[dropcap size=big]W[/dropcap]ith its mild Mediterranean climate, Pasadena – also known as the City of Roses, thanks to the Rose Parade held every New Year’s Day since 1890 – was once home to resorts attracting scores of well-heeled Midwestern magnates and their families fleeing the chill in their hometowns. Many of those families stayed on, building homes and founding businesses that continue to flourish to this day. A prime example is late 19th-century railroad baron Henry E. Huntington, who built The Huntington Library and Gardens, and in 1914 also purchased, developed, and reopened the Huntington Hotel – today known as The Langham Huntington.

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The families’ presence gave the city a wealthy veneer, evidenced by stately mansions, manicured lawns and elegant tree-lined boulevards. However, this suburban idyll proved a double-edged sword, creating an image of a neighbourhood for the old rich, with traditional (read: boring) tastes to match. But in the last five years, a raft of craft coffee joints, artisanal bakeries and farm-to-table cafes infiltrating the historic downtown core of Old Pasadena and the main thoroughfare of East Colorado Boulevard is helping Pasadena to shed its image as a stodgy enclave.

Among these is decades-old The Raymond, with five-year-old adjoining watering hole Bar 1886 specialising in craft cocktails. The Raymond embodies the Pasadena paradox: It’s simultaneously oldschool and nouvelle. On the one hand, you get regulars and old-timers who drop in weekly for signature dishes like the 72-hour Braised Short Rib or Ribeye For Two. On the other hand, you get a young, slick crowd eager to get their drink on, while grazing on a selection of small plates.

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Foodie haunt The Raymond attracts a mix of regular diners, as well as a cocktail-seeking crowd.

Our favourite nibbles are the Octopus And Bone Marrow Bruschetta and Steamed Mussels With Angry Lady Sauce. For tipples, we recommend Maggie The Cat, a beautifully balanced concoction of citrus flavours and herbal bitters. Chef Tim Guiltinan offers a spread rooted in traditional French culinary techniques, inspired by seasonal ingredients and influenced by a variety of ethnic cultures.

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Maggie the Cat, a newly concocted house tipple, mixes citrus flavours with herbal notes.

Technique Restaurant, operated by students graduating from the Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts, offers a stronger sense of place. The restaurant occupies the ground floor of an historic, circa 1925 Beaux- Arts building that was once the headquarters of local newspaper firm Star-News.

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Technique Restaurant in downtown Pasadena is staffed mainly by graduating students of Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts.

A cavernous, canteen-style venue with an open kitchen has been carved out of the space, allowing diners to observe the students earnestly whipping up French-Californian fare. Part of the thrill in dining here is discovering the next big culinary talent, who – this being Los Angeles – might just find fame on television. Think Holli Ugalde (Hell’s Kitchen Season 7 winner) and Nathan Lyon (host of Discovery Health’s A Lyon in the Kitchen). Just remember, you had their food here first, and at very accessible prices too – US$10 (S$14) for a three-course Prix Fixe lunch and US$12 for the dinner option.

Vertical Wine Bistro is a stylish bolthole owned by film producer Gale Anne Hurd of The Walking Dead fame, though rest assured there are no zombies lurking around (we checked). With over 600 labels from the world’s main wine-growing regions available, the sheer choice may prove daunting. Executive chef Laurent Quenioux’s Europeantinged California bistro menu sees dishes like beef bourguignon offered alongside steamed whole maine lobster. For lighter fare, opt for the chef’s selection of charcuterie and artisanal cheeses.

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Pasadena is home to one of the world’s prestigious Le Cordon Bleu training houses.

Those itching for a caffeine fix will find their haven in the Pasadena outpost of Chicago-based Third Wave Coffee chain Intelligentsia, which opened four years ago. Then, it was an unexpected, but very welcome, addition to the city and a harbinger of things to come. The largest outlet in L.A., the cafe plays host to a comprehensive range of single origins, as well as items you don’t normally find at other artisanal coffee bars: a curated selection of craft beer and wine. For coffee fiends, we suggest ordering a cold brew, parking yourself in the outdoor seating area, and watching the world go by.

FOR THE LOVE OF ART

Pasadena is home to a vibrant – and glitzy – cultural scene, anchored by the Playhouse District. Within the 32 blocks of the district are institutions such as the Pasadena Playhouse (where Ariana Grande, Neil Patrick Harris and Taraji P. Henson have performed); the Pacific Asia Museum (where Asian and Pacific art and culture come together in a Chinese-style building); and the Ice House Comedy Club (where David Letterman, Jim Carrey, Jay Leno and Robin Williams have performed stand-ups).

Then there is the venerable Vroman’s Bookstore, a 121-year-old enterprise that’s the oldest independent bookseller in Southern California. The store is so deeply entrenched in the fabric of Pasadena life that locals have come to regard it as a sort of community centre, says Jennifer Ramos, Vroman’s promotional director. She adds: “The thing that we pride ourselves most on is the fact that all our employees love books so much that they’re able to recommend good reads to our customers. We have customers that have the same interests as particular employees, and they’ll seek those employees out when they’re looking for something new.”

