Exploring Pasadena, A California Staycation

 

Pasadena is relatively close to where I live in Los Angeles and during COViD I explored more of it. You may think of Pasadena as the place for the Rose Bowl football game, the Tournament of Roses Parade as well as the place where Jet Propulsion lab, Caltech and ArtCenter College of Design make change happen!

Recently, I spent the day at the Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens. The grounds are vast with 120 acres of botanical gardens, 42,000 works of art, 11 million library objects, 7 million manuscripts. It seemed like I had traveled to another country. The Chinese garden made me feel like I was transported back to my travels in Beijing and beyond. I also loved the Japanese Gardens, the Rose Garden and the Desert Gardens. I cannot wait to return.

Susan and I decided to catch up on all of our missed celebrations during COVID with a lovely dinner at Nick’s Restaurant after our day at the Huntingon.

https://youtu.be/O3VQvxvDo6g

I was able to walk in Arlington Garden with my Ms. Magazine editor, Carmen. We especially loved the labyrinth.

Arlington Garden is a three acre garden on Caltrans-owned land. It is leased to the City of Pasadena and entrusted by the city to Arlington Garden in Pasadena, a non-profit 501(c)3 corporation. This garden is not only friendly to people and pets but also serves as a refuge for Pasadena’s native fauna. Birds, bees and butterflies are particularly abundant and can be seen throughout the year.

Arlington Garden was developed in collaboration between Arlington Garden in Pasadena, City of Pasadena, Pasadena Department of Public Works, and Pasadena Water & Power, with help from Pasadena Beautiful Foundation and the Mediterranean Garden Society. Continued support comes from garden clubs, local businesses, nurseries, neighbors and friends.

Where is your favorite California staycation?
See my adventures in Joshua Tree National Park and Death Valley National Park

Lisa Ellen Niver

Lisa Niver is an award-winning travel expert who has explored 102 countries on six continents. This University of Pennsylvania graduate sailed across the seas for seven years with Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean, and Renaissance Cruises and spent three years backpacking across Asia. Discover her articles in publications from AARP: The Magazine and AAA Explorer to WIRED and Wharton Magazine, as well as her site WeSaidGoTravel. On her award nominated global podcast, Make Your Own Map, Niver has interviewed Deepak Chopra, Olympic medalists, and numerous bestselling authors, and as a journalist has been invited to both the Oscars and the United Nations. For her print and digital stories as well as her television segments, she has been awarded three Southern California Journalism Awards and two National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards and been a finalist twenty-two times. Named a #3 travel influencer for 2023, Niver talks travel on broadcast television at KTLA TV Los Angeles, her YouTube channel with over 2 million views, and in her memoir, Brave-ish, One Breakup, Six Continents and Feeling Fearless After Fifty.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

We Said Go Travel