Hotel at a Glance: Hilton Garden Inn Arcadia/Pasadena Area

This upscale yet homey hotel is a nice place to come back to after a day spent exploring Pasadena (just 7 miles away) and other spots in and around Los Angeles. You’ll be close to the Rose Bowl and the San Gabriel Mountains, and within a 40-minute drive of Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, and Universal Studios Hollywood.

• Splash into the outdoor pool and hot tub.
• Grab a snack at the Pavilion Pantry Market, a convenience shop inside the hotel.
• In-room amenities: refrigerators, microwaves, and extra-fluffy beds
• Work out in the onsite 24-hour fitness center.
• Cooked-to-order breakfasts are served at the hotel’s Great American Grill.

Pasadena, California: Parades, Playhouses, and Parrots

The city of Pasadena holds its famous Tournament of Roses Parade on New Year’s Day, when much of the rest of the country is experiencing the coldest temperatures of the year. But in Pasadena—about 10 miles north of Los Angeles—the sun is usually shining, the flowers are blooming, the parrots are squawking, and the bordering San Gabriel Mountains are as green as ever. Millions of people worldwide tune into the annual event on TV, whether to watch the parade of elaborate, petal-covered floats or the Rose Bowl game, which is considered one of college football’s most prestigious contests.

The near-perfect climate attracts movie stars as well as artists and scholars—the California Institute of Technology, or Caltech, is located here, and so is NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Among the cultural institutions in town, the Norton Simon Museum stands out: it’s one of the biggest private art collections in the world. Its holdings span 2,000 years and several continents, from Renaissance Europe to Southeast Asia.

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