On a recent game day, resident Ray Brown stood across from the Rose Bowl in withering heat, trying to wave passing cars into his church lot, where the parking fee was $20.
Two hours after the game, the Rose Bowl was a darkened, empty shell, its end zone littered with empty water bottles and film canisters left by photographers. Under a bright moon, the trampled field perked up under the shower of giant sprinklers, ready for another day.
What's Left?
There are four more World
Cup games at the Rose Bowl:
July 3, Sunday: Round of 16
match, 1:30 p.m.
July 13, Wednesday: Semifinal, 4:30
p.m.
July 16, Saturday: Third-fourth place
game, 12:30 p.m.
July 17, Sunday: Final, 12:30 p.m.
What's
Left?
There are four more WorldCup games at the Rose Bowl:
July 3, Sunday: Round of 16 match, 1:30 p.m.
July 13, Wednesday: Semifinal, 4:30 p.m.
July 16, Saturday: Third-fourth place game, 12:30 p.m.
July 17, Sunday: Final, 12:30 p.m.
A Kick in the Wallet
So you decide to experience the World Cup on the cheaps, with a $25 ticket for the nosebleed section.
Better bring some extra money. With parking and a couple of snacks, the price of your day will easily double.
Here's a sample of prices that could leave your wallet as empty as Morocco's score sheet:
* It's less convenient but more expensive: Parking at the Parsons Corp. shuttle lot in Old Pasadena costs $15. The shuttle is free. But the Rose Bowl parking lot costs only $10.
* Coca-Cola in World Cup souvenir cup goes for $4.50. No such thing as free or reduced-price refills; you just buy a new cup. Coke is only $3 in a regular cup, but the vendors for those are only in the stands and hard to find.
* A liter of bottled water sells for $4. You can bring your own bottle of water, but caps are not allowed, which leaves you the fun of keeping it from spilling.
* A Big Mac, $4
* A can of soda costs only $1 from one of the kids selling them in the Rose Bowl lot from ice-filled garbage cans. But sellers don't have permits.
* If you passed up the souvenir cup and want a memento of the experience, souvenirs range from $38 for a U.S. team T-shirt to an official World Cup soccer ball for $195 (the balls are available at Sport Chalet for $99.)
