By Emily Glory Peters Pop culture is not just a state of mind, it’s a place in Old Town Monrovia. Here, those well-versed in subreddits and Urban Dictionary descriptions can find merchandise that reflects where one falls as a stan (not sure what a “stan” is? Ask at the counter!). Coming through the doors of…
By Emily Glory Peters Ask any new parent and they’ll tell you how quickly the first year of their child’s life passes. Weeks of fragmented sleep stretch into months, studded with a million milestones—and while some loom larger in the mind than others (like your child’s first steps), capturing it all can feel impossible. When…
By Emily Glory Peters If you were like the average American kid, keeping healthy might have included a stint in karate, tae kwon do or other martial art for a few months before teetering into your next recreational activity. But what does fitness look like now as an adult? For some, self-defense for fitness is…
By Emily Glory Peters Most of us have an idea of how we’ll spend our next holiday, birthday or even weekend—and more importantly, who’ll we’ll spend it with. Yet for foster youth in Los Angeles, that same certainty can disappear in an instant. Family separation, under any circumstance, takes a long toll on children in…
By Emily Glory Peters As Mike Tyson once famously observed, everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth. Still, having a (thoughtful) approach to caring for your physical and mental health is a great idea—especially in an era where burnout and overstimulation are painfully real. At 15th Round Boxing in Pasadena, brothers…
By Emily Glory Peters When Luis Luna named his motorcycle repair shop “Lunatic Psycles,” he was just looking for a unique alternative to the standard “Bob’s Cycles/Joe’s Cycles” option. What’s been truly loony is his approach to growing—or self-sabotaging—his business. “I’m the world’s worst salesperson,” he attests. And perhaps it’s true. Before launching Lunatic Cycles…
By Emily Glory Peters One of Pasadena’s best kept secrets is its healthy number of exceptional independent bookstores. Book Alley, founded in 1992 and located just a few blocks from Pasadena City College, is no exception—though weathering a quarter century’s worth of business storms hasn’t been an easy ride. “I got into the book business…
By Emily Glory Peters Built in the 1880s, the Bissell House Bed and Breakfast is nearly as old as Pasadena itself. Named for that Bissell family (you probably owned one of their carpet cleaners at one point), this grand dame of San Gabriel Valley straddles much: the border of Pasadena and its southern sister; Victorian…