Viewing the 2012 Rose Parade Floats on Colorado Boulevard

The 2012 Rose Parade was packed along the sidewalks of Colorado Boulevard and the bleachers were filled as well with out-of-town visitors from Wisconsin and Oregon.

For people arriving late after the parade has started, one of the best places to see the parade is at the intersection of Colorado Boulevard and Hill Avenue--almost halfway along the parade route. Floats reach this point within 45 minutes after the parade has started.

I was able to get some shots among the crowds of the floats I had seen the night before down by the Rose Bowl. I live about two miles from the parade route, so Hill and Colorado, across from Pasadena City College, is one of the more convenient places to catch a glimpse of the floats and hear the bands if you arrive late.

While we knew some people who set up chairs on the parade route the night before, many people in Pasadena simply don't attend. If they've seen the parade more than three or four times, they're not likely to go back and try to stand in the crowds. I haven't quantified it, of course, but it would be an interesting study.

At the gym, the week before I heard one man tell another, "I'm going to the Rose Parade this year. I haven't been for about 15 years." I know many others who haven't gone in more than 20 years to the parade.

If I'm in town, I enjoy going down each year--even if it's only for an hour. The floats and the spectacle is one I don't want to miss. You have to decide to set aside your to-do list for the day.

Click here to see a slideshow on floats lining up outside the Rose Bowl the evening before the parade.

Click here to read about Sleeping on the sidewalk for the Rose Parade. It is fun -- on years when it doesn't dip into the low 40s or upper 30s. Here's a bit about my experience.

The Rose Parade generates a lot of cash for the region. Click here to read a past interview dealing with the economics of the Rose Parade.