Shopping in crowded stores not your thing today? Here’s a stress-free suggestion: Stop by Pasadena’s Norton Simon Museum for a closer look at a new Vermeer on loan from the National Gallery of Art in Washington and catch the Marcel Duchamp installation before it closes next week. A Lady Writing is a rare painting from 17th century Dutch master Johannes Vermeer, who might better known today as the painter of Girl with a Pearl......

Small independent toys stores bring charm to a neighborhood. The ones that stand the test of time become family traditions. The Dinosaur Farm in South Pasadena offers a unique inventory of every dinosaur toy one can imagine and many other favorites too. If the kid in your life loves toys and dinosaurs, this is the place. Opened in 1994, The Dinosaur Farm is owned by guitarist Dave Plenn. This New Year's Eve he will be......

Photo by TomorrowGirl via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr SERVE DINNER IN THE PARK Every year, on Thanksgiving Day, the Union Station Homeless Services sponsors Thanksgiving Dinner-in-the-Park held in Pasadena's Central Park. How you can help: -Volunteer at the event (Thanksgiving Day; especially needed between 1pm and 4pm). -Volunteer the day before the event. -Donate prepared food; items needed (pdf). Call 626.240.4550 x542 or email for more details; families and children welcome. GOBBLE GOBBLE GIVE......

Two stations in Pasadena on East Washington Street (between Lake and Hill) found today by Fox 11's helicopter were selling regular gas for $1.98 and $1.97 a gallon. However, those two are bucking the trend as the average price in the Los Angeles region today is $2.36. Last Friday it was $2.491, 13-cents lower.......

When you think weekend brunch you probably imagine vanilla French toast, cheddar cheese and bacon scramble and a stack of blueberry pancakes. We do, too, so we were intrigued when we heard about the "Dim Sum and Then Some" Brunch at Equator in Pasadena. You get to choose from a menu of dim sum created by Chef Zhang, who learned a thing or two about the cuisine from his mother. She has worked at acclaimed......

Not cool. Someone is going to have some very bad karma this holiday season. From the Pasadena Star News: "Officials from Union Station Homeless Services are asking for the public's help in raising money for a new cargo van. Their own van was stolen several weeks ago by an intruder who broke into the parking lot during the night and drove it away."......

Due to the smoke and ash in the air generated by the two massive fires that have burning in Los Angeles and Orange Counties this weekend the Pasadena Marathon has been canceled. Yesterday the AQMD issued a smoke warning, and modified it to include Orange and Riverside county information once the Corona-Yorba Linda fire began to rage. The warning notes that, "surrounding areas of Los Angeles and Orange counties may reach the Unhealthy for Sensitive......

This Sunday, the wishes will be separated, or "harvested," from Yoko Ono's Wish Trees, but the 21 crape myrtle trees will stay in Pasadena. As the 80,000 wishes make their way to Iceland, the trees will find a new home at the Arlington Garden, a demonstration Mediterranean climate garden in Pasadena. Since August, visitors to One Colorado have written over 80,000 wishes in Yoko Ono's project. They will soon find their home Videy Island, off......

The Schubert Trount Quintet performed by Perlman, Barenboim, Du Pre, Mehta, and Zukerman. One of the great collaborations of the 20th century. This week the Pasadena Conservatory of Music hosts noted musicologist and pianist Priscilla Pawlicki who will provide a FREE lecture on chamber music."In The Intimate Art of Chamber Music, Pawlicki will explore why for centuries chamber music has consistently inspired our greatest composers to produce some of their finest efforts." More information......

Some of the many wonderful submissions from our LAist Featured Photos contributors on Flickr.........

Now that a their smoking ban will soon be in effect, Pasadena is looking into plastic bags restrictions. "Pasadena's Green City Action Plan, adopted in 2006, calls for the creation of a plastic bag reduction program to support the goal of achieving zero waste to landfills by 2040," reports the Pasadena Star News. Today, the city's Environmental Advisory Commission's Waste Reduction, Transportation and Environmental Health Committee will meet and invites the public to attend and......

After more than six months since it was first proposed, Pasadena officials finally passed their new smoking ordinance last night. "The new rules will prohibit smoking in outdoor shopping and dining areas, in ATM and movie ticket lines, within 20 feet of building entrances and at outdoor events like the Rose Parade. That would make it nearly impossible to smoke in Old Pasadena, and other commercial districts of the city," reports the Pasadena Star News.......

The next in a series of local cities considering smoking in public bans is Pasadena. After a hearing in May and last week, the council is expected to vote and most likely pass a resolution that will "prohibit smoking in outdoor malls, shopping areas and centers; in outdoor dining areas; in waiting lines, such as at movie theaters, ATMS, ect.; and at public events like the Rose Parade and community fairs," according to the Pasadena......

LAist's weekly LAistory series is taking a break this weekend! Photo of the Gamble House by Namlhots via Flickr This weekend marks Pasadena Heritage's annual Craftsman Weekend celebration in Pasadena, which spotlights the Arts and Crafts movement which had its roots firmly planted in the area and in North East Los Angeles (NELA) at the turn of the 20th century. Opening today at the Huntington Library is an exhibit destined for the Smithsonian and the......

Pasadena has gone all green on garbage by purchasing power generated by methane gas emitted from decaying garbage in an Arizona landfill. The 20-year contract will bring in 30,000 megawatt hours annually to power the equivalent of 5,000 homes. Additionally, Pasadena has two other landfill contracts, one that has brought in 74,000 megawatt hours in 2008 already. Reporter and blogger Dan Abendschein notes that "by 2011, those landfills are slated to generate nearly twice as......

