Many of you may know Bobby Fischer lived in Pasadena in the 80's and 90's.  I'd like to take some photos of his more landmark locations and maybe post them.  Right now, I'm looking for:

1. Known parks if any where he hustled chess.

2. Anything else.

What I've "got" already:

a. The Pasadena jail where he spent 2 nights & inspired his Manifesto of his torture, etc.--I got the South Pasadena jail.  Doh.  I'll look up the addy of the Pasadena jail.

b. Where he lived--all over.  Can't be bothered.

c. The Bekins Storage facility where the landlord sold Fischer's belongings due to unpaid rent--It's now a row of houses.

Time is of the essence!  My LA privileges expire shortly.  Should anyone know anything of interest, I'd appreciate any info!

Many thanks!

Lisa

The Pacific Ocean- Where he bathed

Hollywood-Where he Jew-hated

Chinatown-Where he practised mysogyny

Lisa,

I wish I knew something to help you out. But I don't know much of anything/

I did some quick reading and came across the following, for what it's worth.

According to Sports Illustrated,, Jan. 18, 2008, "Until recently Robert J. Fisher lived in Pasadena, just about a mile east of where Bobby was arrested in 1981 for allegedly holding up a bank."

According to the "I was tortured" article: "About 2:00 p.m. Tuesday afternoon, May 26, 1981, as I was peacefully and lawfully walking towards Lake Street in Pasadena across from the Kaiser Permanente medical offices, a policeman in a car suddenly pulled up alongside the curb and said he wanted to talk to me because I fitted perfectly the description of a man who had just committed a bank robbery. I politely told him he had the wrong man and I hadn't committed any bank robbery, and that I didn't know anything about it whatsoever."

shrug.

Good luck.

thanks.

so many places, so few specifics.  you'd think pasadena would have...something to acknowledge his presence.  or maybe they'd prefer to disavow his presence.  or maybe he was simply everywhere that nowhere specific sticks out.?????

the slippery enigma known, in pasadena, as robert d. fisher, cable installer.

edit--arg.   i came criminally close to KP on Lake ave yesterday.  c'est la vie, much prefer art museums to a hunk of sidewalk any day....

Whats going on with that Spanish Flag? Canary Islands is not a country boys & girls.

Right.  They're part of Spain, silly.  Ergo...the Spanish flag.

6 months later....

Photos!

The pics document the location where Fischer was confused for a bank robber by the Pasadena police as well as the Pasadena jail.  No centerfolds.  Sorry.

Here's a link to Fischer's account of the experience.  Not exactly The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail, but interesting nonetheless.

http://www.anusha.com/pasadena.htm

Pics to follow.....

The Kaiser Permanente building:

The opposite side of the street where he was stopped by the police:

The sidewalk--thought the pawn shop was apropos.  :)

...and the Pasadena police department looking suspiciously like Alcatraz:

Check it out.  I got chess.com on page 3 of Google images!   :P

Nice photos Lisa!

Thanks for taking the time to investigate and to share your findings. 

I understand Fischer could be a bit melodramatic and so his testimony might be a little exaggerated, but if any of it at all is true, it's a pretty sad commentary on the American police state... I mean the state of the police system in America.  Whatever the reality was, I figure at this point Pasadena would just as soon sweep Robert D. James under the carpet.

Lisa, I realized as I was looking at your pics that I had always imagined Fischer walking the streets only at night. Imagining him there on a bright California day was a fresh slice of Fischer for me.

I wonder if it's just me

"About 2:00 p.m. Tuesday afternoon, May 26, 1981 . . ."

Didn't see any historical plaques commemorating the incident.  lol

Methinks a lot of places would just as soon sweep Robert D. James under the carpet.  Funny, how many people know he spent time in Pasadena?  Wonder if he ever went to the Rose Bowl Parade.  :P

 Roses are red. He would have thought it was a commie parade

Yeah, I have that night goblin image too.  But he stayed with various people in Pasadena, who knows how.

California weather buffaloes me.  10am-5pm, shorts.  5pm-10am, coats.  Not surprised he'd be outdoors when it's warm.

sssh, don't let the secret out!!

Oh no....

From Fischer's manifesto:

About 2:00 p.m. Tuesday afternoon, May 26, 1981, as I was peacefully and lawfully walking towards Lake Street in Pasadena across from the Kaiser Permanente medical offices....

I took pics of Lake Street.  Smack on head.  He would have been walking on the intersecting street, E. Villa.  Double smack on head.  That's where I parked!  Triple smack on head!!

Ugh.

Updated pics next time I'm in LA?  We'll see.  Too bad he didn't get picked up at a beach, no.

Anyway, E. Villa is really not that much different from Lake St., only it leads into a residential area.

:(

I *finally* got pics of Fischer’s sacred ;) arrest ground.  If my comprehension of his manifesto proves correct, he would have been walking along the north side of E. Villa St.

So...here we go!

Across Villa looking east (nearly got flattened by a car from behind--your Lisa will go to many lengths to get the right shot!)

Across Villa looking west (that's a taco house, a surprise in LA--who knows if Bobby Fischer just wanted to rob a taco house instead of a bank?):

On the sacred sidewalk ;), looking east:

And looking west:

So, if Pasadena Municipal Works hasn't replaced the sidewalk in 30 years, you're looking at the exact concrete on which Bobby Fischer trod.  If the concrete is different, well, who cares.  lol

On a side note, since when does sunny LA get chilly and rain for a week?  I booked a hotel with an outdoor pool.  Grumble grumble....

The Taco House is haunting... if only he had not eaten there, he'd be alive today...

Nice investigative reporting LV!

I take it you found no trace of genius?