Arcasia

The Guide of "things to do" in the City of Arcadia 

Heard of the famous City of Arcadia and always wanted to visit, but never quite knew what there was to do? Arcadia is this lovely city, located in the San Gabriel Valley. With large, beautiful homes laid out on each block, this city could also be known as the “Asian Beverly Hills.” This city may seem like an average residential area, however, there are so many more things to do than you could ever think. Here, I have created a list of things to do and see in this lovely city for anyone wanting to visit. From places to go and things to eat, I will show you all the places you need to cover in a visit to the wonderful city of Arcadia.

With a 60% Asian population, Arcadia can sometimes be referred to as Arcasia (a mix of Arcadia and Asia). Arcadia has been named as one of the "Best Places to Raise your Kids: 2010" by Bloomberg Businessweek. Just this year, 3 students from Arcadia High School scored a perfect 2400 on their SAT scores.

If you're interested in moving here, or just coming to visit, take a look at my list for some recommendations on things and places to check out!

Santa Anita Race Track 

Image: Courtesy of santaanita.com

If you're a fan of gambling and horse races or just big events in general you definitively need to visit the Santa Anita Race Track. During the winter and spring, the Santa Anita Race track offers some of the most prominent racing events. The race track holds a number of well known races, including the Santa Anita Derby, the Santa Anita Handicap and the Breeders' Cup. Aside from horse racing and gambling, the racetrack holds other interesting events as well.

Image: Courtesy of Chasinghiromi.com

If you ever been to Asia than you probably know about the night markets that are there; and if you haven't than you need to go to the 626 Night Market to get a feel of it. The 626 Night Market is the largest Asian themed night market in the United States. With hundreds of food vendors, games, merchandise and even music and entertainment attraction this event is great for anyone. Just by attending  you will even get the chance of trying crazy, exotic foods that you would probably wouldn't be able to find anywhere else.

 

 

 Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden 

Image: Courtesy of lacounty.org

 A lovely place to visit listed by Trip Advisor is The Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden. The 127-acre historical site located in the heart of Arcadia includes a botanical garden. The gardens include Native American, Rancho Period, and late 19th century treasures ("Plants Collections").  Along with hosting activities and events, the Arboretum also hold concerts and tours that cater to every audience. With an admissions fee, you have access to all of their 10 different gardens, their various plant and biographical collections and more. There have been 232 different species of birds sighted at the Arboretum and there are always peacocks walking around every since the late 1800's when Lucky Baldwin introduced them to the city.  The Arboretum is a beautiful place to take photos and even host weddings and other special occasions.

Admission: 
 Adults: $9.00
Students with ID and seniors age 62 and older: $6.00
Children Ages 5-12: $4.00
Children under 5: free

Din Tai Fung Dumpling House 

Image: Courtesy of Holly Vuong

In 1958, Din Tai Fung was founded in Taipei, Taiwan and in 1972, it finally transitioned into a restaurant specializing in soup dumplings and noodles (Din Tai Fung USA). The restaurant became very popular and when they finally opened in Arcadia, California people were coming from all over the states to try it. This is a must, if you happen to be in the area or even if you are driving by. According to Forbes, Din Tai Fung serves "the world's greatest dumplings." The restaurant draws such a large swarm of people that they even opened another location right behind the original and are currently building the third Din Tai Fung restaurant in Arcadia's Westfield Santa Anita mall. The most famous item on their menu would be the Pork XiaoLongBao. It is basically a dumpling with soup on the inside.

Image: Courtesy of Tumblr.com

AU 79 

Lastly, don't forget to stop by AU 79 for a quick drink. AU 79 is one of Arcadia's many boba shops.  From fruity drinks, to creamy milk teas, to bitter traditional teas, they have every type to quench your thirst or satisfy any cravings. You can even add on any toppings like boba, lychee jelly, aloe or pudding and many more. Whats different about AU 79 is that they have PINK boba! I'm not aware of any other tea shops with pink boba. So definitely stop by to grab a drink. It's Instagram worthy ;)

Work Cited

"Best Places to Raise Your Kids: 2010." Bloomberg. Web. 9 Feb. 2016. <http://www.bloomberg.com>.

Din Tai Fung USA. Web. 10 Feb. 2016. <http://dintaifungusa.com/>.

"The History of Santa Anita Park." Santa Anita. Web. 9 Feb. 2016. <http://www.santaanita.com>.

"Population Demographics for Arcadia, California in 2016 and 2015." Suburban Stats. 2016. Web. 10 Feb. 2016. <https://suburbanstats.org>.

"Plants Collections." The Arboretum. Web. 10 Feb. 2016. <http://www.arboretum.org/>.

"The Top 10 Things to Do in Arcadia." Trip Advisor. Web. 10 Feb. 2016. <http://www.tripadvisor.com>.