You are in for a real treat. The Rose Parade is one of the outstanding events that I have ever seen. The floats are not only beautiful arrays of flowers, but also phenomenal works of creativity and engineering. And everyone is in a happy, festive mood.

You have a major decision to make regarding hotels - assuming that the Pasadena hotels are not already booked (many book months in advance), do you stay in Pasadena and pay the Rose Bowl premium rate since many raise their rates for this popular event? Or do you stay somewhere else that may be more affordable?

If I was advising one of my family members, I would recommend that they stay in one of the hotels in West Los Angeles near UCLA or Beverly Hills. During New Years, these hotels are less crowded and might even have special promotional rates available. I like the following:

Hilgard House in Westwood next to UCLA (http://www.hilgardhouse.com/) Carlyle Inn in LA adjacent to Beverly Hills (http://www.carlyle-inn.com/)

You can also check the AAA Tourbook for California which has many more listings than can be included here.

I know what you are thinking - what about the challenges of getting to the parade route in time for the 8 am start? Especially if I was taking my mother-in-law, I would reserve grandstand seats and a parking pass - http://www.sharpseating.com/roseparade.htm

It may seem an extravagence, but the seats and parking pass will be worth their weight in gold because you will not have to get up at 3 am and fight for space on the curb. And you won't have to stand for 2 1/2 hours watching the parade. Try to get a spot on the north side of Colorado so that you get the morning sun on what is usually a chilly morning.

Hope this is helpful! Let us know if you need more information. The LA Ziners love to help visitors explore our area.

Mark Los Angeles