Mission Station

I haven't taken the brand new Expo Line from downtown LA to the beach yet, but I'm already an old fan of South Pasadena's Gold Line which now goes all the way out to Azusa and will eventually end up in Montclair.  I can't resist taking pictures whenever I wait at Mission Station.  Those columns!

Magic Hour: Mission near Arroyo

Just another in a series from our recent dramatic skies...

Daydreaming of Winter

Am I the only one who starts fantasizing about cold weather right about now? I don't mean shovel-the-snow-in-the-driveway, get-out-your-lambskin-gloves East Coast/Midwest cold weather. Please! This is Southern California!

I'm just ready for black tights, root vegetable stew, hot toddies, roasted marshmallows, down comforters and, for the love of heaven, no more flies in the house.

Anyone with me?

A Moon over Mission...

for a Monday.

Storm Clouds

Nice of that woman to be walking with such a striking red coat just as the clouds parted...

(For Rialto fans, the clouds have still not parted. I'll repeat my update from the bottom of yesterday's post:

Pasadena Star News reports that Rialto sign can be saved if Landmark Theaters fund repairs. Officials from Landmark have not returned repeated calls for comment.

I'll say it again: write and let Landmark know how much the Rialto means to us. After all, there's power (and persuasion) in numbers. Just take a look at this.

What Was That Name Again?

The man who built this building, Alexander R. Graham, named it after himself. (The Alexander Building.) Not content with one mere structure as his namesake, he built another one right next to it and named that one after himself, too. (The A. R. Graham Building.)

What would you bet he would have been peeved to be upstaged by that dramatic sky?

Oldies but Goodies

You never know what you'll stumble upon when you explore Mission Street's antique stores. (But can you still buy Tri-X film?)

Double Scoop Still Life

These warm days sure don't feel like February. For a little bit of frosty goodness, head over to Busters for some Fosselman's ice cream. It's even better if you sit at one of the charming little outdoor tables. There are views of this, and this, and this, and sometimes this and (if you look closely enough) this.

Bonus

The next time you head over to Mission in the early morning -- maybe for coffee at Great Harvest, or perhaps a class at Mission Yoga, be sure to notice the amazing shadows cast by the trees...

Abstract Sky After Thunderstorm

I got caught in the freak thunderstorm that passed over yesterday. As the clouds broke up, the sunlight painted a few amazing pictures in the sky. For the briefest of moments, this is what I saw out of my car window while sitting at a light on Mission.

Mission Street: Wide View

I always find something new and interesting when I shop on Mission. (This time, the new and interesting thing was this vantage point from right in front of Great Harvest Bread.)

Action/Reaction

Today is the first day of the month, and that means it's Theme Day for participating City Daily Photo bloggers. This month's theme is Action Shots.

I'm not sure why I decided to post this picture. It's not particularly action-y in the just-caught-the-football or running-and-about-to-miss-the-train kind of way. But it is a quick snap of the normal, everyday action on Mission Street. And anyway, there just has to be a story behind that guy waving at a headless mannequin in a window. A secret sign from a spy to a hidden action hero? You decide.

For worldwide interpretations of this month's theme, be sure to check out my brilliant fellow City Daily Photo bloggers. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Advice From a Store Window Display

Agreed!

Historic Mission Street

South Pasadena's business district boomed between 1906 and 1908. At the time, the South Pasadena Record reported, "Rapidly and surely the march of progress is wending its way from Fair Oaks west and from Meridian east."

The first man to build on Mission Street was Alexander R. Graham, who razed a grove of eucalyptus trees at Mission and Meridian and built this concrete building. (Graham named the building the Alexander Building. Lest we forget who he was, two years later he erected another building right next door and called it the A. R. Graham Building. Now, what was his name again?)

I've raved about it before, and I'll rave again: for the ultimate South Pasadena history, you can't beat Jane Apostol's comprehensive South Pasadena, 1888-1988, A Centennial History, Second Edition with Chronology, 1988-2008. Check it out at the South Pas Public Library. Or better yet, purchase your own copy at the library bookstore.

You can read my former interview with Jane right here.

Just Thinking...

Walt Whitman once said that every moment of light and dark is a miracle. I have always read the quote out of context, so I have no idea if he was referring to the blessing of both joy and sorrow, or something esoteric like mankind's dual nature. Maybe he was just musing on just how cool it is to play with matches. (Come to think about it, all those things are pretty amazing.)

It's a lovely thought, really. The miracle of light and dark. In our current Us vs. Them culture, everything from natural disasters to local politics gets rubber stamped as either GOOD or EVIL. Despite our complex HD technology and ability to map most of the human genome, we're still basically a black and white world, willing to paint everything with broad strokes.

Even so, there's an infinite amount of grayscale in there if we just pay attention. And every bit of it is miraculous.

Woe is We

The pundits have decided that America is depressed. It's "Mourning in America" according to CNN. (Not to be "blunt," but I'd really like to leave a depression in the head of the guy who came up with that headline.) The right is blaming the left, the left is blaming the right while the economy sinks further into its own sad malaise. If this were an old movie, Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney would be figuring out how to put on a show to boost neighborhood morale. In our world, however, everyone is just arguing with each other on the Internet.

The talking heads are right. After months and months of economic woe, endless wars, record unemployment, natural disasters and every single bit of information ever known or ever to be known about Casey Anthony -- the country is seriously bummed out. We can't even watch a sitcom without being bombarded with drug company commercials about all of the deadly health problems we might have.

We all need cheering up. This is bound to help.

It's All in a Name...

As opposed to Impertinent Cleaners & Laundry?

I've always loved this sign and the old-school vibe of the place. Now, it looks like it's undergoing a renovation. You can see the fresh, orange paint on the roof. Underneath, it now says Orange Grove Cleaners. Even if the old, blue sign disappears, this will always be Cordial Cleaners to me...

Overanalyzing

I'm not sure what I was trying to capture when I took this photograph. I think it had something to do with all those rectangles, straight lines, angles and sharp edges broken up by the organic, freeform curve of that tree. Something grabbed in late afternoon with bright light compressing the three dimensions into flat picture plane. Something arty, referring to nature vs. city.

Or maybe I just liked that street lamp.

Classic Ride

Cruise on over to my column at Patch. This week, I muse about South Pasadena's penchant for old cars, and the city's historical significance in Southern California's changing transportation landscape. Be sure to check out the video for a collection of gorgeous vintage automobiles. (It should post sometime before lunch today.)

Here's an idea...

Maybe the people at Comerica Bank will have an idea of how to fix the Fair Oaks construction debacle. Just look at how beautifully they restored our historic building on the corner of Fair Oaks and Mission. (Rosettes and all!)