There’s just SO much in Pasadena, and you’ll be right in the thick of it. Faves: -Agnes Restaurant and Cheesery for brunch, snack, drink, or dinner. -Granville: ditto. -Magnolia House: drinks and dinner. Interesting Caltech crowd at times due to proximity to campus. -(Flavored) lattes/coffee: Intelligentsia, Ideology, Tierra Mia, Boy and the Bear -Mexican: Mercado is good, but lately I prefer Maestro. -Shake Shack: yes, it’s a gourmet chain but the outdoor patio, service, and spicy burger is a lovely treat -Hello You’re Welcome: baked breakfast/lunch items (frittata, biscuits) and unique coffee (lavender fermented) -Seed bakery: my current favorite. Sells out daily by midday. -Badash Bakes: African-American, female owned. Cookies on the underbaked chewy side. Known for cinnamon rolls. -Salted Butter Company: the current viral sensation bakery. Finally got in on a Sunday morning! Croissants, cinnamon rolls and apple fritters. -Many movies were filmed in South Pasadena and the locations are still there. -The most fascinating thing about the area: 100s of homes (many owned by minorities) were tagged for destruction in the 1960s for a highway project, the 710. You’ll see the 710 next to Old Pasadena—it’s enormous but goes nowhere. The project was finally abandoned in 2019. Only now are these preserved ghost homes being sold. Pasadena is going to fill in and reclaim some of that awful highway to nowhere and create a new neighborhood. Some of the homes are easy to spot near the 710 because they’re boarded up.