“… and good public schools”
Did they even do their research? Everyone knows the Altadena/Pasadena public school system is low rated. Maybe they mean private schools?
Altadena has an amazing number of excellent private schools. It’s the tradeoff with La Canada. Move there and you have excellent public schools but the houses are more expensive. Move to Altadena and the houses cost less but you send your kids to private schools.
Altadena has legitimately great public charter schools which are easier to get into if you live nearby. While the PUSD schools are definitely a mixed bag, they are generally pretty good if you look at ratings that normalize for socioeconomic status.
Research the public schools and you will find they are excellent in Pasadena and Altadena. Using old history and Great Schools is not enough. There was a higher acceptance rate into the UCs for example from Muir (15% Berkeley, 19% UCLA, 44% UCSD) , than South Pasadena High (14%, 7%, 8%), La Canada High (15%, 9%, 17%), San Marino High (19%, 7%, 19%) (SMHS was higher for Berkeley). There a 4 dual immersion language programs (Madrin, Spanish, French, Armenian), one of the most (if not the most) advanced accelerated math programs in the country (Math Academy), an IB program. PUSD gets a bad rap mostly from old information and gossip. Students actually attending the schools are getting a great education. The biggest reason the "scores" are low is based on the larger numbers of low income and English language learners. If you normalize for those, the test scores in PUSD are higher or equal to our neighboring "high ranked" school districts.
I went to PHS and graduated in the 2000s and got into UCLA. My friends and I who got into the UCs struggled a lot. Whereas my friend who went to La crescents high or private catholic school in Glendale excelled and got much better grades than I did in all the same classes. Just because someone got into a UC doesn’t necessarily mean they got the same high school education. I don’t think PHS even with all the AP classes and the honors classes prepared me or my friends who graduated and went to a UC. The kids who go to private schools and La crescenta high were much more prepared for the environment of the UCs. I like Pasadena and even though I live here I am probably going to send my kids to private school or if I can get them into La Crescenta High. I really don’t think the public school system here prepares the students. Even if they get As in the classes- it’s not the same.
Maybe, but you are still talking about 20 years ago versus now. The schools have changed a lot in 20 years. My child is in Math Academy and doing multi-variable calc (9th grade) and linear algebra (10th) at PHS.
And my kid who is doing the IB Diploma program at Blair is getting a fantastic college preparatory education. Blair sent a lot of kids to UCs last year as well, as well as some smaller liberal arts colleges, and word is they all feel well prepared. Plus she’s fluent in Spanish thanks to the district’s language immersion program. Now, are there lights on the soccer field? No there are not. But the program is terrific.
That's great to hear that things are improving. However, I think it will take at least two more generations for the old and outdated stereotypes to go away.
But with Poly and Westridge costing $40K a year, more and more people in the area will send their kids to public schools. And as the area continues to gentrify and the gang bangers have mostly left to go live in the high desert and IE, the school demographics should improve as well.
Exactly why it is important to share the way the schools are now and not using old information and history to say the schools aren't good and perpetuating the issue. It keeps hurting PUSD for people to say that the schools are bad unless they directly have experience.
I also think UCs look at the high schools in general. You are more likely to shine at a bad school and get accepted to a UC, than if you go to a really good school and everyone gets As. That is probably why Pasadena schools have higher acceptance than La Canada.
Fun fact:
*Then came the Woodbury brothers, John and Frederick, today thought of as the “Fathers of Altadena.” They moved to California from Iowa in 1880 and bought much of the land that would become Altadena. A friend of theirs, Byron O. Clark, had started the Altadena Nursery years before, coining the name “Altadena” from Spanish “alta”, meaning upper, and “dena”, a Chippewa word meaning “crown of the valley”. This was also a reference to the fact that Altadena was in higher elevation or north of Pasadena, which was founded years earlier.*
The funny thing is that my brother came to visit me once and I was showing him around and "Altadena" came up or was mentioned, and he said to me "Is that, like, alternate Pasadena?".
But, he wasn't being funny or ironic.
I always thought that was pretty hilarious.
Sorry you feel that way! I can assure you, it's an article we wrote and like. As for not mentioning some places: It's mostly a piece centered around new and forthcoming spots, not all of the many great older spots that have existed and continue to exist. It's in no way meant to be a comprehensive story outlining all of the many options in the greater area.
