My wife and I had a great time here last night when we came to eat at Nick's Pasadena to celebrate our anniversary. We also visited Pet Food Express where we were able to pet a cute Corgi and visited the Macy nearby. I parked in the parking lot behind Nick's and depending when you go, you might have to pay or it will be free. Since I parked my car after 7pm on a Wednesday, it's free. I wasn't sure at first and tried paying at the parking machine and also through the mobile app but it wasn't working. It wasn't until I walked inside Pet Food Express and the worker let me know they stop enforcing the parking time limit after 5pm on weekdays. read more

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I didn't even know there was a South Lake Avenue area in Pasadena until I saw the signs. I just thought there are just shops along Lake Avenue. Anyway, I was at Susie's Cakes and happened to park in the back parking lot because there were no street parking available. Tons of parking in the back. You wouldn't think there are plenty of parking from the main street. There are pay parking stations. Please read the signs. Certain time limits are free. To me that's service from the city of Pasadena. Thank you!!! Otherwise, you'll have to pay for parking. Cost shouldn't be too bad though. There are actually a few blocks of shops and eateries that pertain to South Lake Avenue. Selections are fantastic. I haven't visited all of them. Here are a few mentionables... Susie's Cakes, Randy's Donuts, El Mendocino, Panda Express, and many more. Park close to where you'll be dining, shopping, and playing. Happy Shopping and Dining!!! read more

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The best part of Pasadena is South Lake Ave! I love this area and all the little shops and restaurants on this street. Most of the businesses on this street are local hot spots too! I really enjoy the summer evenings when everyone is out walking and the parrots are being parrots in the trees along Lake Ave.I I enjoy the winter season when they have the Christmas lights along the streets on and the decorations up. Overall is a really nice part of Pasadena that has plenty of shops and restaurants. read more

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i love Pasadena, but even moreso, living in the South Lake District. i've been spoiled in the last 3.5 years to be rooted in this perfect little pocket. Old Town is just 1.1 miles away, and everyone loves it for the shopping, night life, cafes and restaurants, but i prefer keeping a bit of a distance. in no traffic i can get there in as little as 3 minutes, and on foot, 20. the only little problem with living in Old Town are smaller living spaces, crowds and parking especially on weekends. but come South Lake, my family and i can enjoy not only more living square footage, a great selection of restaurants, but also less congestion and more relaxed parking options. as a mom with an endless to-do list, i can get my errands done in a snap. even if i need to make a second run to Target in one day it's no biggie. and i'm not afraid to admit that i'm known to do double Trader Joe runs on certain days!!! we have every mid-range Mexican restaurant you could want on Lake. there's RUBIO'S, CHIPOTLE, WAHOO'S and SHARKY'S. coffee opps include: STARBUCKS (2 locations), COFFEE BEAN & TEA LEAF (with some great outdoor seating), PEET'S, as well as MASSETTI'S (outdoor coffee cart). pretty soon, one of my go-to tea spots, FLOUR + TEA will open their second location just south of Green Street. for more upper-mid range dining, we have LEMONADE, REAL FOOD DAILY, NEAPOLIS, ABRICOTT, THE COUNTER, PIE'N BURGER, FLOAT. old faithful local institutions like: GREEN STREET and CELESTINO. for grocery needs: TRADER JOE'S and FRESH & EASY. RALPHS and PAVILIONS are also so easy to access. one of the long time best bakeries on the eastside of LA, EUROPANE, just a block off Lake on Colorado, with a second location .5 miles away. for shopping: GIGGLES, THE RIGHT START, POTTERY BARN KIDS, MACY'S (one of the best Macy's locations! plus FREE parking), TJ MAXX. TARGET, VROMAN'S, MICHAEL'S are also within a mile. other coveted restaurants are within a mile away: URTH CAFE, SETTEBELLO PIZZERIA, TENDER GREENS, RUTHS CHRIS, ROY'S. i could go on with options, but I almost never need to leave town. everything is in a 1 mile radius. whenever we're in the mood for some REAL Asian food, San Gabriel and Monterey Park are just a hop south from California Blvd. authentic eating is never too far away. one of the best CULTURAL opportunities in Pasadena is its little ARTS DISTRICT. it runs along El Molino, just south of Colorado Blvd., where you'll find the PASADENA PLAYHOUSE. construction is currently underway on the east side of El Molino, expanding this little pocket. on the NE corner of this intersection is VROMAN'S BOOKS, which has been here forever, and is one of the best bookstores ever. next to that is a LAEMMLE'S PLAYHOUSE. plenty of fine spots for dinner and drinks before or after a show. what i appreciate most about South Lake District is its WALKABILITY. it's also away from the busy-ness of Old Town. at the southern end of SoLake, it's even more peaceful and quiet with the close proximity to CalTech and uber residential San Marino. most importantly, it's been very safe to live here. the only thing i would wish for would be a closer playground for my little guy. we are already fall between two, being CENTRAL PARK (in Old Town) and GRANT PARK (a mile away), which are great to have.. but who doesn't want to be spoiled rotten and a mom can wish, right??!! and the last best thing... we are just blocks from Colorado Blvd. which means that there's never an excuse to miss a live Rose Parade. ... well unless you have a little booger, it's 32F degrees and you're a true Californian so that's just too freezing cold for your booty!! read more

