Lost In Orange County
Nov 19th, 2002 | 11:10 PM
#3
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Posts: n/a
if you have a car, head over to pasadena for the huntington gardens/museum/library. there are lovely tidepool beaches hidden by cliffs in the newport beach area. we have lots of water parks that your teenagers might enjoy. this link might help you find restaurants and other activities.
http://www.maintour.com/socal/orgbase.htm
but ann is right, to find more interesting stuff, you might want to take side trips to nearby LA county where they've got UCLA, hollywood, rodeo drive, beverly hills, museum of tolerance, j. paul getty museum, santa monica's 3rd street promenade, and more.
http://www.maintour.com/socal/orgbase.htm
but ann is right, to find more interesting stuff, you might want to take side trips to nearby LA county where they've got UCLA, hollywood, rodeo drive, beverly hills, museum of tolerance, j. paul getty museum, santa monica's 3rd street promenade, and more.
Nov 20th, 2002 | 06:58 AM
#5
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OC is easy to put down because of its reputation for suburban blandness coupled with right-wing politics. The reality is that it's an ethnically and culturally diverse place, somewhat spread out and trafficky, but with plenty of places of interest.
Aside from the Anaheim parks the bulk of visitor attractions are on the coastal strip. The beach towns of Huntington, Newport and Laguna Beaches are pure California - surfing, restaurants, beaches, all that. Balboa (both the Peninsula and, better, "Little Balboa" - the island - both parts of Newport Beach) are wonderful strolling and shopping areas; you can see how the rich and famous really live in SoCal. Dana Point and San Clemente, and nearby, San Juan Capistrano, are interesting places, the Mission at SJC being a good visit.
Yes, there are shopping malls - South Coast Plaza and Fashion Island in Newport being the biggies, but there's also great Mexican and SE Asian food to be had in Santa Ana, Costa Mesa and "Little Saigon" (Garden Grove/Westminster.) But in the summer you'll probably want to stay closer to the water.
Don't know about the Chapman Residence Inn (wouldn't be my choice of locations, frankly.) You might have a look at www.biddingfortravel.com for winning Priceline bids in OC - we stayed at the Newporter (nice resorty place) a couple of months ago for $40 a night. The drive from there to Disneyland would only take around 20-25 minutes, and your choices for things to do would go way up.
Aside from the Anaheim parks the bulk of visitor attractions are on the coastal strip. The beach towns of Huntington, Newport and Laguna Beaches are pure California - surfing, restaurants, beaches, all that. Balboa (both the Peninsula and, better, "Little Balboa" - the island - both parts of Newport Beach) are wonderful strolling and shopping areas; you can see how the rich and famous really live in SoCal. Dana Point and San Clemente, and nearby, San Juan Capistrano, are interesting places, the Mission at SJC being a good visit.
Yes, there are shopping malls - South Coast Plaza and Fashion Island in Newport being the biggies, but there's also great Mexican and SE Asian food to be had in Santa Ana, Costa Mesa and "Little Saigon" (Garden Grove/Westminster.) But in the summer you'll probably want to stay closer to the water.
Don't know about the Chapman Residence Inn (wouldn't be my choice of locations, frankly.) You might have a look at www.biddingfortravel.com for winning Priceline bids in OC - we stayed at the Newporter (nice resorty place) a couple of months ago for $40 a night. The drive from there to Disneyland would only take around 20-25 minutes, and your choices for things to do would go way up.
Nov 20th, 2002 | 07:19 AM
#6
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Let me guess - you are headed to the gymnastics championships at the Pond? There have been several other questions similar to yours posted in the last several days - and it seems as though all are staying at the Residence Inn.
I agree, for the most part, with John. I would only disagree on the hotel - if you are indeed going to events at the Pond, you will probably want to stay close to there, though there are other hotels in the area (and outside of the Disney mess) to choose from.
I would think long and hard on doing LA stuff in summer. Downtown LA is roughly 45 miles via freeway from Orange County. In summer? With traffic? It can be an absolute nightmare. Depending on the length of your stay, you might want to venture up there once or twice - but I would plan it out very carefully! Many of the sights in LA are actually in West LA - even further away than downtown. Also, something no one ever brings up when talking about LA: the parking is horrendous! Well, that is, IF you can find parking. Yeah, it's that bad. Either feed a meter (when you can find an empty spot that is longer than 20 mins, and the meter works, that is), or pay to go to a lot, providing there is space.
It really comes down to what you like to do. If you are into museums, you won't have much choice than to go to LA, as Orange County is very short on that. If beaches are your thing, Huntington and Newport are very different from San Clemente. (San Clemente is at the very southern end of Orange County, and quite a drive in itself, but you will be traveling opposite from traffic unless you go on a weekend) Quite frankly, I think the beaches in Orange County are better than LA, but that's my personal opinion. If you like shopping, there are quite a few malls, both indoor and outside, that are nice to go to. There is a water park in Orange County, as well as one not too far away in a city called San Dimas. There are also places to hike nearby, and the mountains are a pleasant drive - again, do not go on the weekend.
As John mentioned, there are some good Mexican and Asian restaurants here as well.
I agree, for the most part, with John. I would only disagree on the hotel - if you are indeed going to events at the Pond, you will probably want to stay close to there, though there are other hotels in the area (and outside of the Disney mess) to choose from.
I would think long and hard on doing LA stuff in summer. Downtown LA is roughly 45 miles via freeway from Orange County. In summer? With traffic? It can be an absolute nightmare. Depending on the length of your stay, you might want to venture up there once or twice - but I would plan it out very carefully! Many of the sights in LA are actually in West LA - even further away than downtown. Also, something no one ever brings up when talking about LA: the parking is horrendous! Well, that is, IF you can find parking. Yeah, it's that bad. Either feed a meter (when you can find an empty spot that is longer than 20 mins, and the meter works, that is), or pay to go to a lot, providing there is space.
It really comes down to what you like to do. If you are into museums, you won't have much choice than to go to LA, as Orange County is very short on that. If beaches are your thing, Huntington and Newport are very different from San Clemente. (San Clemente is at the very southern end of Orange County, and quite a drive in itself, but you will be traveling opposite from traffic unless you go on a weekend) Quite frankly, I think the beaches in Orange County are better than LA, but that's my personal opinion. If you like shopping, there are quite a few malls, both indoor and outside, that are nice to go to. There is a water park in Orange County, as well as one not too far away in a city called San Dimas. There are also places to hike nearby, and the mountains are a pleasant drive - again, do not go on the weekend.
As John mentioned, there are some good Mexican and Asian restaurants here as well.
