pasadena to long beach

yesterday i promised that i would fill you in on my other big weekend event. i joined two friends (tim and ryan in the top photo) on a bike ride that took us from pasadena to the san gabriel river bike trail over in duarte. from there we headed south to the end of the trail, located in seal beach. we biked over to long beach for lunch and a quick stop at a bike shop to fix a broken spoke. we turned around and headed back up the trail and back to pasadena.


the second photo today is looking back at the san gabriel mountains. about 105 miles total in our round trip ride. pretty fun and a great work out!

i just noticed that tim also blogged about this.

lets go dodgers!

did a couple of pretty fun things this weekend so it was hard to know what photo to lead with on monday morning...



i ended up deciding on the dodger postseason rally that i attended last night at dodger stadium. three pictures for your viewing pleasure today. it was pretty fun to attend an event like this. my blue jays haven't been in the playoffs since their last world series championship in 1993, so a chance to attend something like this for my adopted national league team was pretty special. 10,000 fans ended up coming to this free gathering.

it got me very geared up for their first home playoff game coming up next weekend against the cubs - and lucky me, i was able to snag a pair of tickets for the big game. should be great!



tommy lasorda got things kicked off with a very inspiring speach about what it means to be a fan of the dodgers.


after several announcements that the team bus was leaving the airport, on the 105, heading north on the 110, in downtown, passing the staples center, getting off at the dodger stadium exit, etc., the team finally arrived. manager joe torre spoke a few words then handed the mic to nomar garciaparra and manny ramirez to thunderous applause.

you might say i've come full circle this season.

you'll see what else i was up to this weekend when you see tomorrow's photo.

photo request #11: cinnamon roll from euro pane

yesterday's post invoked my lunchtime companion to request this photo i took of my fantastic cinnamon roll i ordered while we were dining at euro pane.

this blog is made better with input from it's readers. if there is a photo missing from around pasadena that you would like to see here, simply let me know and i'll do my best to track it down! you can check out the 10 previous photo requests right here.

those who may have missed this announcement in the side panel, if you would like to have your pasadena business featured on this blog, send me a paypal donation for my new bike fund and i'd be happy to grant your request!

euro pane

grabbed a bite to eat the other day with mike (not pictured) from cafe pasadena. he recommended euro pane, and i have to say, i was impressed! maybe i'm blowing their cover, but this little hole in the wall seems like a local secret. if you are looking for a place in pasadena with fantastic pastries and amazing sandwiches, this is your place. go check it out! meal times can be packed, but that's a sign that it's worthy of my praise.

barack 'n' roll

with the polls flip-flopping back and forth between blue and red, it's hard to say who is going to come out on top in november. tonight is the first debate, which i'm sure will mix up those polling numbers once again.

one thing for certain is that the rest of the world is pulling for obama. this photo was taken during my last trip to canada, just down the road from my parents. in some ways it's sad that canadians have a vested interest in who is the president of the usa. it would be better if it didn't matter to the rest of the world. yet the usa holds immense power - both for good and bad.

canada is also holding elections this fall. how many americans will have banners like this on their front lawn with the names of canadian polticians on them? how many americans even know who the prime minister of canada is?

ken over at stouffville daily photo recently had a blog post discussing this sign. it's worth checking out!

(no friday neon today. we'll have some for you next week)

the sky is big in pasadena turns one!

today marks one year of daily photo posts. i've been amazed that i ended up sticking with this idea for this long. there have been some ups and downs, some pictures that i'm really proud of, and some which i'm embarrased i decided to post them. people have shown me more support than i ever thought possible, and i've been introduced to a new kind of community.

thank you all for your support!

a few stats from the first 365 posts:

almost 12,000 visitors, and over 18,000 page views
photo postings from 4 different countries (usa, canada, mexico, morroco)
photo postings from at least 6 u.s. states (CA, NV, PA, VA, DE, MD)
visitors from 6 continents and countless countries
increase in visitors from the previous month's total in all but one month
starting with 144 visitors in October 2007 to the highest visitor count in July 2008 (1731)
46 friday neon posts
7 theme days
38 posts of pasadena sky

where pasadena's finest hang out

nope, not fuller seminary, this is our police department. pretty sweet, eh?

