By Bill Delaney

For over a century, we have invited the world to share in Pasadena's tradition of bringing in the New Year. Millions have viewed the floral spectacular of the Tournament of Roses Parade and experienced the excitement of the Rose Bowl Game.

A distinctive city that maintains the charm of its early days in a unique blend of the old and new. It is a city rich in culture, history and art with a gracious style all its own.

Visit and experience for yourself why people say, "Pasadena is the Best Side of  LA!"

There is no other community in Southern California where you can see so many of the world's artistic masterpieces.

The Norton Simon Museum of Art exhibits famous works from Renaissance to the mid- 20th Century by renowned artists such a VanGogh, Monet, Renoir, Matisse and Picasso as well as South Asian art spanning 2500 years. The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens house Henry Huntington's collections, including Gainsborough's Blue Boy and Lawrence' Pinkie plus a Gutenberg bible and unsurpassed early editions of Shakespeare's works. The Pacific Asian Museum in the historic Grace Nicholson home, features arts of the Pacific Rim. The Gamble House, a bungalow style home designed and built by architects Greene and Greene in 1908, is one of the finest examples of the American Craftsman movement. At the Pasadena Museum of History, in the Fenyes Mansion, you'll learn the history of Pasadena. The Tournament House and Wrigley Gardens is the ornate mansion once owned by chewing gum magnate William Wrigley, Jr.; it now serves as headquarters of the Tournament of Roses Association.

The Pasadena Playhouse, founded in 1917, is the State Theatre of California. It has served as the training ground for many famous actors of stage and screen.

Pasadena is brimming over with shops, galleries, restaurants, night clubs, pubs and people. You'll find over 200 restaurants serving international cuisine from Australian to Yucatan and everything imaginable in between. After dinner, stroll down tree-lined boulevards, watch street performers, catch a movie, listen to jazz or dance into the night.