We are now in Los Angeles and it's New Year's Eve. Our morning is planned with an early trip to Pasadena to see the float decorating exhibits. Up bright and early (630am) to catch the bus, we head over and arrive in beautiful sunny Pasadena only to find out that we have to wait in line to get in to see the floats. We have 9am-noon to see the floats and do what we want to do but if enough people are done earlier, they will fill a bus and send us back earlier and wait for the others. We're in no rush so we head in the direction of the float decorating exhibit figuring it would have a lineup and want to get that out of the way before buying souvenirs and stuff to wear to the game. Good thing because we were right about the lineup. The lineup was 1/2 mile long I swear and took up 1h45 min to get in to see the warehouse that houses the float decorating. It was worth the wait and really cool to see and part of the hold up was due to them moving out a 5 section float onto the road and the line not moving at all for quite some time.
We did get to see the Honda float (the 5 section one) on the road while we were waiting in line. It was INCREDIBLE! One of the sections was a large boom camera and the next was a massive video screen all constructed and decorated from plant-based materials. There floats are all motorized and massive. They do not get pulled by a truck or anything, the vehicle is actually hidden underneath the float and you never even see it. At this point because it's the ROSE parade and is known for the beautiful flowers that decorate these elaborate floats, this last day before the parade is dedicated to the final touches and gluing the thousands of flowers (that would otherwise die if done any sooner) on the float and prepping for judging. The workmanship and creativity is simply astounding. The line was long but we met a couple from Abbottsford and chatting with them the whole way passed the time nicely. That's the thing about lineups, the longer the line, the more friends you make!
This line was so long that we didn't get out of float decorating until 1130 or later and now had to rush to find and buy hats/shirts and souvenirs while the crowd was thin. We made it back to the bus with our gear by 1205 and considering I didn't think we'd ever make it, that was pretty good. We weren't even the last ones back. Everyone was in the same boat though so it's not like they weren't expecting it.
Back at the hotel we chilled for a bit trying to figure out what to do for NYE. Not knowing anything about LA and keeping in mind I'm with my parents and a brother that doesn't drink I figured we'd hit up Universal Citywalk because they were having a big NYE gig. $30 cover but at least I knew how to get there and what was going on. So I figure out the bus/subway route and we head out. Unfortunately the only way to get to the subway was via bus as it was way too far to walk, only thing is (what I didn't know at the time) that the bus was 1 hour long to get to the subway station we needed to get to. OY! Then we needed to figure out how to pay for the subway because it's all automated now, but a nice man helped us out. Luckily LA was running the metro system 24 hours and making it all free after 9pm which was awesome so we only had to pay until then. We got on the subway and got off at Universal but walking out I seen a poster for a NYE celebration downtown at Civic Centre/Grand Park that was FREE! So I stop everyone and we decide to get back on the subway and go completely across town to see what's going on here instead. Free party is better than a paid one anyday!
It was a good choice! Grand Park was apparently renovated last year and it's lovely! This is the first year LA hosts it's own NYE party and I guess they are trying to match Times Square. One thing is for sure, they have the weather working in their favour. So they have a stage set up and the park is tiered with streets separating the sections and different things going on everywhere. Live entertainment at one end, a beer garden, really cool decorations and a photobooth with props that you could take pictures with and they would project it on the massive screen that overlooks they entire park. Food trucks that were way too slow and unorganized for the massive crowd was the only complaint. No big name acts, but the entertainment was still good. City hall was lit up and that would be where they would do the countdown from. They were also going to show the New York ball drop at 9pm and so we decided because a) we had to be up at 4am to get ready to go to the parade/football game and b) 9pm here is midnight at home so technically it was NYE for us anyways and c) it was well over a 1 hour trip back to the hotel via free transit - that we would consider the 9pm New York ball drop as our celebration on NYE.
This was a great idea! Until we LOST Dad.... AGAIN! He was RIGHT BEHIND US! We've already learned at this point to keep stopping to turn to check to make sure and we were doing that... and mom was right behind us and he was right there too. We were on the street corner and he was in the middle of the street and we turned to go down the street to the subway station and we hit a massive crowd of partyers who had just exited the station and when we got to the entrance and looked back, he was nowhere to be found. So we waited some more. Then we sent Kyle to run after him. Kyle came back empty handed. Now I'm PISSED because how are we going to find him in this crowd? So I send Kyle out again while Mom and I wait... still nothing. So I turn on my phone and bite the roaming bullet charge and text him... the first few attempts FAIL and now I'm starting to lose it because I just want to go back and I have no idea how I'm going to find him. Finally a text goes through and we wait... he finally responds to my "where are you?" with "I don't know". FANTASTIC! So I try to text back telling him where we are, won't go through again. I try to call... no luck. Rage is boiling. Finally he calls me and says he's at the metro entrance where we came out. Uhhh NOoooo... WE ARE! Then he tells me the street names etc and I realize he's at the opposite end of the subway station at the other entrance. We meet up inside after nearly an hour long search.
Between that and the subway ride, followed by a boisterous bus ride we finally get back to our hotel's street and Kyle and I are ahead and I look at my watch - it's 11:59 and seconds... Kyle's like " I guess we WILL get to see midnight here afterall". So him and I do the countdown, high5 one another just steps from our hotel at this point and he's like "well we can officially say we've celebrated NYE TWICE in the same night". GO TEAM!
Now just over 3 hours of sleep before we need to get up again...HOURRAY! Bring it 2014!
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