Inevitably, during the holidays Barbara and I end up hiking somewhere near Pasadena's Rose Parade bustle. This hike put us smack dab next to the float construction grounds. Even more fascinating was the variety of stops and stories on this 2-mile hike around 61-acre Brookside Park. Located on Arroyo Blvd south of the Rose Bowl. Brookside Park parallels the 24.9 mile Arroyo Seco ("dry stream"), named by Gaspar de Portolá because the river had the least water of any river he had ever seen. The hike begins at an unassuming trail off the parking lot behind the Rose Bowl Aquatic Center then quickly connects to a gorgeous river-stone bordered trail with stairs, both constructed in 1938 by the WPA and Work Relief depression-era programs sponsored by the city of Pasadena. We followed the trail to a switchback leading up to Arroyo Blvd, exiting the park for just enough distance to take in a couple of gorgeous Pasadena Craftsman homes and catch a stunning view over the Rose Bowl to the mountains beyond. Back into the park, the trail led us past the backside of the Kidspace Children's Museum added to Brookside Park in 2004. The trail took us out of the park again at Seco Street and past the float construction area (top secret, no peeks). Last turn, up Arroyo Blvd got us back to the park and a detour to get closer to the museum entrance (adorable), then back into the park and back to the car. A great morning for a hike, followed by a trip to Colorado Blvd. for mochas at our old favorite, Intelligentsia. Next week Pasadena will be dressed in full Rose Bowl glory with tourists and parade watchers galore.