Culture

Pasadena has some of the most captivating museums and gardens in Los Angeles County.  Learn and discover what makes Pasadena Lifestyle and Culture a way of living.

The Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens, San Marino

Last modified on 2010-02-09 05:25:25 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens is an educational and research institution established by Henry E. Huntington in San Marino, California, USA. In addition to the library, the site houses an art collection strong in English portraits and French eighteenth-century furniture and botanical gardens that feature North America’s strongest collection of cycads.

Huntington Art Gallery
Once the house of Henry E. Huntington (1850–1927) and his second wife, Arabella (1850–1924), the Huntington Art Gallery opened in 1928 displaying what was then the greatest collection of 18th-century British art in the country, including the celebrated Blue Boy by Thomas Gainsborough and Pinkie by Thomas Lawrence. Since then the collections have grown enormously and now contain many great works of art of the Italian, French and Netherlandish schools, as well as a much broader range of British art and design from the 17th to the early 20th century.

After a $20 million renovation, the gallery offers visitors an enhanced experience with one of the finest collections of European art in the nation as well as a more accurate sense of the lifestyle of one of the most prominent millionaires of the early 20th century. In addition to a thoroughly updated infrastructure, the refurbished mansion includes 5,300 additional square feet of public space, new interpretive components, and new gallery presentations of approximately 1,200 objects of European art from the 15th to the early 20th century.

Library Exhibition Hall
At the heart of The Huntington is the Library, which contains more than 6 million manuscripts, books, photographs and other works in the fields of American and British history, literature, art, and the history of science, medicine, and technology. The Library Exhibition Hall showcases more than 300 of the most outstanding rare books and manuscripts in the collection. Among these treasures are the Ellesmere manuscript of Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales (c.1410); a Gutenberg Bible (c.1455); a world-class collection of early editions of Shakespeare; original letters of Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, and Lincoln; an unsurpassed collection of materials relating to the history of the American West; and outstanding holdings in the history of science and technology.

The Pacific Asia Museum

Last modified on 2010-02-09 05:57:39 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Pacific Asia Museum

Located east of Old Town on Los Robles in Pasadena, the Pacific Asia Museum has a permanent collection of over 15,000 objects. Since it’s opening in 1971, the museum houses its collections and temporary exhibits in a historic building that was constructed in 1924.

Aside from the collections of rare art, the Pacific Asia Museum has a varying schedule of lectures, performances, and classes, which include different types of art instruction, yoga, meditation, and haiku study groups. Pacific Asia Museum calendar of events.

Admission
Tickets to Pacific Asia Museum may be purchased upon entrance.
Discounts are available for students and seniors.
•$9 for General Admission
•$7 for Students and Seniors
Free for Children Ages 11 and Under
Admission to Pacific Asia Museum is free to all visitors on the fourth Friday of each month

Fred Astaire Dance Studio, Pasadena

Last modified on 2010-02-09 05:50:45 GMT. 2 comments. Top.

The Fred Astaire dance studio in Pasadena offers classes for people of all ages that want to learn many forms of dance. Fred Astaire is a ballroom studio that teaches ballroom, rhythm, Latin, including popular dances such as Foxtrot, Waltz, Quickstep, West Coast Swing, East Coast Swing, American Tango, Argentine Tango, Samba, Rumba, Salsa, Cha-Cha, Bolero, Country, and many others.

In consideration towards dance studios in Pasadena, Fred Astaire seems to provide a larger studio space in comparison to other dance studios in the area. They also have social events, including “Club Social”, where all dancers come to practice the dances they’ve been working on to get a chance to break out all you’ve worked so hard to learn and have fun with your friends. Food and Beverages are included with a $10 cover.

From beginner, to advanced, to professional levels, whatever you want from dancing, they seem to offer it, including:

•learning how to dance as a beginner
•social dancing for fun
•becoming a better salsa dancer for night clubs
•becoming a better dancer at public ballroom dances
•working on a dance for a wedding
•sending your kids to learn ballroom dance
•taking your existing dance skills to a higher level
•joining a team to work on a show or event- dance sport competitions locally and across the USA.

