Venetian Dining Room and Gardens, 2556 North Lake Avenue, Altadena

Here we have an advertisement from the Pasadena Courier, June 1966, for the much missed Venetian Dining Room and Gardens. We are still hoping for a cultivated Italian restaurant on the upper reaches of Avenue to the Sky, and, when possible, with gardens, private bar and dancing. Look at those prices including a bottle of wine! Even at the minimum wage of $1.65 back then, this looks affordable.

Washington's Birthday Sale in Lake Washington Village

In honor of our namesake's birthday on February 22, George Washington, I have posted photos from the Pasadena Courier of September/October 1965 touting the savings in Lake Washington Village such as George saying "SHOP WHERE THE SAVINGS ARE BIG!" and "BY GEORGE! BEHOLD THESE BUYS!" Do you think the Father of Our Country minded being used as a cartoon character to hawk the wares of Lake Washington Village?

We used to have such a variety of goods and services in Lake Washington Village. Hopefully, we can again. A small step was taken last night at the Pasadena Historic Preservation Commission. The Washington Theatre was nominated as a local landmark and we encouraged the owners to apply for grants and tax benefits to finally complete its restoration. All good things take time.

Please let me have your stories about Lake Washington Village. I'm compiling them for a presentation to City Council about revisions to the North Lake Specific Plan coming up. We need the City on board to put together the Arts and Entertainment District proposed for the Lake Washington Village area.

It's been noted that several out of town vacationers with towed boats on trailers have shown up at the intersection of Lake and Washington looking for "Lake Washington." We were sorry to disappoint on one hand, however we are happy to escape the flooding havoc of other nearby locations. We directed the out of towners to "Lake Pasadena" and "Lake Eaton", the first behind Devil's Gate Dam and the other behind the Eaton Dam.