Swinging a Club along the Arroyo Seco

Walking along the Arroyo Seco the other day, I heard the 'whiff' sound that is music to those of us who are avid golfers.

While I often talk about restoring the Arroyo Seco, playing golf near the stream is one of many outdoor recreational reasons why I want this urban nature paradise to remain open and bucolic.

There are actually 2 golf courses along the Arroyo Seco: Brookside Golf Course in Pasadena next to the Rose Bowl, which is actually comprised of two courses (http://www.brookside.americangolf.com/) ; and the Arroyo Seco Golf Course (http://www.arroyoseco.com/), one of LA's top 10 par 3 courses, in South Pasadena.

What makes each of these courses special is that the Arroyo Seco runs through Brookside Golf Course, albeit in channelized form, while the Arroyo Seco Golf Course has a bubbling brook, a diversion of the nearby Arroyo Seco stream, running through it. What also makes them special is that both courses are public, open and accessible to everyone. In this post, we'll focus on the Arroyo Seco Golf Course.

One of the pleasures of the Arroyo Seco Golf Course is that since it is a Par 3 course, rank amateur golfers can play it without totally embarrassing themselves while more seasoned players can get in a quick game before or after work. In addition, the course features a miniature golf section for family fun, a large driving range and putting green.

Even if you are not a golfer, you will enjoy bringing your family to the 1950s era clubhouse and grill, where the kids can enjoy a burger and mom and dad can have an ice cold beer.

A short walk across the golf course's parking lot offers visitors a panoramic view of the Arroyo Seco, at one of its widest points south of Pasadena. Here the arroyo rock-lined stream offers southward vistas to and beyond the historic York Blvd. bridge, and northward vistas of the San Gabriel Mountains.

The Arroyo Seco Golf Course is part of South Pasadena's Arroyo Seco Park, which also includes equestrian trails, baseball diamonds, lighted tennis courts, and trails to the bucolic South Pasadena nature park along the Arroyo.

Directions: From the north: Arroyo Seco Parkway (Highway 110) south to York exit. Left at stop sign. Left onto York. Cross the bridge (stop and see the sights ~ see York Blvd. Bridge post). Left onto Arroyo Blvd. Look for Arroyo Seco Park sign on left. Left turn down into the park.

From the south: Arroyo Seco Parkways (Highway 110) north to Marmion Way/Avenue 64 exit. Take Avenue 64 to York Blvd.. Right on York. Cross the bridge and follow the remainder of the directions noted above.

Arroyo Seco's Rose Bowl Stadium: The Granddaddy of Them All

With the 2010 Rose Bowl Game now history and the BCS National Championship game just hours away, it seems fitting to spend a few minutes lauding the amazing Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena's Brookside Park, adjacent to the Arroyo Seco.

As an attendee at this year's Rose Bowl Game, I was reminded of the amazing sightlines from virtually any seat in the stadium (except the first 10 rows which are disappearing as part of a major stadium upgrade over the next few years).

While the Rose Bowl Operating Company, under the able leadership of Darryl Dunn, keeps a multitude of sports and entertainment events running smoothly year round, it is the stadium itself that fascinates me.

Most people don't realize that the Rose Bowl is both owned and operated by the City of Pasadena, a rarity in today's modern sports world. According to the Tournament of Roses history, Pasadena purchsed the 10 acre Arroyo Seco site where the stadium currents sits in 1897. Building of the stadium commenced in 1921 and the stadium, designed to be the 'official' home of the Rose Bowl Game, was dedicated on January 1, 1923.

Do you know which teams played in the first football game in the stadium? It was the University of California Bears versus the University of Southern California Trojans on October 22, 1922, the first of many north-south California college games.

Here are some more fun facts, courtesy of the Tournament of Roses organization:

The official seating capacity is 92,542.

The stadium is a National Historic Landmark and its design was based on the Yale Bowl in New Haven, Connecticut.

It sits at an elevation of 825 feet above sea level.

