21 choices

even though the sign says fr zen y gurt, don't be misled. they sell some of the best frozen yogurt in pasadena. made with a million flavor combinations - think cold stone creamery only with frozen yogurt. this is a local landmark, especially late at night. there is always a line.

oh, and i'm pretty sure there are more than just 21 choices.

take a blurry picture and see if you recognize anyone

one last picture from sunday's rainy and wet tour of california. stay tuned tomorrow for some non-bicycle material - maybe of the neon variety.

tour of california finish

this is the breakaway group on their final lap around the rose bowl. zirbel - the rider in red on the left - led for most of the final 5 laps. he ended up finishing in 5th and was passed by hincapie - the rider who is second from the right who seems to be pulling away - who eventually won the rose bowl stage.

tour of california

the final stage of the 2008 tour happened to be a few miles from our house. it's amazing to watch professional cyclists ride on roads that you normally ride on, only at speeds you cannot fathom. this picture shows a bit of the lovely weather that we were graced with on sunday. rainy and cold for the end of the race - five 5 mile laps around the rose bowl.

actually, the rose bowl is at the end of the rainbow

the tour of california cycling race ended yesterday with one spectacular rainbow. from where i was standing it looked like the bottom of the rainbow fell right into the middle of the rose bowl. it was a great day to be outside, even with the precipitation. more pictures of the race and its riders will be on the schedule for this week.

pasadena from above

this is a shot i took out the window of my flight back east over the holidays. sadly the plane window leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to photography. still, you can make out quite a few geographic features of my new home town -- the stadium in the upper left is the famous rose bowl; the major highway crossing is 210/134; moving to the right - the third overpass road is our street, los robles; if you click on the photo you can just make out city hall to the right of center at the very bottom.... can you find anything else?

hookah

friday evening was spent enjoying some incredible food, the company of close friends, and time spent discussing our memories of the middle east around the hookah.

johnny rockets in old town

in the ultra-trendy old town pasadena, a chain burger restaurant seems oddly out of place. never the less, it is the subject of today's friday neon post. in my humble opinion, the world would be a happier place if everyone sat down and talked to their neighbor over a burger, fries and a shake. enjoy!

pasadena sunset

a view of the horizon with the last few seconds of daylight over pasadena, ca.

santa monica pier

i love how this picture turned out. silhouette, sand, and sun. not pasadena, but not too far away.

sign of the times

if you are a browser of pasadena photo blogs, you may have already seen this posted on petrea burchard's lovely blog. it's just such an interesting item that i had to have it on my blog as well. can't help but wonder if these are recycled signs, or were created new for this project. either way, it's very eye catching.

*update - petrea informs me that this artwork created by jack sullivan is actually called "sign of the time". my title was only one letter off!

pasadena mennonite church

here is my place of worship. i should really get a better angle with the mountains in the background. if you are surprised to see a mennonite church with such an elaborate steeple, you have good reason - just google mennonite church building, and you find that most are pretty simple structures. this building was originally built for the pasadena church of the brethren, and is still owned and used by them today. although pmc has grown larger than the pcb, they are still just tenants in the building.

oh, and if you are in the area and searching for a church, check out this one. it's pretty great!

welcome to the city of south pasadena

it strikes me as odd that south pasadena is its own city. wikipedia seems to show that it was all about having a bit more political power and that is why the separation/distinction happened.

brookmore apts

this building has always fascinated me. now it is starring in a segment of pasadena neon (typically on fridays on this blog, but this week on saturday).

spring is in pasadena

this picture was taken early this week. we're at the midpoint of february and flowers and trees are in full bloom - in some areas the fragrance is almost overwhelming. note the dead leaves in this picture. seems like the trees barely have enough time to drop from the previous season before the new foliage appears.

happy valentines day

okay, so this picture isn't from california, and it wasn't taken by me, and it isn't even a recent photo, and in fact is the first photo on my blog that i am actually in. however, today is valentines day so in honor, here is a picture of my sweetheart and myself in pennsylvania the week before our wedding.

luther, of the north mississippi allstars

last night i had the pleasure of seeing the north mississippi allstars perform in hollywood at the avalon. more photos and my review of the show can be found here.

pasadena methodist church

i took this picture for the steeple, but there is just so much else happening here that I thought I would leave it all in. a correction has been made, this is not pasadena presbyterian, rather a methodist church.

cinema 21

there aren't many boarded up buildings in pasadena, part of the reason this building on washington blvd has caught my eye. looks like it could have been a great place to go see a movie.

south pasadena farmers market

something magical about a farmers market in the evening. go check it out if you are in the area. every thursday from 4-8pm - so much to enjoy.

nothing says organic like mac and cheese

this has to be one of the best parts of living in southern california. the local grocery store carries certified organic mac and cheese - just like mom used to make! actually it tastes pretty similar to the blue box kraft dinner, and the cost is about the same too. win win.

cityloft

readers who are new to this blog may not be aware that fridays (last friday excluded) have historically involved some kind of neon lights. this photo is from the universal citywalk - an incredible place to visit. we went to see u23d there last week. if you get a chance and are a u2 fan, go check it out.

