There are many charming small cities within Los Angeles County.  And by small I mean it still takes half an hour to three times that long to get from point A to point B, depending on how lucky you are once you are on the freeway.

 

Past the 110 tunnels where the freeway dead ends to Arroyo Parkway, you will find Pasadena, home of the Rose Parade,

 

Rose Bowl (flea market),

 

Old Town shopping area,

 

Huntington Library, Norton Simon Museum, and countless architectural gems to make you (and by you I mean me) swoon:

 

Pasadena has been my secret garden for many years now.  A quiet, elegant sanctuary just north of downtown LA and a “hop” away from Hollywood.  It’s a bit far from the westside where I like to shop, but traffic is the price for living in LA. On days when I feel a little challenged, I like to drive particularly slowly through the hills over the arroyo…

 

and rest my tired eyes on the green lushness polkadotted by Craftsman and midcentury homes for which the town is known (more on this in another blog).  At the stop signs I roll down the windows and just listen to the birds.  Sanctuary is wherever you make it.