I __ a Parade!

Parent Cafe
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<p>So here’s the story. I had a chance a few weeks ago to buy four bleacher tickets to the Tournament of Roses parade in Pasadena. We’ve lived in CA for 12 years and have never gone, even though it’s only about a 30-minute drive away. Now, given that you have to get on the road by 6 a.m. to make sure you get parking, I knew this would be a tough sell. But, still, it’s the Rose Parade.</p>

<p>Husband’s response: Have we met?! I hate parades! I will never go to another parade. (Apparently a traumatic experience as a forced marching band student is behind this.) </p>

<p>S1: Won’t be here. Sleeping over at Tom’s house.</p>

<p>S2: Rendered speechless by the suggestion that he would be up before noon during his vacation. </p>

<p>So I declined the tickets and am watching wi****lly on television. Next year I’m going to find some girlfriends who want to go and leave the slugs at home. </p>

<p>Do you love or hate a parade?</p>

<p>Also, does the Rose Parade really deserve the hype it gets here…that people from all over the country huddled inside their snowed-in homes take one look at this parade n-- set against sun, blue skies and mountains – and start packing to move to California?</p>

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<p>JAZZYMOM, when I was fifteen (and lived in NJ), I went on my own to visit my Aunt, Uncle and cousins who lived in CA and they took me to the Rose Parade. I don’t think anyone who sees it on TV can really see the beauty of this particular parade. TV cams can’t do it justice. The way the floats are made entirely of flowers is so beautiful and can only be seen live to truly see what sort of thing this is. It just is not like any other kind of parade float. It is pretty amazing actually. I don’t go to parades now (and I do live in a rural area) but seeing the Rose Parade once is a treat. So, if you haven’t ever seen it live, maybe next year go with your friends because your family is not interested!</p>

<p>(by the way, I also went ot the Rose Bowl Game and my cousin’s school, Stanford, was playing in it)</p>

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<p>

Oh, I <strong><em>LOVE</em></strong> a parade! We live in this anachronistic little town where we have at least three parades a year, one for Christmas, one for the Fourth of July, and one for ______ Days, the town’s little showcase festival. </p>

<p>If you attend one of these parades, you feel like you’ve stepped back in time to the 50’s-60’s. The local politicians ride in convertibles and LITERALLY kiss the babies in the crowds! The local kids in scout troops and activities/lessons (gymnastics, dance, tae kwon do) make their own floats and walk/ride. The people who own vintage cars or who have horses join in. The Shriners are always a part of the fun on these funny little vehicles. It’s really quite the sight to behold.</p>

<p>All that said, I do hate huge crowds, so whether or not I’d choose to attend a parade like the Rose Parade, I’m not sure. I would probably do it once, just to say that I did! :D</p>

<p>I’m sorry that your family wasn’t receptive to your suggestion, jazzy…to say the least! <em>ROFL</em> Girlfriends are the way to go, I think! ;)</p>

<p>Do I think the Rose Parade deserves all the hype? Yes, most definitely! :)</p>

<p>~berurah</p>

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<p>I don’t really care for parades-
I have marched in kiddie parades with my oldest as part of Seafair, and I have attended a few Torchlight parades ( also part of seafair), but to sit on a curb waiting for floats and politicians to go by is not that exciting.
Bleachers might be more comfortable- slightly, but even more removed than the curb.
So unless I had little kids- that might really like a parade, I would probably pass- unless my team was in the Rose Bowl
However, since you do live there- it is probably something you should do at least once- after all you might really like it.
Its like living in Seattle and never going on a ferry or up the Space Needle, or NYC, and never going to Statue of Liberty ( albeit changed a bit) or to a Broadway show.
You have to go so you can at least tell your out of town relatives if it is worth it! ;)</p>

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<p>While I said I don’t go to parades, I totally forgot the one I go to each year here! In my community, there is a 4th of July parade that is a major event that people come from all over and from out of state for. It is all locals in the parade and it is very creative and a major party. The floats are on a theme, often political in nature. All home made stuff. So, yes, we go every year (as does everyone here) and my kids miss it now. One of my kids was in it a few times when she was little and her picture was in full blown color on the front page of a big regional paper. It is a big tradition here. But this is nothing remotely like the Rose Parade, LOL.</p>

