Was it just me, or did I see actor Eric Braeden sitting at the bar inside Bar Celona in Old Town Pasadena? Yes, I mean the same Eric Braeden from the CBS soap opera, "The Young & The Restless" and "Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971)" fame. Can someone confirm this for me? He was sitting at a corner seat with a buddy. I made eye-to-eye contact with him as I walked right past on my way to the lounge area. Anyway, I didn't want to be rude, but I think the man saw my look of recognition and awe. I wonder if it reallly was him! Eric Braeden photo gallery: click here. Anyway, it would be really cool if it were true.
PONTIFICATING RETAIL
And what of Bar Celona? Let's just say, I'm really glad they opened this great new hang out. I believe it's housed inside the former Opus Record Store, but I've heard it's housed where Villa Sorriso once was, before they moved down a few blocks west on Colorado. That was the place I almost hurled from having the best "Death by Chocolate" martini. I learned never to mix too much sugar or chocolate with Vodka. Its spacious, upscale and somewhat retro-modern interiors has refreshened my fondness for the gentrified "Old" Town Pasadena. Anyone want to take a vote on how we can stop the madness? Besides the 13-plus Starbucks in town, there are numerous duplications of retail establishments. How many can we take? AnnTaylor and AnnTaylor Loft, Armani Exchange, Diesel, two Macy's department stores, Gap, BabyGap, Banana Republic, Guess?, French Connection, JCrew, two Kabuki restaurants, Sunglass Hut and many others. The charm and uniqueness of Pasadena is being blotted out by 21st Century retail models. Yes, Pasadena is still a great, world-class city, but we are now looking like any other town in a given metropolitan area.
BACK TO THE BAR
The bar and restaurant was bustling with several large parties, while smaller groups happily hanged out by one of their tapas bars and lounge areas. In their lounge area in the back, there was plenty of room to sit and have drinks with friends. And, if your brain was too fried to talk, there is always the two large projection screens inbedded high in one wall for your sports or otherwise viewing pleasures. I half-heartedly searched the room for a remote, but ended up scanning the many beautiful, diverse faces of the bold and the beautiful (another soap reference) laughing and lazing on the multitudes of tasteful cubic ottomans that seem to come out of a 1960s club. I noticed a young twenties crowd in the lounge, whereas the slightly older crowds were up towards the front and inside the dining areas. I wouldn't say it was crowded, but it was a happening place. The hostess was very nice and was very helpful at directing me to where I could search for my friends.
I only stayed for about 20 minutes, sometime after 9 p.m., so I didn't get to sample any of their tapas or drinks. I'll definitely plan on a trip to Bar Celona in the near future and stay for a while. I really liked the ambience. You'd think it was a place that was a bit snooty, but I didn't get that on Saturday night. The lounge is definitely a cool place to sit back and chill with friends. It's a place you can come casual, but don't come with ripped jeans or flip flops.
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