Rose Bowl

The Rose Bowl, the granddaddy of them all as announcer Keith Jackson would say, is a great place for football and rose lovers alike. I had the good fortune of going to the Rose Bowl in 2008 when the beloved University of Illinois took on the University of Southern California. The trip was great, I'd rather not talk about the game results though! It was a fun trip and definitely worth doing if you can.

Some History

I had to look this up, but its called the granddaddy because it is the oldest bowl game, going all the way back to 1902. Traditionally it paired the Pac-10 champion with the Big Ten Champion, but since the introduction of the BCS (Bowl Championship Series) in 1998 it is now tied in with the other major bowls, although it will still try to pair those two conference winners if possible. Its traditionally played on New Year's Day, unless its a Sunday, in which case it is played on a Monday.

Parade

I was able to make it to the parade, although it was tough to get my friends there. After all, it was the day after New Year's Eve! The parade was very well attended and it was tough to get a spot to view it. We took a train to Pasadena (very convenient on the LA transit system) from our downtown Westin hotel.

Stadium

The stadium itself has expansive grounds, as if on a golf course. Plenty of room for tailgating. Its a little tight getting in so don't wait until the last minute to go to your seat.

All in all I enjoyed my trip to the Rose Bowl. The emphasis is definitely on the football but its also interesting for us rose lovers!