Tournament Time

From here on in, as every Pasadenite knows, it's Rose Bowl, Rose Parade, Bowl Rose, Tournament of Roses, Parade the Bowl Rose Tournament of Posies and Parade Me Down and Bowl Me Over. And if you didn't get enough, well, how about some football?

Every available inch of Colorado Blvd. property that doesn't have bleachers on it will have bleachers on it by Wednesday night. Either that or it's been condemned. And believe me, we expect this year to be just as well-attended as any other.

Some locals live and breathe the Tournament of Roses Parade and the Rose Bowl Game, and have never missed either.
Some have been to several of each.
Some regale you with tales of partying all night in a tent on Colorado Blvd. in order to catch the parade with a hangover.
Or freezing in a camper at the Rose Bowl Stadium parking lot for a couple of days, just to watch their team play in the legendary game.

Some went to the parade once, as a rite of passage.

I would go if I had tickets. To the main bleachers. Over at the corner of Colorado and Orange Grove, where the media booths are. Where the sun shines. Where the parade goes by early and ends early. If it was warm.

I am not a fan of crowds or of cold, but I'm a fan of Pasadena. So I bless the Parade and the Game. As Tournament week unfolds and Pasadena welcomes thousands of parade and football fans, I welcome them, too. I hope they have a blast.