Is The Rose Parade And Rose Bowl Worth It? You Becha!

Every New Years Eve and New Year's Day, those of us that live in Pasadena, California get to ask the same question.
Is it worth all the hassles having the Tournament of Roses Parade and the Rose Bowl football game?
I say it sure is worth it.
It causes a divide in the RVFTLC abode.
Mrs. RVFTLC gets very frustrated very easy for the day after Christmas, motor homes start coming from out of nowhere to park on the streets north and south of Colorado Blvd, Pasadena's main drag and the route of the parade. And trust me, many are elaborate homes on wheels. Hell, many have satellite dishes that seemingly pop out of nowhere. If the apocalypse does come, I should think if we are lucky enough to survive, I will want one of those that someone no longer needs.
I digressed.
Back to the point.
The traffic in and around the area known as Old Pasadena is essentially a nightmare for a week.
And it also depends on who is in the Rose Bowl football game. It is the Granddaddy of them all and a reason we will probably never see a true playoff in NCAA Division I football.
This year it is the Wisconsin Badgers and the Oregon Ducks. Go Badgers! Sorry, but Oregon has the ugliest uniforms ever to grace a team evah! And well, why should I care since UCLA is nowhere near this game.
Now today it is rather unusual.
Sure it is New Year's Day.
But there was no parade. No Rose Bowl game. What gives?
Well, it is an age-old aspect of the New Year's festivities in this fair burg.
Never On A Sunday.
It traces back to when all the churches in town were on Colorado Blvd. They did not and do not budge that church takes precedent over bacchanalia. And good for them. And good for the TOR for not caving to the whims of convention and letting the parade and football game take place today.
So, the campers and the like had to wait a day.
Campers?!
Yep, people come on New Year's Eve from all over and have the biggest, longest and just plain camp out and party. For while you may see in the rest of the world the nice people in the stands at the beginning of the parade, keep in mind the route is over five miles long. And there are not temporary grandstands all the way down Colorado Blvd. In fact, most parade watchers come and enjoy for free. And part of that is staking a claim to prime real estate, really a part of the sidewalk. And it must be after 12noon the day before.
Well, let me tell you that is not really enforced and it usually starts early in the AM that day before the parade.
Amazing but there and a lot of laws, rules and regulations as to how this all works every year for the past 123.
According to this article, this event brings in more than $180,000,000 dollars to the local economy.
So on that alone, I will say yes it is worth it.
What it is all about is a mix of Americana, a football game and a great party that people participate in. Usually with little if any problems.
And trust me, there are few problems.
The combined forces of the Pasadena police department, Los Angeles county sheriff deputies and California Highway Patrol make the event go off with little if any trouble.
So yeah, I will put up with the extra traffic for a week. And eventually, Mrs. RVFTLC succumbs and realizes it is a good thing for our city. Because seeing the parade live and the game near my abode is something that makes a mark on a town that for the rest of the year is pretty non-descript in the grand scheme of things.