Going to the Rose Parade

It's an American tradition dating back to 1890. Horses, marching bands, a royal court, and of course the flower-covered floats! Who doesn't love a parade? And the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena ranks up there with the best of the best!

The Rose Parade is held each year on New Years Day, and is probably the most watched event of the day (except for maybe the Rose Bowl football game!)

I recently moved to California, and decided that the best way to experience a new place is to just jump in and do everything! I've seen too many people who never really explore the area around them, and I don't want to be someone who ends up having regrets at not seeing things. The Rose Parade fell into the category of "Things to do in California", so this was the year to go!

 I went to the parade with a few friends, and after asking around for advice and doing some web research, we learned that people start camping out the day before the parade and can stake out their spots on the street at noon.  We wanted to celebrate New Years Eve away from the parade route, so we decided to take our chances and show up around 3.

We didn't make it to the parade route until 4 am, but we still managed to get a spot on the median (on the grass) at the spot where the parade turns off of Colorado Street (or whatever street it is!).  We slept for an hour or so, and then the fun began as the street vendors began making their way up and down the route, and the crowds really began to show up.  The street was packed, and the parade didn't make it to our spot until around 9:30 am or so, but it was a blast!