Pasadena Road Trip-An early 2013 Rose Parade event and breakfast at Lucky Boy

Hi there, person reading the blog called mmm-yoso!!! Sometimes Kirk writes here about meals and events and sometimes ed (from Yuma) writes about meals and events.  Today, Cathy is writing about an event and a meal.

Well, it's been a hot and busy summer so far, probably for everyone.  There are events every weekend it seems.  Last weekend, San Diego was hosting both Comic-Con and Over the Line, the Orange County Fair opened and on Saturday, The Mister and I woke at 4:30 a.m., let the dogs out and back in the house, grabbed some snacks and coffee and jumped in the car and headed North, to Pasadena.  In less than two hours, we were greeted by this sign.

Our reason for the trip and being here before 7 a.m.. Some of the floats that will appear in the 2013 Tournament of Roses parade were going to be road tested! There are at least three road tests for each float before the parade.  This road test was mentioned on the Phoenix Decorating Company Facebook page and not on the website. The Rose Parade has fascinated both of us since we were children, watching it on television every New Year Day from our snow-bound homes back East and we are so happy to be able live here and be able to help decorate floats and also watch the progression of their creation every year. 

This will be the Trader Joe's entry.  You can see a few of the many kitchen gadgets (and cupcake holders) that will be part of the float.  There will be some animation and those parts seemed to be the ones tested.

This is the initial sketch of the float. You can see the photo is facing the opposite of this drawing. It will be interesting to see the final product, which I am sure will be great. 

Another float was being driven, with the Observer in front, directing the driver (who will be in an enclosed area in the middle of the float) down the street using headsets and microphones and then directing to a 180 degree turn at the end of the street to get back to the barn.

You can see the driver in this photo.

Other floats have the rebar skeletons covered and are almost ready to be marked for colors.  This is the Shriners Hospital float.  One bear depicts the Shriners Open Golf Tournament and the other bear depicts the Shriners Football Classic:

The rectangle cut into the belly of that bear will be where the Observer for this float will be looking out along the parade route.

Some of the floats are essentially ready for decorating, covered with foam and painted the colors where the various live and dried materials will be placed and glued.  This is the 'off side' of the Nurses' float-the side the television cameras won't show.

This is the "camera side" you will see when you watch the parade on television.  So beautiful.  

The Rotary International float is very animated- that screw knob in the back spins and so do all of the gears!  It was tested with nine riders. 

The City of Hope float looks like a Chemistry Laboratory, complete with a spiral bound notebook and microscope.

There were eleven floats in all, all in different levels of being finished and tested for safety.  It was fun to watch...and was all over before 9 a.m. There will be another road test on August 18. Dry decorating of the floats begins December 1.  Volunteers are always welcome, but you have to sign up.  Here are  three links about decorating opportunities.

So, it was breakfast time and The Mister and I walked half a block North and over the Metro Gold Line tracks (this is the Fillmore Station)

to Arroyo Parkway and took a left,

and stopped at about two blocks North, at Lucky Boy...which is right at the corner with
the *Original* Trader Joe's location (the logo under the main sign is "Your neighborhood grocery store").

Anyhow, Lucky Boy.  Walk up, order...

pay and wait for your number to be called...

A little peek inside the cooking area. The tortillas are cooked on a grill- and have grill marks.

This is a cross section of the famous Breakfast Burrito ($5.80).  It weighs about one pound.  Really. Hash browns, cheese, scrambled eggs and, in this case, ham-which was warm from the grill; nice.  The salsa which came with was tasty and unique, a tomatillo based with some green chili and also a red chili with some heat.   

We have been here before, but for lunch and dinner, and I usually order a pastrami something, but this time I decided to try a simple breakfast...

An egg sandwich, on rye toast. ($3.25)(not a typo).  Soft scrambled eggs with lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise on a really nice rye bread.  

A perfect day.  We stopped at a few places and were home by noon.  The day had just begun!

Lucky Boy Drive In 640 S. Arroyo Parkway Pasadena, CA 91105 Website It is closed on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day, otherwise it's open. 

 

Comments

[caninecologne]

Great post! I never knew that they "test" drove the floats! So cool to see the floats without flowers. That breakfast burrito is pretty hefty - a pound really? Yikes!

[Cathy]

Laws, lawsuits, insurance...plus you want to avoid any mishaps along the 5.5 mile parade route, especially while on live television, therefore road testing; I thought it would kind of be a different post, cc, thanks. The Breakfast Burrito is mentioned all over Y**p and we had never stopped at Lucky Boy for breakfast (as I said, Pastrami something usually)-the hash browns give it the weight. The egg sandwich was kind of huge also; at least two fluffy scrambled eggs...excellent food here always.

[Dennis]

I miss Lucky Boy! Had an apartment only few blocks away. Can't wait to see those floats covered in flowers.

[Cathy]

I would have loved to have something like Lucky Boy when at University, Dennis. The food and atmosphere are perfect. Theme of the 2013 parade is "Oh, the places you'll go!"

[Carol]

Hi Cathy! That is so cool to see the floats like that.

[Cathy]

Thanks, Carol. The floats and Rose Parade are fascinating. So are the food choices in Pasadena...stopped at Gelson's Market because we see ads in the paper all the time...