Seattle City Hall is just a building; Pasadena City Hall is a WORK OF ART. The 1927 Beaux Arts building is so strikingly beautiful, it’s the second most photographed location in L.A. County, behind Beverly Hills.

A city attorney waiting out front for his ride grumbled about having to sidestep photo shoots and confetti constantly. (Party pooper!) We saw girls floating in their quinceañera dresses and they were breathtaking.

If the building seems familiar, it might be because Pasadena City Hall doubled as Pawnee City Hall in Parks and Recreation. The domed tower is also visible from Leonard and Shelton’s apartment window in The Big Bang Theory.

The Robinson Memorial is just across the street from City Hall’s west face. Two 9-feet-tall bronze heads, Jackie and Mack Robinson, Pasadena’s hometown heroes, raised by a single mom of 5. Jackie broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball, and his brother Mack won a silver at Hitler’s Berlin Olympics.

My Pasadena travel guide is on Seattle's Child here.