We took Carol's place after some problems at another airbnb. So Pasadena wasn't our first choice for location. But that said, Carol's place is very close to the Freeway, and once you give up any preconceived notion of a speed limit and drive like a local you can get just about anywhere within the hour.
The place itself is small and old but it has everything you need as a base to explore further. And Pasadena itself turned out to be really nice, so an added bonus there.
Carol herself is very friendly and approachable.
We had no problems finishing off our holiday here.