City Walk: Shady and Cool Monterey Hills (Video)

Oh, you Monterey Hills, still you curse me! You slope up, you slope down—but then, right away—you slope up again. You are really very persistent that way and if one is determined to walk South Pasadena, you are really unavoidable. Indeed, you cover way more real estate than people realize—probably about one quarter of the whole town.  

But perseverance is the key to success, so we will not be daunted. We will walk you, and this month we will start at the the corner of Monterey Road and Indiana Avenue. 

OK walkers, take a deep breath. Think about how proud you’ll feel when you’re finished, and walk up that hill. You're starting in the old hills: the sight of the first residential developments in the Monterey Hills. And I mean first.

See those three marvelously enormous houses on the west side of the street? They’ve got to be over a hundred years old. Who were the original owners? Why did they want such big houses? Did they have 12 children each, or just two teenagers who needed a large neutral zone between them? I’m guessing the latter. Then again, I’m living the latter. Please keep me in your prayers.

Look around. You’ll see most of the houses are much newer than those old granddaddies. Alas, however, they are built on an old and narrow street. There are no sidewalks, so use caution and remember to walk opposite the flow of traffic. At the top of the hill, take a slight right so that you stay on Indiana. 

As you wind your way around Indiana, you will quickly notice that in the height of summer it is surprisingly lush and shady here. Take that to heart. It means you don’t have to mingle with vampires if you want to get some outdoor exercise. You could actually start at, say, eight in the morning and not end up feeling like a dried-out old lemon.      

At the top of the hill, you'll want to stay on Indiana, but that will take just a little intelligence. First, take a slight right so that you're still on Indiana. Then take a slight right so that you're on Alta Vista just for a moment. Lastly, take a slight left so that you're on Indiana Again. Indiana curves around almost like a hairpin. It dips downhill and by the time you reach the bottom, the street will be wider, the yards deeper and—praise the maker—there will be nice smooth sidewalks.

The valley here is a little less shady and a lot more Brady Bunch. In fact, I think I heard Jan and Marsha yelling at each other, but that might have just been when my cell phone ringing and my children needing to express the true injustice of their deprived lives. 

Stay on the flatlands of Indiana until you reach Via Del Rey. Turn right on Via Del Rey and keep your eyes skyward, so you don’t miss the intriguing architectural combination of '60s ranchstyle and Greco-Roman ruins at the very top of the hill. (I guess if you are going to live at the top of a hill, you might as well go all Mount Olympus.) If you squint, I do believe you can make out a reproduction of Michelangelo’s David on one of the patios.

At Cam Del Sol, turn right. Steel yourself. You’re going uphill.  Again. And it’s a doozy. But there are still sidewalks, and the houses are all very nice. You’ll have plenty of safe distractions so that you don’t have to think about the possible altitude sickness you are experiencing. 

At the top of Cam Del Sol, turn right onto St. Albans Avenue.  Now you’re back to roughing it. Narrow streets. No sidewalks. But awesome views! Look left. Except for the freeway, the modern architecture and the proliferation of cacti, you’ll swear you’re in Tuscany. You think I’m joking, but I’m not. It’s the Cypress trees.  Like in Italy, they rise up from the hillsides in straight rows like evergreen soldiers holding the line of fire. It’s really very beautiful. And lucky you—it’s in your backyard. 

Stay on St. Albans until it becomes Alta Vista Avenue. Alta Vista goes east and then twists sort of south. At a certain point, it forks into Alta Vista and Oak Crest Avenue. At the fork, go left so that you stay on Alta Vista. Soon, you’ll reach a sign with a very grim warning: WAT H OUT FOR  HILDREN. This, of course, translates into, “What the hell! Out for Hildren?” 

Needless to say, if you’ve brought your hildren, you will want to keep a very close eye on them. Then again, if your hildren are currently bringing you endless grief … hmmm. Perhaps I should make this a family walk next time. 

Alta Vista is very fond of forking, and soon you will come to another fork in the road. If you go left, you will be back on Indiana.  If you go right, you’ll stay on Alta Vista. Go left, so you are on Indiana. Keep walking until you come to another fork in the road; this time, between Indiana and Gates Place. Stay left, so you’re still on Indiana. Walk down the hill until you reach Monterey. 

Congratulations! Now you can return home and have a proper rest.  Yet, you do have those squabbling teenagers at home. Wait, that’s me. Darn. Maybe just a quick stop at  it’s just down the street on Monterey. Some iced tea would certainly be refreshing right now.  

Street Directions

1. Start at the intersection of Indiana Avenue and Monterey Road.  Walk south, up the hill, on Indiana.

2. At the first fork in the road, make a slight right so that you stay on Indiana.

3. Now take a slight right onto Alta Vista Avenue, but, almost immediately, take a slight left onto Indiana.

4. Stay on Indiana until you reach Via Del Rey.

5. Turn right onto Via Del Rey.

6. Turn right onto Cam Del Sol.

7. Turn right onto St. Albans Avenue.

8.  Continue onto Alta Vista Avenue.

9. At the fork, turn left to stay on Alta Vista.

10. At the next fork, turn onto Indiana.

11. At yet another fork, turn left to stay on Indiana.

12. Walk north until you reach Monterey Road.  

The music on the video is a 1922 recording of "Lonesome Mama Blues" by Fred Van Eps. Although it's purely instrumental, one can almost hear the mama wishing for school to start so that she can be lonesome once again.  

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