Rose Bowl Travel 001
In the wee hours of Monday morning, Dec. 29, students in the Penn State Blue Band who were away on winter break reconvened at University Park, where charter buses took them a short ride down Fox Hollow Road to the University Park Airport. They boarded one of two charter flights direct to LAX, bound for Pasadena, Calif.
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The University Park Airport bustled as it usually does during spring break escapes to warmer climates, as students, staff, fans and alumni lined up to check in for their charter flights.
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The first of two charter flights for Blue Band members began boarding before sunrise, as their fellow musicians, majorettes and silks waited their turn.
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The first flight took to the air around 7:50 a.m., which gave standing-room passengers awaiting their flights a few minutes to grab seats and await their boarding calls.
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As the sun broke over Mount Nittany, rays of sunshine poured into the crowded departures waiting area.
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The second Blue Band charter flight boarded and took off around 8:30, and almost immediately the third charter began its boarding call.
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Clear skies gave Alumni Bowl Tour members the opportunity to arrive in Los Angeles ahead of schedule. They were greeted with unusually smog-free skies with excellent visibility extending to the unusually snow-capped mountains in the distance.
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The stereotypically congested freeways of Los Angeles lived up to expectations during noontime traffic.
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Those staying at the Hyatt Century Plaza Hotel, the official team hotel of the Nittany Lions, entered the lobby to sights of Christmas decorations and blue-and-white spirit as they checked in and received refreshments.
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In the lobby, alumni and fans received their tickets to the Rose Bowl game, the "granddaddy of them all."
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Later in the afternoon, Penn Staters planned to attend official welcome receptions at their hotels, some aptly held poolside in the relatively balmy Los Angeles weather, about 70 degrees Fahrenheit at the time the receptions were to begin. Stay tuned to Penn State Live for updates from L.A. during Rose Bowl week.
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Several Penn Staters were able to book hotels on the beach in Santa Monica. Even though the weather the and the water temperature wasn't conducive for swimming, the views were still refreshing.
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The famous Santa Monica pier was a must-see for those Penn Staters staying in the vicinity.
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Santa Monica's pier boasts a large Ferris wheel that offers aerial views of the Pacific Ocean and the southern California shoreline.
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Upon closer inspection, an LCD screen at the center of the Ferris wheel showed Penn State's logo, which alternated with other Rose Bowl images such as the Nittany Lions' plain blue-and-white helmets and icons representing USC as well. Those staying in the area said the nighttime views of the Ferris wheel and its logos were beautiful as well.
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