Coliseum and Rose Parade snapshots

Earlier this morning, I did something I normally never do, especially on a weekend. I set the alarm. In fact, I set it for 7AM. And it was worth it to be there for the Rose Parade as it originated from inside the arena, with Memorial Coliseum's upper curtain open to allow light to pour through.

I normally am not a big parade enthusiast. When I was a kid we went to the Rose Parade, but I'm not sure I've ever seen it as an adult. They're too early for this unrepentant late sleeper. But once there, properly over-caffeinated, I really enjoyed the Americana of it all: the marching bands, the Rosarians in their white suits, the velvet-throated K103 DJs emceeing, the Boss Hog convertibles with the waving grand marshall, and of course the floats. And of course seeing the Coliseum with the curtain open was the best part.

Here are a few snapshots that I took of the parade and the building. Joining me and a few other architects who came to see the building with the curtain open for the city's central civic-cultural public event of the year were a couple of professional photographers, Jeremy Bitterman and Matthew Ginn. Those guys are much more talented shutterbugs, and their photos will be published here down the road.

Comments

[dennis]

brian, you are such a nerd, but great shots! While it is much smaller, I have to say that I do like the look and feel of the interior of the MC much more than the Rose Garden.

[Ken Bauer]

Great Shots Brian. Too bad the Blazers didn't play with the curtain down. Concerts would have been better as well. You can really see just how small the MC really was with that curtain down. I remember when there was talk of adding a second deck to the MC to raise capacity to over 17,000 for the Blazers. It would have been interesting. Even watching concerts from the rafters at MC was a close seat. Thank You for posting the pictures.

[Matt]

Every bit as lovely as the inside of the Expo Center!