Excitement builds along Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena
As the clock creeped closer to midnight, the excitement level rose along Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, scene of the annual Tournament of Roses. Spilled tortilla chips and silly string littered the sidewalks. Crowds of revelers gripping noisemakers and wearing metallic paper hats greeted strangers with shouts of "Happy New Year!" as the streets grew more crowded by the minute.
Traffic within a several-block radius ground to a near standstill. Amid the spectacle, restaurant workers stepped out momentarily to snap cellphone pictures of the parade floats as they rolled down Fair Oaks Avenue shortly after 10 p.m.
Mike VanZandt, 37, and his wife, Alice, 35, were all smiles as they waited for the countdown. The couple from Los Angeles has made the parade camp-out a 20-year tradition. They began setting up cots, a portable propane heater and coolers of food at 9 a.m. Wednesday.
"Every year we say we're not gonna come back, but we always do," Alice VanZandt said. "The boys love it."
The VanZandts will join a party of 60 this year, including their three sons, as well as nieces and nephews from Los Angeles, Azusa and San Gabriel.
The best part of the buildup to the parade are the friendly vibes from all the fellow spectators, she said. "Everyone's friendly and hugging everyone and saying happy new year," she said. "Hopefully, when the kids are older they can carry on the tradition."
-- Catherine Ho
