Strolling through Pawnee…er…Pasadena

It’s no secret I love Parks and Recreation. Way back when I even had a whole post devoted to it.

One of the things I love about the show is the quirky town of Pawnee. It’s filled with kooky inhabitants, hordes of racoons, and, inexplicably, the most beautiful city hall building.

And the photo of it above? I took that. No, I didn’t get to visit the set (wouldn’t it be a dream if I did?). I turns out Pawnee City Hall is played by a real life city hall…that of Pasadena, CA.

Recently, I headed to Pawnee…I mean Pasadena to take a walk around. I had recently gotten a complimentary pair of  fabulous Vionic walking shoes and wanted to try them out.

So I took my new pair and started to take a stroll. I came across this beautiful mosaic about Einstein and Pasadena…

and this lovely tile work.

And then I came upon the piece de resistance.

Pasadena City Hall is even more beautiful than depicted on TV.  It opened in 1927 and was designed by the architectural firm of Bakewell and Brown. It was modeled after Italian Renaissance architecture and is now listed on the Historic Register. I absolutely love it. Even if I didn’t know it from my favorite TV show I would still find it a building of immense beauty. It’s just another reason why I’m so lucky to live in SoCal.

Pasadena City Hall

100 N. Garfield Ave.

Pasadena, CA 91101