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.

Dancing in the Park

Sunday evening was the final night of summer concerts in Garfield Park for 2008. The Surfin Safaris rocked our little hamlet with enough ripping surf tunes to ollie a tube all the way here from Santa Monica. It was a great scene with plenty of food, fun and families. The guys in my photo had a blast hanging loose during the last set.

Craftsman Detail

If you move to South Pasadena, chances are you have an affinity (possibly bordering on obsession) for the Arts and Crafts movement. You’ll find hundreds of Craftsman homes in these few square miles, one after another, tucked humbly under generations-old shade trees like little zen mushrooms.

There are so many reasons to love this period in design. For one thing, it’s inherently rebellious. While scholars tend to place the beginning of the movement to William Morris’ 1850’s Red House, the true genesis has to be around a quarter century earlier when an upstart architect named Augustus Pugin had the gall to criticize the emerging industrial revolution. He said it was a wedge that separated designer/artist from worker. From his (and every humanist’s) point of view, division of labor cheated workers out of any sense of connectedness to their work. With tasks divvied up, laborers never saw a project through from beginning to end. Time-honored principles of design and quality were out. In? A new zeal for economy and profit. (Hmmmm… sound familiar?)

It’s no wonder the “revolution through art and design” went viral. The idea was simple: find joy in work, create well-designed things that everyone could afford, live simply, stay connected to nature and maintain an integrity of “place.” These ideas transformed architectural thought.

Since the movement emphasized a spiritual attunement with one’s surroundings, home should compliment nature and offer sanctuary from the mechanized urban squalor where so many people went to work. Gustav Stickley believed that a home reduced to its simplest state was one that had “a character so natural and unaffected that it seems to blend with any landscape.” The Victorian home screamed “Look at me!” The Craftsman home whispered, “Don’t mind me…”

The bungalow – a term dating back to simple structures with porches used in 19th Century India – exemplifies the Arts and Crafts ethos. Made of natural materials with pitched roofs, exposed rafters, handcrafted woodwork and art glass, Craftsman bungalows are truly grand in their simplicity. And the San Gabriel Valley is loaded with them.

It’s difficult to photograph these buildings because they so deftly blend with their surroundings. Take a photo of a street full of Craftsman houses and you’ll end up looking at a hodgepodge of pretty browns and greens, of porches that tuck deep into shadow and sloping rooftops that bounce the sunlight skyward (and into your camera.) Like all magical things, the Craftsman home is impossible to capture.

But I’ll try. I look forward to posting many (many!) images of my town’s historic gems. Let’s start here with a simple image that highlights a few wonderful Craftsman details: a deep set porch under exposed rafters, perfect for long afternoons spent enjoying the temperate Southern California weather. River rock posts. Muted colors. That whimsical shape of the trim around the Mission style door and window. .

Simple. Beautiful.

Wild Garden

Sometimes it pays to peek over a neighbor’s fence. No well-watered impatiens, no mulched beds or pruned rose bushes, not even a hardy geranium for a splash of pink. Those are all nice, but so is this effusion of carefree summer green. We gardeners edit -- but Mother Nature has fun with stream of consciousness landscaping.

Settings: Part 1

Everywhere I turn in South Pasadena, I see a great setting for a movie. No wonder the film industry loves this town. There are so many picturesque spots.

Here we have Husco German Auto Service on Mission. I’m sure it’s a fine place to have the oil changed in your Audi. But it looks like a backdrop for something -- expecially in black and white. So here’s a challenge: what do you think happens in this scene?

Out of the Closet Thrift Store

How's this for a groovy neon sign? Proudly self-described as “the world’s most fabulous thrift store,” Out of the Closet is one of Southern California’s treasures. Since 1990, what started as a single store (and a great idea) has grown into a chain with outlets all over Southern California, Northern California and most recently Florida. The organization is owned and operated by AIDS Healthcare Foundation -- the largest specialized provider of AIDS treatment and advocacy regardless of patient ability to pay. Sales from the stores raise funds for the medical and counseling services AHF provides. Four thrift store locations even offer confidential free HIV testing utilizing a state of the art rapid response test with results in 20 minutes, and counseling available in a private area of the store. Since the height of the AIDS crisis, Out of the Closet has been an excellent source of HIV support and information. The South Pasadena store is located on Fair Oaks, across from Vons.

