Los Angeles & Southern California - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [107]
GAMBLE HOUSE
It’s the exquisite attention to detail that impresses most at the Gamble House (Map; 626-793-3334; www.gamblehouse.org; 4 Westmoreland Pl; adult/student & senior/child $8/5/free; noon-3pm Thu-Sun; ), a 1908 masterpiece of Craftsman architecture built by Charles and Henry Greene for Proctor & Gamble heir David Gamble. The entire home is a work of art, its foundation, furniture and fixtures all united by a common design and theme inspired by its Southern California environs. Note sleeping porches, iridescent stained glass and subtle appearances of the Gamble family crest’s rose and crane pattern.
Other Greene & Greene homes, including Charles Greene’s former private residence (368 Arroyo Tce), line nearby Arroyo Tce and Grand Ave. Pick up a self-guided walking-tour pamphlet at the Gamble House bookstore.
PASADENA CIVIC CENTER AREA
Pasadena’s Civic Center, built in the 1920s, is a reflection of the great wealth and local pride that have governed the city since its early days. Highlights include the Spanish Renaissance–style City Hall (Map; 100 N Garfield Ave) and the Central Library (Map; 285 E Walnut St). Nearby, the Jackie Robinson Memorial (Map; cnr Garfield & Union Sts) honors the Pasadena-born athlete who, in 1945, became the first African American to be signed to a major-league baseball team, the Brooklyn (now LA) Dodgers.
A block east, a re-created Chinese palace that was once the home of local art dealer and Asia fan Grace Nicholson, is now the Pacific Asia Museum (Map; 626-449-2742; www.pacificasiamuseum.org; 46 N Los Robles Ave; adult/student & senior $7/5; 10am-6pm Wed-Sun; ). Its nine galleries orbit an exotic courtyard and present changing selections of both ancient and contemporary art and artifacts from Asia and the Pacific Islands. From Himalayan Buddhas to Chinese porcelain and Japanese costumes, the quality and range of Nicholson’s collection is stellar.
Just around the corner is the Pasadena Museum of California Art (Map; 626-568-3665; www.pmcaonline.org; 490 E Union St; adult/student & senior/child $6/4/free; noon-5pm Wed-Sun; ), a progressive gallery dedicated to art, architecture and design created by California artists since 1850. Shows change every few months and have included masterpieces by Maynard Dixon, collages by Beatnik artist Jess, and vinyl toys by Gary Basemen, David Gonzales and other artists. Also swing by the Kosmic Kavern, a spray mural by Pop artist Kenny Scharf, in the garage.
DESCANSO GARDENS
Another set of lovely gardens (Map; 818-949-4200; www.descanso.com; 1418 Descanso Dr; adult/child 5-12/student & senior $7/2/5; 9am-5pm; ), Descanso puts on a dazzling show all year, but especially so in January and February when some 34,000 camellias brighten the LA winter, some as tall as 20ft. In spring lilacs perfume the air, followed by roses in summer. It’s easy to spend a whole day amid the greenery, waterways and bird sanctuary. The gardens are in La Cañada–Flintridge, about 6 miles northwest of Pasadena at the foot of the Angeles Crest Hwy (see boxed text, Click here).
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SMALL SCREEN LA Ryan Ver Berkmoes
Since the 1950s most TV shows have been made in and around LA. The reasons are simple: studios are based here and union rules make it expensive to move crews very far from the sound stages. Although shows are often filmed in Canada (for tax reasons)