By Judy Moore

Special to the Southern California News Group

We often hear about “affordable housing.” A term I’ve never heard, though, is “affordable seating,” but that’s a thing, too.

Prices vary widely at major venues including the Hollywood Bowl, where seats in the Pool Circle, close enough to the stage to see the band sweat, start around $500. In the seats up at the top, at $39.75 “plus fees,” you can hear the band AND the coyotes howling in the hills just behind you.

Seats at the Rose Parade don’t have quite that wild swing in price; the “best” seats, at the beginning of the route, are $120, and the less-desirable seats, at the end of the route, are $60. As with housing, location matters. Unlike other entertainment venues, the stage for the parade isn’t stationary – it’s a city street, and the talent can get tired after a five-and-a-half-mile walk. And like all good stories, the Rose Parade has a beginning, a middle, and an end.

• Complete Rose Parade coverage

The parade’s theme this year is “Turning the Corner,” and when the parade quite literally turns the corner, from Orange Grove Boulevard onto Colorado Boulevard, is when the bands start playing, the majorette batons are twirled high into the air, and the horses start prancing – because that is what is known as “TV Corner,” where dozens of cameras are set up, and everyone is ready for their close-up. (After all, Pasadena is only 10 miles or so from Hollywood.)

I live at the beginning of the parade route, on Orange Grove, just a block from TV Corner, so that’s what I know best. I experienced the middle and the end of the parade route before I moved to the beginning nine years ago, but my previous Rose Parade experiences were 20-plus years ago, and my memory didn’t record exact locations, just comfort levels.

Rose Parade fans bundle up against the morning chill on Colorado Boulevard. (Dean Musgrove, SCNG)

I spent the parade mostly asleep in a damp gutter, as a relatively new transplant from Iowa. My second trip was better — I recall reserved parking at Cal Tech and getting a ride to and from bleacher seats. I checked “Go to Rose Parade” off the list of things to do and watched subsequent parades from the warmth and comfort of my home. For free.

Now, living on the parade route, I feel guilty staying inside. The bands line up on a side street 100 feet from my bedroom window and start practicing at about 6 a.m., so they’re my wake-up call. By 7:30, I’m showered, dressed and coffee mug in hand, I walk the 200 feet to where my neighbors gather and settle in for a couple of hours, watching the bands before their feet start hurting, before the float flowers wilt and before the equestrian units’ mounts settle in and get used to the crowds. For free.

But you don’t need to live in Pasadena or buy a bleacher seat to enjoy the parade for free. You can claim your own spot starting at noon the day before the parade, and this year that will be New Year’s Day plus 1, since the parade follows a “never on Sunday” protocol and will take place on Monday, Jan. 2.

Here at the beginning of the route, people reserving their sidewalk spots come equipped with painter’s tape, chalk and a roster of people who take on guard dog qualities by “protecting” the space their group has claimed, spending a couple of hours on the spot until the next bouncer-type shows up to put in their time.

I’ve been snarled at when I lingered too long, looking at the group who had chalked their name on the sidewalk. But when I assured the “guard” I was just a curious neighbor, out for a walk with my German shepherd, a canine that actually looked the part of a guard dog, they backed down and became friendly.

Most of the “beginning” people have been doing this for years. Many live in the neighborhood, and they’ve brought their children — and now their grandchildren, too — and their need for space has grown. They bring chairs at noon. The comforts of home, such as pillows, blankets and food, arrive later.

I’m told by two different friends who now live at the beginning, but who used to live at the middle and the end, that the vibes can be different depending on where you choose to stake your claim. The middle was described as “sillier,” the end “rowdier.”

But no matter where you sit or stand, whether you buy seats and arrive well-rested just before the 8 a.m. start, or establish your camp the day before and stay up most of the night, you’re in for two fun-filled hours. And my experience has been that nobody is in a bad mood while watching a parade! You’ll find me near the beginning, with a mug of coffee and joie de vivre.

More Rose Parade

Rose Parade survival guide: What you need to know before you go
Rose Parade 2023: Grand marshal Gabby Giffords embodies this year’s theme, ‘Turning the Corner’
Rose Parade 2023: The history of how the Tournament of Roses got its start
Why the Rose Parade and Rose Bowl are on Jan. 2 in 2023
How to see the Rose Parade floats in person on Jan. 2-3
More Rose Parade coverage