Saturday, May 31, 2008

beckman auditorium


this striking building doesn't really match the look of the rest of caltech's campus, but is impressive - and stands out even more when contrasted with a stormy sky and looming mountains. it functions as the campus entertainment and academic event center.

Friday, May 30, 2008

cocktails at the 35er


never been, but we often walk by this bar along colorado. this photo was taken in the alley behind the bar and seems to advertise that they will make you a cocktail if you are so inclined. i don't think this place would stand out to me if not for two things - an excessive amount of neon beer signs in the front, and shortly after arriving in pasadena someone asked me for directions to the 35er while i was riding on the metro gold line.

any pasadenians out there want to give a review of this establishment? from the outside it seems to be kind of a dive bar that is trying to come off as part night club, part sports bar. interesting.

this weekend we are heading out of town to visit sequoia national park - the next few days are on autopilot, so try and behave while i'm gone.

Thursday, May 29, 2008

photo request #3: people on a bench


my very creative sister suggested that i post a picture of people sitting on a bench. she also noticed that my blog often lacks people as the subject and thought i should branch out a bit (she's right). since we have family in town, today's post is starring them on our recent visit to caltech. a beautiful pasadena location, family, jacaranda tree, rose garden, and... people on a bench :)

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

the getty on a sunday afternoon


the getty center has got to be one of the most photogenic parts of los angeles county. it's an art gallery, museum, botanical garden, and scenic outlook all rolled into one. the best part is that aside from parking, it's free. if you haven't been, be sure to check it out when you are in the area.

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

photo request #2: a blooming yuca plant


a little while back i asked for photo requests. palm axis, a faithful reader of this blog suggested that i get shot of the beautiful yucca plant that is currently blooming all over southern california. my quest had been unsuccessful until a trip to the la county museum of art. their fantastic "phantom sightings: art after the chicano movement" exhibit included an artist named margarita cabrera and her artwork. as you can see, it included the above vw bug as well as cactus and a blooming yucca plant made from reclaimed border patrol uniforms. very cool indeed - and the perfect way to snap off a photo that filled the request of my reader, and yet was also very uniquely different (much like her wonderful blog). go check out this exhibit in person if you are in the area.

thanks so much for the photo suggestion, and everyone else can feel free to keep the photo suggestions coming. i still have a few more requests to fulfill, they should be posted in the next few weeks.

Monday, May 26, 2008

music under the stars


the pasadena pops orchestra performed a free concert last night in front of city hall. quite the site to behold in person! this kicked off the summer concert series held annually in downtown pasadena.


happy long weekend everyone!

Sunday, May 25, 2008

photo request #1: at cal tech


my immediate question was "what about adding animals to the pond?"

i need to give credit to this shot to juhie and a.me who stopped by my blog long enough to suggest a trip to caltech to check out the campus. more photos to come, and keep the requests coming!

Saturday, May 24, 2008

99 cents only


loyal readers of this blog might recognize the style of photo from this one posted way back in january. taken on the same day in the same plaza, it's really no coincidence.

99 cents only stores are famous for their affordable items and the incredible amount of stores that dot the southwest, but did you also know that the most expensive photograph ever sold was taken in one of their stores? or that there is a gourmet cookbook being marketed using only items found in this store?

Friday, May 23, 2008

cuisine of india


featuring a very fine lunch buffet, this restaurant also sports a nice overhead view of colorado blvd. indian food seems to be something you either love or hate. I'm outing myself as a lover.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

trip through your wires


someone recently mentioned that pasadena should use the palm trees instead of installing or replacing telephone poles. either way, they sometimes blend together creating a jumble of lines.

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

which way is up?


these trees which line east mountain street have a distinctive lean. my guess is that they are probably pointing in the direction of the most consistent sunlight, but it's just a guess. this picture was taken on a sunday morning ride to church.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

green parking?


this parking garage behind wolfe burgers on lake avenue is almost covered in ivy. looks pretty cool, eh?

a big thank you for all who have visited this blog. today marked my 5000th visitor to the site! thank you for checking out "the sky is big in pasadena"!

Monday, May 19, 2008

thai me up and leave me here


saladang is one of the many thai restaurants we are fortunate to have here in pasadena. it is quickly becoming one of our favorite places to go to dinner. not only is the food award winning and reasonably priced, it is also delicious! our table ordered - starting at the top - spinach curry, prik king, bell peppers with beef, sizzling beef skillet, ginger curry. i'm starting to be convinced that you could order anything on the menu and not be disappointed.

and we're finally getting over the loss of taste of thai - our favorite restaurant back in virginia.

Sunday, May 18, 2008

bell tower


today's image of the bell tower at pasadena pres. is inspired by my photoblogging buddy josh over at no rhyme or reason.

