Pasadena’s “Secret” Japanese Garden Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden – Pasadena Visited: January 21, 2016 Always on the search for new gardens, I was alerted by a Facebook post about a garden I had never heard of and only located only ten minutes from our house in Pasadena.  Far from being new, […]

Thoroughly Modern MaiTai The Broad – Los Angeles Visited: December 1, 2015 My life has been turned upside down. If you read my Spain report (or any of my trip reports for that matter), you know Tracy and I are not aficionados of contemporary art. From the Fundació Joan Miró […]

Getting To See An “American” Icon Santa Anita Park “Seabiscuit Tour” – Arcadia It’s not often (if ever) you get to see a Triple Crown winner up close (especially since there is only one horse currently alive who has accomplished that feat), but Tracy and I hoped we would get […]

 “The Battleship Of Presidents” Battleship USS IOWA Museum – San Pedro My dad was a naval officer who served in World War II on Guadalcanal, so the Navy (and especially naval vessels) have always held a special interest for me. Tracy and I toured the USS Midway in San Diego […]

Getting On Track Union Station – Los Angeles Having already been on a couple of Los Angeles Conservancy tours in the past, Tracy and I headed downtown on a Saturday morning to check out an historic Los Angeles landmark that celebrated its 75th birthday in 2014. For this tour, we’d […]

A Ringing Endorsement Of Friendship Korean Bell Of Friendship – San Pedro It had been quite some time since I had traveled to San Pedro, but when Tracy and I finally did, we certainly made a day of it.  We visited the USS Iowa, Point Fermin Lighthouse, Fort MacArthur and […]

Everything’s Coming Up Roses The Rose Parade – Pasadena When you grow up and live in the Pasadena area for most of your 60 years, there is no way to escape going to the Rose Parade. Believe me, I know! I’m not sure exactly how many Rose Parades I’ve been […]

Controversial Statue Comfort Women Statue – Glendale During World War II, it is estimated that up to 200,000 Asian women and girls were forced to be sex slaves by the Japanese Imperial Army, although Japan disputes that fact.  In July 2013, the city of Glendale unveiled a statue of a […]

The Curtain Rises Pasadena Playhouse – Pasadena On a small street off Pasadena’s famed Colorado Blvd. you will find the Official State Theater of California, the Pasadena Playhouse. I have been lucky enough to see a plethora of plays there since I was a little boy growing up in the […]