2023 Rose Parade Floatfest and Portos for lunch

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog.  Sometimes the post explains why we got to the food.  Today is one of those days; Cathy is writing.

 The 2023 Tournament of Roses with the theme "Turning The Corner" has concluded.  The Rose Parade was held on January 2 (the Parade is never on a Sunday; the first parades in the 1800s had floats that were horses pulling carriages and horses were needed for church on Sunday; the tradition stands).  Following the Parade, the floats line up at the end of the five mile Parade route, end to end, and are displayed after the Parade and the next day.  This year, I drove up with my friend, cc (The Mister had to stay home).  It had rained overnight.

 The Sweepstakes Award, for the most beautiful entry encompassing float design, floral presentation and entertainment, went to the float sponsored by Donate Life, "Lifting Each Other Up".   A spectacular asian street dragon is the centerpiece of the float.  There were 44 memorial floragraphs representing those who had given the gift of life.  Those were removed before the rain, so the families could have a memory. 
 You can see the empty circles, where the floragraphs had been, in this photo.  

   Trader Joe's entry, "Onward" won the Wrigley Legacy Award for most outstanding display of floral presentation, float design and entertainment. The three piece float was magnificent and whimsical. 

 Walking along the floats: an alligator, a shark and crested birds were some of the many details not seen during the television broadcast. 
 The Kiwanis entry, "Catching the Wave of Service" was so beautiful.
 The City of Alhambra entry, "Together We Rise" received the Tournament Volunteer award.  
 Elks U.S.A entered "Elks Investing in Our Communities"- a magnificent float. 
 More details- hummingbirds, snails and bees might have gone unnoticed during the quick TV viewing.  Yet so much work was put into the design and decoration of each and every one of the 39 floats in the 2023 Parade.  (I have photos of all the floats if you want any specific pictures).

Now, it is time to start planning for 2024.  Yesterday, the President of the 2024 Parade, Alex Aghajanian, was introduced and he introduced the Theme and logo of the 2024 Rose Parade:

 "Celebrating a World of Music: The Universal Language".   The float designs are being submitted and construction will begin.  As an aside, each float always has recorded music while it drives down the Parade Route.  This theme will have the floats designed and coordinated with the music.  It should be fun. 

If you would like to see the 2023 Rose Parade Float Road Tests, This Post links to all.

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 cc was looking forward to going to Portos after our morning of walking. 
 She and I needed lunch.  A cubano sandwich, cuban style black bean soup, turkey and cheese croissant and (to go, for The Mister) a rustic chopped chicken salad (which includes house candied bacon-yum!).  There were, of course a few bakery items.  However, we were here on January 3-just before Epiphany, the 12th night after Christmas and the 'end' of the holiday season. 

 Traditional celebratory sweets to celebrate Three Kings Day were for sale; however the Rosca de Reyes was already sold out.  We each purchased a Galette des Rois.
 Puff pastry filled with a layer of almond frangipane cream as well as a touch of guava jam (for a Cuban twist).  The 'baby' could be hidden into a slice by us (if there were more than two of us sharing this tart) and whoever found it could wear the crown.  The Mister and I shared wearing the crown. 
 There were no Roscas, but the seasonal Rosquitas, a sweet bread topped with dried, candied fruits made some nice bites for us this year. 

Portos Bakery, multiple locations in Los Angeles County. Website

 Honda is a Sponsor of the Tournament and their float is not judged; that's why it is not completely covered in organic materials.

Comments

[kat]

amazing floats this year!

[Som Tommy]

I love Portos

[Soo]

Thanks for the float photos. Nice seeing them again.

[Dereck]

It's incredible. Every time I am in the area, we almost always end up at Portillo's for some ho hum Chicago beef sandwiches, then as we are leaving the parking lot I always remember Porto's just down the road....

[Cathy]

It was a great Parade, kat. Designs are being submitted for the 2024 Parade floats and those should be interesting with the theme.
I know I would be at Portos regularly if one was close, ST; the quality, variety and great prices are ideal.
It's nice to see the final product, Soo. The steps to get to this point really do take all year.
Portillos is a great place,Dereck. Next time, drop in to Portos for dessert- a cup of coffee and something sweet. You could get something 'to go' also...