Rose Bowl Flea Market

Outdoor Mega Event

The drive to Pasadena offered a completely fresh experience of LA and its Rubik Cube maze of puzzle pieces, for as soon as we travelled across this section of the freeway above and came out the other side of several tunnels, below, the environment changed entirely.

Enter the zone of the Eastside, and a delightful spaciousness opens up that portends to a ‘normal’ neighbourhood where single story houses with precision-manicured lawns and hedges are the norm. I’m told this is where residents who have lived in LA the longest, reside. The westside, where I have been most fortunate to temporarily stay with my son, Tom, is regarded as more transient where much of the workforce lives. Of course, there are single story homes on the Westside too, it just emits a different frequency.

If I were to outline the differences between the two locations, Eastside might be more clued to identity and pride while Westside is more fast-paced and systems-driven. My body was aware of ‘feeling’ into the wonder of time to relax and enjoy what I saw on the Eastside, while in contrast, the Westside holds an air of expectation of needing to be somewhere, do something, be seen, show up… its go go go, at particular times of the day and night.

Pasadena’s Rose Bowl is famous for its stadium and its Flea Market. Recognised as a National Historic Landmark, the stadium opened in 1922 and is home to the UCLA Bruins football team, while the flea market has been in operation for more than 50 years! It’s held on the second Sunday of each month.

The Rose Bowl was said to be a new concept in 1968 - the same year my physical form showed up - and has been perceived as one of the most unusual markets in the world. The ‘olde tyme’ flea market did not disappoint with its eclectic mix of people - visitors and vendors alike - with many material items from a bygone era to the new and repurposed and much in between.

While I wasn’t in ‘the market’ - pardon the pun - for anything and saw a lot of plastic-produced items, I could appreciate it might be a treasure trove for the collector or person setting up a new home or business. That said, I did spy a large soup ladle and a pasta ladle made from copper… I would love to have brought them home with me!

You can read more about its history and celebrations, here.

And if you’re in the market for a new wardrobe… you’ll need to be patient to sift through the piles of clothes on the cloth-covered grounds.

It was a hot experience pacing ourselves on the black-painted concrete that surrounds the exterior of the stadium, and amongst so many people and vendors, I found it a tad overwhelming though grateful for the experience.

On our way out, the street was lined with multi-coloured umbrellas shading drink carts. I admired their enthusiasm.

While the pace can be frenetic here in LA, there’s also a unique buzz about the way people embrace life where every ‘man’ is for themselves—I wonder if they’re aware of being independent within the interdependence of all living beings.

As the light switch flicks up at the end of another day in LA, I retire to my son’s couch, grateful, knowing it won’t be long now until I move on.

Thank you for journeying with me… I look forward to sharing my next post with you soon!

Love in Harmony,

Leanda Michelle ✍️📚

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