Looking for Something to Do?

Here are highlights of upcoming events sponsored by the City of Pasadena. All events are free.

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 30

6:30 p.m. – “Streets, Traffic and Transit” is the topic of a panel discussion followed by plenty of audience Q&A at PCC’s Community Education Center, 3035 E. Foothill Blvd. as part of our General Plan update. Speakers are Ellen Greenberg, an expert in smart mobility, sustainable streets and transit-oriented development; and Philip Erickson, president of Community Design + Architecture and a planner, urban designer and architect with special expertise in city streets. (626) 744-4009.

THURSDAY, OCT. 1

* 6:30 p.m. – How can Pasadena’s bikeway system be improved? Bring your best ideas to a meeting at Jackie Robinson Center, 1020 N. Fair Oaks Ave. (626) 744-7254.

* 7 p.m. – All seven Pasadena City Council members will host discussions in their respective districts about future priorities for Pasadena as part of our General Plan update. The first will be hosted by City Councilman Terry Tornek for District 7 residents at Hamilton Elementary School, 2089 Rose Villa St. (626) 744-4009.

SATURDAY, OCT. 3

11 a.m. – The Latino Heritage Parade will begin on Los Robles Avenue at Howard Street, head south to Washington Boulevard, then west to a jamaica/community fair at La Pintoresca Park with free arts and crafts, entertainment, exhibits and food until 4 p.m. Wave to City of Pasadena officials in the parade and stop by the City of Pasadena booths at the jamaica! (626) 791-7421.

SUNDAY, OCT. 4

5 p.m. – Join Pasadena City Councilman Terry Tornek for a walk through District 7. Meet at the Assistance League’s Craft Fair Gift Shop, 820 E. California Blvd. Parking is available in the lot at the shop and on Hudson Avenue. The walk, which will begin promptly at 5:15 p.m., will highlight scenic Arden Road and the Caltech campus, followed by a raffle and refreshments. For more information visit www.upandmoving.org or call District 7 Field Representative Pamela Thyret at (626) 744-4737.

TUESDAY, OCT. 6

* 3 p.m. – From parks to community centers, the City of Pasadena has plans for making structural improvements to public places so people with disabilities can use them safely and conveniently. Learn more at a community meeting hosted by the Accessibility and Disability Commission in the Grand Conference Room (basement room 038) at Pasadena City Hall, 100 N. Garfield Ave. (626) 744-4762.

* 6:30 p.m. – Pasadena City Councilman Steve Haderlein will host a District 4 workshop about future priorities for Pasadena at the historic Stuart Pharmaceutical Building, 3660 E. Foothill Blvd., as part of our General Plan update. (626) 744-4009.

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 7

* 7:30 a.m. – Join Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard, Fire Chief Dennis Downs and Pasadena Forward’s Executive Director Israel Estrada for a walk around the 3.3-mile Rose Bowl Loop. Meet at Gate A at the Rose Bowl Stadium. (626) 831-2980.

* 6:30 p.m. – Pasadena City Councilwoman Jacque Robinson will host a District 1 workshop about future priorities for Pasadena at the Rose Bowl Press Box, 1001 Rose Bowl Dr., as part of our General Plan update. (626) 744-4009.

FRIDAY, OCT. 9

* 6 to 10 p.m. – More than a dozen of our community’s finest institutions will open their doors for free during ArtNight Pasadena. Complimentary curb-to-curb shuttles will whisk you from one venue to the next. Be sure to stop by Pasadena Central Library, where the Crown City Chamber Players will perform classical hits. www.artnightpasadena.org. (626) 744-7887.

SATURDAY, OCT. 10

* 8 to 11:30 a.m. – Are you ready to go solar at your home? Price reductions, a 30 percent federal tax credit and hefty rebates from Pasadena Water and Power make it easier than ever! Learn more at a workshop at the Salvation Army, 960 E. Walnut St., including a comprehensive overview of incentives, how to choose an installer, and more. Reservations are required. (626) 744-6970.

THROUGH OCT. 10

Register for after-school homework help, tutoring and recreation on school days through May 28 for kids in first through eighth grades at Robinson Park Center, 1085 N. Fair Oaks Ave. (626) 744-7501.