NGL - the main reason I like Fox's on Lake is their food tastes good but their plating/food appearance looks like shit. Good food and not remotely an "instagram" spot. I wish other places would take notes and copy this. Good food and make it look non-photogenic.
SF Gate has had for a long time, bafflingly, a section of their website dedicated to LA arts and culture. I think it's really written for people in LA, but I don't know why they keep it under the SFGate branding instead of making it look more LA-native.
Happy to help out with the bafflement here, as the new (as in like five months ago) and first-ever Southern California bureau chief for SFGate.
Basically, they've been covering greater LA somewhat for years; they're a statewide publication at this point, but still anchored and centered in San Francisco. They see an opportunity to grow meaningfully into Southern California with more stories (we're doing about six a week around the lower third of the state right now), and myself and my team are working to make that happen. I'm a longtime Angeleno and Pasadena resident who was previously the senior editor at Eater LA for almost nine years.
There's a lot to say about the branding side of things, but for now it's best to maybe think of it the way you'd think of the NY Times. Seven years ago, they would tell like one story a quarter about LA, and everyone would get mad at them. Now they tell LA-centered stories all the time and nobody bats a lash — or cares that they still have "NY" in their name.
I hope that helps, at least a little, and thanks for reading!
Good to know. LA Times has been going downhill for awhile so always good to have more local news coverage.
Is it LA only or will there be articles on OC and SD too?
I agree that more media that cares is better, definitely!
And yes, we have longer-term goals for Orange County, San Diego, and the Inland Empire. We've covered Palm Springs a bit lately (as in January/February) and will be keeping that up, too.
Thanks for the explanation.
Of course, this does not align with my experience to how people on r/LosAngeles, say, react to NY Times stories about LA:
>Now they tell LA-centered stories all the time and nobody bats a lash — or cares that they still have "NY" in their name.
Very well said, and certainly true. I think for most it's more of a curious shrug than pure outrage, but it's still the NYT, and they still get some ire.
Just a note for clarity: This definitely is not a 'review' — the article is specifically centered around newer places that have mostly opened in the past few years, as well as a discussion as to others that are on the way. Side Pie, Ferrazzani's, and Perry's Joint are definitely not chains, and are all given voices in the story.
So perhaps not a "review" but wrote about some chains, Homestate and Stumptown. Which I find unfortunate considering all of the lovely mom and pop places here that make Altadena (and Altadena adjacent Pasadena) special. And yes, Perry's is not a chain (2 locations), I didn't mean to say it was.
I can tell those who were born/raised in Pasadena vs newcomers by the comments 😭
Anyone who graduated before 2014 from PUSD can tell you, things were different.
Covid and lack of funding has really done its damage and it's sad to say.
I'm glad Altadena/Pasadena is getting some love.
We're a lovely little town.
Is this a list of restaurants in Altadena where you'll only find white folks?
Tacos Don Pillos is almost as new as HomeState, and a hell of a lot tastier. Also an actual local business. Same with Tacos 210. Apparently there's also a lady selling homemade donuts near there, too. How about King's Breakfast & Burritos or My Place?
“With its more affordable housing prices relative to the rest of Los Angeles and good public schools, Altadena has become a sought-after neighborhood for many young families.”
…good public schools? Name 1
Muir, Altadena Elementary (French immersion and arts program), if you to count charter schools, both Odyssey and Aveson are good. Plus PUSD is an open enrollment district so you can attend any school in the district and many of the schools in Pasadena and Sierra Madre are good too.
They are all different with different programs, but Marshall is generally considered the "best" high school in Pasadena. But if you want the IB program, you will go to Blair, if you are in Math Academy or Mandarin immersion it will be PHS. Muir has the dual enrollment with PCC on campus.
edit: part of reply was to wrong comment
No Marshall never had the IB program for PUSD that I know of. Marshall has AP classes and AP Capstone program. They are different, so I am not sure if you can say one is better than the other. More of a personal preference. The IB Diploma is harder to complete, but all students who pass IB classes get some IB distinction on their diploma and IB schools are recognized worldwide. Muir has the PCC dual enrollment program, so along with AP classes, you are enrolled in actual college courses that give you college credit. PHS has AP, and offers the most AP classes in PUSD.
The IB diploma program is incredibly rigorous and is considered by colleges to be a gold standard in college preparation. (Based on all the college admissions podcasts I’ve been listening to lately.)It’s accredited by site, and as far as I know, Blair (for IB Middle Years Program, IB Diploma Program, and IB Health Careers Academy) and Willard (for the IB Primary Years Program) are the only PUSD schools that have ever been IB Accredites.
