Worthwhile

the Romanesque Room at the Castle Green

Maybe you remember our visit with Ron Hobbs of Castle Catering just over a year ago. He's organizing a special event, and he asks so politely for our participation "...if you are so inclined..." 

Here's Ron's email:

Again this year I am organizing a special Valentines Dinner for some very Special People. Forty to forty-five Soldiers and their spouses will enjoy an intimate dinner provided by Castle Catering and it’s Restaurant Partners at The Castle Green and The Romanesque Room.

I want to give you an opportunity to express your gratitude directly to one of our Heroes by delivering “your” message that you are proud of them and thank them in the form of a Valentines Day card.

If you are comfortable doing so, please help us get the word out by forwarding this email to your contact lists. As I ask this, I do not know if this request violates any kind of privacy issues for you….if it does, then don’t worry about forwarding. We are just trying to get as many Valentines Day Cards with a “message of thanks” as possible.

Here is what I am asking you to do if you are so inclined…

1)         Send a Valentines Card with a message of Thanks to:

                         “A Soldier and Spouse”
                          C/O Castle Catering   Suite 102
                          50 E. Green St .
                          Pasadena , CA .  91105
             
2)         Certainly NOT required….but if you would like to enclose a check for $5, $10 or $20….or whatever you would like, made payable to “The Wounded Warriors Project” the soldiers will see them and we will forward them all to the Wounded Warriors Project.

3)         Last, if you are OK to do so…..please forward this message to some of your contacts and give them the opportunity to also send a Valentines Day Card with a “Thank You” message.

That is it…..I hope you will participate.

Thank you so very much.

Ron

Ron Hobbs
Owner, Castle Catering
50 E. Green St. 
Pasadena, CA.  91105
(626) 792-4444
Fax  (626) 793-6769
ron@castlecatering.net
www.castlecatering.net

Castle Catering and HUD

The Green Street wing of Castle Green contains a HUD housing facility on the upper floors, and businesses on the first floor. When you enter off Green and turn left, you see this.

The hallway ends at the corner of Green and Raymond, in a residents-only lobby. I got to see it but didn't take pictures, because it is private and I am nice. It's an updated lounge with comfy seating, a big-screen TV and large windows overlooking the Castle gardens. A covered opening in the south wall reminds you that it once opened to the hallway leading to the dining room of Castle Green. Next to that, a grand staircase leads upstairs. Had we stayed at the Hotel Green a hundred years ago, we might have come down those stairs to go to dinner in the ballroom, now known as the Romanesque Room, which is run by Castle Catering.

Ron Hobbs of Castle Catering gave me a tour of the first floor environs. In the photo below, which I took from the rear of the building (facing northeast toward the intersection of Green and Raymond), you can see the difference between the two wings. (HUD housing on your left, Castle Green condominiums on your right.)

A few more fun facts about Castle Catering:

Castle Catering offers sit-down service, buffets, station service or family style. Event hosts can bring in their own alcohol, while Castle Catering provides complete Bar Service. In favorable weather, lounge furniture is placed on the outside patio north of the building (Dayton Street side). Screens are set up to make the area private.

Despite the lovely old facility, about half of Castle Catering's business is off the premises at private homes, businesses or other event venues. They offer their own complete California Cuisine, plus Ron told me about their new concept in catering, which I think makes a lot of sense. It's called the "Restaurant Partners Program." 25 different restaurant partners provide a wide range of options, right there in the Romanesque Room. For a room so-named, perhaps you'd like Italian. Or maybe you want Dim Sum. Of course you may have it.

They've even had In 'n Out Burgers on their fancy china. I'll have my diet cola in a champagne flute, please.

Castle Catering

Meet Ron Hobbs, founder of Castle Catering at the Castle Green in Pasadena. Ron founded Castle Catering in 1984, after having already catered numerous events at Castle Green. He thought he knew the place pretty well by then.

What he didn't know at the time was that there was a huge kitchen in the Green Street wing that hadn't been used for a very, very long time.

Ron got himself a visit to the Green Street wing, where he found not only the 1200 sq. ft. kitchen you see behind him, but also a ballroom that was once the main dining room for the historic Hotel Green. The kitchen had not been used for decades, and the ballroom hadn't fared much better. A scene from the 1977 Liza Minelli/Robert DeNiro film, New York New York, had been shot there. When Hobbs first saw the room in 1984, the set was still standing.

