PRACTICAL VIEW : Marching Orders for Rose Parade Watchers
The 104th Tournament of Roses Parade on Friday will pack hundreds of thousands of spectators along a 5.5-mile route.
This kind of a crowd can turn the great spectacle into a great headache.
Here are some tips for an aggravation-free New Year’s Day in Pasadena.
* For starters: To find a convenient parking spot, police advise getting to Pasadena by 6 a.m. The parade begins at 8:05 a.m. on South Orange Grove Boulevard at Ellis Street. It heads north on Orange Grove, east on Colorado Boulevard, north on Sierra Madre Boulevard and ends near Victory Park.
* Getting there: The Pasadena Police Department suggests: From the San Fernando Valley, take the 210 Freeway east to the Lake or Hill avenue or the Altadena Drive exit. From the west, take the 134 Freeway to Fair Oaks, Marengo, Lake or Hill avenues, Altadena Drive or Sierra Madre/San Gabriel Boulevard (Marengo will be most congested). From the south, use any major north-south street but keep in mind that it will be extremely difficult to cross Colorado Boulevard at any intersection until well after the parade has passed. If you use the 110 Freeway, continue north on Arroyo Parkway and take any major east-west street to the parade area.
* Closed ramps: Orange Grove Boulevard on-ramps and off-ramps on the 110 and 134 freeways, from 8 p.m. Thursday to noon Friday; Del Mar Boulevard and Pasadena Avenue on-ramps and off-ramps on the 710 Freeway from 8 p.m. Thursday to 2 p.m. Friday; Sierra Madre/San Gabriel Boulevard exit from the 210 Freeway from 8 p.m. Thursday to 6 p.m. Friday.
* Parking: Reserved parking for cars and recreational vehicles is available through Sharp Seating Company, (818) 795-4171, and Easy Parking Service, (818) 286-7576. Unreserved paid parking is offered at several locations, including Union Street and El Molino Avenue, Union and Euclid Avenue, Union and Raymond Avenue, Cordova Street and Shoppers Lane, 44 S. Madison Ave. and 462 E. Green St. More than 1,000 $45-a-night spaces will be available for RVs at the Rose Bowl and Brookside Park beginning at noon today. Information: (818) 577-3100. Overnight parking on streets adjacent to the parade route begins at noon Thursday.
* Bonus tips: If you plan to attend the parade and the Rose Bowl football game, park near the stadium. It’s a short walk to the west end of the parade route. If you plan to leave Pasadena after the parade, park on the same side of the parade route as your exit route.
* Or leave the driving to them: The RTD will operate 12 lines to Pasadena Friday morning. Information: San Gabriel Valley, (818) 443-1307; San Fernando Valley, (818) 781-5890; Pasadena, (818) 246-2593; Long Beach, (310) 639-6800; Whittier, (310) 699-0954; Los Angeles, (213) 626-4455, and for the hearing-impaired, TTY (800) 252-9040. Shuttle service to the Rose Bowl football game begins after the parade at Raymond Avenue and Colorado Boulevard and at Pasadena Avenue and Union Street. Return service starts immediately after the game. Cost is $1.10 each way.
* Seating: Reserved grandstand seating (only $26-$30 seats remain) is available through Sharp Seating Company, (818) 795-4171. Spectators may occupy curbside space on the parade route beginning at noon Thursday.
* Legal matters: Pasadena ordinances specify that while waiting for the parade to begin, you may save only the space that you occupy. Unoccupied chairs--as well as tents and similar structures, and couches, stools or boxes used as seats--are not allowed and will be confiscated. You can neither rope off an area nor sell space on the street or sidewalk. Also, beginning the night before the parade, all liquor along the route will be confiscated on sight. The majority of arrests in connection with the Rose Parade are for drunkenness, particularly on New Year’s Eve, says Cmdr. Mary Schander of the Pasadena Police Department.
* Sustenance: Vendors--hot-dog stands, trucks and foot peddlers--will sell items ranging from soda to candy to hamburgers to pizza.
* Also note: The Pasadena Department of Public Works says there will be 257 portable toilets on the parade route.
* When it’s over: Floats will be on display on Sierra Madre Boulevard between Washington Boulevard and Sierra Madre Villa Avenue, and on Washington Boulevard between Sierra Madre Boulevard and Woodlyn Road. The area will be open from 1:30 to 4 p.m. Friday and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Senior citizens and those with limited mobility may view floats from 7 to 9 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. Admission is $1.
Practical View, including Legal View and Your Wheels columns, moves to Thursdays beginning Dec. 31.