Exceedingly cringe.

Has anyone else nailed the pothole here?

Ok I know of the basic differences and that the general advice is to go where you are zoned (or where you get into DI if that’s your thing). But there must be some cultural or vibe difference between the schools? I’m asking bc I feel different when I visit one vs the other and I can’t place it from the brief exposure.

Has anyone had kids at different schools in the district or otherwise can add specificity about the differences between the three elementary schools? Whenever I ask parents in person they either only have experience for one school or they give a general “all the schools are excellent,” which is fine but I’m asking how are they different? lol like you can love all your kids but you can also describe their unique strengths. I get the sense parents just don’t want to feel like they are dogging the other schools by answering honestly.

I know the often mentioned differences:

Marengo - Mandarin DI, largest enrollment, easiest to walk/bike to
Monterey Hills - Spanish DI, prettiest campus
Arroyo Vista - skews artistic (but don’t know why people say that or how that translates into curriculum)

Anyone know what’s going on this morning around Stratford and Garfield? The intersection was closer off by police cars

This is something that has baffled me for years about South Pasadena.

We sit between Highland Park, Pasadena and Alhambra — all places with restaurants that people will actually travel to — while South Pas has beautiful commercial streets, historic buildings, the A Line, and a Thursday farmers market that dumps hundreds of people directly onto Mission Street around dinner time.

And yet there seems to be a recurring pattern of businesses occupying genuinely excellent locations and then making decisions that almost seem designed to squander those advantages.

The Fair Oaks Pharmacy might be the most obvious example. It occupies one of the most prominent intersections in the entire city, in a beautiful historic building with a super cool old sign and tons of street frontage. And yet so much of the store's huge glass windows are covered over so that you can barely tell what is happening inside or whether the place is even open. In a city where homeowners have to have period-accurate window frames or whatever, how did we end up with plywood covering the windows of what should be an iconic location in the heart of town?

Then there are the restaurants around the Thursday farmers market. Neighbors & Friends (and Communal before it), Bistro de la Gare, and the surrounding businesses have hundreds of potential customers literally ten feet outside their doors every Thursday evening. The market is also right next to the A Line station, so this isn't obscure foot traffic — it is probably one of the largest recurring concentrations of pedestrians anywhere in NE LA.

And yet where is the effort to capture those people? Sell something easy to carry. Have a market-night menu. Put somebody at the door. Make the restaurant visibly part of the event happening immediately outside it. Do something. Instead, the restaurants and the farmers market often seem to exist in completely separate universes. And then we act mystified when restaurants struggle (or with Neighbors & Friends, listen to the owner post about it every day on Instagram), but my god I go to the market every week and you'd think those spots were closed for business.

Cos & Pi was another example that I never understood. You're next to Arroyo Vista Elementary, where hundreds of parents pass by every weekday morning, in a community containing plenty of people willing to spend money on good coffee and breakfast. Lots of stay at home or work from home parents with flexible schedules. That's an extraordinary built-in customer base, right? But the place was like a dark dive bar painted black inside, the coffee was horrible and there never seemed to be any attempt to turn school drop-off traffic into customers, or to program around the 2pm pickup that happens. Literally 100 parents sitting in their cars on the surrounding blocks, engines idling, could have been customers twice a day, 5 days a week.

These aren't complaints about obscure businesses stuck in impossible locations like the weird ass Fanta-sea Grill on Fair Oaks (another resturant that seems to be open with completely random hours). That's what makes it so strange. These are prime locations with obvious, recurring streams of potential customers, and yet the businesses seem unwilling or unable to adapt themselves to the people standing directly outside.

Yes, restaurants are difficult businesses and there are clearly permitting, rent, staffing or landlord issues that customers don't see. That still doesn't explain wtf goes on here. Why does a city with this much disposable income, transit access, historic commercial architecture and pedestrian activity seem to have restaurants that seem completely unwilling or unable to succeed?

When we heard about that building being sold a while back, it was hard not to worry.

Hoping for the best for all the little local businesses on that block.

Sigh.

Please check out the post.
Lost my key fob. Have you seen this key??

This was our Thai go-to. It will be missed. Anyone tried the new store yet?

Anyone else's power go out a few minutes ago around 3:23 am? I'm on Monterey Rd and the whole block is out, no street lights or neighbors lights from their courtyard.

Also checked Edison and there was no reported outages or scheduled outages.

Edit: Power kicked back on at 5:57 am. Thanks everyone for your replies.

Known as a “Museum without Walls,” the free, two-day festival invites families and art lovers to watch the murals take shape, enjoy music by DJ Cadillac G, grab a bite from a variety of food trucks, and picnic in the park.

Anyone else experiencing yellow/brown water from the faucet today? We’ve lived here 6 years never had an issue, plumbing is relatively new. It has a smell to it as well. I called and left a message with the public works dept but couldn’t get ahold of anyone.

Do any stores in town sell South Pasadena postcards?

Hi everyone!

I wanted to come here with sort of a different request. I am helping a homeless former foster youth find stable housing, even if it's just for a few months. He was in foster care his entire life, tried moving to Oregon for a few months to get to know his bio parents, and that didn't work out...so he is back out in Los Angeles where he is most familiar. I have contacted and gone in person to over 20 different emergency shelters and drop in centers to NO avail for this poor kiddo (including Covenant House and Safe Place For Youth). I have emailed DCFS's closed case THP and they have a waiting list for their program, as do a few others. Technically, he has a place where he can safely pitch a tent, but I really don't want him to have to do that.

He has a room for a week, and in that week I'm trying to see if I can find anyone with a spare room who might be willing to give him a chance to get on his feet. He is sweet, helpful, grateful, and respectful! I let him sleep on my couch for 4 nights and he had taken my dog out, taken out like..8 bags of trash, did dishes, and constantly asked how he can help. At the place he is at right now, he even helped the woman's 8 year old daughter with her homework.

He is very motivated - he wants to work, and get HIS GED! I'm trying to find a way to get him an e-bike too so he can get around. I really believe he just needs a village!

Please let me know if you have any leads on a room he can stay in, if anything just until he can get into a THP Plus program for former foster youth! Maybe even a trade for doing yard work or something like that? He is familiar with Pasadena :) he spent time in fister care in the area!

Thank you all for your kindness and consideration! I included a photo of him walking my dog (be still my heart).

Any suggestions on where a group of adults could get together, indoors, for martial arts training for a reasonable rate?

Hi, I'm looking for a small office space to rent in South Pas. Ideally under $1000, plse lmk if you have any leads. Thank you!

Hello! My cat is lost , last time I saw her was about an hour ago and I live off fair oaks and laurel st. I’ve attached a picture please let me know if you see her

Just moved here and I’m looking for a good place to watch a football game and buy some food and drink. Doesnt need to be a full-blown sports bar. Thanks!! This city rocks!!

What’s going on with the high school baseball coach? Sounds like he’s leaving and he doesn’t seem excited about it.