Whether you’re in the mood for ethnic restaurants, funky boutique shopping or historical museum tours, Pasadena has proven it is the new place to be.

Nature and art are blooming in the City of Roses, proving there is more to Pasadena than football and float parades. With a revitalization of tiny bistros, turn-of the-century craftsman home tours, gardens, museums and a chic open-air shopping, dining and entertainment plaza-- Pasadena has become the rival of Los Angeles metro as the southern Californian destination.

At the turn of the twentieth century Pasadena was the Newport, Rhode Island, winter playground for the rich and famous of the East. William Wrigley of chewing gum fame and transcontinental railroad magnate Henry Huntington built chateau-like mansions. They are now open to the public for viewing, along with Proctor & Gamble’s David Gamble craftsman home, the internationally acclaimed masterpiece of early 20th century Arts and Crafts movement leaders, architects Greene and Greene.

Located 15 minutes north of downtown Los Angeles, Pasadena is home to the Norton Simon Museum, the new Armory Center for the Arts for contemporary regional genre. Also, there is the Pasadena Museum of California Art (art, architecture and design), the Pacific Asia Museum, and, a highlight, the 200-acre Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens.

Shop Your Worries Away
For fun and shopping there’s Paseo Colorado, a hip open-air urban shopping village with strolling minstrels, puppet shows and mosaic fountains for kids to splash in. Its tiny boutiques range from Tommy Bahama and Jaloux/Zalu to Planet Funk, Quicksilver Boardriders Club and A Snail’s Pace Running Shop.

Besides an anchor of a grand Macy’s, it also houses a 14-screen cinema complex and, for time-out, one can choose from over a dozen dining choices including P.F. Chang’s China Bistro and the popular Border Grill, creation of the renowned team, the "Too Hot Tamales" Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken.

The Old Pasadena Historic Area, along Colorado Boulevard, dating back to the 1870's, has been revitalized into a unique 20-block array of quaint alleyways, funky clothing stores, ethnic restaurants, outdoor cafes, boutiques and specialty shops. A great place for lunch is DeLacey’s Club 41 for deli sandwiches and salads. Dining favorites include Mi Piace, and Sorisso Trattoria for Italian, and Café Bizou, for continental fare. Evenings are jazzy and up-beat with sidewalks teaming with impromptu street minstrels and strollers getting into the act.

Take A Stroll Through History
The former home of the Huntingtons, the Huntington Library, is a treasure trove of rare and first edition books, including a Gutenberg Bible, an original by John James Audubon with bird paintings, original Shakespeare volumes and Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. In the Huntington Art Gallery featuring 18th Century portraits of British greats, visitors will marvel at Thomas Gainsborough’ Blue Boy, Sir Thomas Lawrence’s Pinkie and the grand Sarah Siddons as the Tragic Muse by Joshua Reynolds.

But the highlight is the gardens. Visitors should allow time to savor the serenity of the Japanese garden and house, replete with bell and bonsai display. Next roam the awesome cacti and succulents of the Desert Garden; the rose gardens and the Shakespeare retreat. Finally, just meander over grassy hillocks and admire the views of the city skyline and mountain backdrop.

A guided tour of the Gamble House will take visitors back to an era of master artisans and craftsmen of 1908, the masterpiece of brother architects Charles and Henry Green. Rare and exotic woods were hand-rubbed to a satin finish and joined by wood, never nails. Decorated with Tiffany lamps, the house contains the original furniture designed by the Greenes, each piece incorporating the architectural elements of the specific room for which it was created.

Nearby, on Orange Grove Boulevard, once christened "Millionaire’s Row" (and the start of the Rose Parade), is the ornate Italian Renaissance Wrigley Mansion, built between 1908 and 1914. Located on 4.5 acres, the 18,500-square-foot-home today is the headquarters for the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association.

The home has been restored to its original grandeur with its Romanian walnut paneling, alabaster lighting fixtures, Florentine Italian marble fireplace, Venetian chandelier and the original antique Chinese watercolor wallpaper. The home is open for touring from February to August, however, its fragrant gardens of roses and camellias are open to visitors year-round.

If You're Still Craving More
Want more architectural delights? "Ten Neighborhood Tours of Pasadena," each highlighting a diverse architectural style from Queen Anne Victorian, Frank Lloyd Wright, Greene and Greene and Craftsman bungalows, are featured for driving or hoofing it on the Pasadena Convention & Visitors Bureau’s Web site. Many buildings will be familiar as shooting locations for films, television and commercials.

Pasadena’s art district is mostly accessible by foot. The Pasadena Museum of California Art is adjacent to the Pacific Asia Museum and is a block north of the Paseo Colorado shopping village. A few blocks west in Old Pasadena is the Armory Center for the Arts,and a few blocks farther west is the Norton Simon. A free shuttle service, Pasadena ARTS buses, conveniently access the sites.

For nature lovers, there’s the tranquil Arroyo Seco, situated below the historic 1913 Colorado Street Bridge, spanning the pass carved out of a great gorge, a favorite for hiking, fishing and hunting.

But for a treat and a splurge at $52 a head, The Langham Huntington offers the piece de resistance of Sunday brunches in its Terrace dining room. Lavish platters of exquisitely decorated offerings cascade down the staircase leading to a buffet of hand-rolled-in-front-of-you sushi, personalized omelettes and waffles, a smorgasbord of salads, hand carved meats and fruits and picture-perfect pastries. A perfect ending to a serendipitous weekend in a city blossoming in art...and so much more.

An award-winning freelance writer, Judy Florman’s credits include: Coastal Living, Executive Traveler, Westways, Home and Away,Women in the Outdoors, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune and many others.