REMEMBER, GO AND SMELL THE ROSES.

Byline: Pam Waterman

You can't buy a ticket for the best views of the 1999 Tournament of Roses parade floats. They're not for sale. The only cost for the most unique and incredible view of the floats is that you must arrive in Pasadena before the sun rises New Year's Day.

It's a small price to pay.

Dawn on Orange Grove Boulevard reveals a dreamlike extravagance of flower-covered shapes. All during the night of Dec. 31, the floats for the 110th Tournament of Roses parade will have slowly traveled from neighboring towns or various pockets of the city to the parade assembling point. Then, they rest in the cold air until the sunshine arrives.

If you are a flower lover, you have an unequaled and unpublicized opportunity to revel in this colorful and fragrant horticultural paradise during a brief 90-minute period before the parade.

From 6 to 7:30 a.m. on Jan. 1, you can walk alongside the 60 or so parade floats, all covered with exotic and everyday blossoms collected from all over the world.

You can smell the flowers, see the intricate patterns, talk to the designers and take close-up photographs. You might even see a celebrity or two as they get ready to step aboard a float for the 8 a.m. launch of the parade.

Looking like great beasts in the early morning light, the line of floats stretches almost a mile from its starting point at Orange Grove and Colorado Boulevards.

Parade watchers who have never seen the floats close up often are amazed at the improbable floral combinations and incredible masses of flowers. Some floats are decorated with as many as 80,000 blossoms, more than the average florist will use in five years.

Such a variety of flowers adorns the typical float that amateur gardeners might not recognize them all. Roses and chrysanthemums remain popular decorating standbys while bells of Ireland, poinsettias, tulips, lilies, amaryllis and irises bring differing colors and textures. Costly orchids, anthurium and proteas remind spectators of exotic climates and provide a counterpoint to more common carnations, calendulas and strawflowers.

Don't know the name of a flower? Ask the float's builders and designers, who often stand proudly alongside their creations. Nothing pleases them more than visitor admiration and curiosity. You may even catch them making last minute touch-ups to their floats.

First-timers are surprised at the attractive outside ``skin'' of a float that must be completely covered in natural material such as seeds, green leaves, or bark. Another surprise for visitors is the overwhelming scent of millions of flowers. But get too close, and one of the tournament volunteers in white suits might deliver a reprimand. It's their job to guarantee the floats begin their journey at peak perfection.

Another advantage of a pre-parade walk is the chance to see dancers, parade royalty and stunt people before they climb aboard their assigned floats. Once in a while, float drivers will allow visitors to peek into the tiny cubbyholes where they steer the floats.

At 7 a.m., a half-hour before volunteers start clearing Orange Grove Boulevard of the lookie-loos, you can catch some of floats' crews practicing their stunts. Given this year's theme, ``Echoes of the Century,'' you can expect a lot of high-tech performances assisted by hidden computers.

At 7:30 a.m., it's time to head for your grandstand seat, or find a place along Colorado Boulevard to stand. (Good luck!)

You might want to pile in the car and head home. Put on the coffee-maker and turn on the TV - and watch the parade in the warmth and comfort of your living room.

When you see the floats roll by on the TV screen, you'll remember how wonderful it was to smell the roses.

Early risers, hikers can get good look

Want to try this pre-dawn visit to the floats? Plan to arrive in Pasadena between 5 and 6 a.m. The San Rafael residential area west of the Arroyo Seco offers ample free street parking with about a mile walk to the parade route. Take the San Rafael Boulevard exit from the Ventura Freeway or the Avenue 64 exit off the Pasadena Freeway. Hike across La Loma bridge to the parade's staging point, about a 20-minute walk.

Orange Grove Boulevard dead ends in the city of South Pasadena, where visitors can park free on city streets. However, this is a more strenuous hike to the floats area.

Want to stick around and watch the parade? Grandstand and curbside viewing places are available at many spots along Colorado Boulevard.

Sharp Seating (call [phone]) sells seats along the entire 5-1/2-mile route and accepts credit card orders. Reserved seats range from $27 to $60.

If you are no early bird, you might want to go to the post-parade viewing at Victory Park. Viewing hours are 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. on Friday, and from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Admission is $2. Be warned: it gets crowded here.

- Pam Waterman

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BOX: Early risers, hikers can get good look (see text)