THROUGH OCT. 12

Have you taken one or more MoveAbout Tours yet as we prepare for the General Plan update? Download a guidebook or pick one up at Pasadena Central Library, Pasadena City Hall and other locations. Be sure to include your feedback and return your booklets no later than Monday, Oct. 12. The General Plan is the blueprint for our community's future, so let your voice be heard! (626) 744-4009.

Many thanks to Latina Heritage for use of the parade photo.

Looking for Something to Do?

Here are highlights of upcoming events sponsored by the City of Pasadena. All events are free.

TUESDAY, SEPT. 29

* 6 p.m. -- What's in store for the Hahamongna Watershed Park Annex? During the Hahamongna Watershed Park Advisory Committee meeting at La Casita del Arroyo, 177 S. Arroyo Blvd., there will be an update on the Sunset Overlook project plus an update and consideration of recommendations on adoption of the park master plan amendment for the annex. (626) 744-4321.

* 6:30 p.m. – As part of our General Plan update, help map out the most important qualities and characteristics of Pasadena and define the community’s most pressing issues during a workshop at Boys & Girls Clubs of Pasadena, 3230 E. Del Mar Blvd. (626) 744-4009.

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 30

* 1 p.m. – This week’s film in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Pasadena Central Library, 285 E. Walnut St., is “A Beautiful Mind” about Nobel Prize-winner John Forbes Nash’s experiences with schizophrenia. (626) 744-4066.

* 6:30 p.m. – “Streets, Traffic and Transit” is the topic of a panel discussion followed by plenty of audience Q&A at PCC’s Community Education Center, 3035 E. Foothill Blvd. as part of our General Plan update. Speakers are Ellen Greenberg, an expert in smart mobility, sustainable streets and transit-oriented development; and Philip Erickson, president of Community Design + Architecture and a planner, urban designer and architect with special expertise in city streets. (626) 744-4009.

THURSDAY, OCT. 1

* 6:30 p.m. – How can Pasadena’s bikeway system be improved? Bring your best ideas to a meeting at Jackie Robinson Center, 1020 N. Fair Oaks Ave. (626) 744-7254.

* 7 p.m. – All seven Pasadena City Council members will host discussions in their respective districts about future priorities for Pasadena as part of our General Plan update. The first will be hosted by City Councilman Terry Tornek for District 7 residents at Hamilton Elementary School, 2089 Rose Villa St. (626) 744-4009.

SATURDAY, OCT. 3

11 a.m. – The Latino Heritage Parade will begin on Los Robles Avenue at Howard Street, head south to Washington Boulevard, then west to a jamaica/community fair at La Pintoresca Park with free arts and crafts, entertainment, exhibits and food until 4 p.m. Wave to City of Pasadena officials in the parade and stop by the City of Pasadena booths at the jamaica! (626) 791-7421.

SUNDAY, OCT. 4

5 p.m. – Join Pasadena City Councilman Terry Tornek for a walk through District 7. Meet at the Assistance League’s Craft Fair Gift Shop, 820 E. California Blvd. Parking is available in the lot at the shop and on Hudson Avenue. The walk, which will begin promptly at 5:15 p.m., will highlight scenic Arden Road and the Caltech campus, followed by a raffle and refreshments. For more information visit www.upandmoving.org or call District 7 Field Representative Pamela Thyret at (626) 744-4737.

TUESDAY, OCT. 6

* 3 p.m. – From parks to community centers, the City of Pasadena has plans for making structural improvements to public places so people with disabilities can use them safely and conveniently. Learn more at a community meeting hosted by the Accessibility and Disability Commission in the Grand Conference Room (basement room 038) at Pasadena City Hall, 100 N. Garfield Ave. (626) 744-4762.

* 6:30 p.m. – Pasadena City Councilman Steve Haderlein will host a District 4 workshop about future priorities for Pasadena at the historic Stuart Pharmaceutical Building, 3660 E. Foothill Blvd., as part of our General Plan update. (626) 744-4009.

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 7

* 7:30 a.m. – Join Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard, Fire Chief Dennis Downs and Pasadena Forward’s Executive Director Israel Estrada for a walk around the 3.3-mile Rose Bowl Loop. Meet at Gate A at the Rose Bowl Stadium. (626) 831-2980.

* 6:30 p.m. – Pasadena City Councilwoman Jacque Robinson will host a District 1 workshop about future priorities for Pasadena at the Rose Bowl Press Box, 1001 Rose Bowl Dr., as part of our General Plan update. (626) 744-4009.