Its playing surface is natural turf comprised Bullseye Bermuda grass with rye, cut to 1/2 to 5/8 inch on game day.

There are 357 Musco light fixtures of high intensity, metal lark halide.

The stadium has an elliptical shape with a north-south configuration.

Legendary Architect Myron Hunt designed the stadium, which was built at a cost of $272,198.

Official Address: 1001 Rose Bowl Drive, Pasadena, California 91103

You don't have to be a sports fan to love the Rose Bowl. It's worth a trip to Pasadena to just experience this magnificent work of living history. Be sure to wear your walking shoes so you can enjoy all that Brookside Park has to offer, including the public Brookside Golf Course and bucolic walking and equestrian trails along the beautiful Arroyo Seco stream.

The Bridges of the Arroyo Seco ~ One in a Series: York Blvd. Bridge

Thousands of people drive over it each day, yet few know and appreciate the history and grandeur of Los Angeles' York Blvd. Bridge, which traverses the Arroyo Seco River between South Pasadena and the community of Highland Park/Garvanza.

Built in 1890 initially as a wooden trolley bridge, the York Blvd. Bridge received its concrete arch structure in 1912.

With a total length of 683.1 feet, the York Blvd. Bridge welcomes walkers on its sidewalk and heavy bicycle and motorized traffic along its two opposing lanes.

Eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, the York Blvd. Bridge's largest span reaches 96.1 feet in a closed spandrel arch design.

Much of the bridge's charm, however, is not merely its majestic clean design line span but rather its spectacular vistas of the natural beauty of the original home of Arroyo Culture.

Stand on the bridge looking northward and one is rewarded with panoramic views of the San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains, snow-capped in winter months.

Stand on the bridge facing southward and it's easy to imagine how idyllic the beautiful Arroyo Seco looked before its concrete channelization in the 1930s.

Like all older spans in Los Angeles, however, the York Blvd. Bridge faces an uncertain future. While its substructure condition rating is good, its superstructure rating and deck condition are poor and the bridge itself is considered 'functionally obsolete' under current state transportation construction rules.

Yet, comparing the historic turn of the 20th Century photo (below) showing the original trolley bridge facing southward (Photo Courtesy of Los Angeles Library) surprisingly indicates how the Arroyo Seco meanders today just as it did a century ago.

The bridge in the upper right of this old photo is the historic train trestle which today still carries passengers across it on the Gold Line light rail system.

Of course, the York Blvd. Bridge offers a different view at the Arroyo Seco Parkway level; yet, even while whizzing down the freeway, it is easy to be captivated by its grand archways and elegant, yet simple design.

Built for another era, the York Blvd. Bridge has passed the test of time to offer Angelinos and visitors a free sweeping view of the Arroyo Seco river canyon, if they would just get out of their cars for a few minutes and walk along its magnificent open span.

Christmas Tree Lane ~ An 80 Year Altadena, California Tradition

The road sign post reads 'Santa Rosa Avenue' but everyone in Altadena and nearby Pasadena knows it as 'Christmas Tree Lane.'

Every year, since 1930, automobiles and walkers have journeyed up this street after dark to experience one of Southern California's most emotionally satisfying array of holiday light shows, with colorful globes hanging on the elongated branch arms of spectacular deodar cedar (Cedrus deodara) trees.

How to describe this magical experience? Think Christmas tree illustrations from Dr. Seuss' How theGrinch Stole Christmas' or Bing Crosby singing 'White Christmas' with a stand of towering snow-laden cedars in the background.

Though Christmas Tree Lane's deodars are rarely snow-laden due to the mild Southern California climate, they do come alive every year with extensive strands of 10,000 colored lights that draw visitors to the mile-long 'lane' from around the world.

