I live near Pasadena, I didn't get to the parade or the game this year, but did get down to the Food of Pasadena outdoor fair Friday night. We saw so many tourists, how did you like our city of Pasadena? Were the locals helpful? Come back any time and visit again.

We just went down to Pasadena for a week and did get a chance to go to the parade. My sister just bought a house in Pasadena and we stayed with her and was able to walk to the parade. We drove down Colorado the night before and couldn't believe the amount of people just camped out, little kids even.

We love the city and can't wait to go back. One thing we didn't get a chance to do was go to the Huntington Library and Gardens. It was closed when we drove by but we did get to awe at the neighboring homes.

We had a really great dinner at this Thai restaurant, Saladang Song.

Yes, Saladang is a really great Thai place, and the in-place too. Another good place nearby is El Cholo for Mexican food on Fair Oaks.

I live on the east coast and saw that your parade was already under way at 10:30 a.m. That means it's 7:30 in California. Some people from the east coast think you Calis are a little wacky, but who in their right mind would get up to see a parade at 7 a.m.?

People camp out along the parade route the night before, so getting up to watch the parade is not a big issue since many of the people are all ready sitting there. After sitting in a cold gutter the entire night, you're glad to have an early parade so you can go home and get some sleep.

I agree with you, that is why I don't go myself. I think it starts at 8AM, I guess so people could then get over to the the Rose Bowl Game in the past. That is also why you see so many people camped out on the street the day and night before. I suppose it is fun once in a lifetime. I used to get tickets for seats in the grandstands, but then you have to arrive early to park. But if you stay within walking distance like xxx, it would be fine.

Stupid question, which occurred to me as I was watching all those gorgeous floats go by: does the air along the parade route smell like roses? (I've noticed that florist roses have almost no aroma at all anymore...)

Joan,
Actually that's a very good question. I was wondering that myself as well as we walked to the parade. The answer is no. We couldn't smell any of the flowers. And being pregnant myself I would say I have a strong sense of smell right now. The only thing I could smell were the street vendor's hot dogs which got me so nauseated.

Another question, with all the people sleeping in the streets and gutters, what happened to the homeless people?
Did they automatically have front row seats? Did they like the company?

Pasadena isn't know for having a big homeless population. Yes, there are some, but not along the Parade route. They would be more likely to be found in the industrial areas or South Pas.