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LA Badgers: “Welcome Bowl Travelers!”

When the cardinal and white invade Southern California, they’ll get a warm welcome from fellow UW-Madison alumni Los Angeles area.

LA Badgers tailgate before the 2011 Rose Bowl game

LA Badgers tailgate before the 2011 Rose Bowl game

Southern California, are you ready for this?

From Orange County to Santa Barbara, the cardinal and white are again ready to invade, and they’ll get a warm welcome from fellow University of Wisconsin-Madison alumni in the WAA: Los Angeles Badgers chapter.

Chapter vice president Jill Schlesinger ’91 describes what a Badger invasion of this size is like and shares travel tips for alumni and fans making the trip to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl.

What’s the atmosphere when so many Wisconsin fans travel to your area?
It’s mind-blowing to see Badgers in every nook and cranny for 100 miles in every direction of Los Angeles. They take over the city, and it’s pretty amazing!

I was in school during the pre-Barry Alvarez years, and the team wasn’t anything to speak of. So, for alumni my age and older who remember those years, this is a great time to be a Badger. And for the younger fans who are living in the moment with this team, it’s a memory for a lifetime.

How do you keep the Wisconsin spirit alive in Los Angeles?

“A group of us meet up at Busby’s — the official Badger bar — every week during the football season to watch the games and enjoy Badger specials. There are also a few Packer bars scattered throughout Southern California, so it’s actually not that difficult to find your fellow Badgers.”

What are your recommendations for travelers looking to see the sights before the big game?
“The Griffith Observatory is an iconic Los Angeles location. You can tour the observatory, which is high atop the Hollywood Hills and was just remodeled, or just walk the grounds and get a great view of the Hollywood sign and the city.

“I’d also recommend the Getty Center Museum — one of the best on the planet — the Santa Monica Third Street Promenade or a film studio tour.”

Rose Bowl Prediction?
“We’re going to win — of course!”

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