

Review
Tucked into the Arroyo Seco, surrounded by lush hillsides and backed by scenic mountains, this 90,000-seat stadium has been used for World Cup finals, Super Bowls and massive summer tours like U2, BTS, Beyoncé and Oasis. The Pasadena icon is also—for now—home to the UCLA Bruins football team as well as the annual New Year’s Day Rose Bowl Game, which is preceded by the floral-filled Rose Parade. If you’re not interested in any of that big-ticket programming, swing by on the second Sunday of the month for its legendary flea market.
The stadium opened in 1922, and though there have been multiple rounds of renovations over the years, regulars lament the cramped sideline seats and backless benches behind the end zones. And though the outward-facing views from higher vantage points are picturesque, the bowl-style layout and spartan concession areas just don’t measure up to L.A.’s more modern stadiums. You might be willing to forgive most of those shortcomings, but there’s no sugarcoating the Rose Bowl’s notoriously terrible access: Driving and parking are a nightmare, and while the pre-event shuttle from the Parsons parking lot in Old Pasadena is relatively convenient, taking it back at the end of the night means standing in a long, long line and getting stuck in the very same traffic as cars. Our advice? If you still have the stamina, walk from the stadium back to the off-site parking; it’s a mile-and-a-half, mostly uphill walk, but it’ll still be the quickest and least aggravating option.


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