Tag: california

4/25/15 – Wandering Washington

washingtonblvd

Saturday April 25, 2015
9:00AM
Meet at NW corner of Washington & Sierra Madre
(in front of Pasadena High School)

Explore Washington Boulevard from Sierra Madre Boulevard to Fair Oaks Avenue – a significant tour of central Pasadena. There are lots of interesting old and new businesses especially on this route.

About 3.8 miles one way, double that if you do it round trip. (or Bus #268 can take you back near PHS – Orange Grove/Sunny Slope).

La Pintoresca Hotel, Pasadena CA. Image courtesty the Pasadena Digital History Collaboration (http://pasadenadigitalhistory.com)
La Pintoresca Hotel, Pasadena CA. Image courtesty the Pasadena Digital History Collaboration (http://pasadenadigitalhistory.com)

Some things I’ve learned about Washington Boulevard from Wikipedia: Washington Boulevard was constructed in the early 20th Century to facilitate vehicular access to the Hotel La Pintoresca at Fair Oaks & Washington, and to service riders on the East Washington Streetcar line. The line ran for 2.5 miles between Los Robles Avenue and Santa Anita Avenue. Washington Boulevard originally terminated at Arroyo Boulevard and Altadena Drive. An extension west to Linda Vista was built in the 1940s and another southeast to Pasadena High School in the 1960s.

Trivia: In Pasadena, five streets are named after U.S. Presidents and eight are named after states. Washington Boulevard is named after the state because of its east-west orientation (all streets named for presidents are north-south). Now you know! 🙂

Caltech Ramble – Photos

Photo Credits: Linda Delez, Patrice Harkins, & a random nice lady who used my phone for the group photo.

What a wonderful morning shared with 18 human walkers plus 2 dogs! I enjoyed strolling around the Caltech campus with everyone. I worked there for many years and it was a pleasure to be able to see the campus through the eyes of people who are not quite so used to the pretty place I used to work. We admired the architecture and landscaping, smelled the flowers (SO many flowers!), said hello to the turtles, and got to know each other. We had quite a few new walkers this week, was so great to meet you all!

For those who asked, they do have guided architectural tours of the campus. From the Caltech website:

Community tours are given on the fourth Thursday of each month at 10:30 a.m., beginning at the entrance to the Athenaeum at 551 South Hill Avenue. Tours last from 1½ to 2 hours and are open to all members of the Caltech community and visitors to the campus.

Thank you for walking with me!!

3/21/15 Easy Caltech Ramble

the-turtle-and-koi-pond
Saturday March 21, 2015
9:15AM
Meet at NW corner of Del Mar & Hill
(in front of Knox Presbyterian Church)

About 1.5 miles. We will walk at an easy pace and take in the beauty of Caltech’s architecture and landscaping. Suitable for everyone – especially those just starting out in walking for fitness.

*If anyone is looking for a longer walk Saturday AM, I will be setting out from Del Mar & Sierra Madre – SW corner – at about 8:45. Comment here if you want to meet up! This will add another ~3 miles (RT) to the route, and I will be taking this section at a faster pace. -S

Lake Ave Urban Hike – Photos

Photo credits: Margaret Bridwell, Edrina Calderon, Sarah Emery Bunn

Gotta admit, this was a challenging one! But 14 intrepid walkers (15 if you include Olivia the dog) hiked Lake Avenue from California Boulevard all the way up to where Lake ends at Loma Alta. We walked five miles uphill all the way with an elevation change of about a thousand feet. Fantastic company – got some interesting history, recommendations for BBQ restaurants, and just generally enjoyed spending time with our fellow Pasadenans! It is a true joy to watch the connections and friendships begin and flourish, and I especially love the authentic and exuberant smiles that come after walking together.

 

2/15/15 – Lake Avenue: Up the Hill from California to Loma Alta!

lakeave

When/Where? Sunday Feb 15, 2015. Meet at the Northeast corner of Lake and California (outside Gary’s Mini Market) at 9AM.

Distance/Time: 4.7 miles, ~2 hrs? (Double that if you plan to walk back down to Lake/California!)

