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Southern California Close-Ups | A vacation guide to the Southland

This western edge of the San Gabriel Valley and the area near it can fool you. Beyond the stillness at the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens, behind all those handsome old Craftsman facades, there's no telling what the restless minds and bodies of this valley will come up with next. Earthquake measures. Exploding dumplings.

Begin your own explorations with these 10 micro-itineraries for Pasadena and its environs. This is the 11th installment in our yearlong series of Southern California Close-ups. We will wind up the year on Christmas with a look at Hollywood. Read more...

-- Christopher Reynolds, Los Angeles Times staff writer

10 micro-itineraries

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1. Greene, Greene and greenery. To see why the Arroyo Seco is so central to the Pasadena state of mind, join the early-morning dog-walkers for some vigorous striding along South Arroyo Boulevard near Arbor Street, where grand old trees tower above grand old houses. On your way in and out, look up at the stylish old U.S. courthouse (125 S. Grand Ave.) and imagine when it was the Vista del Arroyo Hotel or, before that, Emma Bangs' boardinghouse. Click for more...

2. Rodin, Rembrandt, Simon & Co. For a lot of top-notch art in a small place, you can't beat the Norton Simon Museum (411 W. Colorado Blvd.). It begins out front with "The Burghers of Calais," Rodin's 1884 bronze celebration of heroic yet human politicians (yes, you read that right). Click for more...

3. Old bricks, national chains, nightly jazz. In Old Pasadena, scads of national chains occupy the historic facades along Colorado Boulevard, and sidewalks are filled with pedestrians day and night. To find homegrown merchants and eateries, check the old brick alleys and side streets or sign onto a Melting Pot Food Tour. Click for more...

4. The bowl, the market, the path. Now nearing 90, the Rose Bowl is in the middle of a renovation, but the sports continue. Besides hosting the Rose Bowl football game every January, the stadium is home field for UCLA football. Click for more...

5. Shopping, splurging and the synchrotron. Shopping South Lake Avenue is like surfing: Someone is going to tell you how much better it was before you came. And life was certainly good in the '90s, when retailers thrived and the Huntington hotel and Ritz-Carlton were linked. But now is not bad. The former Ritz, now the Langham Huntington Pasadena (1401 S. Oak Knoll Ave.), stands on 23 genteel acres and specializes in spa indulgences and twinkling holiday decorations. Click for more...

6. Fast track, steep climb, slow town. There's a gambler or a horse lover in every family, right? If it's racing season (Dec. 26-April 22), take him, her or them to Santa Anita Park (285 W. Huntington Drive, Arcadia), where Seabiscuit once galloped to glory and the view of the San Gabriels is reliably gorgeous. Click for more...

7. Peacocks and dumplings. Tired of people? Try peacocks and cycads instead. At the 127-acre L.A. County Arboretum & Botanic Garden (301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia), you can do that, inspect reflections on Baldwin Lake and read up on the life, times and wives of local pioneer Lucky Baldwin, whose land this once was. Click for more...

8. Eggs in Eagle Rock, granite in Glendale. Start in hipster-heavy Eagle Rock, just west of Pasadena, with a comfort breakfast at Auntie Em's (4616 Eagle Rock Blvd.). Swing past tiny Occidental College (two blocks east at 1600 Campus Road), where the Marx Brothers filmed "Horsefeathers" in 1932 and undergrad Barack Obama studied from 1979-81. Click for more...

9. Bed, breakfast, ice cream and coffee. South Pasadena (picture Mayberry with yoga) may inspire daydreams about moving in. But first, get breakfast at Heirloom Bakery (807 Meridian Ave.). Stroll on highly walkable Mission Street, Meridian Avenue and El Centro Street, and maybe break for a snack at Buster's Ice Cream & Coffee Stop (1006 Mission St.). Click for more...

10. Home of the Huntington. When in San Marino (median household income: about $159,000 a year), why not loll like a 1-percenter? Have an elegant breakfast at Julienne (2649 Mission St.) or get a meal to go from its gourmet market and head for nearby Lacy Park, a 30-acre refuge of tall trees and paths well-suited to beginning bicyclists. Either way, leave plenty of time for the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens. Click for more...

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