In San Ber’dino changes I looked at the eco system and scenery changing as I climbed Mount San Bernardino. Something quite obvious struck me since then, that if you walk five to ten miles in any given direction, you are more likely than not to encounter some degree of change. And if you don’t, that in and of itself would be a change. To test that theory, walk the length of Lake Avenue in Pasadena/Altadena, California,
Lake Avenue:
Forty two blocks, five miles. Beginning at the gates of the Cobb estate at East Loma Alta Dr. in Altadena, where the lumber tycoon Charles Cobb once built his ‘kingdom on a hill’, literally above other early white settlers of the foothills, who were prospecting for gold in the canyons below, and ending where it turns into Oak Knoll Ave in Pasadena, surrounded by mansions. Between that, fifteen churches–that I saw–including a mosque and a buddhist center, a house of prayer, and a meditation center; too many banks and financial institutions to count–concentrated south of the freeway, whereas all the churches are north of the freeway; a freeway and Metro gold line crossing, with a Metro station; two parks–plus a memorial one under construction; a Planned Parenthood clinic–often the sight of pro-lifer protests; an LA County Social Services building; a post office; auto parts stores; auto repair shops; discount stores; medical offices ranging from dentists to the Altadena Pet Hospital; chiropractors; a palm reader/psychic; beauty parlors; thrift stores; a pawn shop; a boxing equipment store; a job center; the Bunny Museum; several bike shops and only one used cars lot–sign of the times; a recently added Metro bike station–another sign of the times; a fire station; a tattoo parlor; the gamut of fast food chains, ethnic restaurants, diners and finer dining joints, juice bars and coffee shops–but only three Starbucks; a Mexican karaoke club; a pupuseria; and, well, you get the idea. It’s the kind of street that is busiest at rush hour, offering a direct access to the freeway, an artery of convenience connecting Pasadena with the foothills, missing, in my opinion, a bookstore.
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