The walk: I think of Lake Avenue as a supporting pillar of the city. There are a lot of great sights to see. We’ll pass through the South Lake district, and head north crossing Del Mar, Colorado, Washington, Orange Grove, Woodbury, Altadena drive – all the way up to where Lake ends at Loma Alta, right at the foot of the San Gabriel mountains. That last stretch is a steep one, and the views from the top of Lake are amazing! You can decide whether you’re up for walking back down again, or if you’d rather take the bus back down again (180/181 bus stop @ Lake & Altadena Dr.) – also feel free to organize car pools or Uber yourself back.

Parking: Be mindful of where you park – most lots are for customers of those businesses only. Not sure if the meters on Lake itself are in effect on Sundays but there is unmetered street parking on California, Hudson, and Catalina. There are signs that say 2 hour limit, but the fine print says “except Sundays”. I called the Pasadena Transportation office to be sure, and was assured that we can park for however long we need to in those zones on Sunday.

Why? Because I’ve never done it before! I’ve walked sections of Lake but never north of Orange Grove. I know from experience that getting out of the car and seeing a street from ground level is always eye-opening. You’ll see businesses you’ve only driven past before, you’ll admire buildings you just never noticed. You’ll enjoy chatting with your fellow walkers! Hope to see you there!

Lower Arroyo Photos – such a great group!

Photo credits: Cindy Hunt Benson, Sherry Giambalvo Grueter, Sarah Emery Bunn

It was our biggest turnout yet! 25 walkers came out to share a walk in the Lower Arroyo Seco, and we had a wonderful time! One of our walkers was Tim Martinez, who (among other things) is the Outreach Coordinator at the Arroyo Seco Foundation. He was able to talk to us about conservancy efforts and answer questions about the flora, fauna and history of the area we were walking. So glad he was with us!

Every single one of the people who came was such great company. It makes me extremely happy to connect with people in our community in this way!

I think the next group walk will be something more urban – stay tuned – hopefully sometime mid-February!

1/31/15 – Lower Arroyo Seco: Rose Bowl to South Pasadena

1 - Colorado Street Bridge looking North

Saturday January 21, 2015
We’ll meet at the benches in front of the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center at 2PM.

5.5 miles round trip. The walk can be shortened at various points – e.g. cross the Arroyo at the San Rafael foot bridge. Likewise, walkers could add a Rose Bowl loop (3.3 mi) or stroll around Brookside park to lengthen the walk.

Lower Arroyo walk mapThe walk: From the parking lot, we’ll cross the street and head south where we’ll leave the road at a trail map sign to drop down under the 134 Freeway bridge and the Colorado street bridge. There is running water, trees, wildlife, and the path is uneven in places with one short steep section. Once we cross under the bridges, the path becomes flat with a packed dirt surface and follows the arroyo “river”. We will pass the archery range, the “camel’s hump”, the stables, and finally we will end up in South Pasadena at the Lower Arroyo Park. We’ll cross the bridge, and return on the other side.

Hope you will join us! This is a great walk to do in a group. Suitable for all! You can RSVP on the Facebook Event, contact us to let us know to expect you, or simply show up!

Hahamongna Watershed Park

This morning’s walk at Hahamongna Watershed Park (hosted by HWP supporter extraordinaire Petrea Burchard) was a lot of fun and we truly enjoyed learning why she loves it so much. As always, the company was outstanding!

Here’s the Hahamongna story about how imminently the watershed is endangered and the push to preserve it. https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/no-big-dig-the-lawsuit-to-save-hahamongna

Thank you Petrea for showing us your special place. The Walking Pasadena group is all about sharing such places with others — suggestions for walks are most welcome!

Rose Bowl Walk Jan 17 2015

10547887_10152115505176666_6999050277536799391_oA few of us will be meeting up for a walk the Rose Bowl tomorrow (Saturday) Jan 17, 2015 at 9:30AM. We’ll meet at the benches outside the Aquatic center. No need to RSVP. For those just getting started “Walking Pasadena”, this is a GREAT way to get out there and get going – I find walking the Rose Bowl on a Saturday morning very motivating!