Before the Parade
Orange Grove Blvd.
Pasadena
Dec. 31, 2010
This seemed easier than fighting the crowds during the actual parade: we went with Jerry & Alex down to Orange Grove Avenue around 11pm on New Years' Eve to see the floats in their pristine state, before the havoc that would be wreaked upon them the next day during their five-mile ride down Colorado Blvd.
We brought Tommy with us, and of course he pooped the moment we hit Orange Grove Blvd. Dutiful Dad, I picked it up in a plastic bag, and of course was still holding it, discreetly at my side, when we ran into not one (Habib & Toni) but two (Jennifer & Helen) sets of old friends on the parade route.
I shouted out the countdown to midnight as no one else seemed to notice, and shortly after we made our way back down to Long Beach. We slept in and watched Bob & Stephanie on their first replay, a very civilized way to enjoy the Rose Parade.