FRIDAY, OCT. 9

* 6 to 10 p.m. – More than a dozen of our community’s finest institutions will open their doors for free during ArtNight Pasadena. Complimentary curb-to-curb shuttles will whisk you from one venue to the next. Be sure to stop by Pasadena Central Library, where the Crown City Chamber Players will perform classical hits. www.artnightpasadena.org. (626) 744-7887.

SATURDAY, OCT. 10

* 8 to 11:30 a.m. – Are you ready to go solar at your home? Price reductions, a 30 percent federal tax credit and hefty rebates from Pasadena Water and Power make it easier than ever! Learn more at a workshop at the Salvation Army, 960 E. Walnut St., including a comprehensive overview of incentives, how to choose an installer, and more. Reservations are required. (626) 744-6970.

THROUGH OCT. 10

Register for after-school homework help, tutoring and recreation on school days through May 28 for kids in first through eighth grades at Robinson Park Center, 1085 N. Fair Oaks Ave. (626) 744-7501.

THROUGH OCT. 12

Have you taken one or more MoveAbout Tours yet as we prepare for the General Plan update? Download a guidebook or pick one up at Pasadena Central Library, Pasadena City Hall and other locations. Be sure to include your feedback and return your booklets no later than Monday, Oct. 12. The General Plan is the blueprint for our community's future, so let your voice be heard! (626) 744-4009.

Many thanks to Latina Heritage for use of the parade photo.

We're B-a-a-a-ck!

After an 11-hour flight from Frankfurt to LAX, Mayor Bogaard, Judy Kent and I were back on U.S. soil. Most of the others in the delegation stayed another day or two in Ludwigshafen, and then many were going to take a tour of Prague and some other cities.

Using the sole computer at each of the hotels in Järvenpää and Ludwigshafen was a real challenge. Other guests wanted to use them as well, so I was always in a hurry, which made it tougher because it took a long time to upload photos to the blog; or I used the computers very late at night (1 a.m. or so) or very early in the morning (4:30 or 5 a.m.).

So here are a few additional photos that will give you a fuller flavor of our adventures.

FINLAND

Helsinki Harbor: If it walks like a cruise ship and talks like a cruise ship, it must be a cruise ship, right?


Wrong. It's the overnight ferry to Stockholm.

The students at Järvenpään Lukio, the high school, publish a magazine that is quite impressive.



These two vans look similar. Both transport people around town. One's a Mercedes and one's a VW. There's a gigantic difference in price.


Ours was the Mercedes.

Pasadena's General Plan goal of getting around town without a car may well have been inspired by Järvenpää. Here there are big incentives for not driving a car -- there are only a few parking lots, and those only hold a handful of cars each; plus the cost to park is huge -- the average is about $20 an hour.

So people rely on bicycles, walking, buses and light rail.

Here's rush hour in Järvenpää (really):



Remember the photo of all those bikes at the light rail station? That was right next to the parking lot, which I regret I didn't photograph. It has spaces for about 20 cars max. That lot is not reserved only for light-rail riders; it also serves the Rivoli Hotel and an adjacent shopping area.

GERMANY

Bianca (second from right) grew up in Ludwigshafen and her parents still live there. A few years ago she did a professional internship at Abbott Labs in South Pasadena.



She and her significant other, Markus, who is next to her in the photo, now run a cafe at a ski resort in Austria. They presented us with gifts from their cafe.

Public art in the plaza across from our hotel: Apparently the butt crack was beyond what the sensitibilities of a passer-by could handle. (That's a Band Aid.)



OK, who's on first?
Heidelberg walkway: Barrel-vaulted ceiling with cast-stone flowers.



Pasadena City Hall: Barrel-vaulted ceiling with cast-stone flowers.



The architects Bakewell and Brown of San Francisco had many inspirations for the design of Pasadena City Hall, including classic European architecture.

That's Heidelberg Castle, looking down on the city. The imposing complex of buildings was constructed on the orders of the Prince Electors and the work took more than two centuries to complete. The tower to the left is undergoing renovation.



View from the castle: The foundation stone for the gothic-style Church of the Holy Spirit was laid in 1398. The church is the dominant feature in Heidelberg's central market area.