January 11, 2020
We have never spent a day so close to home. It is easy to overlook the treasures right in our backyard. This day offered us all something new.
Orange Heights Neighborhood Walking Tour
As always we started planning our day by searching for guided tours being offered that day. We found the Orange Heights Tour on the Pasadena Heritage website. We four, and about 15 others, met on the corner of Mountain and Madison and spent the next two hours learning about home building, design and migration to Pasadena in the early 1900s. The neighborhood is reminiscent of Bungalow Heaven but apparently these homes are slightly bigger.
Gamble House Neighborhood
We had intended to tour the Gamble House next but could not join the tour. Instead we purchased a neighborhood guide for $1.50 and did our own walking tour of that neighborhood. This part of Pasadena was home to many of the richest people to settle here – the Wrigleys, Gambles, Armours… and the Greene and Greene brothers.
After our second neighborhood walking tour, we went for refreshments at Tea Rose Garden. It was nice to have a chance to talk together – and in the spirit of English tea – we mulled over Megxit.
Pasadena Museum of History
I have driven by the Pasadena Museum of History, and the Fenyes Mansion thousands of times and have never taken much notice. The museum is tucked behind the mansion, which at one time was the Finnish Consulate. There is even a Finnish Folk Art Museum on the property (at one time a Finnish Sauna). Who knew?! The exhibit at the museum on this day featured hundreds of photos of landmarks in Pasadena taken between 1890 and 1930. This was a perfect complement to our day.
At the end of our day, still full from full English tea, we popped in for a drink at Great Maple and then watched Little Women at the Arclight Theater. Starting around the time Little Women takes place, wealthy east coasters and mid westerners fled their terrible climates for relief (mainly from tuberculosis) in Southern California. Maybe if the March family had left Massachusetts, Beth would have survived her Scarlet Fever. Full circle on our day!
AdventureLand 
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