not only does it look sharp, it also has a pretty fantastic view of town, situated right across the street from our beautiful library and diagonal from the impressive city hall.

fortunately i have no experience in this building. any pasadena readers care to help us out on what it's like on the inside?

in my ears and in my eyes

a little while ago i had a post about canterbury records, a local independent record shop in town. it would only be fair to give publicity to another fantastic music shop. while penny lane has more than one location, they do keep things small and simple. they have a great selection of music and even better, accept trade ins to cut the cost of your purchase. this also means there is a decent selection of used music available.

i also hear they have a nice selection of dvds, though one location seems to emphasise that more (see above link).

from sonoma

a quick photo from this weekend's trip up north to sonoma valley. we spent some time with good friends while we camped, biked, tasted many wines, and celebrated my birthday.

cheers!

the bridge from the arroyo seco

this picture is from a little while ago, taken with my old camera. i was going through some old photos and realized it had never been posted here.

looking up hill ave toward the hills

black and white at the corner of hill and walnut.

surplus

but i'm not really sure what there is a surplus of... i've been by here several times but it looks like they either do most of their business out the backdoor, or they are closed. i love this classic old neon sign look, pasadena's got a good suply of them.

don't look now, but i turn 26 today! breaking beyond that quarter century mark. i'll be celebrating up in sonoma valley with some close friends, should be great.

photo request #10 - vroman's bookstore

tash over at the fantastic palos verdes daily photo wondered if i had any images up of vromans, a fantastic independant bookstore in pasadena. i didn't have any up until today. one of my favorite things about this bookstore is their "big city" newspaper and magazine stand out front. really cool!

as you can see i've been out snapping pictures late at night recently. i gotta get out in the sun for a few!

full moon over pasadena

snapped this off near lake avenue the other night. i'm not sure if the moon was actually full, but i think it was pretty close! i should have played with the settings a bit more, or used a tripod - the glow around the moon could have been prevented i'm sure.

roy's hawaiian fusion cuisine

i've never been to roy's. this pasadena location just opened a little while ago. while i was on the fence before about going, the fiery torches are bound to win me over soon! also, the fact that roy is the name of my favorite baseball player, is even more enticing...

any thoughts on this chain? is it worth checking out?

a single palm

not much to be said about this photo. it's a palm tree. been a while since I posted one, and come to think of it, it's been a while since we saw some pasadena sky on this blog!

twin cyclists

this artwork on the side of the seniors center along holly street has always caught my eye. i didn't realize that it was 3d until i went to take this picture and realized that the shelves, umbrella, hat, and several other items cast a shadow and are in fact hanging off the building. if anyone has any insight as to the artist information, please share!

for those of you looking for more from my recent ballpark tour, check out a blog entry right here.

photo request #9: fuller bookstore and coffee by the books

life observer, over at the wonderful cafe pasadena requested that i take a picture of the fuller bookstore and coffee shop. unlike other campus bookstores, they have yet to fully "sell out" and are still considered an independent bookstore rather than one run by efollet or something else. i'm pretty proud of my school for remaining strong in this regard.

coffee by the books is also pretty outstanding. located behind the bookstore, they serve fair trade coffee and other tasty goodies. really a fantastic alternative to the many starbucks in town.

canyon city liquor

although this sign probably doesn't really do much anymore, at some point it had some neon lights shining from it. it was found just east of pasadena in azusa, ca - nicknamed the canyon city - hence the name of the liquor store.

for those who are new to this blog, friday is typically a day to showcase neon from around pasadena. you can see past entries right here.

