Around TownPasadena

By Hem-young deFazio

One of this summer’s biggest movies is filled with mythical creatures from a story told nearly 3,000 years ago.

Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has earned more than $1.1 billion worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing film of his career. Audiences know that Odysseus will encounter the Cyclops, Sirens, sea monsters, a...

We prepared this report from two perspectives. Hem-young shares what she is experiencing as she represents buyers and sellers, while Dominic analyzes market and marketing data for patterns that may not be visible in a single transaction.

This month’s Greater Pasadena market analysis reveals an apparent contradiction. Overall activity suggests greate...

Before selling, homeowners often begin looking at their property as if they were about to buy it themselves.

The kitchen feels dated. The hardwood floors have scratches. The bathroom tile is no longer fashionable. Soon, the seller has a growing list of projects—and no reliable way to know which improvements buyers will actually reward.

The right question i...

Some places matter to us even when we don’t use them very often.

You may not hike Eaton Canyon every week. You may never have run around the Rose Bowl. But knowing that the mountains, trails, gardens and open spaces are there is part of having the outdoors in Greater Pasadena woven into everyday life.

For longtime residents especially, they becom...

People sometimes talk about Old Pasadena as though it arrived fully formed—the restored brick buildings, restaurants, shops, courtyards, and busy sidewalks.

It didn’t. Hem-young and I were there while it was taking shape.

I founded Dominic deFazio & Associates, and Hem-young and I worked from our Old Pasadena office during the district’s early revival....