Motivation to my Madness:
My life in Walnut can be summarized into one word: immutable. The town in which I grew up is basically quaint and quiet, but this benefit doesn't come without its costs. The City of Walnut is basically boring. You cannot find a fun place to go that isn't driving distance. Furthermore, the places that does sound fun, such as the local "hang out" plaza and of course the library have been so often visited that we no longer rush towards these places after school.
Growing up in Los Angles County means poor transportation. A car is needed to get to anywhere important because we have all naturally associated the public transits as a local hangout for lunatics and druggies. This very limited view drove many of us Walnutians away from pursuing our dreams of LA-living and kept us safe within the confines of our hometown: Walnut.
Where my Madness brought me:
1. Pasadena
2. Glendale Galleria and Americana
Pasadena:
Pasadena is definitely no stranger to me, but I have yet to find all its greatest treasures and secrets. I used to come here every Saturday when my sister took art class at the Pasadena Art Center College of Design. Right after Chinese school, we would rush over to Pasadena, and while my sister was in class, I would spend the entire afternoon huddled in the young adults section of the Pasadena Library, happily reading and hiding from my parents who were coercing me to finish my Chinese school homework. On better days, we would walk around downtown Pasadena and go drink Jamba Juice. After my sister was done with class, we would go to Arcadia and shop at Whole Foods and eat at dim sum. A few years later, I started taking art classes there too. My parents would spend the entire morning on those Saturdays jogging around the Rose Bowl Stadium and looking at the quaint houses in the area.
Now, let me first warn you: This was my first "alone" trip through the Metrolink/MetroRail system. I spent the entire yesterday planning this trip, researching about the railways and different routes. Although I was extremely befuddled by and tired out from the research, I found that it would probably be great practice for my future travels (especially to Germany, where public transportation is key). Later, I would find out that one Metrolink ticket can actually be used for every single Metro transit and other cities' public transit other than the Metro Silverline.
Anyways...back to the main story. It was just after Senior Breakfast, when we headed back to my house to prepare for the trip. We found that it was already too late to catch any of the morning trains since Senior "Breakfast" lasted till "brunch" time. We caught the 1:47 train to Union Station at the Covina Metrolink Station. From Union Station, we took the Gold Line North towards Pasadena. It was a new experience since I rarely travelled on the Metrorails. Let me just admit that I was severely creeped out by "youth" on the bus because they came in a sizes of piercings and tattoos.
After getting off at Memorial Park, we decided to head towards the Pasadena City Hall. There was a wedding at the City Hall, and my friends and I awkwardly walked past the celebration toward its courtyard. It was really nicely designed and fit the whole Californian-Spanish-Desert architecture.
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| Memorial Park Station |
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| Pasadena City Hall |
Apparently, May 24, 2013 was a great day for everyone in the Los Angeles Area because the sun was shining, the sky was blue, and it wasn't too hot. My friends and I enjoyed shopping on Colorado Ave. and later taking the bus to the Glendale Galleria to continue our shopping "exercise" and enjoy the beautiful scenes of Los Angeles night life.
Glendale:
My experiences in Glendale are much more limited than my little experience in Pasadena. My family and I have only recently discovered the treasures of the bustling city of Glendale, from its Whole Foods to the great restaurants, such as Portos and its Las Vegas-styled buffet.
Anyways...I felt that going to Glendale was definitely the highlight of the trip. We spent most of our shopping time looking for matching t-shirts we could wear to graduation night at Disneyland. which is a completely different story. In closing our night, we went to the Americana, a place we have wanted to go since...ummm...FOREVER. I promise you IT IS WORTH IT. Maybe not for shopping but for a little meal under a patio or just to see a lively "American" night life scene.
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| The Americana at Brand. |
I have to admit: I didn't think I would actually EVER finish this post. I have stalled for such a long time, but I hope that I can continue with the motivation that has now overcome me to continue to write and post about my travelling.
See ya VERY SOON,
Erica the Argonaut.
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