Spectacular SoFi and the Elegant Rose Bowl

They say football is life. If so, this past weekend was part of the joys of victory and the heartbreak of defeat. It was also a look into both the future and the past. I went to see the UCLA-Oregon college football game at the Rose Bowl on Saturday (the defeat and the past), and the Rams-Lions game at the new SoFi Stadium on Sunday (the win and the future).

SoFi Stadium is the new $5 billion privately financed stadium complex in Inglewood that is the home of the Los Angeles Rams and the Los Angeles Chargers football clubs. As you can see from the pictures below, it is an incredible stadium.

The 2.2 million pound scoreboard is the star of the stadium.

The scoreboard even has an inside ring so those below can still look up and see the screens.

You can watch all the early morning games until about 45 minutes before the Rams game starts.

A view of the Fabulous Forum, the former home of the Lakers and Kings, now primarily a concert venue.

I got to see the game with two former CBRE colleagues and the brother of one of them.

A nice selfie reflected in the YouTube Theater entranceway camera.

Oh yeah, there was actually a game played, which the Rams won.

The Rose Bowl is an iconic stadium in Pasadena that is over 100 years old. It’s home to the annual Rose Bowl game which historically has the champions of the Pacific 12 and Big 10 conferences play each other on New Years Day. It’s also the home of the UCLA Bruins. It has hosted numerous Super Bowls, a soccer men’s World Cup final in 1994 and a women’s World Cup final in 1999. Unfortunately UCLA lost to Oregon in a close game on Saturday.

The last of the tailgates still going as we lined up to enter the stadium

The players leaving the locker room before the game

I was able to spend a couple of days with my brother and we hiked up to the top of the hill at the Rancho La Costa Reserve in Carlsbad. I also was able to have a nice lunch with my cousins, my brother, and my 94 year old uncle a couple of days later.

Looking up to the hill we climbed just outside my brother’s place

Looking down on San Marcos into the neighborhood where my brother lives.

The money shot; looking out to the Pacific Ocean

My cousins, and my brother and I with our 94 year old uncle.

After my trip to Southern California I went to South Florida to change my state of residency from California to Florida. I rented a nice Airbnb for 10 days right by the beach in Pompano Beach.

The view of the Pompano Beach Pier just a couple of blocks from the apartment.

I also had a chance to visit my youngest brother and his kids in Indiana on this US trip. It was early November and the leaves were changing. It was the first time I’ve been in the east or midwest in the fall in a number of years and it was fantastic to see all the colors. It was a long way from all the tropical weather I’ve been in the past year.