Dance Center of Pasadena
1368 North Lake Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91104
(626) 797-4700
www.pasadenadance.com

ERICA SWANSON

RIVAS & ASSOCIATES

Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles

Last modified on 2010-03-03 01:49:28 GMT. 16 comments. Top.

Griffith Observatory

Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles

Now this is a great place to get to know Los Angeles!  When you decide to visit the Los Angeles Griffith Observatory, make sure you bring a comfortable pair of shoes to do a lot of walking in.  Two things can happen which may cause you to be on your feet for a while.  For starters, parking is not always the best at the Griffith Observatory.  It is a hot spot since there are many amazing things to do and admission to the Griffith Observatory and the grounds is free.  Once in a while, you can bypass the beautiful scenic walk from your parking spot when the parking lot entrance isn’t blocked off.  However, consider it a blessing to see the amazing Los Angeles views, including the Hollywood sign, as you make your way to the hill where your destination lies.  The second time you may find yourself on your feet for a while is if you get intrigued by one of various Los Angeles hiking trails just off the Observatory’s grounds.  There are many Los Angeles hiking trails feeding into the surrounding mountains, and from these vantage points, the views are simply breathtaking!  You can admire the neighboring cities, gorgeous homes, horseback riders, bikers, hikers, adventurers, wildlife and the like.  You can also hike your way to the Hollywood sign.  Although access to the sign is restricted, you can get as close as the fence which encloses it.

Telescope Dome

Once you actually arrive at the Griffith Observatory, you will probably find yourself venturing the grounds and taking in the spectacular views of Downtown LA, Hollywood, Santa Monica, and the ocean.  At the right time of the day, you can see the glare of the sunlight reflecting from ocean’s surface.  What’s really fun is looking down over the city and trying to figure out what part of LA you are looking at, and maybe even planning what area to visit next!  There are several archways you can pass through to access small telescopes and to get a better view of the sites as well.  You’ll need some change for the small scopes!  In addition, stairways can get you to the roof where you can feel as if you are on top of the world, as well as catch a glimpse through a powerful telescope which is also free of charge.

Upon entry into the Observatory, you will be amazed by all there is to take in.  This is a wonderful place to learn the science of Astrology and connect with the Universe.  You’ll first come across the Pendulum swinging from the center of the building.  The Pendulum first proved that the Earth rotates on its axis.  You can witness the movement, even though you can’t feel it, as you watch the

Griffith Observatory Telescope Sign

Pendulum in action.  Make your way to some of the other exhibits where you can learn about energy, the sun, different solar systems, stars, and our moon!  You can also learn about the development of time-keeping and calendaring, seasons, eclipses, and other universal wonders.  On the lower level, visit the café and enjoy food and beverages from its indoor or outdoor seating.  For a nominal price, enjoy an educational laser light show and learn about the universe.  Make sure you check for scheduled times and instructions for the shows. 

Right now is a great time to buy with great incentives with the federal home buyer tax credit.  There are thousands of Pasadena area Homes for Sale and Condos.  If you need assistance in finding your next home, please Contact Us.

Pasadena Tournament of Roses

Last modified on 2010-02-09 05:44:50 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

The Tournament of Roses was started in 1890 as a way to advertise Southern California’s sunny, year-round weather. Pasadena began booming at the turn into the 20th century. The idea of having a flower festival in the middle of winter shows outsiders that Pasadena offers such a temperate climate.

The first Tournament of Roses was attended by 2,000 people. Estimates conducted by The Tournament of Roses and the Pasadena Police Department showed an attendance of 700,000, with 1 million visitors to Pasadena during the week of the parade, for 2009.

The 121st Tournament of Roses will take place on Friday, January 1st. This years Rose Queen is Natalie Innocenzi from Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy. Following the Pasadena Rose Parade will be the 96th Rose Bowl game; a match-up of the two top college football teams in the nation. Starting at 8am at Orange Grove Blvd, the 23 groups of assembled bands, horse units, and floats will take approximately 2.5 hrs to pass across the 5 1/2 route.

1 Comment for Culture

zaklady bukmacherskie | July 28, 2010 at 10:01 am

Great info, thanks for useful post. I am waiting for more

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