Recognize the "free range baby palm tree"? (Thanks, Elaine.)Turn south of yesterday's photo and you'll see more of Edmondson Alley - lots more. Until Trish mentioned it (see yesterday's post), I hadn't known this alley existed. It's just one of the million little things I have yet to explore in Pasadena.
Well. Not so little. Edmondson is a long alley, stretching from the south end of Central Park at Del Mar all the way down to Glenarm. Eight straight blocks of Edmondson Alley, between Fair Oaks and Raymond, wait to be photographed.
You can read a fascinating bit of history about Edmondson Alley in the History: Planning section of the Wikipedia entry about the Pasadena Freeway. The Alley was originally an elevated wooden bikeway that started at Hotel Green (which explains why the alley starts at Central Park) and ending at the Raymond Hotel.
For you non-Pasadenish, the Hotel Green once stood across the street from Castle Green, which still looms north of Central Park. Alas, South Pasadena's Raymond Hotel no longer stands.
Eight blocks of Alley. Castle Green. Central Park. Tip of the old iceberg. If I could make a living posting pictures of and digging up info about alleys, hotels, stores, coffee shops, pretty houses and civic activities, I'd do it. (Who wouldn't?)
26 comments:
Sweet! That alley still looks highly bicycle-able from here.
That Pasadena Freeway is a screamer. For the speeds people cruise on that, it's way too narrow (like your linked article says). They should make that whole thing a bicycles only route - another first for California!
Last nite I saw a banner at the Castle Green publicizing a tour on Sun 12/7.
It's worth it if u can attend.
You mean none of us are getting paid? I just thought the check was late.
It does, doesn't it Elaine? There wasn't much traffic while I was there, either. The freeway, though, that's another situation altogether. I love driving it, but I like your idea.
C.O. - It's only once a year and it's only $20. This Sunday, 1:00. I have other plans but folks should go if they can, it's an unusual building. Quirky!
AH - Some people are getting paid.
I was once told that the Pasadena freeway is the oldest freeway in LA. Is that true?
I'm so jealous. It's not even funny.
You mean the cake lady? Yeah. We've got to get out there and sell some ads. Plaster our blogs with screaming ad copy!!! I'm ready, just ignorant. Where do we start?
I go to Central Park a lot with my little girl. The big sand area has a spigot for making moats and the slide is really a good scale for pre-schoolers. I also love playing near Castle Green. But I just can't place this alley! I've never driven down it, for sure.
I love the perspective in this shot. I take a lot of leading diagonal line into the distance shots, too.
Beautiful picture. The colors, the sense of perspective. Very nice.
"The colours red, blue and green are real. The colour yellow is a mystical experience shared by everybody. Demolish."
How about a joint blog that has something for everyone so it shows up on lots of search engines (Cooking, sex, Brittany, fashion, gossip, feeds from Nat'l Enq, contests, polls.) And as you said, plaster it with ads.
That looks kind of prisony?
do we know what lurks behind those windows?
I agree a thanks to Elaine is in order. The phrase "free range baby palm tree" will stay in my mind.
Vanda, yes it is true, The Pasadena Parkway opened in l939 or 38. The first dedicated freeway. Speed limit at the time on the Parkway was 45 miles per hour. Also, Angeles Crest Highway (highway 2) was constructed for the same speed limit. Try driving that speed on either road today... Note:..The segment near South Pasadena where it curves almost 90o was originally scheduled to head north, up the Arroyo Seco to the Rose Bowl..Thankfully, some early day protesters defeated this proposal.
Now, The Dobbins Elevated Bikeway was constructed with thought of a bike travel route to Downtown Los Angeles. It made it to Raymond Hill. The hill in South Pasadena behind the OSH Hardware outlet. For those who read the Pasadena Star News, Front page today(12/5/08) features Tim Brick, who has lost four bikes to local crooks at the Lake Goldline Station. This last theft was a bike owned by Dennis Crowley, who passed away earlier this year. Dennis, for many years was the bike enthusiast whose aim was to rebuild what Mr. Dobbins had envisioned. Much of the lumber from the Bikeway, when demolished, was put to use at the La Casita Arroyo, a structure in the Arroyo.
Pascal Jim: After reading the Star News article, I'm less-inclined to get back on my bike and use it for commuting. Also, my son complains about the Lake Avenue Gold Line station and its non-existent/unfinished clocktower. So maybe when they do the construction on a secure bike parking area, they can add the clocktower too?
Petrea: I agree with Laurie's compliment about your perspective in this photo. Finding beauty in everything is a gift.
Love the Dy-Dee Diaper logo/sign by California and Edmondson -- we used them when our kids were of that age.
Giving credit where credit is due, the "free range" part of that was planted (!) in my mind by Petrea, in her description of some wild turkeys on my blog. The rest was planted (!) by her photo. So there. 6^)
It heads directly south of the Mayan-painted visitor center thingy building, Laurie. I never noticed it before, either.
Merci, Margaret.
AH, I don't know, I'm not really interested in Brittany or cooking or any of those - wait. Well, maybe some of those things. Let's talk.
Lynn, you ask? Yah. Front is better. But I don't remember what it is, so I can't answer your question, Maria! On my list of things to go back for. Whatever it is, it's south of the Humane Society on Raymond.
Denton! What a pleasure to welcome you here. Thanks for your visit. Elaine is a treasured commenter and blogsister here.
Pascal Jim, great information! Wonderful history, and you've sent me off in new photographic directions.
You too, Loren. Thanks.
Elaine. You are too much. Or no. You are just right.
A blog about Brittany would be interesting. You could do Celtic history, maybe include the Low Countries. I love geography and history. Just—please—no celebrities, like Britney Spears.
This is always fun stuff. I get a kick from time to time checking to see where an off ramp to nowhere was supposed to go, or an odd bit of grading used to be, or even poking about some old forgotten foundations and then trying to find out what was once there.
And you find it all, horrific plans or good ideas that never were, or some piece of forgotten history you find yourself lamenting.
Bernie, I'm sorry. I should have checked my celebrity name-spelling. I'm now forced to blog about Celtic countries and I can't tell you how much I prefer Brittany to Britney.
Ted, we share a wavelength.
Ted said "I get a kick from time to time checking to see where an off ramp to nowhere was supposed to go, or an odd bit of grading used to be, or even poking about some old forgotten foundations and then trying to find out what was once there."
Hrm … in some cultures, you'd have a job in archæology. Where I'd come from, you'd be offered medication and a nice, cozy ward.
You can barely see the baby palm tree in this. Actually, I can't tell if it even IS that baby palm tree.
Indeed we do Ms. P, indeed we do!
Bernie, I'm up for either ^_^
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