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<p>berurah, your town sounds like mine (even though we are ten miles from Manhattan.) I love parades! St.Pat’s is my favorite because I’m a pipe band fan. Our town doesn’t have many Irish people, but we put on St. Pat’s in early March so the premiere bands show up. It’s impossible to compete with NYC. We also get some good h.s. marching bands to play. Great stuff. But parades are definitely something you either love or hate. I enjoy watching all the little brownies, little leagers, and floats full of nursery school kids. Vintage firetrucks, rows of uniformed cops & firemen, marchers throwing candy…the whole nine yards. I feel as if I’ve been transported back to Mayberry when a parade is going through town. We have several a year. (I especially enjoy staring blankly at the governor or whatever big politician shows up and is waving to the crowds & shaking hands.)</p>

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<p>I love parades, ballgames, county fairs, and other events that attract large crowds. I head in the other direction and find that the rest of the world is a lot more peaceful.</p>

<p>With time, I have learned that I enjoy doing things, not watching others do things.</p>

8

<p>I love parades, especially the ones that they have at Walt Disney World. The Electrical Light Parade was so cool and Spectromagic is awesome. I like to watch the Rose parade as well, all the beautiful fowers and interesting themes of the floats makes for a fun viewing experience. Some day I hope to be able to watch the parade in person. </p>

<p>I also live in a little town and we have the annual Memorial Day parade where the cub/boy scouts ride on a float, the highschool homecoming queen is even present and the politicians ride in their convertibles and others ride on horseback. People toss candy to the kids on the curbs. It quaint but fun. :D</p>

<p>Go Michigan in the Rose Bowl today!! Win this one for Bo.</p>

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<p>jazzymom the Rose parade itself, not so much…BUT may I suggest that a little later today you go do the walk around the floats? It’s INCREDIBLE to view them soooooo close up, and slowly as you want.</p>

<p>It’s a beautiful day today (I’m in So Cal too) and a great way to spend a few hours. Leave the “slugs” behind. Put on your iPod or other music, and enjoy.</p>

<p>There’s a nominal charge, and your best best is the Park and Ride at Pasadena College, you can buy your viewing pass on the shuttle.</p>

<p>Here are the details:
Jan. 1, 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. (ticket sales end at 4:00, park closes at 5:00)
Admission: $7.00 per person, free for children 5 and under
The shuttle costs $3per person, under 5 free (Guests using shuttles enter the event through a priority line)
Driving Directions for Post Parade Park & Ride
Shuttle Bus will be available on January 1st and 2nd
Pasadena City College, 1570 E. Colorado Blvd.
From 210 Fwy, exit Hill and go south to Del Mar Blvd. and follow the signs to the parking lot.</p>

<p>From 110 Fwy, North, take freeway until it ends in Pasadena. The freeway then becomes Arroyo Parkway. Make a right turn onto Del Mar Blvd. Continue east to Hill Ave. Follow the signs to the parking lot.</p>

<p>A Showcase of Floats is a unique opportunity for the viewing public to step up close and see for themselves the majestic beauty and splendor of the floral floats. Please allow two hours for this breath-taking display and don’t forget your camera!</p>

<p>After every Rose Parade, the floral masterpieces are parked along Sierra Madre and Washington Boulevards in Pasadena and exhibited for visitors to walk by and see in close detail the design and workmanship that goes into these floats. Visitors are able to walk almost within arm’s reach of the floats and appreciate for themselves the creativity and the imagination of the floral displays. This has been a Pasadena tradition for over 100 years. As an added enjoyment, there are demonstrations of the animated floats. These hydraulic floats will entertain you with their funny and clever movements. Of course, White Suiters will be on hand to answer your many questions. Please come and enjoy the beauty and imagination of these floral creations.</p>

<p>There is a movie/video shown in the adjacent 1600 seat auditorium that will provide a behind the scenes look at how Rose Parade floats are constructed (no charge).</p>

<p>Street parking near the event is limited. Park & Ride Program shuttle service will be available from locations in Pasadena. Guests using shuttles enter the event through a priority line. Shuttle fare is $3 per person round trip, and children five and under ride free.</p>

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<p>Phoeey on the spoilsports jazzy. I love a parade. Who can listen to those drums and not get their feet tapping? If your husband didn’t disclose his Parade Loathing during your courtship, I’d say he has no viable excuse. A few hours in the sun is going to kill him?</p>

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<p>I love a parade. Please, please, please, Jazzy mom, take me next year.</p>

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<p>I second this idea. We did that one year and it was great. After the parade they park all the floats on one side street in Pasadena and you can walk by and look all you want. The colors on those things are incredibly vivid. TV just doesn’t do it justice. IMO it’s a much better experience than watching the float drive by for a few seconds in between the bands and horses.</p>