The Staff Picks section is extremely popular and has built up somewhat of a cult following, thanks to the personalised, handwritten reviews posted by employees. In an era of e-books and iPads, this feature is charmingly anachronistic yet refreshing.

Farther west on Colorado Boulevard, you’ll find the Norton Simon Museum, home to one of the world’s finest private art collections with an inventory that would make any billionaire green with envy.

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Must-sees at the Norton Simon Museum include Tiepolo’s Mannerist masterpiece The Triumph Of Virtue and Nobility Over Ignorance.

Think Old Master paintings, Impressionist and Post-Impressionist pieces, and, intriguingly, an extensive collection of Indian and Indochinese sculptures. According to a museum spokesperson, founder Norton Simon, a wealthy industrialist from the late 20th century, fell in love with Indian art after marrying his second wife, actress Jennifer Jones Simon, a yoga practitioner and admirer of Indian culture. With about 12,000 works in the collection (though not all are on display), you could easily spend an entire afternoon immersed in art. Be sure to take a stroll through the delightful, sculpture-laden garden styled to resemble Monet’s Giverny.

Culture vultures should also devote some time to explore The Huntington Library and Gardens, a sprawling, 49ha estate established by railroad magnate Henry E. Huntington. He and his wife, Arabella, lived on-site until 1924, and a tour of the estate gives an insight into the extravagant lives of two of Pasadena’s most prominent early residents. The library is off-limits to visitors (unless you’re a qualified scholar or researcher), but the two galleries – The Huntington Art Gallery and the Virginia Steele Scott Galleries of American Art – are well worth a visit for their collections of 18thand 19th-century European art, and 17th- to mid 20th-century American art, respectively.

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A slice of Suzhou in Southern California at The Huntington Library and Gardens.

The gardens, which are divided into more than a dozen themes, are attractions unto themselves. The exquisite Japanese Garden, for instance, rivals Kyoto’s Okochi-Sanso Villa, while the Chinese Garden is reputed to make Suzhou’s Humble Administrator’s Garden pale in comparison. Aside from the Japanese and Chinese gardens, the naturally perfumed Rose Garden is not to be missed. Pasadena is the City of Roses, after all.

FARTHER AFIELD

A 20- to 30-minute drive from Pasadena takes you into downtown L.A., a rapidly gentrified neighbourhood where new lofts and luxury high-rises rub (uncomfortable) shoulders with the city’s seamier side in Skid Row.

In the Bunker Hill district, across the street from Frank Gehry’s space-age Walt Disney Concert Hall, sits The Broad (pronounced “Brode”), L.A.’s latest contemporary art museum that opened in September 2015. Designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, the New York firm most famous for the High Line in Manhattan, this 120,000 sq ft museum showcases Eli and Edythe Broad’s vast personal collection of over 2,000 contemporary art pieces. Blue-chip masterpieces abound, with pieces by the likes of Damien Hirst, Jeff Koons, Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, as well as the world’s largest collection of Cindy Sherman works on display. Entry is free, but it’s so popular that we’re told the next available session is in January 2016.

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The Broad, designed by New York firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro, houses about 2,000 pieces of contemporary art in a 120,000 square-foot space.

Thirty minutes from downtown lies the ritzy enclave of Beverly Hills and its main shopping drag Rodeo Drive, both of which need no introduction. Amid the ubiquitous brand-name boutiques on Rodeo, you’ll find gems like the House of Bijan, an ultra-exclusive, by-appointmentonly menswear boutique that serves heads of state, captains of industry, and royalty of all sorts – be they of the aristocratic, the rock ’n’ roll, or the Hollywood variety. These include everyone from former US president George W. Bush and former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to Indonesian tycoon Dato Sri Tahir and Saudi Prince Alwaleed Talal. “Many of these gentlemen we’ve been dressing for the last 40 years. We’re very familiar with their tastes,” says Nicolas Bijan Pakzad, son of the founder, Bijan Pakzad.

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Charm and hospitality is second nature to Nicolas Bijan Pakzad, who took over his father’s exclusive menswear boutique, Bijan, after the latter’s passing in 2011.

It’s perhaps fitting that Fernando Botero’s The Rich hangs on a wall in this temple to haute menswear, which unabashedly touts itself as “the most expensive store in the world”. Silk ties, which are presented in silk boxes in matching fabrics, are priced at US$900, while silk-lined jackets hover around the US$17,000 mark. Make that a reminder of where you are – never mind the casual eateries and hipster cafes.

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(Header image: Pasadena’s City Hall – a splendid Spanish Revival edifice – provides an elegant, historic backdrop to the city’s otherwise casual, laid-back vibe.)

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