BY CUYLER GIBBONS
the EDITOR’S NOTE
THE PASADENA TEAM. Savita Devlin, Jose Florentino, Jane Ferguson Gibbons, Brian Delgado, Paula Diaz, Cuyler Gibbons, Heidi Wood-Brown, Javier Aguiniga
∫ OK, I MIGHT AS WELL COME CLEAN RIGHT AT THE BEGINNING. I GOT MY FIRST VIEW OF PASADENA THE SAME WAY MILLIONS OF OTHER AMERICAN’S DO EVERY YEAR. I WATCHED THE ROSE BOWL GAME. IT WAS 1969, AND 11 DEGREES IN COLUMBUS OHIO. IT WAS FROM THIS FRIGID VANTAGE POINT THAT I ROOTED ON THE BUCKEYES TO A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP VICTORY OVER OJ SIMPSON AND #2 USC. IT WAS 78 degrees in Pasadena. To my 8-year old eyes, the palm trees, the roses, and the weather seemed miraculous, and hopelessly exotic. In junior high and high school during the 70’s I watched the Buckeye’s return to Pasadena 6 more times in that decade, and so got a repeated taste, albeit remote, of Pasadena winter weather. That was all the taste I needed to convince me a steady diet of Southern California sunshine should be on my menu. It took another decade to make that happen permanently, and while I must confess to remaining a loyal part of the Buckeye Nation, my geographic allegiance is now solidly with the Southland. Nowhere does the Southland sparkle and intrigue as it does in and around Pasadena. That’s why it’s such a privilege to cover the area we love in the pages of Pasadena Magazine. In many ways the magazine writes itself, with the city as its greatest contributor. There is so much life, innovation, and history on display everyday, deciding what to cover is the real challenge. It’s a challenge the team at Pasadena Magazine is more than up to. A magazine
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represents far more than the vision of any single person. It’s the collective effort of a dedicated group of individuals, along with an amazing selection of talented contributors, which makes Pasadena Magazine the true reflection of this great city that you know it to be. For this issue we turn our gaze on the medical profession and introduce you to the area’s finest physicians as chosen by their associates and competitors. Few assessments are as meaningful as those rendered by your professional peers, and in this issue we provide an indispensible guide to those area doctors their colleagues have voted the best. Not only is Pasadena positively thick with great doctors, there are numerous world-renowned medical facilities within easy proximity as well. We take a look at HRC Fertility, a world leader in reproductive technology that has helped thousands of men and women who are otherwise unable to conceive, experience the joys of parenthood, and we go inside a new gastrointestinal center at USC to review recent advances in digestive health.
At our request, Kate Movius interviewed Michael Cohen, founder of the Manhattan children’s practice, Tribecca Pediatrics, who is introducing his innovative and highly effective brand of childhood medicine and childcare to Pasadena. You can read about Dr. Cohen and his “elemental” approach beginning on page . Matt Fleischman profiled “Arnold’s Doctor” to discover what makes the nation’s foremost cardiothorasic surgeon, and the man who performed Governor Schwarzenegger’s heart surgery, tick. Read his impressive story on page ??. Elsewhere we look at the revitalization efforts taking place in Old Pasadena to see what the future has in store for this historic district, and get a report from Friar McAllister on the grand old Rialto Theater and the efforts afoot to save and restore this singular landmark. There’s more of course, from local photographer Meeno Peluce’s bucolic, yet urban- proximate homestead, to a ride on the Gold Line to Mariachi Plaza where we visit several of the unique restaurants and businesses bringing real energy to this historic area. From everybody on the team at Pasadena Magazine, here’s to your good health. Thank you for reading. Cuyler Gibbons, Cuyler@pasadenarose.com
JULY/AUGUST 2014
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