Best known as the site of the Tournament of Roses Parade each New Year's Day, Pasadena was spared from the tear-down epidemic that swept L.A. so it has a refreshing old-time feel. Once upon a time, Pasadena was every Angeleno's best-kept secret -- a quiet community whose slow and careful regentrification meant non-chain restaurants and boutique shopping without the crowds, in a revitalized downtown respectful of its old brick and stone commercial buildings. Although the area's natural and architectural beauty still shines through -- so much so that Pasadena remains Hollywood's favorite backyard location for countless movies and TV shows -- Old Town has become a pedestrian mall similar to Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade, complete with huge crowds, midrange chain eateries, and standard-issue mall stores. It still gets our vote as a scenic alternative to the congestion of central L.A., but it has lost much of its small-town charm.
Pasadena is also home to the famous California Institute of Technology (Caltech), which boasts 22 Nobel Prize winners among its alumni. The Caltech-operated Jet Propulsion Laboratory was the birthplace of America's space program, and Caltech scientists were the first to report earthquake activity worldwide.
The residential neighborhoods in Pasadena and its adjacent communities -- Arcadia, La Cañada-Flintridge, San Marino, and South Pasadena -- are renowned for well-preserved historic homes, from humble bungalows to lavish mansions. These areas feature public gardens, historic neighborhoods, house museums, and quiet bed-and-breakfast inns.
