So Cal Road Trip: friends, family, Rose Bowl, Disneyland - December 31, 2016 - January 4, 2017

Kaleb is a Penn State alum and a huge fan of the Nittany Lions football team. When his alma mater was chosen to play in the 2017 Rose Bowl, I thought it would be fun for us to go. The drive to southern California wasn't terribly long and we could also take time to visit friends and family for New Year's.

Getting game tickets at a reasonable price was the hardest part. The alumni association's share of tickets were sold out. Ads on Craigslist were asking too high a price. I resorted to monitoring StubHub every day starting two weeks before the game. When I opened an account on their website, I neglected to opt in for email updates, which was a good thing. A few days later, I got an email offering 10% off my next order if I opted in...sure, sign me up!

I wanted to buy tickets for seats with backs (versus metal bleachers) on the Penn State/visitors side. The day I started actively shopping on StubHub, I saw a pair of tickets available at the end of a row in what I thought was a good section, but they were snapped up while I was double-checking. During the days following, I watched the number of tickets dwindle down and prices inching up, but the sections that I desired still had a constant supply. I was gambling that when it got too close to the shipping deadline, the ticket holders (who were most likely from Pennsylvania and wouldn't be able to go last-minute, compared to locals) would give up and drop their asking price. Six days before the game, a pair of tickets dropped to a reasonable price and I got them - upper premium section with a great view of the field, plus 10% off. The only issue was that I wasn't sure when the tickets would be delivered, as we would be driving down three days after the sale. Fortunately, I could specify any delivery address I wanted, so I sent them to my brother's house where we would be staying.

Driving down Interstate 5 to southern California on New Year's Eve day was non-eventful. The gas station we stopped at sold interesting "shit". During the drive, my brother texted that he received the tickets and that they looked legit, thank goodness.

looking to buy some shit?

When we reached our destination, we then went with my brother Ed and Allen's families to Olive Garden for dinner.

Then it was back to Ed's house to open late Christmas gifts, then watch the apple fall at midnight.

Alison, Abby, and Brandon

reading to pass the time to midnight

breaking out the fancy crystal!

Since New Year's Day fell on a Sunday, the Rose Bowl was held on Monday, according to tradition. We spent January 1 over at my friend Ching's house, which was conveniently near Pasadena. We had lots of fun in all of the game rooms and were treated to a tasty home-cooked dinner.

playing 7 Wonders in the first game room

doing Rock Band in the second game room

enjoying Chef Ching's cuisine

playing pool in the third game room...

...which converts to table tennis!

The next morning, Kaleb and I left Ching's house for the Rose Bowl, getting the car's windshield chipped in the process. Despite the absence of traffic, someone decided that the left shoulder on the freeway was a lane and kicked up all the gravel and debris onto the road. No police was around to catch the perpetrator. I got the windshield patched a few weeks later, covered by insurance.

Parking at the Rose Bowl was something I considered thoroughly. I had read about the situation there (ie. the golf course surrounding the stadium) and planned to buy a space at the Parsons parking lot, but I found a suggestion online to park along Lincoln Avenue or at the post office (since it won't be open on a federal holiday). A great idea, as there were plenty of spots on the street at 9:30am. I saw a good number of cars in the post office lot but decided it was too risky to park there the whole day.

Since we had extra time to spare before the game, Kaleb and I walked towards the Rose Parade on Colorado Blvd. There were lots of vendors on the street selling event clothing and lanyards. We bought Penn State Rose Bowl lanyards with a commemorative pin for $10 each.

Along the parade route, the sidewalks were lined with spectators many people deep. It was comforting to see a strong police presence with barricades set up, considering the terrorist attack in Berlin that happened two weeks ago where a large truck plowed into a Christmas market crowd. We stopped by a Subway to get some breakfast (too hungry, no photos).

the NHL float passing by

Walking back toward the Rose Bowl, we passed by the Parsons parking lot and saw a huge line for the paid shuttle to the stadium. It was about a 1.5 mile walk from there (30 minutes); no directions needed as it was easy to follow the crowds. Along the way, there were makeshift game day merchandise displays as well as people offering to buy or sell tickets.

long lines for the Parsons shuttles

sidewalk full of fans

When we reached the green surrounding the stadium, there were lines for the port-a-potties. I walked around to search for more and found that the portable toilets were placed next to a brick-and-mortar restroom facility with running water and sinks, plus no line for the women's side.

