Northeast, Pasadena

Unlike some of their neighbors to the west, this part of Pasadena is a bit newer—at least when compared to Bungalow Heaven. This is a neighborhood that clearly broke ground in the Fifties—as you can tell from looking over the sea of Ranch Style homes on its northern half. As one climbs up the gentle grade into the foothills of northern Pasadena, one finds wide leafy streets and the long flat homes that are so associated with the suburban America of the post-War period. The farther north you head, the wealthier the neighborhood becomes, but the difference in terms of homes is minimal and the only real sign of income differential are the automobiles parked outside of the bushy front lawns.

At the heart of the neighborhood is the First Nazarene Church—an immense place of worship that dominates the landscape just south of Hamilton Park. The church and its large congregation run several programs in the neighborhood—and do good works as far away as Peru.

Farther to the south, near the 210 and along Foothill Blvd., the neighborhood becomes very commercial and has all the usual suspects you would expect to cater to a well-off suburban neighborhood. The Hastings Village Shopping Center is home to Best Buy, Bed, Bath & Beyond, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Whole Foods, and a number of restaurants (like Shogun and El Torrito). There is even a pretty good watering hole—Esquire Lounge.

All in all, however, this is like a million other places in the U.S.—same stores, same houses, same fast food suburban culture. If you like that sort of a complacent life-style, you will be comfortable here. If you are a hipster at heart, you will find this place soul-deadening.