What makes Christmas Tree Lane, an official California Landmark listed on the National Registry of Historic Places, special is that since 1956, Altadena's Christmas Tree Lane Community Association (CTLA) has continued this tradition on a purely volunteer basis, seeking donations to cover the electricity utility costs, and stringing and maintaining the light show through hundreds of hours of service from the efforts of local homeowners and renters, senior citizens and schoolchildren, Altadena veterans and newcomers to the community.

If you've visited Christmas Tree Lane before, why not drive by this year and recapture the magic of this "Mile of Christmas Trees?" If you've never visited, come on by and start a new family holiday tradition. The show runs nightly from dusk to midnight, now through January 6, 2010. Come see what happens when nature, technology and love converge along a foothills lane.

For directions and more details: http://bit.ly/8BtyZr.

The Mom & Pop Shop Lives on at Galco's Soda Pop Stop

When I first stepped through the doors of the building that houses Galco's Old World Grocery on York Boulevard at Avenue 57 in the Highland Park neighborhood of Northeast Los Angeles, I felt that I was walking back in history. The interior is reminiscent of 1950s grocery stores, complete with checkout stations with the old-style conveyor belts and the meat counter deli case along the back wall where sandwiches are made to order.

But instead of groceries lining the food aisles, patrons find the most amazing collection of soda pop bottles and beers imaginable!

The only Los Angeles business to be profiled in the recently released book, The Mom & Pop Store, http://www.robertspector.com/momandpop.cfm, Galco's Soda Pop Stop is more than just a David v. Goliath story of small grocer v. big food chain. Rather, owner John Nese, son of the grocery's founder, has transformed this market with a 53 year history in the neighborhood into a bastion for small, independent bottling plants around the country whose product has been pushed off the shelves of the 'chains' by the Coca-Cola and Pepsi empires.

According to Nese, there were once over 3,500 bottlers in the country. Now, just a handful remain, and thanks to Galco's, there is shelf life for their product ~ everything from Dad's to Grape NEHI ~ from Nesbitt's Orange to Route 66 Root Beer (the famous route passes by less than a mile away).

I also found it interesting that virtually all these sodas (as we West Coasters call them) or pops (as the East Coast-Midwesterners say) are made with cane sugar, not corn syrup, and I must admit, you immediately notice the difference in the smooth, clean taste.
In addition to almost 350 varieties of soda pop, Galco's also carries almost 500 varieties of artisan beers from around the world, which I'll return to sample another day.

Best of all, Galco's offers the warm feeling of a family business where John immediately comes over to help and introduce himself while his grandsons help stock product on the 'low' shelves. John and I even shared a couple tall tales about the nearby Arroyo Seco River, where he caught crawfish when he was a child, before the City channelized the stream in concrete.

Heading to a music jam at York Studios? Joining the hipsters at Johnny's? Looking for a great beverage to go with that taco truck meal? Galco's Soda Pop Shop has the perfect drink for you, available either in a six-pack or individual bottle.

Don't live in LA? No worries, because Galco's will ship their soda pop to you anywhere (sorry, no beer online orders). http://www.sodapopstop.com/home.cfm.

Fun Finds Along the Arroyo Seco

One of the great pleasures of living along the Arroyo Seco Corridor are the fun finds ~ usually inexpensive ~ that make urban adventures worth having. Here are a few of my recent favorite things, each of which I enjoyed for less than 5!

1. The 'Mayan Mocha' at Antigua Coffee House, 3400 No Figueroa St., Cypress Park: A sweet, smooth concoction that will make you forget the stresses of the day. Great little coffee spot with wi-fi and sandwiches, too! (http://www.antiguacoffeehouse.com/)

2. New Puppy LA Gallery at 2808 Elm Street #1, Cypress Park: This is my new favorite art gallery find...and best of all, I discovered that my pal Alex owns it. Beautiful space (you must see the bathrooms....really) with interesting shows and interesting people. (http://www.newpuppyla.com/)

3. Huarache Azteca Restaurante: I love this place for....what else...the huaraches! You will get an amazing authentic meal here.  A small family restaurant at 5225 York Blvd in Highland Park, this local eatery attracts everyone from hipsters to bohemes to construction workers to latinos/as who know the real thing when they taste it. No website but you can call them at 323-478-9572.

