Pasadena, California...................home of the Pasadena Rose Bowl Parade

I wrote an article entitled Why I Love Southern California, and one of the reasons I gave is, Pasadena. I've lived in and around Pasadena for over 41 years. Pasadena is a very interesting, and exciting city. One reason, on January 1, any year, the eyes of the world are trained on our fair city. Another is the newly renovated Colorado Boulevard, (the parade route). The boulevard boasts some of the most beautiful and popular shops around, especially the Old Town district, and an outdoor shopping mall second to none. Simply a must see!

Just a few interesting facts about Pasadena. Pasadena is located about 12 miles southwest of the city of Los Angeles, an easy commute for those who love the things L.A. has to offer, which is a lot, including and not limited to the largest Fashion District in the United States, could possibly be the world, (must look that up). An ever increasingly beautified downtown. Hollywood, Universal Studios, The Staples Center, and much, much more. I digress, back to Pasadena. Pasadena has a Mediterranean climate, boasting average temperatures between the mid 60's to 80's Fahrenheit, year round (18-31 Celsius), of course with global warming, we've had some pretty hot days lately. But the heat is a dry heat, so it's not particularly miserable. And the nights are always much cooler, facilitating a good night's sleep without air conditioners, most nights.

As I mentioned earlier, Pasadena host the immensely popular Rose Bowl Parade, more about that later. The popular Pasadena Playhouse, where countless stars of today and of the yesterday got their start, such as Gene Hackman, Raymond Burr, Dustin Hoffman, Charles Bronson and countless others. Also notable authors, such as Tennessee Williams, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Eugene O'Neill, and others, had their work showcased at the Playhouse. There is also the NASA field center, JPL, (Jet Propulsion Laboratory), which is managed by Cal Tech, (California Institute of Technology). The Norton Simon Museum, and let me not forget the Rose Bowl itself. There are many more interesting things to do and see here, that I'd have to write this article in sequels, if I named them all, but I won't.

Oh, one more important note, (I think). Pasadena was originally inhabited by the Native American Hahamog-na tribe, a branch of the Tongva, ( A Shoshone language group). As in most of the California city names, the name, Pasadena means, "crown of the valley," taken from a Chippewa word. I might be a little prejudiced here, but I say the meaning is spot on. This is a beautiful city! Take a look at the picture below, that's what I wake up to everyday. (I'm just saying)!

As I mentioned the Rose Bowl Parade is the highlight of the city's year. A bit about the parade itself. The Parade was first staged in 1890, by members of Pasadena's Valley Hunt Club, and has been held every New Year's day, (January 1), except when the 1st falls on Sunday. In which case it is held on the subsequent Monday, the 2nd. The parade is 51/2 miles long and takes about 21/2 hours to pass by. The floats can be viewed between 48 and 72 hours prior to the parade, and immediately after the parade at a location designated by the organizers. Volunteers are requested to help assemble the floats right up to the night before the parade.

The parade can be viewed in person several ways. There are bleacher seats that can be pre purchased, you can also park your Motor Home in specially designated spots along the parade route, and, of course, the ever popular sidewalk viewing. The sidewalk viewing is a tradition that countless die hard fans participate in annually. It's actually an annual camp out. Fans are allowed to set up "camp," as it were, at noon New Years Eve, at which time all businesses that are not directly involved in the parade shut their doors. If you ask me, the real fun for me in the early years, when my children were small, was New Year's Eve, just cruising down the boulevard watching the campers, with their makeshift camping equipment, set up. We would dress our children in their PJ's, ride the route and just have fun. Those were the days.

If you don't already have plans to attend this year, don't bother now. As every hotel, motel, bed and breakfast, etc, is usually booked solid. So now you'll have to join the more than one billion worldwide at your television or computer screens. If your interest is sufficiently piqued, you should make plans to attend next year, but do so as soon as possible, as all accommodations fill up fast. The Pasadena Chamber of commerce is a good place to start in making your plans. Of course I can also give you a little more insight, if requested. No, I don't work for the city.

I hope you've enjoyed my little tour around Pasadena. If so let me know by your comments.