kaleidoscope of green

nothing particularly "pasadenian" about today's post, simply a palm branch up close.

los angeles critical mass ride

i finally made it out to an l.a. critical mass ride and it was quite the experience. a few hundred cyclists making their presence known in one of the largest cities in the country. this photo is from one of the intersections along the way when tail lights began to mix with traffic lights. this is at the front of the pack, there were a few hundred people behind me when i took this picture. it really is a party on wheels. i saw at least three bikes with huge stereos attached somehow. i had to leave early, but it was still a fun time.

we finally made it inside

this earlier post mentioned that we live on the same street as the pacific asia museum and yet have never ventured inside. the last friday of every month is the free day at the museum, a good enough reason to change all that. although we aren't really asian art aficionados, we did enjoy our time there. lots of little curious surprises lurking around every bend - like these horsemen which i was able to sneak a picture of.

fire on the mountain

these images are of the mountains just north of arcadia and sierra madre. the picture was taken in pasadena which gives perspective on how close we are to those towns. yesterday a fire broke out and it has been burning since then. our prayers go out to those who may be affected. top picture is from yesterday in the late afternoon, bottom is last night.

pasadena panorama

sadly, the ever present smog makes this picture not as picturesque as I would have hoped.
click for a closer look. can you spot the rose bowl, city hall, and other landmarks?

one of 31,000+ mcdonald's in the world

i try not to be an advocate for national chains, but this neon draped mcdonald's on colorado is too perfect for a friday neon post to pass up. i think pasadena has two of these global giant franchises which isn't too bad for a city this size - especially considering there are at least 9 starbucks in town.

el portal

with authentic mexican flare. not a bad place to eat (if only I hadn't accidentally knocked the bowl of chips out of the waiters hand).

pasadena british motors

touting themselves as the nations largest classic mini dealer, this place always makes me turn my head when driving along walnut st.

back to pasadena

i'm ashamed to admit i've never been to the pacific asia museum. someday i will go, but for now i admire it from a distance (actually not much of a distance as it's only a few blocks from our home).

national pride

one last picture from our trip to mexico this past weekend. it may have been the biggest flag i've ever seen. for reference to how big it actually is, check out this shot that someone else took.

ants go marching

click on the picture to see a line of cyclists along the road. just beyond this ridge is the pacific ocean.

oh, down in mexico

the scene at the start of the rosarito ensenada. despite the gray skies, it brightened into a beautiful day. more pictures to follow.

city hall in sepia tone

it's probably my most frequently posted subject in pasadena, but it's just so hard to resist the iconic dome. here she is once again in all her glory.

oh, for those regular readers, friday neon has been put off for the second straight week. its not that there is no more neon left to photograph, i just haven't gone around town with my camera at night lately. i'm deciding if the weekly feature is worth continuing, your comments on the issue would be appreciated.

tomorrow's picture could be a little delayed. i'm participating in the rosarito ensenada down in mexico, so it might take a little while to get something posted. we should have some great pictures to share.

all saints exterior

just a glimpse at the incredibly complex facade of all saints church.

i live here?

every once in a while i need to take a step back and remind myself of the beauty found where i live. i'm sure we all need to do this whether we live in the usa, albania, or zimbabwe. having a photo blog forces you to look at your environment, hopefully bringing you to the realization that the world is an amazing place.

oh, this is a shot of our street. this is where i live and sometimes i can't believe that's true.

the academy 6

if you don't mind waiting a little bit for a movie to come out, the academy 6 theater in pasadena is the way to go. tickets are regularly $3, but drop down to $2 for a matinée. hotdogs are only $1 so don't feel bad about coming hungry. the best deal is probably wednesday nights where rumor has it you can get two tickets, two drinks, and two orders of popcorn for $10. not too shabby!

half moon over pasadena

caught the moon poking out from behind a palm tree.

montrose and beyond

the things you see when traveling by bicycle are often quite majestic. although i'd never say that about the 210, it looks that way from above.

through the fog

i've already shown several pictures of the bridge, and one of vista del arroyo, but never both in the same image.

light on a hill

this picture was taken on a recent bike ride, on our way down camino san rafael - quite possibly the best downhill ride i've ever taken on a bicycle. you can see a very hazy downtown los angeles in the distance, and meredith and tim flying down the hill on their bikes.