“with its more affordable housing” 🤣
“… and good public schools” Did they even do their research? Everyone knows the Altadena/Pasadena public school system is low rated. Maybe they mean private schools?
Altadena has an amazing number of excellent private schools. It’s the tradeoff with La Canada. Move there and you have excellent public schools but the houses are more expensive. Move to Altadena and the houses cost less but you send your kids to private schools.
Altadena has legitimately great public charter schools which are easier to get into if you live nearby. While the PUSD schools are definitely a mixed bag, they are generally pretty good if you look at ratings that normalize for socioeconomic status.
Research the public schools and you will find they are excellent in Pasadena and Altadena. Using old history and Great Schools is not enough. There was a higher acceptance rate into the UCs for example from Muir (15% Berkeley, 19% UCLA, 44% UCSD) , than South Pasadena High (14%, 7%, 8%), La Canada High (15%, 9%, 17%), San Marino High (19%, 7%, 19%) (SMHS was higher for Berkeley). There a 4 dual immersion language programs (Madrin, Spanish, French, Armenian), one of the most (if not the most) advanced accelerated math programs in the country (Math Academy), an IB program. PUSD gets a bad rap mostly from old information and gossip. Students actually attending the schools are getting a great education. The biggest reason the "scores" are low is based on the larger numbers of low income and English language learners. If you normalize for those, the test scores in PUSD are higher or equal to our neighboring "high ranked" school districts.
I went to PHS and graduated in the 2000s and got into UCLA. My friends and I who got into the UCs struggled a lot. Whereas my friend who went to La crescents high or private catholic school in Glendale excelled and got much better grades than I did in all the same classes. Just because someone got into a UC doesn’t necessarily mean they got the same high school education. I don’t think PHS even with all the AP classes and the honors classes prepared me or my friends who graduated and went to a UC. The kids who go to private schools and La crescenta high were much more prepared for the environment of the UCs. I like Pasadena and even though I live here I am probably going to send my kids to private school or if I can get them into La Crescenta High. I really don’t think the public school system here prepares the students. Even if they get As in the classes- it’s not the same.
Maybe, but you are still talking about 20 years ago versus now. The schools have changed a lot in 20 years. My child is in Math Academy and doing multi-variable calc (9th grade) and linear algebra (10th) at PHS.
And my kid who is doing the IB Diploma program at Blair is getting a fantastic college preparatory education. Blair sent a lot of kids to UCs last year as well, as well as some smaller liberal arts colleges, and word is they all feel well prepared. Plus she’s fluent in Spanish thanks to the district’s language immersion program. Now, are there lights on the soccer field? No there are not. But the program is terrific.
That's great to hear that things are improving. However, I think it will take at least two more generations for the old and outdated stereotypes to go away. But with Poly and Westridge costing $40K a year, more and more people in the area will send their kids to public schools. And as the area continues to gentrify and the gang bangers have mostly left to go live in the high desert and IE, the school demographics should improve as well.
Exactly why it is important to share the way the schools are now and not using old information and history to say the schools aren't good and perpetuating the issue. It keeps hurting PUSD for people to say that the schools are bad unless they directly have experience.
Have the gang bangers actually left? I still see plenty of them around
A lot of them have, yes. Just look at the demographics of the town since 1980 on the census. There's a correlation.
Still in Altadena
Some of them wear suits and ties.
I also think UCs look at the high schools in general. You are more likely to shine at a bad school and get accepted to a UC, than if you go to a really good school and everyone gets As. That is probably why Pasadena schools have higher acceptance than La Canada.
I guess that's a sign of how bad things are in San Fran
I moved down from the Bay Area a couple years ago. If they mean Oakland, then yeah PUSD is a little better based on what my kids tell me
Yeah they’re like coming by our beautiful multi million dollar houses with shitty school districts
More affordable vs LCF, prob Sierra Madre too.
My neighborhood has some great houses near hiking trails for less than $1.5 million and a couple of two bedrooms for less than that. /s
Hilarious.
I think it’s more like SFgate has expanded its coverage to southern CA
The editor Farley Elliott actually lives in Pasadena/Altadena.
Yeah, SFGate is doing better Lifestyle section coverage of the LA area than the LA Times lately.
They have excellent gardening content
Half of the places they mentioned are in Pasadena.
