S.Calif Trip Day 9- Colton, CA to Pasadena, CA

Colton, CA – Woke at around 7 AM. Weather clear 62 deg – 91 deg F.

Brother in-law, Blaine found an article in the Los Angeles Magazine about a “beer cave” located in a Shell gas station in Pasadena that is supposed to be the best place in Los Angeles to buy craft beer. The article artfully described a place hidden in plain sight where only the finest craft beers could be found. Anyone who knows Blaine knows he’s a beer aficionado. So, it was a no-brainer that he would propose we take a 60-mile road trip to Pasadena and check out this mysterious beervana.

The days plan was for Blaine, Elaine, Carol and me to car pool to Pasadena, acquire some craft beer, find a fast-food joint, get some food, find a park and have a picnic. We departed on our beer quest and arrived at our destination around 11:45 AM.

Our destination was an unassuming Shell gas station with an ordinary looking Food-Mart in back. We ventured inside and there, in the back was a wall of refrigerators stocked with a selection of craft beer that would make any beer snob drool. 

The store also had a somewhat eclectic décor with images of Star Wars characters on the walls and a big sign in the back with a big red button saying “DO NOT PUSH THE BIG RED BUTTON”. I must admit, I was tempted to push the button but regretfully, I resisted. We made our selection of beer and Blaine talked with the owner and told him he had driven all the way from Riverside to check out his beer-cave. 

The owner was duly impressed and gave Blaine some special beers from his private stash in the back room. Feeling satisfied, we left with our beer-booty and discussed what to do next. A while back, I made a Google Map with pins of all the places I used to live and where some of my ancestors used to live. By coincidence, we happened to be near some of those pinned places.

Great Grandparents old house

So, with a little coaxing, I was able to persuade Blaine to do a quick drive-by of a few places that were nearby (my Great Grandparents’ old house, my Grandparents’ old house., and two of my old childhood houses).

Grandparents old house

It had been a while since I’d seen the houses so of course they all looked very different. But it was nice seeing them again and it brought back lots of forgotten memories. Our next agenda item was to find food.

My families old house

We did a Google search and found a nearby fast-food joint named Lucky Boy which, coincidently, was across the street from the first ever Trader Joe’s store .Trader Joe’s was a favorite of ours so a visit to the very first one was a must.

The store had a small sign out front advertising it as the first one but otherwise, it looked like most other Trader Joe’s. We wandered around the store and bought a few “must have” items.

We then went to Lucky Boy across the street and got some sandwiches which we took to a local park that, not coincidently, was next to one of my childhood schools, Allendale Elementary School. The school had been converted to an adult education learning center but otherwise looked pretty much the same. 

While looking at Google Map, I noticed we were only a couple blocks away from President Obama’s former residence. So, after our picnic, we walked over and took a few selfies in front of Obama’s former residence.

The place was an oldish apartment building that had a plaque on the sidewalk out front saying Obama used to live there from 1980 – 1981 during his sophomore year at Occidental College.

It was kind of cool to think that President Obama used to live in an apartment only a few blocks away from one of my childhood schools and houses. We made our way back to the car and Blaine and Elaine mentioned a nearby place named the 

Gourmet Cobbler Factory that makes amazing cobblers. So, it was a no-brainer that we needed to stop and get some gourmet cobblers to take home.

The place was somewhat hidden on a small side street but as soon as we got close, the aroma of fresh baked cobbler made it hard to miss (and resist).

Things I Learned On This Day (#TILOTD) –

• The original Trader Joe’s opened in 1967 on the same day I was born (August 25)
• President Obama used to live in Pasadena in an apartment a few blocks away from one of my childhood schools and houses
• Cobblers vs. Pies - Cobblers only have a top crust that is "cobbled" or coarse. Pies have a smooth top crust and bottom crust