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One of the world’s leading scientific research centers and a pioneer in earthquake science and molecular biology, CalTech counts 29 Nobel Prize winners among its alumni and faculty, including biologist and current president, David Baltimore. The institute evolved from an arts and crafts school founded in 1891 by the famous Amos G. Throop, changing its focus to science after astronomer George E. Hale became a board member in 1907.

The graceful arches of this recently restored 1913 bridge straddle the Arroyo Seco (Spanish for “dry brook”), a natural ravine that comes down from the San Gabriel Mountains. The imposing 1903 Vista del Arroyo Hotel overlooking the bridge is presently home to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

This treasure trove of high culture is the legacy of railroad baron Henry E. Huntington. He made his vast fortune as a real estate speculator and owner of LA’s first mass transit system, the Big Red Cars (see Henry Huntington’s Big Red Cars).

This must-see for art lovers owes its existence to Norton Simon, a hugely successful entrepreneur who amassed hundreds of masterpieces (see Artworks at the Norton Simon Museum) from the Renaissance to the 20th century, and sculpture from India and Southeast Asia. Old Masters such as Rembrandt and Goya and the Impressionists, especially Degas, as well as Renoir, Cézanne, and Monet are well represented. Frank Gehry’s recent remodel improved the lighting conditions of the exhibit space. Sculptures, including Rodin’s The Thinker , dot the gardens, inspired by Monet’s at Giverny in France.

Pasadena’s historic business district along western Colorado Boulevard was once a decaying part of town, but has now been restored. Today, its handsome brick buildings are packed with boutiques, restaurants, and bookstores. A short detour will take you to the imposing 1898 Castle Green, an apartment building that was once Old Pasadena’s most luxurious resort hotel.

Grace Nicholson, infatuated with all things Asian, had her 1920s private home designed to look like a Chinese imperial palace. It now makes a fitting setting for this museum’s artifacts from Asia and the Pacific Islands. Exhibits, usually drawn from the 14,000-strong collection, feature masks from New Guinea, paintings by Japanese masters Hokusai and Hiroshige, and woven costumes from Pakistan.

This grand complex was inspired by the early 20th-century City Beautiful movement. It consists of three European-style Beaux-Arts structures stretching along a central axis – the Main Library, the Civic Auditorium, and the City Hall. Architect Myron Hunt designed the public library.

Pasadena art collectors, Robert and Arlene Oltman, occupy the third floor of their 2002 custom-built museum, the only one in the state solely devoted to the art and architecture of California. Watercolors, photographs, and the works of historical as well as living artists are showcased.

Pasadena’s most famous landmark, the Rose Bowl draws worldwide attention every New Year’s Day when two top-ranking college football teams battle it out for the Rose Bowl Game Trophy. College football first became part of the Tournament of Roses in 1902 when Stanford was trounced 49-0 by Michigan. Architect Myron Hunt’s originally horseshoe-shaped structure was later converted into an elliptical shape and enlarged to its current seating capacity of 93,000.

William Wrigley Jr, the man who gave the world Wrigley’s chewing gum, certainly knew how to live. His winter residence in Pasadena is an 18,500-sq-ft (1,720-sq-m) Renaissance-style mansion. It houses the Tournament of Roses Association, which organizes the annual New Year’s Day Rose Parade and the Rose Bowl Game. Memorabilia includes Rose Queen crowns, trophies, and photographs.