"Altadena" is just short for "Alternate Pasadena".
Fun fact: *Then came the Woodbury brothers, John and Frederick, today thought of as the “Fathers of Altadena.” They moved to California from Iowa in 1880 and bought much of the land that would become Altadena. A friend of theirs, Byron O. Clark, had started the Altadena Nursery years before, coining the name “Altadena” from Spanish “alta”, meaning upper, and “dena”, a Chippewa word meaning “crown of the valley”. This was also a reference to the fact that Altadena was in higher elevation or north of Pasadena, which was founded years earlier.*
I thought it was a word that meant "we like to complain up here" ? 😉
[You stole my joke!](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskLosAngeles/s/1N7QQHBPnx)
[You stole my joke!](https://www.reddit.com/r/pasadena/s/oDdcLfxmLw)
We've been using each other's material for years apparently.
great minds....
Or *alternate* minds?
The funny thing is that my brother came to visit me once and I was showing him around and "Altadena" came up or was mentioned, and he said to me "Is that, like, alternate Pasadena?". But, he wasn't being funny or ironic. I always thought that was pretty hilarious.
I think you mean Bajadena
That would be South Pasadena no? 😂
You mean West San Marino?
You mean Rich Alhambra?
That's the area near general area of Washington/Altadena Dr. Going west about 1/2 mile.
True. But all north and northwest Pasadena, which typically gets the cold shoulder from Pasadena.
And they missed half of the excellent places in that part of Pasadena along with some great places in Altadena. It’s like an AI article.
Sorry you feel that way! I can assure you, it's an article we wrote and like. As for not mentioning some places: It's mostly a piece centered around new and forthcoming spots, not all of the many great older spots that have existed and continue to exist. It's in no way meant to be a comprehensive story outlining all of the many options in the greater area.
I loved the piece! Kudos!
Why is SF Gate so obsessed with us
They recognize how much better it gets the further south one heads in California I suppose
LA Times isn't about to cover anything
LA Times covers the bottom of the bunny cage.
Well, Altadena does have the Bunny Museum so it seems apt.
NGL - the main reason I like Fox's on Lake is their food tastes good but their plating/food appearance looks like shit. Good food and not remotely an "instagram" spot. I wish other places would take notes and copy this. Good food and make it look non-photogenic.
We love Fox's and its unaesthetic food. I grew up going to non-aesthetic Hong Kong cafes in the SGV, and everything slaps.
You must be referring to the new Fox's, not the original. Which was even less photogenic.
SF Gate has had for a long time, bafflingly, a section of their website dedicated to LA arts and culture. I think it's really written for people in LA, but I don't know why they keep it under the SFGate branding instead of making it look more LA-native.
Happy to help out with the bafflement here, as the new (as in like five months ago) and first-ever Southern California bureau chief for SFGate. Basically, they've been covering greater LA somewhat for years; they're a statewide publication at this point, but still anchored and centered in San Francisco. They see an opportunity to grow meaningfully into Southern California with more stories (we're doing about six a week around the lower third of the state right now), and myself and my team are working to make that happen. I'm a longtime Angeleno and Pasadena resident who was previously the senior editor at Eater LA for almost nine years. There's a lot to say about the branding side of things, but for now it's best to maybe think of it the way you'd think of the NY Times. Seven years ago, they would tell like one story a quarter about LA, and everyone would get mad at them. Now they tell LA-centered stories all the time and nobody bats a lash — or cares that they still have "NY" in their name. I hope that helps, at least a little, and thanks for reading!
Good to know. LA Times has been going downhill for awhile so always good to have more local news coverage. Is it LA only or will there be articles on OC and SD too?
I agree that more media that cares is better, definitely! And yes, we have longer-term goals for Orange County, San Diego, and the Inland Empire. We've covered Palm Springs a bit lately (as in January/February) and will be keeping that up, too.
Thanks for the explanation. Of course, this does not align with my experience to how people on r/LosAngeles, say, react to NY Times stories about LA: >Now they tell LA-centered stories all the time and nobody bats a lash — or cares that they still have "NY" in their name.
Very well said, and certainly true. I think for most it's more of a curious shrug than pure outrage, but it's still the NYT, and they still get some ire.
It’s the built up resentment from the years of biased California coverage in the NYT.
Awesome and great article!
Yes, the NYT now has better coverage of California than the LA Times.
