There are five reasons to disembark from a Gold Line train at Allen station.

1. The massive tile and iron grill artwork at the station entrance is amazing and worth taking a closer look at--even though the light is poor under the 210 freeway. It is a shame that this grand and beautiful work is essentially hidden from wider public view.

Detail of the painted iron grill which surrounds the entrance to the Allen Gold Line station.

2. What is arguably the best coffee in Pasadena is brewed and served at Jameson Brown.  This quiet coffee house is located about a block south of the station in an old brown brick storage facility.

3. You want to visit the Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens, which is about a  mile and a half south of the station on Allen Avenue. 

The art collection at the Huntington is good, mostly European. The Gardens are outstanding.

And the Huntington Tea Room is a delight--and quite often booked solidly in advance. The atmosphere inside is quaint and the English high tea delicious.  In warm weather you can eat outside on a patio surrounded by trees and flowers.  You can take an online preview of part of the Huntington Gardens here. 

4.  You are on your way to the Pasadena City College campus, about a mile or so away.  The food around the campus is by-and-large cheap fast food--the kind that students thrive on.

5.  Or you live in the neighborhood.