But Ron believed in the place. He renovated both ballroom and kitchen, and named the ballroom the Romanesque Room. (I like the pictures on his website better than mine). The Romanesque Room seats 250 with the dance floor, even more without it.

the bar at the Romanesque Room

I have another picture or two, and more to tell you tomorrow. For now, something to think about: in 1984, the concept of Old Pasadena as a high-end shopping area was just that--a concept. It was a neighborhood folks didn't walk in at night. Making it better took a lot of people with chutzpah, or nerve, or even a bit of the crazies. 

Whatever it was, it worked.

Camelot Where You Are, #3

Altadena has plenty of Camelot, and Laura Berthold Monteros proves with her entry:

"Here's my castle shot. It's the G.G. Green Carriage House in Altadena. You can see it from the Altadena Library parking lot. The library is on the site of the main house, which was torn down when the library was built. The carriage house, which was a small horse barn and garage for the carriages, has been turned into a family home. I went on a tour of it a couple years ago. The main home was built in 1888 and the carriage house shortly thereafter; it was sold in 1900. G.G. Green made his fortune in patent medicines, and built the Green Hotel in Pasadena in 1898, which is now known as the Castle Green."

You can find Laura Monteros and her writing in a number of places:
All Things Rose Parade
Tournament of Roses Examiner
Altadena Headlines Examiner
San Gabriel Foothills Examiner

Thank you, Laura!

**********

Stay tuned! Over the weekend we'll vote for this week's favorite entry. Each weekly winner receives a free copy of Camelot & Vine upon publication, which I plan/hope/expect will be in October. Publication day, whatever day it turns out to be, will be the final day for entries. So send in your pics!

I'm excited about the Camelot Where You Are photo contest. It's easy to enter and anyone can do it. Entry details are here.

Incogneato

We're looking north on Raymond Avenue outside Castle Green. Somebody's missing a license plate, though I guess he'll be easy to spot if he needs catching.

March Your Calendar

March in Pasadena is overloaded. I don't know why this is true but it's the same every year. Just like the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas, you can't possibly get to all the parties and events you want to attend. Your digital calendar has run out of room; you have to remove spaces between words to get it all in. If you still use an analog datebook (I do), you've resorted to putting things on post-its so you can move them around and try to fit them all in.

Three things you must attend, no matter what:

Art Night, Friday, March 9th, 6-10pm. Twice a year, Pasadena's finest art venues open their doors for free. It's a tradition both erudite and wacky. You can go after Real Irish.

LitFest Pasadena, Saturday, March 17th, 9:30am to 5:00pm. Speaking of erudite and wacky, here comes a new tradition! The first annual Litfest Pasadena will take place in Central Park (pictured here) under the batting eyelashes of Castle Green. Authors, publishers, booksellers--everyone who reads will be there. Food and a kids' area, too. (They still need volunteers, find out more here.)

And don't miss Primavera IV! Saturday, March 24th, 11-5pm. Primavera is the Altadena bloggers' gift to all San Gabriel Valley bloggers and blog fans. Everyone's invited! We bring a dish to share, we enjoy Altadena's Farnsworth Park and we bask in each others' actual, as opposed to virtual, company. It's the one event when you can talk to all the local bloggers without bothering with word verification!

Bawdy Litfest

dining room at Castle Green (on a not-so-bawdy day)

More for your calendar!

Thursday evening, October 20th, head out to the Castle Green and support Litfest Pasadena. The evening is called Singing the Bawdy Electric (in reference to Walt Whitman's poem). As Timothy Rutt said on Altadenablog, "every bawdy is invited."

There will be readings by Jonathan Gold, Larry Wilson, Ron Koertge and others. Plus music, food and bawdy surprises to light up even the darkest corners of Castle Green. It's $75 per person or $100 for two (so bring a friend!). Email juliaharm@gmail.com or leave a message on the Litfest Pasadena Facebook page.

Funds raised on October 20th will go towards creating a literary fringe festival that aims to be to the LA Times Book Festival what the Doo Dah Parade is to the Tournament of Roses--more light-hearted, less corporate, a little sillier--according to writer/historian Michele Zack, one of the planners. That fringe-y event is scheduled to take place in Pasadena's Central Park March 17, 2012. But as light-hearted as it may sound it's got literary clout behind it including Michelle Huneven, Jervey Tervalon, Lian Dolan, the director of Pasadena Public Library Jan Sanders and too many more to list here.

By the way, the 20th is also the day of the Great California Shakeout. If you want to know if and how that relates to the Bawdy Electric, you'll have to come to Castle Green Thursday night.