Way back in the early 90s I found all kinds of fantastic clothes at the store in West Hollywood. (I still love my 1950s black satin full-length gloves and matching clutch.) I discovered a 1930s pink art deco lusterware teapot, sugar bowl and creamer there… for $18! You just never know what you'll find at one of these stores. Each one still manages to deliver amazing finds when – after decades of Boho chic and the resulting raid on all things vintage -- most other thrift stores are well picked over. Shop there. Donate there. I think the world needs more of this kind of big-hearted and innovative thinking.

Bistro de la Gare

Bistro de la Gare is one of my favorite restaurants. Located literally steps from the Mission Gold Line station, it features simple French fare served by complicated French waiters in an atmosphere so cozy you definitely feel like kissing both cheeks of whoever you came with. In my experience, too many Los Angeles eateries try way too hard to impress. (Don’t get me started on the ‘Free Range Escargot” on a menu in another French restaurant in L.A.) Here, the warm red walls, beaded vintage light fixtures, antique carved wine bar and flickering red candles come together to make a perfectly lovely, authentic, unassuming setting. And the food? Délicieux! I’ve only been for dinner (savor a glass of Châteauneuf-Du-Pape with your Coeur de Filet Sauce Marchand de Vin) but I understand that for petit déjeuner the bistro's version of Eggs Benedict is out of this world.

Bring someone you love.

What should they do?

Well I'm glad that's settled!

This proclamation jumped out at me from the window of the Fast Frame shop on Mission. I know it refers to photographs or works in an art collection but the message is open to interpretation. If this building were to be unearthed by archaeologists in the next millennium, future civilizations might think our world had a strange set of priorities. (Hey, who knows what the words inscribed at the temple at Delphi really meant...)

The Meridian Iron Works

South Pasadena claims to have the oldest and most historic sites in the San Gabriel Valley. The Meridian Iron Works building is one of the town’s first structures, and it’s a charmer. It was built in 1887, about a year before South Pasadena became the 6th incorporated Los Angeles County municipality. First it was a grocery store and hotel, then later it was modified into a blacksmith and iron works shop. Today it serves as the South Pasadena Historical Museum . Funded and operated by the South Pasadena Preservation Society, the museum displays a permanent collection of artifacts from the earliest history of South Pas and the entire San Gabriel Valley. Occasionally the museum will show private collections. This past July, it hosted free outdoor movie nights on the adjacent lawn. It has a great selection of post cards, vintage photographs and other souvenirs.

The museum is open from 1-4 on Saturday and 3-8 on Thursday. Admission is free. (Stop in after shopping the Farmer’s Market!)

Kaldi

Kaldi is a fantastic coffee house across from the South Pasadena Public Library. (Petrea over at Pasadena Daily Photo has a wonderful shot from the inside looking out.) The coffee is strong, the employees are friendly and the music is always eclectic and interesting. I find something irresistibly French New Wave about the place … like Truffaut and Godard should be sitting out front smoking and arguing about who will edit Cahiers du Cinéma…

Or maybe just hanging out with these guys.

Personally, I think the trees upstage the actors...

When you live in the greater Los Angeles area, you get used to seeing film and TV crews. They’re everywhere. And it makes sense -- this is the world entertainment capital, and the region has some very notable scenery. Think about how many times you’ve watched a movie or show and seen the Santa Monica Pier or Rodeo Drive or the Pacific Coastal Highway.

But what happens when a production wants to shoot something that doesn’t look like Los Angeles? (I’ll sidestep discussing the trend of moving production jobs from Los Angeles to cheaper Toronto… ) What happens when a production needs a nearby location that looks, well, far away from Southern California? Perhaps even far away from the present time?

Hello South Pasadena!

The South Pasadena Film Office promotes our town as “Anywhere, USA” complete with a vintage art deco high school and “many tree lined streets without palm trees.” Not only that, it’s a one-stop shop for filmmakers: the police, public works and fire department are all handled by the Film Liaison. The film permit forms are even available online.

South Pas has quite a resume: Gone With the Wind, Legally Blonde 1 and 2, Back to the Future, The Player, The Terminator, Halloween, Bruce Almighty, Desperate Housewives, Flags of Our Fathers, Big Love, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Landscapers Challenge! (Just to name a few.) New productions roll in every month.

That's a pretty great career. Especially considering South Pasadena is waaaaaaaay over 30...

Speed Metal

City Daily Photo's Theme Day today is Metal.

It's a perfect excuse to post this photo from the recent South Pasadena Clean Air Car Show. Global warming? From this vantage point the future looks pretty cool.

Be sure to check out theme day entries from other Daily Photo bloggers around the globe: Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.