Rose Parade Memories

Growing up in Southern California made attending the Rose Parade a rite of passage for most kids. For some it was a family event, buying seats or showing up the morning of the event towards the end of the parade route and parking the brood on the curb to await the festivities. For others it was camping out on the parade route with several hundred thousand strangers.

My history with the parade did not begin until after high school. I spent several New Year’s Eves on the parade route from my late teens until my early twenties. It is necessary to arrive on Colorado Blvd. no later than two in the afternoon on the 31st or finding a prime location will become difficult.

A prime location being defined as the best party spot, for parade watching you can show up as late as five or six in the morning on the 1st but for camping and partying if you snooze you lose.

If you enjoy watching people a night on the parade route would be you cup of tea.

You have people who actually bring couches and mattresses to sit on for the parade. Others bring lounge chairs and patio furniture. There are no cars allowed on the route so everything has to be dropped off. The key is that at least one person always has to remain at your spot or someone will move in.

For warmth there are metal trashcans filled with burning wood or your favorite brand of alcohol.

Back in the day when I camped out the New Years Eve was spent walking the boulevard. Meeting people. Sharing a beer. Running into old friends. Breaking hearts. Picking up the pieces of my broken heart. Laughing at streaker’s freezing the family jewels off in a vain grab for attention. Music blasting. People dancing. Couples engaged in activities that were not meant for city streets. Eating burritos, pizza or burgers at three in the morning. Shouting matches engaged in by alumni from the schools playing in that years bowl game. Frisbee throwing. Football playing. Hand holding. First kisses. Last kisses. Tears and laughter were all part of the event.

That being said I can honestly say that spending the night on the parade route was the event and watching the parade was an afterthought. Every year I stayed up all night and ended up sleeping through the parade never saw it until I got home and watched the reruns.

Only once have I actually watched the parade live. My mom was the manager of a Bank of America located on the parade route. The branch leased its parking lot to a bleacher company and received so many seats as part of the deal. It was the perfect way to see the parade. We arrived an hour before parade time. Had free parking in the bank parking lot. Breakfast was provided and the seats were perfect. That is the only way to see the parade in person.

Happy New Year!!!!