mmm-yoso!!! is a blog, mostly about food, but sometimes also about how we managed to get around to eating that food. Tonight, Cathy is writing about how she and The Mister spent the last day of 2009. Kirk and ed (from Yuma) are probably busy with other stuff.
Hi. I am writing this in the late evening of December 31. The Mister and I were awake at about 5:30 this morning (after having spent a long day yesterday with 100 of my closest friends, in light, steady rain, tailgating and watching the Holiday Bowl game). We were exhausted and had to get up and leave. Things happened slowly, dogs needed walking, coffee had to be consumed and we were out the door at 6:30. In the fog. Needing to be in Pasadena by 8 a.m.
Well, that didn't happen. But we did manage to get to the Historic Green Street Hotel
in Old Pasadena by about 8:30. (The Castle Green is now condos and apartments and no longer a hotel).
You can see some of the preserved elements in this public area, and maybe imagine the elegance of this building in its day. 
The old Ballroom was where we had breakfast with Lions from all over the world, including the new President from Germany. 
Breakfast is a buffet, which is not varied. Fruit, muffins, scrambled eggs, potatoes, sausage and ham along with orange and cranberry juices and coffee. There are formalities and that sort of thing and then we get on a bus and drive about a mile South on Raymond Street, to the Phoenix Rose Palace Float Barn.
Which looks like this about December 26.
But is like this on the 31st, an hour or two before judging. The Tournament of Roses Parade is going to start in less than 24 hours. (That is the Farmers Insurance float, Salute to Marching Bands) (the black shiny boots are seaweed)
This is the Ronald McDonald House float. (More seaweed to make the black parts of the space shuttle).
The first float you'll see, sponsored by Wells Fargo Bank, has the theme of the parade- "A Cut Above the Rest". It is one of the smaller floats. Here are some of the details- click and enlarge. Every inch of every float has to be covered with something that is or was alive. 
You can see beans, leaf, live flowers, pulverized dehydrated flowers…
Volunteers spend hours cutting and placing some flowers into vials. 
Or wrapping the flowers onto wires, so that each can be carefully placed onto the proper part of the float.
This Young Lady is gluing dried marigold petals which have been processed in a blender onto the signage of one of the floats.
The work put in this year was exceptional. Those realistic looking rocks on the Oddfellows and RRebekah's float are covered in a mixture of black and white rice. 
The Lions Club International Float.
The City of Alhambra float.
Here is the back end of the Lutheran Hour float, celebrating it's 60th anniversary in the Parade. The Petal Pushers help to decorate this and the other Service floats in this Barn. 
All in all, these last few minutes before the judges show up are busy and intense. The parade will start soon and you can see the floats lined up end to end on Sierra Madre Boulevard Between Paloma and SIerra Madre Villa Avenues), at the end of the parade route, from 1-5 today and from 9-5 on Saturday and Sunday. Admission is $7. A fun weekend thing to do. By February, the theme for the 2011 Tournament of Roses parade will have been decided and planning and work on the floats will begin again.
We were exhausted, starting the drive home, hungry and stopped here on Lake Avenue at Villa.
The Hat is now 58 or so years old, starting out in the Los Angeles area in 1951. 
We got a Pastrami dip: 
Kind of huge…dipped Pastrami in a soft French roll with mustard and pickles.
The Pastrami Burger ($6.99) It's there- look. A half pound burger, topped with cheese, lettuce, onions, pickles and a *lot* of freshly fried up pastrami. The last meal of the year. The Resolutions start tomorrow.
We wish you all the best for the future. Happy New Year!
Wow this brings me back so many memories! I lived in Pasadena for many years. I used to get the gravy drenched ‘wet fries’ at The Hat. Thanks for the post Cathy and have a great time tomorrow!
Pasadena is always a nice place to visit, Dennis. I would have gotten the fries, but, as you know, the serving is HUGE and then the variety of toppings is overwhelming (chili, tomato and pickles, gravy)…the sandwiches were enough. Happy New Year!
Happy New Year, Cathy! It’s just so amazing what they do with those roses. That pastrami sandwich looks delicious, btw.
Happy New Year to you too, Carol. Make easy resolutions this year. I looked at the other New Year/Rose Parade posts I’ve done and it seems we get pastrami each time we are up there(except last year when we stopped at the taco shop off of Azusa)…I love your new kitchen….been reading your blog vicariously…
Tina and thought about you when we were watching the parade. How many different floats do you work on? After hearing from you what is involved, it really makes the parade that much more interesting.
Glad both of you saw the parade, ed. There were 8 floats in the barn, but the day we volunteered it was pretty much repetitive, tedious work- separating the darkest purple petals off the irises (every part of the flower ends up being used), pulling off carnation petals, separating leaves from plants. No glue, which was a first. All the items on the Service floats are shared so we did stuff for everyone. On the 30th is when most flowers are cut and put into vials- all equal in height, as you can see. If you were to go to the viewing of floats today, a lot of the flowers are wilted…I didn’t put in the photo, but may add it- the carnations are placed on toothpicks and not in vials, because they won’t wilt as fast…and it is so much easier.
pastrami burger…yum. where do u recommend locally for good pastrami sandwiches? hubby is a sucker for them. =)
Good Morning, H. The pastrami sandwich at Woodie’s is passable
/2006/02/07/woodies_chili_d/
Although not as fatty or as rich as The Hat serves. There also is one other place that slips my mind right now. It was greek/served gyros and pastrami. I’ll report back when I think of it. Need to find another synapse…
Pastrami burger- Elsa’s Kitchen.
/2007/10/31/elsas-kitchen-g/
I didn’t comment on it, but will for the next burger week. Have not been there in a few months, but the burgers in general are excellent. Thanks for making me remember, H.
nice behind the scene pictures! and man, i haven’t had the hat for a long time. maybe it’s time to pay it a visit. happy new year to u cathy!
Thanks, Sawyer! I tried to get it posted as early as I could,but we had the Hliday Bowl on the 30th, and things aren’t really finished until then. I did a short post on The Hat in 2006: /2006/11/28/road_tripthe_ha/ The Mister had never been inside any of the locations,so this was a good day. Excellent food.
Nice to see these pix, especially of the Green Street Hotel! Quite grand! Must try that pastrami sandwich at the Hat! Wow!
We were parked just on the other side of the turret/archway, cc. I’m glad I took some photos inside and posted. This Hat location is just over the 210 on Lake Avenue, but there are many more on the drive…next time! (You’ll really like the pastrami here)