The Crown of the Valley: big-city draws and small-town charm.

Minutes from downtown L.A. on the Metro Gold Line and nestled beneath the majestic San Gabriel Mountains, Pasadena distinguishes itself as one of the region's oldest and most inviting communities. The Crown City is small enough to be charming yet large enough to accommodate cosmopolitan amenities. The famed Tournament of Roses, the Pasadena Playhouse and research/academic institutions such as NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the California Institute of Technology make Pasadena much more than a typical suburb. Idyllic neighborhoods filled with Craftsman-style homes are a stone's throw from a landmark-studded downtown.

Old Pasadena
It is a pleasure to stroll through the 12-block district known as Old Pasadena (bounded roughly by Walnut and Green streets, Arroyo Parkway and Pasadena Avenue). The district is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and many of its buildings date to the turn of the 20th Century. Today, they house trendy boutiques and eateries, while foresighted city planning has integrated parking structures into the old façades. The flamboyantly designed Castle Green apartments (99 S. Raymond Ave.) were built as a grand resort in 1898.

Brick-lined alleys lead into the One Colorado courtyard, where a diverse collection of restaurants offers alfresco dining. And there's always a line at nearby 21 Choices (85 W. Colorado Blvd., 626.304.9521), which boasts the best frozen yogurt in Pasadena. Among the plethora of Old Pasadena restaurants are The Crêpe Vine, a charming bistro-wine bar, Yujean Kang's for gourmet Chinese cuisine and Tre Venezie, a Michelin-starred trattoria.

Just east of Old Pasadena, Paseo Colorado offers movie theaters and upscale shopping amid garden promenades. Ample dining is located in the complex and Ruth's Chris Steak House is across the street. Nearby is Beaux Arts–inspired City Hall (100 N. Garfield Ave.), a stunning landmark recently restored to its original grandeur after a lengthy renovation.

Playhouse District
The 700-seat, Spanish colonial–style Pasadena Playhouse is the centerpiece of the Playhouse District. Neighboring museums include the pagoda-crowned Pacific Asia Museum and the contemporary Pasadena Museum of California Art.

The black-box Boston Court Theatre (70 N. Mentor Ave., 626.683.6883) is the newest cultural addition and the legendary Ice House Comedy Club (24 N. Mentor Ave., 626.577.1894) lightens up the scene.

Just east of the Playhouse District, South Lake Avenue offers a concentration of shops and restaurants. The Commons (140–146 S. Lake Ave.), the Colonnade (350 S. Lake Ave.) and Burlington Arcade (380 S. Lake Ave.) set boutiques around European-style courtyards.

Dining gems include French favorite Bistro 45, Caltech standard Pie 'n Burger (913 E. California Blvd., 626.795.1123) and Rose Tree Cottage, which offers a traditional English high tea. To the south is The Langham, Huntington Hotel & Spa, a lavish historic hotel (formerly the Ritz-Carlton) whose restaurant, The Dining Room, receives great acclaim.

Orange Grove Boulevard
Some of Pasadena's most magnificent historic homes line Orange Grove Boulevard just west of Old Pasadena, and the immediate vicinity offers a legacy of great architecture from masters such as Wallace Neff and Frank Lloyd Wright. The meticulously restored Gamble House is the crowning achievement of architects Greene & Greene, leaders in the Arts & Crafts movement for which Pasadena is famous. The spectacular Wrigley mansion (391 S. Orange Grove Blvd.) is now the Tournament House, administrative offices for the Tournament of Roses.

The Norton Simon Museum, at Colorado and Orange Grove boulevards, is one of the nation's finest small art museums. Its stellar collection ranges from Renaissance to 20th-century masterworks and features Impressionist masters such as Monet, Manet, Degas, van Gogh and Renoir. The Norton Simon is also widely recognized for its collection of Eastern art, including a superior collection of Indian works. The museum received a makeover from architect Frank Gehry in 1999; the sculpture garden is lovely.

Pasadena Adjacent
Just south of the Langham and Pasadena's southern boundary is the renowned 150-acre Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens, in the posh community of San Marino. The Huntington features more than a dozen distinct botanical environments, from a Japanese garden to the flora of the Australian outback. Amid the magnificent gardens is the Italianate mansion of railroad magnate Henry Huntington, which has an extraordinary collection of 18th– and 19th–century art and an extensive library of rare books and manuscripts. For families, the Rose Hills Foundation Conservatory for Botanical Science is new; the Helen and Peter Bing Children's Garden is astonishingly creative.

Fair Oaks Boulevard runs south into the charming, sleepy community of South Pasadena. Landmark structures in the Mission West Historic District along Mission Street house alluring boutiques, antique shops and eateries.

Click HERE for a detailed map of these neighborhoods.