Kid Stuff

South Pasadena has a lot of children. At a glance, this place adds plenty of demographic support to the recently reported American baby boomlet. I don’t know official South Pas numbers, but if you go by Baby Bjorn, stroller and big wheel sightings: our town has about umpteen bazillion kids.

As one of the rug-rat set myself, I think it’s pretty wonderful. This is a spectacular city to settle down and raise a child. The schools are some of the best in Southern California. The town itself looks like it could have been rendered by Tasha Tudor or Eulalia Banks . My little daughter finds a potential playmate every time we go outside for a walk. But what’s really nice is South Pasadena’s sense of balance. It’s not that kid stuff eclipses everything else. Nope. It’s all included together in a city culture that encourages family togetherness without forgetting that adults need choices other than Build a Bear or Chuck E. Cheese and that children might be less obnoxious if they hung out with adults more.

I think Jerry Seinfeld is the one who said, "there is no such thing as fun for the whole family." (Anyone who has a kid will laugh at this joke.) Life in South Pasadena may not definitively prove him wrong but it weakens his argument. Most cafes here have menus with chicken tenders or a grilled cheese sandwich thoughtfully placed among the goat cheese salads and portabello mushroom pasta. On Mission Street there is a toy store, a children’s furniture store and a kid’s party store. Not to worry, there are also two excellent wine shops and a couple of galleries. Something for everybody. Balance. Adult stuff, kid stuff, and not a Chuck E. Cheese in sight. .

Here are two little South Pasadena kiddos I spotted dancing at the concert in Garfield Park. They weren't far from the guys in yesterday’s post.