Britto’s Artwork Exhibited At Paseo Colorado

Pasadena's beautiful Paseo Colorado recently hosted a stop on the traveling tour of world famous artist Romero Britto's tour of the United States. The traveling exhibit featured 12 of Britto's colorful sculptures displayed throughout the main plaza.





The Paseo's welcoming open-air setting was the perfect venue for the exhibit, as visitors strolled through the plaza enjoying the pieces.








The Paseo's wide pathway, flanked on either side by three-story soft brown buildings, made a natural viewing area as families strolled down the path admiring the artwork, while kids circled the pieces and got photographed around them.








Pasadena's stunning City Hall and the wide boulevard leading to the city's impressive Central Library formed the backdrop on one side of the exhibit area, while the beautiful Civic Auditorium and new Convention Center plaza anchored the other side.








Britto is a well known contemporary artist who has done portraits for celebrities like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Jordan and Roger Federer, as well as for multiple international brands.

A Few Interesting Events - May 13

Last Wednesday, May 13, there were a few cool events that took place around Pasadena:

Distant Lands Hosts Arthur Frommer
Distant Lands is one of the best travel bookstores in Southern California. Packed with a fantastic selection of foreign and domestic travel books, the all-purpose facility also sells a wide array of essential travel accessories, as well as a great selection of maps, luggage and clothes. The facility also hosts a branch of the student-focused STA Travel agency.

Arthur Frommer, one of the most famous travel experts in the world and creator of the renowned “Frommer’s Travel Guides,” presented a special in-store speech about traveling. Frommer recent unveiled his new book “Ask Arthur Frommer.”

Distant Lands is located at:

56 S. Raymond Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91105
626-449-3220
www.distantlands.com


Culture Night at Pasadena City College
Pasadena City College (PCC) hosted “Culture Night” from 6:30-9 p.m. The event put the spotlight on PCC’s plethora of cultures and included demonstrations of traditional dance, modern dance, cultural music, art and an international fashion show. The event was put on to raise awareness of the college’s multiple cultures.

Pasadena City College is located at:

1570 E. Colorado Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91106
626-585-7334
www.pasadena.edu

South Pasadena Eclectic Music Festival and Art Walk

On Saturday, May 9, I headed down to South Pasadena and checked out the inaugural South Pasadena Eclectic Music Festival and Art Walk. The local festival brought out a ton of locals and families, and was quite an entertaining afternoon/evening. Multiple stages were set up at three locations along the city’s Mission Street; one in the parking lot of Citizens Business Bank, one at the Mission Gold Line Station and one at Trader Joes.



Local artist provided a range of musical entertainment, while several of the art galleries along the Mission Street art district threw open their doors and showcased their amazing works of art. In addition, a few local restaurants set up food stands at each of the stages.



The stage in the Citizens Business Bank parking lot had a good turnout and folks were really into the music. The food and drink stands were doing a decent amount of business and almost every table was full.



The stage at the Mission Street Gold Line Station had less space, but was nestled amongst the trees next to the tracks, with the chairs set up on the grass next to the South Pasadena Historical Museum. The setting was perfect for music and the setting sun cast the area in a beautiful light. Families mingled around enjoying the music and eating delicious entries from the Italian and Thai food stands, while the next door metro station periodically welcomed north and south bound commuter trains.



Unfortunately I wasn't able to view the stage at the Trader Joes, but the city did provide a good shuttle service that took people around to the three stages roughly every 10 minutes.
Nine art galleries threw open their doors and welcomed visitors to tour and view the wonderful creations of local artists. Throughout the event, visitors also got to sample delicious wine and beer from two local businesses; the San Antonio Winery and Angel City Brewery.

Overall the event appeared to be quite successful and I certainly hope that the city makes this an annual event. The charm of Mission Street mixed with the wonderful music, beautiful art and great food to make for a very enjoyable event!

Here are a few additional photos from the event:

Grand Opening of Westfield-Santa Anita’s New “Promenade”

Westfield–Santa Anita is a large shopping center a few miles east of Pasadena in the neighboring city of Arcadia. From Thursday, May 7 – Sunday, May 10, the center hosted the Grand Opening of its new outdoor “Promenade.”



The family-friendly Promenade is a great new addition to the complex and is extremely well designed! It is perfect for a place like Southern California, with its gorgeous weather practically all year long.

The open-air Promenade consists of a winding path separated by beautiful vegetation, with a wonderful selection of stores on either side. The sun-drenched buildings blend beautifully with the towering mountains in the background, and there are plenty of seats and benches to relax on.



The Promenade features 30 new stores and restaurants, with Nordstrom and Macy’s anchoring either end. The stores feature something for everyone and range from popular clothing distributors like Abercrombie & Finch, Gap and Banana Republic, to specialty shops like Teavana (amazing tea distributor), Williams & Sonoma (cookware) and Clarks (shoes for men, women and children).

For the Grand Opening, the facility featured a stage with live music performances throughout the weekend. Friday evening featured an amazing performance by the California Philharmonic, culminating in a beautiful piece by Mozart. On Saturday afternoon, guests were entertained by the Radio Disney Street Team, including a special performance by popular performer Savannah.

Throughout the weekend, several stores had special deals and giveaways going on, with Foreign Exchange enjoying a steady stream of visitors. Teavana provided complimentary samples of some of their teas; I highly recommend the Samurai Mate Chai! In addition, the restaurants shared samples of some of their delicious creations on Friday afternoon.



There are a few stores that haven’t opened yet, but will be coming later this year. These include Dolci Mango, which is slated to open this summer, and Bose, which should be opening in the fall. In addition, the complex is planning on hosting periodic music events throughout the year and at special times like holidays.

The Promenade at Westfield Mall–Santa Anita is located at 400 S. Baldwin Ave., in Arcadia. The shopping center’s website is: www.westfield.com/santaanita.

If you’re looking for a great selection of stores and restaurants in a fantastic outdoor setting that’s perfect for San Gabriel Valley’s climate, definitely head over to the new Promenade and check it out!

Here are some additional photos of the Promenade and its Grand Opening weekend:

Hello

Hello everyone,

I would like to welcome everyone to "Around Pasadena," a blog dedicated to highlighting the many fun events, fairs, festivals and personalities taking place in the great city of Pasadena, California and neighboring areas.

Besides posting information about recent/upcoming events, I'll also be heading out and taking some photographs around the beautiful city of Pasadena, California, as well as the nearby areas of Altadena (above Pasadena) and South Pasadena (below Pasadena).

Have a cool start to the week and I'll chat with y'all again soon!