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New Year's Day at the Rose Bowl

·Los Angeles, California·#travel#pasadena#california#rose-bowl#college-football#new-years
A long pier at night, adorned with festive string lights, leads to a bright, towering tree structure over the ocean.

New Year's Day at the Rose Bowl — Michigan and Alabama in the playoff semifinal. Before that, the Manhattan Beach pier still had its lit-up Christmas tree glowing green at the end, holiday string lights the whole length of it.

Our seats put us behind the goalpost, close enough that the Allstate net came up right in front of us on every kick. The whole end of the stadium around us was maize — pom poms, block M hats, one guy in a gold chain the size of a bike lock. Alabama's crimson filled the far side. The Michigan marching band staged right below us before kickoff.

The Goodyear blimp sat overhead most of the afternoon. Loveland's 54-yard touchdown went up on the board, and the place around us lost it. Michigan took it in overtime. Not a bad way to open the year.

A crowded Rose Bowl stadium with thousands of fans holding yellow pom-poms under a bright sunny sky.A wide view of a crowded football stadium under a clear blue sky during a game.A wide view of a crowded football stadium with spectators, players on the field, goalposts, and sponsor banners under a blue sky.A crowded football stadium with a goalpost, people on the field, full stands, and sponsor banners under a clear sky.A stadium scoreboard displays a playoff semifinal between Alabama and Michigan above a crowd of spectators under a blue sky.A crowded football stadium with marching bands on the field, spectators in stands, and an Allstate banner under a clear sky.A crowded stadium with fans watching a football game on a large screen under a clear blue sky with a blimp.Two people in blue and yellow team gear look at the camera in a stadium with a large crowd and jumbotron.

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