For a Mediterranean climate, go to Pasadena.

Nestled at the base of the majestic San Gabriel Mountains, Pasadena will thrill your members with its mild, year-round Mediterranean climate. Your members will enjoy strolling along tree-lined South Lake Avenue, known as the city's premier shopping district, and browsing through Old Pasadena, a 20-block historical area featuring 19th-century structures and hundreds of specialty shops, antique havens, boutiques, and entertainment venues.

Home to more than 500 restaurants featuring cuisine from around the world, Pasadena will give your members many choices when it comes to nightlife and entertainment - ranging from jazz clubs to comedy at the Ice House to theater at the Pasadena Playhouse and Broadway musicals at the Civic Auditorium.

Drawing from its rich cultural heritage, the city features numerous museums:

* The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens offers an extensive collection of literary classics, 17th-century and 18th-century British and French art, and 150 acres of lush gardens.

* The Norton Simon Museum, recently renovated, displays seven centuries of European art from the Renaissance to the 20th century.

* Pacific Asia Museum promotes understanding of the arts and culture of Asia and the Pacific.

* Gamble House, built in 1908, is a masterpiece of the American Arts and Crafts era.

Choice of Meeting Venues

The Pasadena Conference & Exhibition Center features three distinct meeting venues, all located under one roof.

1. The Exhibition Building, which is 32,000 square feet of column-free, carpeted exhibit space, accommodates 184 8[feet] x 10[feet] booths, seats 4,000 for a general session, or seats 2,000 for a banquet. An adjoining annex provides another 15,000 square feet of flexible space.

2. Conference Building, which has 28,000 square feet of space and 20 meeting rooms, accommodates 1,000 for a general session, 800 for a banquet, or 80 exhibit booths. A theater features permanent, tiered seating for 300.

3. The 3,000-seat Pasadena Civic Auditorium features a stage, sound equipment for meetings, and a 3,000-square-foot ballroom.

The famous Rose Bowl, which seats 92,542, is also available for large meetings and events. The Rose Bowl hosts the annual Rose Bowl Game, UCLA Bruins football, and Los Angeles Galaxy soccer home games.

2,500 Hotel Rooms

Pasadena will offer your members accommodations ranging from luxury hotels to intimate inns. In all, the city offers 2,500 hotel rooms at four major hotels and 17 smaller motels. Association favorites include:

* The Ritz-Carlton, Huntington Hotel & Spa, a landmark for nearly a century, was restored and reopened in 1991. Situated on 23 sprawling acres, the four-diamond facility features 392 guest rooms, including eight cottages, and more than 29,000 square feet of renovated meeting space, including a 11,220-square-foot ballroom. The Clara Vista Executive Retreat, a 1930's era Spanish mission mansion, is ideal for small meetings.

* Doubletree Hotel Pasadena, a 12-story, four-diamond, 350-room hotel, is nestled amid fountains, sculptures, and courtyards. Within walking distance of Old Pasadena, the facility offers flexible meeting facilities that span 24,000 square feet, including a grand ballroom, pre-event reception area, and a variety of small meeting options.

* The Hilton Pasadena, which recently completed a $5 million renovation, offers 19,000 square feet of meeting space with 16 meeting rooms, including the 7,600-square-foot International Ballroom. As they walk in the door, your members will notice the complete makeover of the lobby and 19,000 square feet of meeting space, as well as the new carpet, drapes, bedspreads, and furniture in the 296 guest rooms.

* Holiday Inn Pasadena, directly adjacent to the Pasadena Conference & Exhibition Center, offers 320 guest rooms. Fourteen newly renovated meeting and banquet rooms offer 12,000 square feet of space, making the hotel ideal for meetings of six to 300 people. The hotel will change its flag to Sheraton in the coming year.

In addition, a 314-room Courtyard by Marriott is scheduled to open in March 2000. The hotel, the first to be built in Old Pasadena, will feature 6,000 square feet of meeting space. The construction of another facility, a 268-room Westin Hotel scheduled to open in 2001, is underway on South Lake Avenue.

A Hour's Drive

Located just 15 minutes north of downtown Los Angeles, Pasadena is just minutes from nearby Santa Anita Park and Universal Studio and within an hour's drive of Beverly Hills, Knotts Berry Farm, Six Flags Magic Mountain, and Catalina Island.

Getting to Pasadena is easy. Your members can arrive at one of three nearby airports: Burbank/Glendale/Pasadena Airport, only 20 minutes away; Los Angeles International, 30 minutes away; and Ontario International, 45 minutes away.

Once there, delegates can ride a free ARTS bus when traveling to and from the major entertainment and shopping areas of Old Pasadena, South Lake Avenue, and the Playhouse District.