The expansive outdoors, mountain views and fine climate make Pasadena, the famed City of Roses, a shining jewel of Southern California and an enduring object of jealousy.

Friday

3 p.m.
1) DREAM HOUSE

Real estate envy is an epidemic in Pasadena, and few homes are more desirable than the Gamble House (4 Westmoreland Place, 626-793-3334; www.gamblehouse.org). While the tour guides can reinforce a certain preciousness, there is no denying the allure of this Craftsman-style home, constructed in 1908 for David and Mary Gamble of the Procter & Gamble Company by the architects Charles Sumner Greene and Henry Mather Greene. The hour-long tours are $10 for adults; free for children under 12. Flat shoes are required to protect the floor, but they’ll give you a pair of slippers if you’ve got your Jimmy Choo’s on.

4:30 p.m.
2) ROSE BOWL

Well, you’re here, so why not see where it all happens each winter. You can tool around the Rose Bowl grounds, jog, enjoy the gardens, imagine yourself as being coronated the rose queen, or one of the many who spends the 80,000 hours needed to put together the Tournament of Roses (391 South Orange Grove Boulevard, 626-449-4100; tournamentofroses.com).