it's arrested development

we discovered this lighthouse in a small marina on a bike ride along the santa monica beach trail. tacky yes, but significant for any fans of the short lived tv show "arrested development". if your a fan you'll recognize this as the location of the infamous banana stand.

rumor has it that an a.d. movie is in the works - fantastic news for those of us who feel it left us too soon.

busy as a...

bee.

it's crazy how quickly we can be consumed with daily activities. pausing at the top of a huge hill during my last bike ride allowed me to snap off this photo. if i had gone flying by, i would have totally missed out on all the action that was taking place in these bright flowers. this bee was not alone.

pasadena playhouse

seems like any blog about pasadena needs to have this iconic building pictured at least once. we have yet to go to a performance here, but i'm sure we will someday.

breaking from the clouds

this shot of the sun poking through was actually taken by my lovely wife - through the window of a car.

pasadena's iconic clock tower

not the first time this tower has appeared on my blog, but i still don't know its proper name.

update: thanks to the anonymous poster who mentioned that this is in fact st. andrew church.

make peace not chaos

i found this on the side of the villa parke community center a little while ago. not sure why it was put up there, but i like it.

barney's beanery

the west hollywood landmark has branch in old town pasadena. it's kind of like heaven if you like pub food, a good beer selection and tvs at almost every table. the restaurant is packed full of decor including flags and license plates from around the world, millions of random bar signs, and even an old bus that you can sit in.

cheese at whole foods

if i had a lot of extra time and money i'd split my time between shopping in whole foods and cooking and eating amazing meals. if you really love food, live in pasadena, and haven't been here yet you need to change that in a hurry.

city hall in the evening

this picture was taken just as the sun went down, before it was really dark, yet after the lights had been turned on. the effect is really amazing, i'm quite happy with it.

april 2008 theme day: water

watery reflections in the pasadena westin hotel courtyard.

178 other bloggers are working with this same theme today. check them out!