Via Gawker, we find Homethinking who has launched a nifty tool comparing neighborhoods in one city to another city. It's fun, but beware: their methodology is not income based ('cause rent is just a tad higher on Manhattan), but rather demographics such as "age, marital status, whether the household has kids or not and the frequency of arts and culture activities," as they explain. It's a start... Check out the full lists comparing LA......

The unfortunate trend continues, per the LA Times: "A series of financial setbacks left Wanda Dunn facing eviction from the house in Pasadena where her family had lived for generations. Dunn, 53, told neighbors that she would rather die than leave. Early Monday, the day of her expected eviction, firefighters pulled her body out of the house as it burned. She apparently had set it on fire before shooting herself in the head, authorities said."......

A conceptualized regional connector map | Download the full size here (.pdf) Imagine a day when the Gold Line Eastside Extension to East LA and the Expo Line to Culver City are completed (2009 and 2010, respectively). But if you're traveling from Culver City to Little Tokyo, you'll have to take the Expo Line to the Red Line to the Gold Line. Headache, right? That's what Metro's Regional Connector project is seeking to fix.......

Pasadena Blog, Under the Dome, has found that there is an alternative plan/idea to expand the Gold Line out to Claremont. Instead of light rail, as we know the Gold Line today, the extension would be Metrolink. From reporter Dan Abendschein: "An alternative plan, said Snoble, would be to build the Gold Line as far as Azusa/Glendora, then build a heavy rail Metrolink line from there to Claremont to link the Gold Line to existing......

The Pasadena Symphony is citing "recent extraordinary conditions in the financial markets" as reason why they are canceling their November concert, according to Laurie Niles, a violinist who writes a blog. "What?" she writes. "A couple weeks of plummeting stocks and...kablouey? What about the sponsor that the Symphony already had lined up for the concert? Or the tickets that have been sold?" The symphony's website does not note any cancellation and a concert is also......

Photo by GarySe7en via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr THIS CULTURE TASTES LIKE CHICKEN The city will host their 21st annual "Taste of Encino" cultural festival. The event will take over a strip of Ventura Blvd. and include music, dance, and storytelling. This free festival will also feature a moon bounce and rock climbing wall for you to enjoy. I'm sure your kids will like them a bit more though. VISIT THE......

Sunday brings the 2nd annual TasteTV Luxury Chocolate Salon to Los Angeles, and chocoholics and the sweet-toothed can score discounted advanced tickets until 6 p.m. today online to the indulgent event. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at the Pasadena Center dozens of local confectioners and chocolatiers will be on hand to sample and talk about their tasty treats, along with the chance to see demonstrations and taste wines. Last year's event was a......

More than 800 people got sick (13 went to the hospital) after watching the Fresno Bulldogs beat the UCLA Bruins on Saturday at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. What happened? No, it wasn't UCLA's poor performance. For the most part, it was heat-related. "Paramedics from Los Angeles and Glendale were called in to assist in the response," which the the LA Times reported to be the largest medical response to the Rose Bowl.......

Although temperatures are expected to be in the 80s and 90s today, the lighting, thunder and rain that traveled through San Diego and Orange County could break the heat for a short period of time today. "The storms are expected to bring a quarter inch of rainfall or less to some areas into the evening and early nighttime, but will clear up tonight as the likelihood of rain drops to 20%," according to the National......

After a successful visit last year, TasteTV's Luxury Chocolate Salon is returning to the area next weekend. If you are a fan of chocolate, it's your chance to taste and experience the finest in artisan, gourmet, and premium chocolate in our great culinary metropolis.......

Art Center College of Design President Richard Koshalek, whose contract ending in 2009 was not renewed earlier this summer, left the high-profile art school today. The school will not comment on the situation beyond a statement with the usual he-was-great and we-wish-him-luck statements. It was in June when the board decided not renew is contract. Some speculate that it was over $50-million price tag for a Frank Gehry designed research complex that students were upset......

The LACO has been a major contributor to the music scene in Los Angeles for 40 years. You've probably heard their musicians in many movies, music recordings, and seen them (the mural of an orchestra on the 110? The LACO). How about seeing them live? LAist has covered them several times before, and this year is a good year to check them out for yourself. The LACO is celebrating its 40th anniversary, and bringing......

Before Disney and his Mouse made their magical haven miles and miles to the south of us, Angelenos had an amusement park right smack in the middle of the city. It was called Chutes Park, and it was located at Washington and Main. Before we get all LAistory on you, be cautioned that we're just being teases, like today's Pasadena Star-News online, by dropping the reference, giving you a glimpse of this postcard from 100......

The fur will be flying, literally, Saturday and Sunday at the Pasadena Convention Center for the CFA Allbreed and Household Pet Cat Show. There'll be rescue kittens for sale, plus exotic cats on display, and household cat judging--though no word on whether criteria such as "spazziness" or "litterbox aim" will be used to award prizes. Perhaps the most anticipated event, though, is the agility contest, in which cats lured by fuzzy toys run an......

The Promenade in Santa Clarita | Photo by tkksummers via Flickr Ten cities in two separate categories are up against each other for an award naming them the most business friendly city of the year in Los Angeles County. Starting in 2006, the LA Economic Development Corporation began the Eddy Awards to "celebrate individuals and organizations that demonstrate exceptional contributions to positive economic development in the region." For example, Santa Clarita does not assess......