pasadena public library

i've never seen a library like the one we have here in pasadena. high ceilings, old wood trimmings, it's amazing. and as a student, i'm here fairly often.

hollywood sky

every blog in this area probably needs its token hollywood sign shot, so here is mine. not very close to pasadena, but a big part of the area landscape.

more from griffith park

a little reflection in california

pasadena's parrots

a little known fact about pasadena is that it is home to many flocks of parrots. rumor has it that these foreign birds escaped into the wild during a fire at a bird farm. last night at the super bowl party, I got my first opportunity to snap a few pictures of these red-crowned parrots. I've seen them before, but never with camera in hand. this tree was loaded with these squawking birds.

griffith park view from the top

not exactly sure, but I think this is in the general direction of pasadena. the view is spectacular, and it is also free! if you are in the area, check it out - only a 15-20 minute drive from pasadena. having someone visit is making me aware of just how much there is to do around here.

on a side note, this week marked my 1000th visitor to the blog! thanks to everyone who has checked out "the sky is big in pasadena".

fishing off the pier

my good friend aaron is in town for a little while so we checked out santa monica pier where this shot was just waiting for me to take it. love how the sun catches the fishing lines.

february 2008 theme day: what your city is known for

This is my first attempt at daily city photo blog "theme day", other bloggers participating are found below...

Portland (OR), USA - Menton, France - Monte Carlo, Monaco - Memphis (Tennessee), USA - Manila, Philippines - San Diego (CA), USA - Anderson (SC), USA - New York City (NY), USA - San Diego (CA), USA - Mexico City, Mexico - San Francisco (CA), USA - Mumbai (Maharashtra), India - Mainz, Germany - Weston (FL), USA - Minneapolis (MN), USA - Turin, Italy - Las Vegas (NV), USA - Hobart (Tasmania), Australia - Bicheno, Australia - Durban, South Africa - Joplin (MO), USA - Nashville (TN), USA - Stockholm, Sweden - Kyoto, Japan - Tokyo, Japan - Brussels, Belgium - Chicago (IL), USA - Montpellier, France - Seattle (WA), USA - Mazatlan, Mexico - Saint Paul (MN), USA - Sharon (CT), USA - Sesimbra, Portugal - Toulouse, France - Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina - Susanville (CA), USA - Maple Ridge (BC), Canada - Saint Louis (MO), USA - Prague, Czech Republic - Helsinki, Finland - Pilisvörösvár, Hungary - Lisbon, Portugal - Mexico (DF), Mexico - Trujillo, Peru - Dunedin (FL), USA - Albuquerque (NM), USA - Port Angeles (WA), USA - Cottage Grove (MN), USA - Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - London, UK - Baziège, France - Jefferson City (MO), USA - Greenville (SC), USA - Selma (AL), USA - Mumbai, India - Naples (FL), USA - Norwich (Norfolk), UK - Silver Spring (MD), USA - Setúbal, Portugal - Stayton (OR), USA - Bellefonte (PA), USA - Sofia, Bulgaria - Arradon, France - Montego Bay, Jamaica - Athens, Greece - Austin (TX), USA - Singapore, Singapore - West Sacramento (CA), USA - Jackson (MS), USA - Wassenaar (ZH), Netherlands - Budapest, Hungary - Rotterdam, Netherlands - St Malo, France - Chandler (AZ), USA - Melbourne, Australia - Port Vila, Vanuatu - Cleveland (OH), USA - Nottingham, UK - Kansas City (MO), USA - The Hague, Netherlands - Crystal Lake (IL), USA - Wrocław, Poland - Chateaubriant, France - Cheltenham, UK - Moscow, Russia - Monrovia (CA), USA - Saigon, Vietnam - Toruń, Poland - Grenoble, France - Lisbon, Portugal - New Orleans (LA), USA - Sydney, Australia - Boston (MA), USA - American Fork (UT), USA - Boston (MA), USA - Montréal (QC), Canada - Wichita (KS), USA - Radonvilliers, France - Buenos Aires, Argentina - Christchurch, New Zealand - Rabaul, Papua New Guinea - Wailea (HI), USA - Aliso Viejo (CA), USA - St Francis, South Africa - Port Elizabeth, South Africa - Seattle (WA), USA - Pasadena (CA), USA - Vienna, Austria - Orlando (FL), USA - Torun, Poland - Delta (CO), USA - Santa Fe (NM), USA - Minneapolis (MN), USA - Haninge, Sweden - Paris, France - Stavanger, Norway - Niamey, Niger - Le Guilvinec, France - Bogor, Indonesia - Saarbrücken, Germany - Auckland, New Zealand - Wellington, New Zealand - Budapest, Hungary - Juneau (AK), USA - Bucaramanga (Santander), Colombia - Glasgow, Scotland - Chicago (IL), USA - Jakarta, Indonesia - Adelaide (SA), Australia - Sydney, Australia - Riga, Latvia - Subang Jaya (Selangor), Malaysia - Terrell (TX), USA - Terrell (TX), USA - Inverness (IL), USA