theme day id=13

Adelaide, Australia by Gordon, Albuquerque (NM), USA by Helen, American Fork (UT), USA by Annie, Anderson (SC), USA by Lessie, Ararat, Australia by Digger, Arradon, France by Alice, Ashton under Lyne, UK by Pennine, Athens, Greece by Debbie, Auckland, New Zealand by Lachezar, Austin (TX), USA by LB, Bandung, Indonesia by Guntur Purwanto, Barton (VT), USA by Andree, Belgrade, Serbia & Montenegro by Paja, Belgrade, Serbia & Montenegro by Bibi, Bellefonte (PA), USA by Barb-n-PA, Bicheno, Australia by Greg, Bogor, Indonesia by Gagah, Boston (MA), USA by Sarah, Whit, & Leyre, Boston (MA), USA by Fenix - Bostonscapes, Boston (MA), USA by Cluelessinboston, Brighton, UK by Harvey, Brookville (OH), USA by Abraham, Budapest, Hungary by Zannnie and Zsolt, Budapest, Hungary by Isadora, Canterbury, UK by Rose, Cape Town, South Africa by Kerry-Anne, Chandler (AZ), USA by Melindaduff, Chateaubriant, France by Bergson, Cheltenham, UK by Marley, Chicago (IL), USA by b.c., Christchurch, New Zealand by Michelle, Clearwater (FL), USA by Smaridge01, Clearwater Beach (FL), USA by Smaridge01, Cleveland (OH), USA by iBlowfish, Coral Gables (FL), USA by Jnstropic, Cypress (TX), USA by Riniroo, Dallas/Fort Worth (TX), USA by A Wandering Soul, Dunedin (FL), USA by Smaridge01, Durban, South Africa by CrazyCow, East Gwillimbury, Canada by Your EG Tour Guide, Evry, France by Olivier, Glasgow, Scotland by Jackie, Greenville (SC), USA by Denton, Grenoble, France by Bleeding Orange, Guelph, Canada by Pat, Gun Barrel City (TX), USA by Lake Lady, Hamilton, New Zealand by Sakiwi, Hampton (VA), USA by ptowngirl, Haninge, Sweden by Steffe, Helsinki, Finland by Kaa, Hobart, Australia by Greg, Hyde, UK by Old Hyde, Inverness (IL), USA by Neva, Jackson (MS), USA by Halcyon, Jakarta, Indonesia by Santy, Jefferson City (MO), USA by Chinamom2005, Jogjakarta, Indonesia by Jogja Portrait, Joplin (MO), USA by Victoria, Juneau (AK), USA by Gwyn, Katonah (NY), USA by Inkster1, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia by Edwin, Kyoto, Japan by Tadamine, Lake Forest Park (WA), USA by Azure, Larchmont (NY), USA by Marie-Noyale, Las Vegas (NV), USA by Mo, Lisbon, Portugal by Sailor Girl, Lisbon, Portugal by Maria João, Lodz, Poland by ritalounge, London, UK by Mo, London, UK by Ham, Mainz, Germany by JB, Maple Ridge, Canada by Susan, Marseille, France by Alex, Mazatlan, Mexico by Kate, Melbourne, Australia by John, Melbourne, Australia by Mblamo, 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, Monrovia (CA), USA by Keith, Monte Carlo, Monaco by Jilly, Montego Bay, Jamaica by Ann, Monterrey, Mexico by rafa, Moscow, Russia by Irina, Mumbai, India by Magiceye, Mumbai, India by MumbaiiteAnu, Mumbai, India by Kunalbhatia, Nancy, France by yoshi, Naples (FL), USA by Isabella, 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, Niamey, Niger by Dinabee, Norfolk (VA), USA by ptowngirl, Norman (OK), USA by Chad & LaCresha, Norwich, UK by Goddess888, Nottingham, UK by Gail's Man, Odense, Denmark by ania odense, Omsk, Russia by Nataly, Orlando (FL), USA by OrlFla, Oslo, Norway by Lothiane, Paderborn, Germany by Soemchen, Paris, France by Gordio, Paris, France by Eric, Pasadena (CA), USA by Can8ianben, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia by Murphy_jay, Pilisvörösvár, Hungary by Elise, Pont-à-Mousson, France by Tintin-j, Port Angeles (WA), USA by Jelvistar, Port Elizabeth, South Africa by Sam, Port Townsend (WA), USA by raf, Port Vila, Vanuatu by Mblamo, Portland (ME), USA by Corey, Portland (OR), USA by NWgal, Portsmouth (VA), USA by ptowngirl, Prague, Czech Republic by Honza03, Quincy (MA), USA by Cluelessinboston, Riga, Latvia by Prokur, Rotterdam, Netherlands by Ineke, Saarbrücken, Germany by LadyDemeter, Saigon, Vietnam by Simon, Saint Louis (MO), USA by Strangetastes, Saint Paul (MN), USA by Kate, Salem (OR), USA by jill, Salt Lake City (UT), USA by Eric, Salt Lake City (UT), USA by atc, San Diego (CA), USA by Felicia, San Francisco (CA), USA by PFranson, Seattle (WA), USA by Kim, Seattle (WA), USA by Chuck, Seguin (TX), USA by Thien, Selma (AL), USA by RamblingRound, Sequim (WA), USA by Eponabri, Sesimbra, Portugal by Aldeia, Setúbal, Portugal by Maria Elisa, Shanghai, China by Jing, Sharon (CT), USA by Jenny, Singapore, Singapore by Keropok, Sofia, Bulgaria by Antonia, St Francis, South Africa by Sam, 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 Nathalie, Sydney, Australia by Sally, Székesfehérvár, Hungary by Teomo, Tacloban City, Philippines by agnesdv, Terrell (TX), USA by Jim K, Terrell (TX), USA by Bstexas, The Hague, Netherlands by Lezard, Tokyo, Japan by Tadamine, Toruń, Poland by Torun Observer, Toulouse, France by Julia, Turin, Italy by Livio, Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina by Jazzy, Twin Cities (MN), USA by Slinger, Victoria, Canada by Benjamin Madison, Vienna, Austria by G_mirage2, Virginia Beach (VA), USA by ptowngirl, Wailea (HI), USA by Kuanyin, Washington (DC), USA by Rachel, Wassenaar, Netherlands by Rich, Wellington, New Zealand by Jeremyb, West Paris (ME), USA by crittoria, West Sacramento (CA), USA by Barbara, Weston (FL), USA by WestonDailyPhoto, Williamsburg (VA), USA by ptowngirl, Willits (CA), USA by Elaine, Yardley (PA), USA by Mrlynn,