Saturday, May 17, 2008

happy bike week!


this photo was taken during last night's heaven on wheels ride as a part of pasadena bike week. i love the mix of red bicycle tail lights, the green traffic lights, and the dome of city hall in the distance. if you haven't had a chance to be a part of any of the festivities yet, at least check out the bike expo happening at one colorado today.

Friday, May 16, 2008

aaardvark's odd ark


what i assumed was a local thrift store turns out to be a much larger chain of stores. i stumbled across one while riding around los angeles and then found another on our recent trip to san fran. this place seems to have everything from wigs (as seen floating in this image) to prom dresses. a friend even mentioned that you can often get a good price on a wet suit here if you are considering taking up surfing.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

villa park farmers market

this is the closest farmers market to where we live and sadly this is the first image i've posted of it! pasadena and the surrounding area is blessed with farmers markets on pretty much every day of the week. so far i've been to this one on tuesday, south pas. on thursday, monrovia on friday, and the one at pasadena's high school on saturday. pretty cool, eh?

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

the sun will come out


the pasadena sky has been awfully gray lately. fortunately the sun is supposed to be out in full force by this weekend. this photo was taken last fall on a hike we took at the park at the top of lake ave.

also, i'm looking for picture suggestions. ideas on what to photograph around town. you'll be credited in the photo description as my inspiration for the shot. start the requests!

Monday, May 12, 2008

j p l


nestled at the foot of the san gabriel mountains, just to the north of pasadena, is nasa's jet propulsion laboratory. it seems most people around here just refer to it as jpl. from above it looks like a city of it's own. it borders flintridge/la canada on one side, but has a security gate limiting the people who actually enter. i hear they offer tours of the place, maybe we need to go sometime.

Sunday, May 11, 2008

up on the roof


perched on a rooftop in old town, this couple was barely noticeable. i was hoping to get a good look at the faint bowman sign that used to be painted on the building, but found them instead.

Saturday, May 10, 2008

flintridge sacred heart academy


snapped off this profile of one of the beautiful buildings at fsha. their campus has really interesting architecture and an amazing view of the pasadena skyline.

Friday, May 09, 2008

l.a. critical mass neon


this installment of friday neon is taken from last months critical mass bike ride in los angeles.

Thursday, May 08, 2008

purple trees


driving down del mar blvd the other day we noticed the abundance of these purple leafed jacaranda trees (thanks to the comment section i now know the official name). not only do they decorate the treetops but they are also currently deposting a purple carpet on the sidewalks along del mar.

Wednesday, May 07, 2008

overlooking the 210

i wonder if this house was built before or after the highway was added. they certainly have quite a view from up there - just north of the rose bowl, they have a bird's eye view of pasadena.

Tuesday, May 06, 2008

san francisco sunset


i think that's all for now from our trip to san fran. tomorrow i'll start posting pasadena pictures once again.

this raises an interesting debate. if you are a member of the city daily photo community, do you ever feel like you can post pictures that aren't from your home city? i must not have too much of an issue with the practice since over the past several months i have posted pictures from san fran, sonoma, san diego, washington dc, central pennsylvania, and toronto...

Monday, May 05, 2008

what a photogenic city


we had a great time in san fran with tim and debbie (pictured here in front of the painted ladies). this city is a photographer's dream. i'm very envious of these bloggers who live there among the beauty.

those full house fans out there may recognize this scene from the intro song.

Sunday, May 04, 2008

golden gate bridge


our trip north also included a stop in san francisco. it was my first trip and i was simply blown away with this city. i have a few more non-pasadenian photos to post over the next few days, i hope you don't mind!

Saturday, May 03, 2008

weekend in wine country


benzinger is doing some cool stuff combining eco-friendly practices with making quality wine. we really enjoyed our weekend in sonoma among the vines.

Friday, May 02, 2008

pashgian bros


a late post for this past friday, just one of the many neon signs along colorado blvd.

Thursday, May 01, 2008

may 2008 theme day: numbers


happy theme day! these new apartments on marengo avenue - appropriately christened cinema lofts - have a pretty striking way of displaying their street number. the photo below shows the incredible detail - it's actually a mosaic image made up of thousands of tiles.


we're heading out of town for a few days, so this is the last post until sunday (at which point I will attempt to back publish friday and saturday). try not to miss me too much!

there are 181 other blogs participating in today's daily photo theme, check them out!

