I began Day #9 with an early drive to Fullerton to meet up with Julie for a farther drive to Pasadena (over 200 miles were traversed on this glorious day).
Julie found a really awesome estate sale and while most of the true treasures had already been scooped up, we both left with some goodies of our own and a glimpse of a life well lived.David had exceptional taste. By ogling what he had to sell, along with the photos adorning his wall, we learned a great deal about this man. He was a professional photographer and he appreciated really cool things (I wish I would have been able to buy these Karin Rashid pieces).He also appeared to not have any heirs, sadly. One shelf in the garage held boxes of all his important paperwork, including one labeled genealogy.He also cared about his appearance, based on the wigs found in his dressing room and the amazing collection of cowboy boots. Estate sales can be viewed as sad unless the observer learns that the deceased used his time on earth well. I think David did. There was a joie de vivre in his possessions.I left, with among other things, a ukulele (which I intend to learn one day) and Julie added this groovy 1955 Pony 828 to her vintage camera collection.Lunch was a nostalgic stop for Julie. She visited her first Taco King, sometime right after Don Raúl and Doña Lupe opened their flagship restaurant in 1974. Their 50 year history is an interesting one.Raúl grew up playing in Liga de Fútbol Villa Madero while living in Mexico City. When they moved to California, they would drive to MacArthur Park to watch the locals play. With no food vendors close by, they would pack their tacos to-go and grill some carne asada while enjoying the matches - a typical custom in Mexico. When the games were done, the players began to line up to ask if they could purchase tacos. Raúl was inspired by the number of people who would remind him how difficult it was to find authentic Mexico City-style food in the city.Very long story short, the Mexican fast-food favorite has since expanded to 22 popular locations throughout Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties. Today, King Taco serves a wide variety of authentic Mexican foods, and has been recognized by prominent food critics. The glee on Julie's face, with the first memory evoking bite, was priceless.
After fueling up, we headed to the Old Town Flea Market.With only a dozen or so vendors, we were hoping for more but the day was spectacular and it was on our path anyway. Plus it brought us to Old Town Pasadena which is always a good thing.Honey from rescued bees... I love it.As we drove around town, our eyes were continuously drawn to this amazing structure. City Hall was designed by John Bakewell & Arthur Brown who were influenced by the early Renaissance style of 16th century Italian architect Andrea Palladio. Construction was completed on December 27, 1927. City Hall is a rectangular edifice outlining a spacious court. On the outside it measures 351 feet north and south, and 242 feet east and west. The east side is a one-story arcade. The other three sides are three stories high, with small towers at each corner and the main dome over the west entrance. The 235 rooms and passageways cover 170,000 square feet. Next visit, I plan to explore more.%20(Medium).jpg)
Here we also received a history lesson. These bronze portrait sculptures commemorate the lives of brothers, Jackie and Mack Robinson. Mack won the silver medal in the 200-meter race in the 1936 Olympics and Jackie, as most know, broke the color barrier in baseball when in 1947 he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers. Both are local boys. How amazing.
The entire Old Town is a historic district. Pasadena incorporated in 1886, largely as a measure to rid the city of its saloon. In the ensuing decade, amenities such as sewers, paved streets, and electric street lighting were installed. I need to be armed with a walking tour map to learn the history of each of its spectacular edifices. WOW.This building called my name, not so much for its architecture but for its original purpose.
Wood & Jones was founded in 1907 by New England pressman, Bert Wood and Canadian typographer, Fred Jones, on Pasadena's Mercantile Alley. A few years later, they established a large shop on Colorado Street (above), then something of a printers' row.
The next three generations of the Wood family watched the Tournament of Roses Parade pass by the shop’s front door on New Year’s Day. Today the historic building still stands at 139 West Colorado Boulevard, and the original Wood & Jones signage is visible on its façade. Typecraft’s current owner, JJ Gish, got his first job at Wood & Jones as a teenager. He later came back to work at the shop—and wound up buying the business. Very cool history!
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And the name? "When the ice cream maker first entered the scene in the United States, it was pretty low tech: a bucket of ice, some rock salt, and a lot of elbow grease. Salt lowers the freezing point of water; and super-cold water can freeze cream. The process was simple: Submerge a bucket of sweet cream into the super-cold salt water and use a crank to churn and a paddle to scrape the frozen treat. Then the ice cream was packed in layers of insulating hay, or straw, to harden in a cool place (since we didn't have freezers back then). Our name celebrates where ice cream came from. And Salt & Straw is where ice cream is going."
Bon Appétit said about it, "Salt & Straw may be the only ice cream chainlet in the country to claim the kind of cult following reserved for '80s movies or indie bands."
Julie still does vinyl so combine that with her love of midcentury modernism, a Pasadena trip had to include Canterbury Records.
The elder statesmen of the San Gabriel Valley record store scene, Canterbury Records was founded in 1956 by Leonard Gordon, and is currently owned by his four children. Co-owner Charles Gordon said that what sets Canterbury apart is its full catalog, from classical, big-band and musicals to the newest hits.Gordon said that customers of all ages and tastes visit Canterbury, and that the store is stocking more indie rock these days because it’s a genre that has embraced vinyl.Oh man, Tex Ritter, one of my Mom's favorites.Our last stop was at IKEA in Covina. It was an incredible store. I'm a fan of them all but this one has to be one of the grandest.This patio display, in the underground parking, just cracked me up. What a diverse day!How perfect that we just happened to be driving home past California State University, Fullerton as the sun was setting. It was here that Julie and I met almost 44 years ago. How can that be? Time flies when you're having fun!
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2 comments:
We were just in Pasadena. We met some friends there who were on their way to the desert. Had a late lunch at the golf course next to the Rose Bowl and watched the sun set. Glad you had fun!
P.S. You had a full day!
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