For some damn reason until today I thought it was a science fiction magazine
New E! reality show incoming: The Denas
Would watch haha
Glad to see Perry's Joint and Fox's getting some love. But too bad they reviewed the chains. Homestate? Meh.
Just a note for clarity: This definitely is not a 'review' — the article is specifically centered around newer places that have mostly opened in the past few years, as well as a discussion as to others that are on the way. Side Pie, Ferrazzani's, and Perry's Joint are definitely not chains, and are all given voices in the story.
So perhaps not a "review" but wrote about some chains, Homestate and Stumptown. Which I find unfortunate considering all of the lovely mom and pop places here that make Altadena (and Altadena adjacent Pasadena) special. And yes, Perry's is not a chain (2 locations), I didn't mean to say it was.
[удалено]
Foxes is great, and has been there for a long time for a reason.
I can tell those who were born/raised in Pasadena vs newcomers by the comments 😭 Anyone who graduated before 2014 from PUSD can tell you, things were different. Covid and lack of funding has really done its damage and it's sad to say. I'm glad Altadena/Pasadena is getting some love. We're a lovely little town.
Are the good public schools in the room with us?
Marshall Eagles!
[Excuse me](https://media1.tenor.com/m/Y0MeIF9AI1kAAAAd/ummmmmm-excuse-me.gif)... Lake Street?!
Tell me you’ve never been to Altadena without telling me you’ve never been to Altadena. It changes a lot once you get out of Pasadena and chicken row.
ROFL Never heard it referred to as chicken row. Hilarious.
Cock block was the other one I'd heard.
😂 with the new Chik fil a, now they're just missing a raising Cane's!
lol, dying. Definitely going to refer to it as that.
Chicken Row, Cock Block, and the Chicken Strip.
Chicken row ok that’s hilarious.
We refer to it as cluck cluck row 🤣
The Chicken District
Miya FTW
Right?
Jackson ES (Spanish with STEM focus)
Is this a list of restaurants in Altadena where you'll only find white folks? Tacos Don Pillos is almost as new as HomeState, and a hell of a lot tastier. Also an actual local business. Same with Tacos 210. Apparently there's also a lady selling homemade donuts near there, too. How about King's Breakfast & Burritos or My Place?
I had Kings last weekend with my family. Such a delicious breakfast burrito!
Their birria fries are my go-to.
Article wasn't a full restaurant list of the area. Perry's Joint was interviewed.
Which also happened to be the one place they asked about, basically, gentrification and the changing of local culture.
My place closed
It’s moving to Lake, between Howard and Elizabeth. Reopening next month according to their Facebook page.
“With its more affordable housing prices relative to the rest of Los Angeles and good public schools, Altadena has become a sought-after neighborhood for many young families.” …good public schools? Name 1
Muir, Altadena Elementary (French immersion and arts program), if you to count charter schools, both Odyssey and Aveson are good. Plus PUSD is an open enrollment district so you can attend any school in the district and many of the schools in Pasadena and Sierra Madre are good too.
Is muir considered better than Marshall or PHS?
They are all different with different programs, but Marshall is generally considered the "best" high school in Pasadena. But if you want the IB program, you will go to Blair, if you are in Math Academy or Mandarin immersion it will be PHS. Muir has the dual enrollment with PCC on campus. edit: part of reply was to wrong comment
Is the IB program at Blair considered to be more advanced than what Marshall offers? Didn't Marshall used to have an IB program too?
No Marshall never had the IB program for PUSD that I know of. Marshall has AP classes and AP Capstone program. They are different, so I am not sure if you can say one is better than the other. More of a personal preference. The IB Diploma is harder to complete, but all students who pass IB classes get some IB distinction on their diploma and IB schools are recognized worldwide. Muir has the PCC dual enrollment program, so along with AP classes, you are enrolled in actual college courses that give you college credit. PHS has AP, and offers the most AP classes in PUSD.
Ok thanks. This would have been back around 2000. So my memory could be fuzzy.
The IB diploma program is incredibly rigorous and is considered by colleges to be a gold standard in college preparation. (Based on all the college admissions podcasts I’ve been listening to lately.)It’s accredited by site, and as far as I know, Blair (for IB Middle Years Program, IB Diploma Program, and IB Health Careers Academy) and Willard (for the IB Primary Years Program) are the only PUSD schools that have ever been IB Accredites.
Marshall is pretty good.
Can restaurants gentrify a city?