Update: Today, 4pm at Webster's in Altadena: Poetry and Wine!

Fire Station 31

The Altadena Hiker called it an "excellent adventure" and it was. She, Bellis and I had long planned to visit Castle Green on Sunday for the annual Christmas open house. The closest parking lot was full and each of us had walked some distance to get there. But as the line snaked out into the street and another bus pulled up in front of that lovely old building, our enthusiasm dampened.

I hope they made a lot of money and had a great time, but shuffling through the halls shoulder to shoulder with a packed crowd wasn't what we had in mind.

So how did we end up at Fire Station 31 and what did we find there? The story and more photos are on Overdog. And don't miss the Hiker's take on the tale.

Iced Tea and Old Lace

It's my sister Margot's birthday. I thought I'd post a photo of this genteel veranda and imagine she and I might sit and have a glass of iced tea. We haven't had a chance to sit and talk together for a long time.

And cookies.

What?

Oh, okay, cake. It's a birthday.

On May first, I took the Pasadena Heritage Old Town Walking Tour. The tour moved quickly but I learned a lot. And I did get a few photos, so I'll show them to you over the next few days.

This one's from Castle Green. And yes, we got to go inside. But I think I like the veranda best.

Happy Birthday, Mo!

A Fine Castle

I haven't posted much about Castle Green. I thought this was mostly because Castle Green is a famous Pasadena landmark and it's easy to find pictures of it.

But when I stood at the southwest corner of Fair Oaks and Dayton I took this photo because I couldn't resist. So maybe the real reason I haven't posted about Castle Green is I haven't been around there much. Otherwise, how could I not?

Castle Green was once a hotel and is now apartments. Parts of the building are used as filming locations, or you can hold events there in the larger rooms. They give tours from time to time, during which you can see individual apartments.

About eight years ago I forced John to go on the holiday tour. I loved it. Some of the apartments were fab, some not, but that's just my personal taste in decor. The building is a Victorian lady still dressed in her finery, even if some of her petticoats are a tad shabby.

Fun first, then back to business.

I promised one last shot of Mills Place. It's further down in this post. But first:
This guy is big in Pasadena.

Meet Ben Wideman, whose daily photo blog, The Sky Is Big In Pasadena, is Pasadena's other daily photo blog and a favorite of mine. Ben's a very cool guy. I got to meet him Saturday in the real world (well, it was sorta surreal) at a local blogger get-together hosted by Aaron Proctor and Frazgo at the Aztec Hotel in Monrovia. Monrovia Daily Photo wasn't there. Bummer! (Photo by John Sandel.) While you're at Ben's blog, check out the June 26th post and add your two cents.

I hope someone posts a good group photo of the blogger party, because mine turned out blurry. However, I'm inspired to post a San Gabriel Valley blogroll. There are so many great blogs around here, covering every subject. Watch for it coming soon here on the main page. If you have a local blog and it's not there, please notify me. I'll get started today, but it will probably never be complete!

Thanks to Aaron and Frazgo as well as to Kathie, who owns the Aztec Hotel. She went the extra mile to make it a very nice event.

Now to our last picture of Mills Place:
I took this from high up in the parking structure on DeLacy Street at Green, looking east. Mills Place is T-shaped, and this is the east-west part of the T. Way down toward the end of it you can see the red door of Crown City Mattress Works from Friday's post. And you already know the red-domed building is Castle Green because you saw it yesterday.

Hmm. That's probably enough of Mills Place for a while, huh? Tomorrow's Zen Monday. I hope I remember.

Mills Place Gates

These gates at the south end of Mills Place open onto a parking lot across from the Burke-Williams Spa. (That's B-W's shadow in the foreground.) You can easily walk around them to the parking lot. I wonder what they used to open onto? They're not the gates to the alley, but some gates. Others just like them mark the entrance to a bar/restaurant further north. I don't know how old they are but they look pretty old. The building peeking from beyond is the quirky Castle Green. I've given you only one picture of it. Must do more.

One last shot of Mills Place tomorrow, then onward.

Detail of the gate:

Out of Line

Built in 1898 as an annex to the long-gone Hotel Green, Castle Green on Raymond Avenue is one of Pasadena's most recognizable buildings. Maybe not from this angle.

You can rent grand, Victorian rooms for filming, weddings or other events. Or if you love the place (and if there's an opening) you can live there. The Castle is normally closed to the public, but at holiday time, tours of the building take you into private apartments.

This gate on the south side of the building guards the castle. Although it looks like one of the guards is breaking ranks.