**** Nice little shopping district in Pasadena **** The shops on the east side of South Lake Avenue are notable for being accessible from the street and from Shoppers' lane, a half-mile long alleyway that runs alongside Lake Avenue. Also located on Lake Avenue is a large Macy's department store built in early 1940s modern architecture. At the center of the neighborhood is Caltech, Grant Park, and Tournament Park. Many shops and restaurant can be found in South lake Avenue. Many franchise can be found here, it does lack sport bars, almost none exist here. Parking is easier than Old Town, many shop got its own private lot that can park for free. A lot of banks are located here, included some financial investment one. This area is great for single and couple. Also every Wednesday a smaller version of farmer marker is held here. Crime is lower than in old town, also is a lot less crowded compare as well. Housing nearby is a bit pricey, is not idea to raise family here, the public school system still terrible. read more

South Lake Avenue - Shopping Centers Near Me - Pasadena, California

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South Lake Ave is a 12 block radius of shops and restaurants. They got some pretty neat restaurants along with your typical chains, plenty of coffee shops, and plenty of bars / gastropubs. The cool thing about South Lake Ave is that they also have a year round farmers market! Unfortunately its only on Tuesdays. Even though its pretty close by, its definitely a nice alternative to Old Town Pasadena. read more

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I had no idea that this part of Pasadena is known as South Lake Ave (although yes I am familiar with the street, but didn't know people could check in and also yelp it... but then there are a whole lot of places you can yelp). There are many stores to shop at (Macy's, Talbot's, William Sonoma and Pottery Barn Kids for example), restaurants to eat at (Corner Bakery, Wich Wich, Pieology and Yogurtland for example) and so forth all along South Lake Ave and just yesterday afternoon, my husband and I were attended the Holidayfest (http://www.southlakeavenue.org/2014/11/17/holiday-festivities-photos-with-santa-horse-carriage-rides-on-south-lake-saturday-dec-6th-2014-all-free/) that occurs every year in this area in December. We had a great time taking advantage of stores and restaurants offering special discounts during this event. We also were lucky to get complementary parking because of the event as well. This part of Pasadena reminds of me old town. Parking is not free (although some restaurants do offer validation for certain lots) but there are parking structures and metered parking. But this is a nice change from old town though. read more

What happened to South Lake?!!! Moved from Pasadena for a few years and came back to shop. Most stores closed in the evening. Macy's looked like a crappy Macy's anywhere. Used to be one of the best. It's Christmas time...you should do more than put up some lights! Won't be back soon. Too bad. Lost potential while Old Pas has become South Coast Plaza. read more

Born and raised in Pasadena, I love the new look of South Lake Avenue. It lost a few landmarks, Burger Continental and Hamburger Hamlet but gained a handful of interesting and dynamic dining restaurants. There is plenty of parking and be careful of the parking patrol they are on the prowl and will ticket. I recently enjoyed Lemonade, Real Food Daily, and Magnolia House. These are very different dining experiences but all enjoyable in their own way. There are also shopping venues and coffee joints... take a stroll and enjoy. read more

While Old Town Pasadena tends to draw more tourists South Lake is a shopping destination for the locals. The Avenue served as a place for "upscale" shopping from the 1940s ( with the building of Bullock's) throughout 1980s. During the 1990s many long time retailers local to CA and to the immediate closed (Bullocks, I Magnin, Port O' Call) and now seems to draw mostly retailers for the buget minded consumer (not a judgement but an observation). First the good. South Lake Avenue still is a local draw with many local and small chain restaurants. Macy's (in a nicely restored historic building), TJ Maxxs, Ross Dress For Less, and Trader Joes are some of the larger anchors. Two groceers Ralphs and Pravillian are located at each end of the district. The Goldstein's and Peet's Coffee (side by side businesses) seem to be local favorites for the working crowd and are great places for a light bite and early morning people watching. Indoor and outdoor seating is provided and each has its benefits. Pie and Burger techinacally not on Lake Ave but around the corner is one of the older businesses in the area which has a following from Cal Tech students, familes, and seniors. Side walks are wide (nice walking) and parking is easier than other Pasadena shopping places Sadly, some of the luster has left the neighborhood with the exodus of long time businesses. Bullock's was replaced by Macy's in a a historic building more suited for a Nordstoms or Macy's own Bloomingdales. (Macy's did a great restoration but also closed the famed Tea Room and cut back on many other amendities which the other department store had offered.). Macy's also built a outdoor strip center, which house some nice stores but obsures and distracts from the historic Bullocks building. Wild Oats a local natural food store and California Pharmacy were some local business unique to the area have since closed. Even the discounter Ross Dress for Less seemes to have fallen on hard times. Built in the late 1990s, the nice 2 floor building presented a somewhat upscale image with a nice assortment of items . On my last visit this store had a lot less merchandise and what was items there were seem of less quality. read more