I remember some years when we had to bundle up in umpteen layers just to keep warm, but this year, a light jacket was all we needed.
Almost all available parking spaces were already taken when we got there ( and we were earlier than previous years ), with cars circling parking lots, hoping to catch someone leaving.
The streets were teeming with people, vehicles, kids, strollers, chairs, you name it.
We gravitated towards The Paramount, where the orchestra was about to start playing.
A big part the parade for me is actually being among the crowd. with all the sights, sounds and smells of the season in the air :)
And of course, being Asian and trigger happy with the camera is another one of the best parts. You never know what gem you might come up with if you just keep pressing that button.
We were hoping to see Joyce ( Cole ) there, as we had in previous years, but we couldn't catch any glimpses of her. We still enjoyed all the lovely music though.
One thing I was thankful for, was THESE things scattered about downtown.
We walked over to the Civic Center, hoping to get a good vantage point to see the parade from,
but we were really too far away, and the lights set up by the TV Stations just washed everything out when they weren't blinding you with their megawatts.
Ya, after a few minutes of THIS, we were ready to get a little closer to the action.
Both the little boy and I were much happier, because it just doesn't seem like you've been to the parade unless you've had your face right up to it.
We DID make our way back to the Civic Center though, for the next part of the night, which was The Lighting of the Community Tree.
We tried to get in a little before the parade ended, just so we didn't have to push around with the throngs to get a place to sit. A bonus for that was watching the orchestra and the performers rehearse as they were getting prepared.
And before you knew it, it was time for the lighting of the tree by our New Mayor.
Isn't it glorious? :)
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