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<p>Ahhhh, but for the <em>real</em> experience, you need to camp out on Colorado Blvd. overnight to save a front-row seat for the parade the next morning. We did this with friends from Pasadena the first Jan. 1 we lived in CA, and it was one of my more memorable experiences. Sleep deprivation and all, the in-person experience was so much better than the on-tv experience, and I wish I’d known about walking around the floats later in the day! That sounds just awesome.</p>

<p>If y’all go next year, I might be up for it too. :)</p>

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<p>I’m not crazy about the Rose Bowl parade, but I did religiously watch the Doodah Parade when I lived in Pasadena. :slight_smile: <a href=“http://www.pasadenadoodahparade.info/[/url]”>http://www.pasadenadoodahparade.info/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>I think it’s a great idea to go with your friends next year! I’m sure you’ll have more fun with them than you would with a husband and sons who don’t really want to go. I don’t have much parade experience, but my cousin was Rose Queen when I was little, so that’s actually one of the few parades I have gone to. I don’t really remember it, though. Have fun next year!</p>

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<p>Wow, just watched the Star Wars float go by on TV. Amazing. It’s just ridiculous that we’ve never gone to see it live. I am particularly chagrined by the stories in the paper of families in who live in Minnesota or Nebraska and yet still trek in to camp out on the street for good spots for this parade. We live here for pete’s sake!</p>

<p>Great suggestion to go and see the floats after the fact. Thanks for the directions, justamom. I did take the boys once years ago, when they were 4 and 7, to see the floats before the parade, along with a girlfriend from Philly and her kids. (It helps to have out-of-town guests who insist on going.) They are stunning up close, to see how all the outer decoration is done in flowers or plant material. We did have a fair amount of whining about the amount of walking involved (and the kids complained too :slight_smile: ) </p>

<p>Still, I think there’s something to be said for gutting through all the inconvenience of seeing the parade live. When you just go to see the floats standing there, you don’t get to see the fire coming out of the dragon’s mouth, or the Rocket Man who flew a short length of the parade with a jet pack on his back, or the costumed characters adding life to the float sets or the bands or the horses and all the rest that make up a parade. My only question is whether you can see these things well even in the bleachers if you’re pretty far from the street (anyone know?) or if you really have to do that camping out thing to see the action.</p>

<p>Cheers: Yeah, I should have taken a more detailed compatibility index during the blithe anything-you-want-hon period of courtship. Must love dogs and parades… Actually, we were probably on the same page on this issue at the time since we were living in Brooklyn and the best parades in NYC are kinda overwhelming crowdwise. Still, I’m getting mellower in my old age and I like this simple, schmaltzy let’s-ooh-and-ahh type entertainment more than I used to. Next year in Pasadena, I’m there. </p>

<p>Binx: We have a comfy guestroom, almost a suite. Come and welcome. We’ll go to the parade and I’ll pick your brain about college music programs for soph S2.</p>

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<p>Jazzy–not a parade but did you go to the fireworks for the Brooklyn Birdge 100th BDay in '83?</p>

<p>I love the Macy’s Day Parade too…snow, sleet, tall guys in front of me. Overwhelm me! I love it!</p>

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<p>Rose Parade, definitely worth it, I have the same problem with my H…party pooper! I slept out with D one year…crazy but worth it. Did bleachers one year, H actually went ( He really does love parades, throw back to his childhood in N.Y., but hates the cold…HAHA even in So. Cal.) There is nothing like seeing the parade in person! The floats in the park are great, but still not the energy of the parade, and I love the bands! Another great thing we have done several times is to walk Orange Grove at midnight where the floats are parked, very cool and ghostly! Definitely do it next year!</p>

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<p>Oh yes H loves the doodah parade! Dragged me to it this year, hadn’t been in years. It was actually really fun!</p>

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<p>cheers: </p>

<p>Yes, we saw the fireworks from the Brooklyn promenade, about a five minute walk from the brownstone apartment we were renting in the next neighborhood over, Clinton Hill I think it was called. We were both reporters at the time and had to call in “color” and quotes to our respective papers so it was a mad dash to get to a phone (no cells then!) but it was definitely the most spectacular of our New York memories. Way better than being crushed in a crowd in Times Square for New Year Eve the year before, which was the one and only time I went to watch the ball drop in person. </p>

<p>This is making me very nostalgic for NYC. Those are some years I’d like to have back.</p>