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants
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April11, Concordia Sagittaria, Italy by Patrizia, Coral Gables (FL), USA by Jnstropic, Corsicana (TX), USA by Lake Lady, Dallas (TX), USA by turtle, Darmstadt, Germany by Elsch, Dunedin (FL), USA by Smaridge01, Durban, South Africa by CrazyCow, East Gwillimbury, Canada by Your EG Tour Guide, Evry, France by Olivier, Forks (WA), USA by Mary, Geneva (IL), USA by Kelly, Glasgow, Scotland by Jackie, Greenville (SC), USA by Denton, Gun Barrel City (TX), USA by Lake Lady, Hamilton, New Zealand by Sakiwi, Hampton (VA), USA by ptowngirl, Helsinki, Finland by Kaa, Hobart, Australia by Greg, Hong Kong, Hong Kong by Rachel A., Hyde, UK by Gerald, Inverness (IL), USA by Neva, Ioannina, Greece by Christos-Ioanna, Jackson (MS), USA by Halcyon, Jefferson City (MO), USA by Chinamom2005, Jogjakarta, Indonesia by Jogja Portrait, Joplin (MO), USA by Victoria, Katonah (NY), USA by Inkster1, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia by Edwin, Kyoto, Japan by Tadamine, Larchmont (NY), USA by Marie-Noyale, Las Vegas (NV), USA by Mo, Le Guilvinec, France by ds2944, Lisbon, Portugal by Sailor Girl, Lisbon, Portugal by Maria João, Lodz, Poland by ritalounge, London, UK by Ham, London, UK by Mo, Mainz, Germany by JB, Malaga, Spain by Paula, Manila, Philippines by Heyokity, Maple Ridge, Canada by Susan, Marseille, France by Alex, Medan, Indonesia by KT, Melbourne, Australia by Mblamo, Melbourne, Australia by John, Memphis (TN), USA by SouthernHeart, Menton, France by Jilly, Mexico City, Mexico by Carraol, Mexico City, Mexico by Poly, Minneapolis (MN), USA by Mitch, Minneapolis (MN), USA by Greg, Minsk, Belarus by Olga, Misawa, Japan by misawa mama, Monrovia (CA), USA by Keith, Monte Carlo, Monaco by Jilly, Monterrey, Mexico by rafa, Montpellier, France by Marie, Moscow, Russia by Irina, Mumbai, India by Kunalbhatia, Mumbai, India by Magiceye, Nancy, France by yoshi, Nashville (TN), USA by Chris, Nelson, New Zealand by Meg and Ben, New Orleans (LA), USA by steve buser, New York City (NY), USA by Ming the Merciless, New York City (NY), USA by • Eliane •, Newport News (VA), USA by ptowngirl, Norfolk (VA), USA by ptowngirl, North Hampton (NH), USA by Amy, Norwich, UK by Goddess888, Nottingham, UK by Gail's Man, Ocean Township (NJ), USA by Josy, Omsk, Russia by Nataly, Orlando (FL), USA by OrlFla, Oslo, Norway by Lothiane, Owasso (OK), USA by Jennifer, Paderborn, Germany by Soemchen, Paris, France by Eric, Pasadena (CA), USA by Petrea, Pasadena (CA), USA by Can8ianben, Penang, Malaysia by Maltelda, Perth, Australia by Elevation7, Phoenix (AZ), USA by Cheryl, Pilisvörösvár, Hungary by Elise, Port Angeles (WA), USA by Jelvistar, Port Elizabeth, South Africa by Sam, Port Townsend (WA), USA by raf, Port Vila, Vanuatu by Mblamo, Portsmouth (VA), USA by ptowngirl, Prague, Czech Republic by Honza03, Quincy (MA), USA by Cluelessinboston, Rabaul, Papua New Guinea by Jules, Ramsey, Isle of Man by babooshka, Riga, Latvia by Riga Images, Rollag, Norway by Stormel, Rotterdam, Netherlands by Ineke, Saarbrücken, Germany by LadyDemeter, Saigon, Vietnam by Simon, Saint Paul (MN), USA by Kate, Salem (OR), USA by jill, Salt Lake City (UT), USA by atc, Salt Lake City (UT), USA by Eric, San Diego (CA), USA by Felicia, San Diego (CA), USA by Zentmrs, San Francisco (CA), USA by PFranson, San Francisco (CA), USA by Louis la Vache, Seattle (WA), USA by Kim, Seattle (WA), USA by Chuck, Selma (AL), USA by RamblingRound, Seoul, South Korea by Phil, Sesimbra, Portugal by Aldeia, Setúbal, Portugal by Maria Elisa, Sharon (CT), USA by Jenny, Singapore, Singapore by Keropok, Sofia, Bulgaria by Antonia, St Francis, South Africa by Sam, Stanwood (WA), USA by MaryBeth, Stavanger, Norway by Tanty, Stayton (OR), USA by Celine, Stockholm, Sweden by Stromsjo, Stouffville, Canada by Ken, Subang Jaya, Malaysia by JC, Suffolk (VA), USA by ptowngirl, Sunshine Coast, Australia by bitingmidge, Sydney, Australia by Julie, Székesfehérvár, Hungary by Teomo, Tacloban City, Philippines by agnesdv, Tel-Aviv, Israel 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