Women and Children first. First class only. Happy Holidays!
Cheryl and I decided we were going to participate more in functions going on in our neighborhood.
Tonight? We went to the tree lighting at The Grove.
It was the craziest experience of my life. Cheryl and I were Jack and Rose on the Titanic. Hang onto your hats for this one, folks. And you may want to make sure you've opened the Map. You're going to need it.
We walked to The Grove at 7:00 leaving plenty of time to go in (1) and get situated. Cheryl decided she was hungry so we start walking down towards the Farmer's Market. In the middle is the yet to be lit tree and the stage where Natalie Cole and The Band From TV was going to perform. We get just past the stage and realize there's nowhere to go . They've blocked it off. We turn around to go back to the kiosks towards where we came in because there's a Wetzel's Pretzels, Hagen Daaz and a place to get coffee. "Sorry. Can't go back this way. Its an exit only. You have to walk back around."(2)
We walk towards the parking structure and they make us turn left (3) - we wanted to go right.
It loops back around to where you're now in "Whisper Alley." They're not letting people through (4). There's a 3rd party that's going to be going through and they're holding people off. People are trying to get through, they're being yelled at and pushed back. Cheryl finds a hole in the crowd and gets through onto Whisper Alley. The guard is distracted telling people why they can't go through and I squeak past him. We head back out to the parking structure and loop onto Gilmore Ln. trying to get in through the front facing the stage. They're still letting people in on that side (5).
But as soon as we get in, its the worst life decision we've ever made. It is wall to wall people. People are shoving everyone - children included, trying to get closer to the stage and tree (6). Santa's workshop is in the way and people are being shoved up against it. Its loud. No one knows what's going on, and we can't see the tree anyway. Cheryl gets frustrated and we start to try and work our way back the way we came. They've blocked it off at Gilmore Ln at this point and people are leaning over the railing with people pushing behind them. We're trying to get out and a guard is trying to move the gate to let the people out who want out (5). But people are leaning against the railing and he can't lift it to let people out. "Hey man! Get off the gate!!"
Once we get out we head back to the first entrance we went in (1). Its the back and there was next to no people in there when we came in at 7:00. We cut through the parking garage, valet, and make it back to The Grove Dr. to enter there. Its closed. The fire marshall cut off the entrances and they're not letting people in.
Cheryl decides we should give up. But she's still hungry. We walk down towards 3rd St. around to the Farmer's Market. We pass Molly Shannon and family on the way (7). She couldn't get in either.
Cheryl gets Pinkberry (8) and we walk back towards the center hoping maybe we can see it from a distance (9). We can. From the other side of Gilmore Ln. But you can't hear anything. We figure at least we'll get to see the tree light up.
All of the sudden, they're letting people in. Everyone is flooding towards the tree and there's room to move. But when we get to Santa's workshop, people stop (10). There's no going further. I look around trying to find somewhere to go when I see the parking structure. There's people on the top and I know that you can see the entire Grove from up there. "Hey! Cheryl! The structure!" She looks up. "That's GENIUS!"
We head towards the elevators and go to the 8th floor. There's quite a few people up there, but room for us in the perfect spot (11). We get there just in time to hear Jon Lovitz announce the Band from TV. We can hear perfectly. We miss it snowing, but that's ok. The Band starts playing "Santa Claus is coming to Town" when we look to our left and they're loading Santa up onto wires so he can fly in over the crowd. He flies in. But he falls off the parking structure and hits the roof of La Piazza on the way. I guess they underestimated how many cookies he's been eating as prep for the Big Day.
We get to see the tree lit. And we had a perfect view for the fireworks.
So, all in all, not exactly how we had planned it, but we still got to see it. We'll just plan better for next year.
Tonight? We went to the tree lighting at The Grove.
It was the craziest experience of my life. Cheryl and I were Jack and Rose on the Titanic. Hang onto your hats for this one, folks. And you may want to make sure you've opened the Map. You're going to need it.
We walked to The Grove at 7:00 leaving plenty of time to go in (1) and get situated. Cheryl decided she was hungry so we start walking down towards the Farmer's Market. In the middle is the yet to be lit tree and the stage where Natalie Cole and The Band From TV was going to perform. We get just past the stage and realize there's nowhere to go . They've blocked it off. We turn around to go back to the kiosks towards where we came in because there's a Wetzel's Pretzels, Hagen Daaz and a place to get coffee. "Sorry. Can't go back this way. Its an exit only. You have to walk back around."(2)
We walk towards the parking structure and they make us turn left (3) - we wanted to go right.
It loops back around to where you're now in "Whisper Alley." They're not letting people through (4). There's a 3rd party that's going to be going through and they're holding people off. People are trying to get through, they're being yelled at and pushed back. Cheryl finds a hole in the crowd and gets through onto Whisper Alley. The guard is distracted telling people why they can't go through and I squeak past him. We head back out to the parking structure and loop onto Gilmore Ln. trying to get in through the front facing the stage. They're still letting people in on that side (5).
But as soon as we get in, its the worst life decision we've ever made. It is wall to wall people. People are shoving everyone - children included, trying to get closer to the stage and tree (6). Santa's workshop is in the way and people are being shoved up against it. Its loud. No one knows what's going on, and we can't see the tree anyway. Cheryl gets frustrated and we start to try and work our way back the way we came. They've blocked it off at Gilmore Ln at this point and people are leaning over the railing with people pushing behind them. We're trying to get out and a guard is trying to move the gate to let the people out who want out (5). But people are leaning against the railing and he can't lift it to let people out. "Hey man! Get off the gate!!"
Once we get out we head back to the first entrance we went in (1). Its the back and there was next to no people in there when we came in at 7:00. We cut through the parking garage, valet, and make it back to The Grove Dr. to enter there. Its closed. The fire marshall cut off the entrances and they're not letting people in.
Cheryl decides we should give up. But she's still hungry. We walk down towards 3rd St. around to the Farmer's Market. We pass Molly Shannon and family on the way (7). She couldn't get in either.
Cheryl gets Pinkberry (8) and we walk back towards the center hoping maybe we can see it from a distance (9). We can. From the other side of Gilmore Ln. But you can't hear anything. We figure at least we'll get to see the tree light up.
All of the sudden, they're letting people in. Everyone is flooding towards the tree and there's room to move. But when we get to Santa's workshop, people stop (10). There's no going further. I look around trying to find somewhere to go when I see the parking structure. There's people on the top and I know that you can see the entire Grove from up there. "Hey! Cheryl! The structure!" She looks up. "That's GENIUS!"
We head towards the elevators and go to the 8th floor. There's quite a few people up there, but room for us in the perfect spot (11). We get there just in time to hear Jon Lovitz announce the Band from TV. We can hear perfectly. We miss it snowing, but that's ok. The Band starts playing "Santa Claus is coming to Town" when we look to our left and they're loading Santa up onto wires so he can fly in over the crowd. He flies in. But he falls off the parking structure and hits the roof of La Piazza on the way. I guess they underestimated how many cookies he's been eating as prep for the Big Day.
We get to see the tree lit. And we had a perfect view for the fireworks.
So, all in all, not exactly how we had planned it, but we still got to see it. We'll just plan better for next year.