4. Travel Town in Griffith Park: OK, I know this is along the LA River, not the Arroyo Seco, but have you been to this long-time attraction lately? It's now a wonderful family museum with FREE admission and FREE parking that will touch the hearts of anyone who loves trains (and early autos, too). For a mere $2.50, you can ride the miniature train with your child (or grandchild or significant other!) and during the holidays, they have special evening 'Santa' rides, too!  (http://traveltown.org/)

5. Bulgarini Gelato Artigiande: What can you say about the most amazing little gelato shop tucked away in the most ugly shopping center in Altadena? Only that you'll NEVER taste better, more authentic gelato than you will here, at a price that will lure you back several times a week. (http://www.bulgarinigelato.com/)

Happy Exploring!

Heroes of the Hahamongna - One in a Series

Growing up in the Adirondacks of Upstate New York gave Mary Barrie a natural affinity for the mountains and nature. Perhaps that's one reason why when she and her family moved to Southern Califoronia, they settled in the San Gabriel Mountains foothills of La Canada-Flintridge.

An avid hiker, dog walker and equestrian, Mary began exploring this natural wonderland on its many varied trails and byways. These walks brought her to a meeting of the La Canada-Flintridge Trails Council, where she quickly became involved with numerous trail clearance and restoration projects.

Shortly thereafter, Mary's family became involved with Rose Bowl Riders, which for years has been a tenant of the City of Pasadena with stables, riding ring and clubhouse in the Hahamongna Watershed Park.

Many people may not know this, but the Hahamongna is almost a grand hub for hiking and horse trails that wind northward into the Angeles National Forest and southward along the scenic Arroyo Seco River into South Pasadena.

Throughout the past 21 years, Mary has watched the changes happening in the Hahamongna Basin: the closing of the gravel pit operation and the creation of the Hahamongna Watershed Park, along with the adoption of the Hahamongna Master Plan, an element of Pasadena's Arroyo Seco Specific Plan. http://bit.ly/8wwmVp

As meetings and discussions grew about the future uses of the Hahamongna and the Hahamongna Annex, Mary quickly moved into activist mode, using her skills as a law librarian to research both the history of this natural basin and the myriad of planning and legal documents its potential future has engendered.

Why such vigilance? Because Mary believes that the Hahamongna Watershed Park is a special rustic expanse that should not be developed and that every little 'modification,' whether a new road here or the cutting of major trees there, can easily lead to the 'slippery slope' of massive real estate development. She also wants the City to implement the Master Plan that's been officially approved and is concerned about how plan elements are being nibbled around the edges by proposed staff modifications not formally adopted within the Master Plan approved by the Pasadena City Council in 2003. When discussing her passion for Hahamongna, Mary notes the many efforts over the past century to construct everything from amphitheatres to museums on this unique parcel, which also plays a key role in the City of Pasadena's water future due to its storage capacity behind Devil's Gate Dam and its spreading fields.

Even if you haven't met Mary, you probably already know her if you attend any community or city commission/council open space, environmental, or recreation meetings in Pasadena and La Canada-Flintridge. Yes, she is relentless. Yes, she sometimes irritates people because she can be seen as an obstructionist to 'progress.'

But Mary is passionate about the Hahamongna and this passion keeps her vigilant even after 10 long years of activism. For Mary is not looking at just the Hahamongna of today ~ she sees herself as a just another person in a long continuum of community leaders who have helped Hahamongna beat the odds for over a century and remain a beautiful expanse of natural, biodiverse open space where people can enjoy passive recreation through hiking, picnicking, horseback riding, disc golf, and just sitting and meditating among the beautiful, mature grove of oak trees.

Mary's forward vision and activism to keep the Hahamongna rustic for future generations is why she is a Hero of the Hahamongna.