folks lined up for potties when the regular restroom had no line

We had loosely planned to meet up with Kaleb's friends from Arizona, but were unable to connect as timing was off, many crowds, and they were sitting in a different section.

got the tickets

watching the team roll in

go Penn State!

tailgaters arrived as early as 4am

more tailgating on the golf course

VIP tailgate party under the tent

the iconic Rose Bowl

clouds threatened to rain, but never did

the food here was good

our view

360 photo of the stadium:

2017 Rose Bowl Penn State vs USC - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA

Once the stadium filled up with fans, there was a lot of energy in the air. The university bands marching on the field were entertaining. When a B-2 stealth bomber flew by during the national anthem, it was breathtaking. You could hardly hear it come in, slicing quietly through the air, looking almost fake, then the bomber took off with a roar past the crowd. Unfortunately there is a limit on the length of video I could post, else you'd be able to see and hear the spectators' reactions to the fly-by.

360 spherical video of B-2 stealth bomber fly-by during the national anthem (could only post a maximum of 11 seconds' worth):

B-2 stealth bomber fly-by during national anthem at 2017 Rose Bowl, Penn State vs USC - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA

24-second video of the start of the game:



Penn State was the underdog; when the Nittany Lions secured a huge lead in the third quarter, our side of the stadium was in a frenzy. Unfortunately, the defense wasn't able to stop USC in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. It was still an exciting game to watch. Overall, it was the highest-scoring Rose Bowl game in history, with many other records broken.

After the game, we walked back to our car, passing by traffic jams on the golf course and other parking areas as vehicles tried to exit. Cars snaked along the residential streets surrounding Rose Bowl stadium; people on the sidewalks were moving faster. Even though it was a 30-minute walk, we would have spent more time stuck in traffic if we parked closer. I highly recommend parking farther away if you don't mind going on foot.

Getting back onto the freeway was quick as we used an entrance far removed from the stadium traffic. We drove back to Ed's house, picking up late dinner from Oke Poke...was too hungry to take pictures of the bowls.

Oke Poke was "okay"

On Tuesday, Ed, Angela, Abby, Kaleb and I went to Disneyland Resort. As their daughter didn't meet the height requirements for many attractions, we took advantage of Rider Switch when available, where we could take turns riding and watching Abby without waiting again in line. If you couple this with a FastPass, it takes the benefit to a whole new level. This page describes how in detail.

I must add that Disneyland is a great place to play Pokemon. Don't forget your external battery pack!

We had lunch at Rancho Del Zocalo, but I forgot to take pictures of our meal.

lures everywhere!

360 photo of Main Street:

Disneyland's Main Street by day - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA

on King Arthur Carrousel

our duty to update Space Mountain wait time

aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!!!!

my favorite Ghirardelli sundae, Muir Woods

on Heimlich's Chew Chew Train

Abby having fun with Uncle Kaleb

haha...Chinese take-out box on Flik's Flyers

wow, really!

Ed, Angela and I on Big Thunder Mountain

We had dinner at White Water Snacks inside Disney's Grand Californian hotel. It wasn't crowded at all; the food was reasonably priced for a resort and was tasty. Abby was being so cute that one of the restaurant staff gave her a complimentary rice krispy treat.

360 photo of Main Street lit up at night for the holidays:

Disneyland's Main Street by night - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA

And that was the end of a long New Year's weekend in southern California, with our drive home being non-eventful.

Next on the agenda...the opposite: a northern California road trip! Stay tuned...

***

If you came here from a Facebook or Twitter link, thanks for clicking the "Facebook Like" button below or retweeting!

Don't miss a blog entry!  Sign up for updates direct to your inbox here or add the blog to your RSS feed.

Getting excited reading about these trips and want to go?  Contact me at yellowdogtravel at gmail d0t com with your ideas and I can help you plan it!  Or if you've already put a deposit on a cruise through the cruise line, contact me to get more information on transferring the reservation to me to get bonuses like extra onboard credit or gifts.  I have lots of happy returning clients - references always available.

Come check out my other blog "What in the world is Kat Kong doing now?", documenting things other than traveling...sign up for blog updates direct to your inbox here!

Another disclaimer:  The intention of this blog was to remind Future Me in full detail about where I went and what I did. I could have made it private, but I frequently get questions from family, friends and internet folks about how I planned things, got deals, etc., so instead of repeating the story over and over, I direct them here. If you are offended by anything I say or do, save yourself the discomfort and kindly click away from my blog. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day!

Previous post: Good eats in Lancaster County, PA during Thanksgiving week