help a New yorker with california vacation/rose bowl parade

[princess lovers mom]

I am trying to plan a surprise trip for my family to CA for this Christmas (2010)

want to do DL for the first time - will allow 4 days then want to do the Rose Bowl Parade.....how close are we to Pasedena and has anyone done the parade....need to know where to stay that is a nice hotel/nice neighborhood so that we can walk to the start of the parade route from the hotel

any help appreciated

 

[lcasa]

I haven't done the parade in years but have friends that have. A lot of people stake out spots the night before and sleep there! I believe there are reserved seats in stands available if you want to pay for a place ( probably sell out very early). It also gets very cold, so if you go the night before, dress warmly and bring blankets. We have instead gone the next day to see the floats - not as cool since they're not moving, but still very interesting. One year I helped put flowers on one - that was fun. Just a volunteer activity - I think anyone can volunteer.

The route is pretty long - mostly down Colorado Blvd. It definitely goes right across from the Norton Simon museum - that's where they always film it.
I hear it's very hard to park, so a hotel near the route is a great idea. If you're loaded, there's a beautiful Ritz Carlton near the Huntington Gardens ( nice place too - original Pinky and Blue Boy are there in the art gallery).

I guess I'd zero in on that area right around the Norton Simon and try trip advisor. It will be quite a drive from DL - allow a good hour when traffic isn't that bad. Pasadena is a very cute city - full of craftsman houses and neat restaurants.

Looks like lots of info on the website - here's the ticket info:
http://www.tournamentofroses.com/events/tickets_parade.asp

 

[princess lovers mom]

thanks for the info
yes we are going to get the reserved seats !!!

thanks for the landmarks - that will help a lot

 

[jlmarr]

As an alternative, the Metro Gold Line runs through Pasadena and has extended hours on the day of the Rose Parade, so you could look for a hotel that's close to one of the outlying stations:

http://www.metro.net/riding_metro/gold_line.htm

The Del Mar and Memorial Park stations are close to the route. I'd suggest looking east from there.

 

[princess lovers mom]

thanks -
the hotel I am looking at now is $469/night for the parade weekend ! right on fair oaks