UCLA Football Fans Might Need to Adjust Their Usual Tailgate Plans

If you’re like me, you’re probably prepping today for your tailgate tomorrow.

Actually, I began my preparations last weekend by organizing and gathering all my tailgating gear and cleaning the grill. Today, I’ll be heading out to the store to do my shopping for tomorrow’s game.

But I know that not everyone in Bruins Nation preps the day before.

How do I know this?

Because, for years, I’ve met up with my friends at the Vons parking lot at the corner of Fair Oaks and Orange Grove and I’ve seen just how many fans used that store as the last stop before heading to the game.

In July, I mentioned that we discovered that Vons location had closed when we made the trip to the Rose Bowl for Bruin Viewin’. As a result, if you normally shop at that Vons before heading to the Rose Bowl parking lots, you will need to find another place to shop for at least a few weeks.

It turns out that the location is being transformed into a Vallarta Supermarket, but it has not opened yet. In fact, they are holding a job fair on September 19th, which means it probably won’t be open until October.

So, as a Bruins Nation reader, you now know that you will not be able to rely on shopping there until at least mid-season. But, where can you shop close by the Rose Bowl if you need to make that run to the store before you tailgate?

We have that info for you. Interestingly, Google Maps offers different results depending on whether you search for supermarkets or grocery stores near the Rose Bowl. Here’s a map of supermarkets near the Rose Bowl. You can see that the new Vallarta is “coming soon”.

Here’s a map of grocery stores near the Rose Bowl.

Of course, that’s not the only important news that could affect your tailgating tomorrow.

The La Tuna Fire closed the 210 Freeway near the 2 Freeway yesterday and, as I write this, it is still closed. So, you’ll need to keep an eye on the news to see if the fire conditions have changed and allowed authorities to re-open the freeway if you normally travel to the Rose Bowl from that direction.

Weather-wise, you’ll also need to be prepared. According to the Weather Channel, it will be 90 degrees outside at 10:30 am when the parking lots open. Temps will peak at 93 in the early afternoon and stay in the upper 80s until kickoff at 4:30 pm. But there is also a chance of showers after kickoff.

Let’s just hope that my mantra holds true: It never rains inside the Rose Bowl.

Go Bruins!!!