• @r39, I don''t deny that driving is a fact of life in LA/SoCal or claim that everyone takes public transit in the Bay Area or that we don''t have sprawl. It''s just the times and distances that people down there put up with amaze me. And in that heat and hazy, choking smog. I''d rather be stuck in traffic up here where the scenery is generally more pleasant.\ \ Besides, bashing SoCal is in my blood, plus it is fun and so easy to do!

  r34

• racist ass cops are there but then again there''re everywhere.

• I hate LA but Pasadena is nice. Find a place in Pasadena to cut down on commute time. Traffic is horrible and gas is expensive.

• JPL/Satan. That's Pasadena.

• Love the bit in Garland's " A Star Is Born", when James Mason walks into the Coconut Grove, looking for a girl, and the Maitre 'D tries to help him find someone. Mason spots a girl , and inquires about her. Maitre 'D says 'No Mr. Maine.....Pasadena.....leave it alone'. I always wonder what that meant ? That it's old money, and he could get into trouble ? Or, that Pasadena could mean she's of a 'lower status' than someone from Beverly Hills / Bel Air / Brentwood ? Anyone know ?

  Tommy%20Noonan