Move-In/Travel Advice: Caltech

Parents Forum
1

<p>We are traveling to Pasadena in September to take our freshman to Caltech.</p>

<p>We live on the East Coast and would appreciate any advice from the locals, upperclassmen parents, or others concerning:</p>

<p>1) Where to store things during Rotation
2) Things definitely needed when attending Caltech (not the basics but Caltech-specific things to bring/buy that will definitely be needed)
3) Things definitely not needed when attending Caltech (i.e., things you bought that were never used by your freshman)
4) Traffic pointers
5) Local mass transit experiences/stories/tips
6) Tips on good (reasonably priced) restaurants
7) Best local places to buy things for dorm (linens, electronics, school supplies, etc.)
8) And if time permits, sites definitively worth visiting</p>

<p>Any help/stories/pointers on any of these areas would be greatly appreciated.</p>

<p>Thanks.</p>

2

<p>DH was a grad student at Caltech a long time ago, but I did visit Pasadena a few years ago with my older son. </p>

<ol>
<li><p>I didn’t think traffic was nearly as bad as NY area and the great thing is if there are 2 of you, you can use the HOV lanes. We had no problems even in rush hour.</p></li>
<li><p>My favorite restaurant is Pie 'n Burger - it has been there almost 50 years completely unchanged. It still makes great pies and burgers and we loved their pecan rolls too. It’s an easy walk from campus: [Welcome</a> to Pie 'n Burger](<a href=“Pie 'N Burger”>Pie 'N Burger)</p></li>
<li><p>DO NOT MISS the Gamble House. It’s basically a house built like fine furniture. just gorgeous. [The</a> Gamble House by Greene & Greene in Pasadena, California: official website](<a href=“http://www.gamblehouse.org/]The”>http://www.gamblehouse.org/)</p></li>
</ol>

<p>I also like the Huntington Library and Gardens. Nice art with a couple of famous pieces, but just gorgeous gardens. [The</a> Huntington Library](<a href=“http://www.huntington.org/]The”>http://www.huntington.org/)</p>

<p>Also in Pasadena are the Norton Simon Museum [Home</a> Norton Simon Museum](<a href=“http://www.nortonsimon.org/]Home”>http://www.nortonsimon.org/) and the Pacific Asia Museum [Pacific</a> Asia Museum](<a href=“Building and Garden [USC Pacific Asia Museum]”>http://www.pacificasiamuseum.org/)</p>

<p>LA also has a bunch of terrific art museums and the La Brea Tar Pits are cool (and probably of more interest to science kids) [Page</a> Museum - La Brea Tar Pits](<a href=“http://www.tarpits.org/]Page”>http://www.tarpits.org/)</p>

3

<p>4) Traffic pointers</p>

<p>Traffic will be worst to and from LAX, assuming that’s where you are flying into, in the downtown LA area during rush hours. In Pasadena itself, you’ll only hit traffic really on the 210 east/west (west in the morning hours, east from about 3 on); chances are you won’t even be on the freeway at those times.</p>

<p>5) Local mass transit experiences/stories/tips</p>

<p>Um, not particularly good. We do take the Gold Line from Pasadena to Union Station ($1.25) to catch the Flyaway bus to LAX ($7; and reverse).</p>

<p>6) Tips on good (reasonably priced) restaurants</p>

<p>Pasadena is full of ethnic restaurants of all sorts, many of which will be reasonably priced. In Old Town (West Colorado Boulevard) you’ll find restaurants of all sorts nearly wall to wall . South Lake Avenue (walking distance from Caltech) has a number of eateries too. Depends what you want –</p>

<p>7) Best local places to buy things for dorm (linens, electronics, school supplies, etc.)</p>

<p>Any store you want! There are two Targets in Pasadena; a bit east of downtown is a shopping mall with a BB&B and Best Buy (not far from the second Target); you’ll also find Staples, Office Max and Office Depot. </p>

<p>All this assumes that you’ll be renting a car …</p>

4

<p>Have you looked at list sent by Caltech? They have a list of items that are needed, I can post it or PM it to you if you have seen them? Or are you asking about items beyond those?</p>

<p>Also, the other issue is that they will not have their dorms assigned for almost two weeks, so there may not be place to store big items. Let me ask some other parents about this.</p>

<p>I would assume you are flying into LAX (Burbank is nearer but not too many long haul flights, I believe there is one NYC and DFW). Depending on when you are coming in, it could be very heavy traffic).</p>

<p>There is a Costco about 5 miles away, some grocery stores locally including a Trader Joe’s within walking distance, so food items can be purchased there.</p>

5

<p>Thanks to all of you for the info.</p>

<p>mazewanderer, yes we have the list from Caltech. I just thought some upperclassmen parents may have some inside scoop on some other things that are needed. And the issue about “they will not have their dorms assigned for almost two weeks, so there may not be place to store big items” is an issue for us. We understand you can ship things to Central Receiving but not sure if we buy things out there where he will store them for the 2-3 weeks before he gets his permanent house. So if you gain any insight on that we would appreciate you letting us know.</p>

6

<p>What kind of big items are you worried about? Things like chairs and mini fridges are perfectly fine to keep in a rotation room. Couches and desks shouldn’t be purchased until the student has their permanent room, because they may not have space for them in their permanent room. (And in three years I’ve never had a mini fridge, couch, or extra desk).</p>

7

<p>A lot depends on the House that your child moves into. My son eventually got a couch, an a/c for window, and a better desk chair. Rm/mt got a mini-fridge. The desk was fine. South houses have been renovated, so less need for some objects. Items like the mattress pad were never used. Couch was delivered, and then passed on. Honestly, room was next to the general kitchen, but rm/mt still wanted the mini-fridge.</p>

<p>Target and office depot were nearby, and several objects bought there by son. Son bought a new bike while there, but sold it when no longer needed. Lots of postings for commonly used items by the dorms.</p>

<p>Truly great aspect of Caltech was that son could live there year round, no need for outside storage, and lots of safety. When he lost cell phone, another student turned it in ASAP.</p>

8

<p>At the risk of being self-serving, I would suggest picking up the book I publish, Hometown Pasadena, and checking out our online magazine, [Hometown</a> Pasadena | Restaurants, Shopping, History, Events and things to do in Pasadena and the San Gabriel Valley](<a href=“http://www.hometown-pasadena.com%5DHometown”>http://www.hometown-pasadena.com).</p>

<p>If you need good cheap furniture, we have some fine thrift stores, including the Huntington Collection and a very good Salvation Army “antiques” store (not really antiques, but good affordable older furniture and housewares). </p>

<p>Best restaurants that attract Caltech regulars: Daisy Mint (pan-Asian), Japon Bistro, Cham Korean Bistro and Pie ‘n Burger. Celestino is best for an upscale Italian meal. Try the new Taco Station on Green Street-- great and cheap. Tacos are mothers’ milk in L.A. Also the original Euro Pane on Colorado just east of Lake for amazing baked goods, lunches and good coffee.</p>

<p>Things to see/do: The Huntington, Norton Simon, Vroman’s Bookstore (and the adjacent Laemmle Theatres), hiking the San Gabriels, walking in the Arroyo Seco, going up to Altadena to Bulgarini Gelato (a good reward after hiking the nearby Sam Merrill Trail), and exploring the side streets of Old Town-- the main drag, Colorado, is just like any upscale mall, but Green, Union, Holly and Raymond streets have some great, unique cafes, boutiques, pubs, etc.</p>

<p>And we have two good Targets for basic supplies.</p>

<p>It’s a great school and a great town.</p>