we got off at the Del Mar station, which seemed closest to the Armory Center for the Arts.

It was a 2 mile walk north on Raymond, past the historic Castle Green, [below] and through Old Town Pasadena.

The Armory Center [below] is hosting an exhibit entitled 'Comic Release: Negotiating Identity for a New Generation.'

The Armory a big, multi-use warehouse space, with wonderful natural light pouring in through skylights. The Sunday we visited, a recital of opera singers was going on in another room, and during the day, art classes are taught.

'Comic Release' is a grand, funny, in-your-face collection of art that not only examines the influences of cartoons, comics and pop culture, but punches you right in the face, with a large 'POW' caption above your head.

The works run the gamut from colorful and humorous, to dark and irreverent. Two sculptures by Miguel Rodriguez stand in the main display area. [below] Entitled 'Considering Informative Action' they are whimsical and fun.

Disney and Mickey Mouse influences abound, including [below] 'A World of Laughs and a World of Tears' by Deborah Grant. A canvas in the shape of the famous rodent, but with a montage of angry looking black and white cartoons.

In another room, Peregrine Honig's 'AWFULBET' was on display.

It's based on those old, 'A is for' children's collections. Drawn on brown lunch bags, each letter of the alphabet is represented by a girl's name, a symptom of anorexia and a simple cartoon. 'E is for Emma, throwing up dinner.' The captions and drawings are ghoulish, and yet very powerful too.

Not all the art is as biting as AWFULBET, but like reading 'Mad Magazine' as a kid, or watching a foul-mouthed stand-up routine from Martin Lawrence, it made me laugh, and then cringe.

Off the main gallery was a small room with folding chairs and a table piled high with graphic novels, adult-oriented comic books and hand drawn cartoons. Visitors are invited to thumb through them, perhaps grabbing some inspiration of their own.

As we left the Armory Center, we noticed that the 'Memorial Park' Metro station was about 25 yards away, and certainly easier to get to than the 2 mile trek back to Del Mar Station. As we waited for the train, we realized the station is just on the other side of Old Town Pasadena, a section of town that we've frequented many, many times over the years.

While we like to think that we have this grand sense of adventure, we also have a tendency to get stuck in a rut. We like Pepper's for good Mexican food. We frequent our mall in nearby Arcadia. We like Trader Joe's over there in Hastings Ranch. We even end up driving the same routes day after day. So, we try and push ourselves and break out of the routines.

Summer is traditionally the time for longer vacations to faraway places. As we found, it can also be a time to re-discover places closer to home. It requires a bit of planning and a sense of adventure, but sometimes the shorter excursions can be just as much fun. I suppose it's all about how you look at it.

Armory Center for the Arts
145 N. Raymond Ave., Pasadena, CA 91103

http://www.armoryarts.org