petco park

our visit to petco park this week was pretty amazing. i knew it was going to be a great park, but it totally surpassed our expectations. as a new dodger fan, i know i'm not supposed to like anything from the padres (especially when they beat you 4-0), but this park blew us away. from the perfect view of the field from pretty much every section we visited, to the numerous restaurants and bars around the stadium, to the open air concourses, and that quirky western metal supply building that they built the park around. it was pretty spectacular. the first park on our trip is going to be hard to beat. we went to the angels/yankees game tuesday night, on to san fran for a game yesterday afternoon, and finally Oakland for this evening's game.


one last photo - the newest dodger doing what he does best. glove in hand, just hanging out. manny being manny.

congrats steve and stef

my wife meredith snapped off this picture of the happy couple at the perfect moment at the end of their first dance. it was great to be a part of your day steve and stef, congrats once again!

fuller housing

chang commons is one of the newest housing options for students at fuller. named so because of a generous grant from do-won and jin-sook chang - founders of the clothing chain, forever 21.

we don't live in chang, but i can imagine its a nice place to live. it's new and right next to fuller's classrooms. apparently housing on campus is in high demand this year - several of our graduating neighbors were asked to move out of their apartments earlier than they had hoped.

angel stadium 'of anaheim'

even though i just got back to town, i'm heading out right away for a ballpark tour with my good friend aaron. we're hoping to get to san diego, san francisco, oakland, and of course the los angeles ballparks. it's going to be great, and will add to my ballpark quest.

this photo is not from our trip, but rather the first time i visited angel stadium, shortly after arriving in california last summer. the whole debate over their name - currently the los angeles angels of anaheim after years as the california angels and anaheim angels - is pretty ridiculous if you ask me. adding the 'of anaheim' to the name of the stadium as this photo shows is pretty crazy too. but i have to admit i do like the sign being propped up with giant baseball bats.

i'll try and get one or two photos of ballparks along the way, as well as some pictures from the wedding this past week.

arcadia methodist hospital

this is where my wife works. a smaller community hospital, just east of pasadena. the health care system in the usa is something i'm still getting used to, but having a spouse in the medical field gives me some fascinating insight.

heading back to pasadena today. my time in ontario has been fantastic, but it will be good to get back on the west coast - last trip of the summer is finished!

what happened?

pasadena's own indymac bank ran into some bankruptcy problems last july. you can read all about it right here. it's located at the corner of lake avenue and walnut avenue... or at least it was.

photo request #8: neon train sign

laurie of the fantastic glimpses of south pasadena site suggested i track down this neon sign on colorado. here it is. friday neon and a photo request all in the same day!

i've got a few other photo requests in the pipeline. sorry for the delay!

waiting for the flyaway bus

many people don't realize how easy it is to take public transportation from pasadena to los angeles international airport. simply take the gold line south to union station and then get on the flyaway bus which will take you directly to your terminal. $5.25 for the whole trip is a steal based on the price of gas and airport parking.

don't we have a deal with the pigeons?

of course we have a deal. they get out of the way of our cars, we look the other way on the statue defecation.

seinfeld fans will recognize this conversation from the merv griffin show episode - a classic conversation between george and jerry, and the perfect compliment for today's image. okay, one more quote from the same episode. george first, then jerry...


i don't get these birds. they're breaking the deal. it's like the pigeons decided to ignore me.

so they're like everyone else.

launderland

sounds so magical - like some kind of messed up dream for an amusement park. in actuality it's the just your average laundromat/washateria/launderette/self-service laundry - with a very cool name. found at the corner of villa and los robles.

september 2008 theme day: sister cities

today's theme day was a tough one. pasadena has 6 sister cities so you would think i'd have no problem. however, i have not visited any of them, and i'm ashamed to admit i'd only heard of one of them. fortunately the reason i had heard of it was because a good friend of mine had just visited. today's picture of tangier, morocco, is courtesy of jason good (a former co-worker of mine in the admissions office at eastern mennonite university). thanks for your help today.

over 100 other bloggers are working with this theme today. check them out!

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants