So the "we should go!" item has been completed! My cousin Robin and me went to Pasadena California and watched the Rose parade in person! This years theme was A World of Music-The Universal Language. So all the floats had musical themes.
That's the Goodyear blimp,
And the Stealth fighter jet flew over and the parade started!
We booked our parade experience with
Diamond Travel and it was great. Our bus parked right behind the bleacher seats, so it was just a few steps to our seats, which happened to be in the FRONT ROW! The morning started out chilly-about 53 degrees, but the sun came up bright and warm by the time the parade was over it was a beautiful day!
The parade started out with this float,
presented by Honda, the parade sponsor.
Our bleacher seats were across the street from the Porsche/Rolls Royce/Maserati/Range Rover dealer.
SO here's the parade.......
https://photos.app.goo.gl/mMxqJvccP5rakLGe7 Click this link for the float from the City of Newport Beach, it was the largest float in the parade!
if you click this link, I think you'll see a small video of the Pasadena City College Tournament of Roses Honor Band.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/kKSohke5Lxh6zxry6
And here's the Hawaii All State Band at this link.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/LeBr26w4C9McWV246 And here's the William Mason High School Marching Band from Ohio.
And this link is a video of the West Chester University INCOMPRARABLE Golden Rams Marching Band from Pennsylvania .
This is a picture of our bleacher buddies-it was pretty cozy in the bleachers, but everyone had a pleasant attitude and it was fun!
This was the Tiger Squadron Team flyover.
I almost missed them-they're fast!
https://photos.app.goo.gl/ffqgMnL5iSMQ3ph46 I'm a sucker for bagpipes, so here's the Pipes on Parade Massed Pipes and Drums followed by my favorite float From the Pasadena Humane Society & Hill's Pet Nutrition.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/shJZuTzU1E8DKZL59 THis link is a video of the Cowgirls float, from The Cowboy Channel.
SO, after the parade, the floats are rounded up at the local high school so you can go see them up close! Our tour took us to lunch-imagine 3 buses of folks going to a Mexican restaurant for a buffet lunch! YIKES! It was arranged, of course, they knew we were coming and had seating areas all arranged. Then we headed over to Float Fest!
Look near the top of the hill in this picture. YUP, that's the line to get in to the Float Fest!!! And there are two entry gates on opposite sides of the High School! Lots of people! Thankfully, our tour had the bus drop us off near the entry gate, and we didn't have to wait too long to get in-maybe 30-40 minutes. We were only about 1 block from the front of the line-NOT at the top of the hill!!!
This is a sneak peek inside the VW bus float-the seat where the driver sits and
back here behind the wheel is the computer system that runs the robotics of the float!
The crowds were not too bad, but it is a two day event so there are lots of people!
See those fish under the polar bear? They were gorgeous!
It was a beautiful day! I like this view of the mountains behind the school where the floats are displayed. This is the One Legacy-Donate Life float.
www.onelegacy.orgThis is the San Diego Zoo float-it was huge!
There were food trucks and vendors at the high School, a lot of Rose Parade products for sale every where! It was perfect weather, not too hot and just a good bit of shade around too!
This big dog-good boy! Was the Kiwanis Club float.
We spent about 2 hours at Float Fest, and when we were leaving, this was still the line to get in! It's a BIG Event!
So we had a great time over all! I'd rate it 9 out of 10. I don't know if I'd go again, I think the TV version is pretty good to beat the crowds, but it was truly a great experience! The High School bands were so impressive, most of them fund raised their way to the parade, and every time we watched the flag twirlers and sign holders and band members and dance teams, I just thought of all the grownups who had to buy shoes for their kid to go and be in the Rose Parade. They were outstanding!
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