Guide to SoCal

The Children’s Discover Museum in Santa Ana (Discovery Cube) is located less than 10 minutes from the Disneyland Resort area.  It is advertised as an area “attraction” in many publications in an attempt to attract tourists.  While it is a fun place to visit, you need to go there with proper expectations.

The Children’s Discovery Museum in Santa Ana (also called the Discovery Cube - named after the unique shape of the building) is located just off of the 5 Freeway at Main Street in Santa Ana.  The museum features many interactive exhibits mostly aimed at grade school children.  There are also special exhibits that change throughout the year.  Most of the exhibits involve fun explanations and experiments of scientific principles.  My school aged children were entertained by these exhibits for about 4 hours.  After the 4 hour mark, we had experienced everything there was in the museum.  Our favorite exhibits were the bed of nails (you can actually try it out!) and the interactive hockey exhibit (have pucks shot at you or beat the virtual goalie).  There is also a small rock climbing wall for everyone to test their skills on.

Pre-schoolers are likely to enjoy the exhibits and interaction also, but they won’t get the full effect since they won’t understand the concepts.  For example, there is an exibhit where you can heat a balloon and watch it rise.  My pre-schooler enjoyed watching the balloon go up and down, but didn’t get the full benefit of learning that my older children got.

There is a gift shop in the Children’s Discovery Museum that has some really fun toys.  The prices aren’t bad either.  Lastly, there is a Taco Bell, located right inside the museum.  So if you work up an appetite on the exhibits, you’ll be all set.

If you have the time during your visit or if you are a local, I would recommend visiting the Children’s Discovery Museum in Santa Ana.  The prices are great and your grade school children will enjoy the exhibits.  Just don’t go expecting Disney type of entertainment.  It’s a little more quaint and you have to interact with the exhibits and look for the principles behind the exhibits to get the most out of the experience. 

Compared to other area attractions, this is a very inexpensive alternative, too…less than $20 per person.

Below is the definitive Disney Character list by name.  This list includes named disney characters that appeared at Disneyland.  Non-named characters (random pirates, snowflakes, leopards, etc.) are not included on this list.  If you know of any named Disney characters that I left off, please leave a comment and I’ll update the list.

There are many shopping malls near Disneyland.  Which one I’d recommend to you depends on your reasons for looking for one.

If you want the absolute closest shopping mall near Disneyland, you’ll want to go to Anaheim Plaza.  This is small outdoor shopping mall with a few major stores.  There are a few fast food restaurants (Rubios Fish Tacos, Chinese Food).  You’ll also find a few major retailers (Petsmart, a Computer Store, Radio Shack).  Then, a few small clothing retailers.  To get to Anaheim Plaza shopping mall, take the 5 frwy North from Harbor Blvd. and exit Euclid (1 or 2 exits away from Harbor).  At the exit ramp, turn right and the shopping mall is immediately on your right.  From Disneyland, Anaheim Plaza is about a 5 minute trip.

If you are looking for a shopping mall that is large and has a fun atmosphere, you’ll want to go ot The Block in Orange.  This is a large outdoor shopping mall with just about any retailer you could imagine.  It also has a Van’s Skatepark (with a spectating area), movie theater, Dave & Busters arcade (with go karts).  There are a wide array of eating establishments, as well.  If the weather is nice I highly recommend visiting the Block - even if you don’t need to buy anything.  It’s a fun place to go and I often take the kids there just to walk around and take in the sights.  To get to the Block shopping mall from Disneyland, take the 5 Frwy South from Harbor Blvd for about 3 exits to The City Drive and head South on The City Drive.  The Block will be one block on your right.  From Disneyland, the Block is about of 10 minute trip.

If you want an indoor shopping mall near Disneyland, travel a few more exits past The Block to Main Street.  Main Place shopping mall is located just North of the 5 Frwy and Main Street.  This is a large indoor shopping mall.  It is a little bit older, but well maintained and offers lots of options.

I love pizza.  When I take the family on vacation we always go out for pizza at least one evening.  It’s a great way to have a nice casual evening where everyone can relax and have an enjoyable time.

When I’m in an unfamiliar town, I’m always nervous about going to a new place to eat.  Below, I have listed a number of good places near disneyland.  I hope you find this helpful.  Please post your comments on the places that you visit for others to benefit from.

First off, do not eat the pizza at the Disneyland Resort.  If really don’t want to eat any of the other food in the parks, the pizza will do.  But, if you’re looking for good - even decent - pizza, you’ll be disappointed with what is offered inside the parks.  You’ll also pay way to much.  You’ve been warned.

If you want a pizza place that you can walk to from the Disneyland Resort, you’ll find one on the Northeast corner of Harbor Blvd. and Katella Ave.  The pizza is not great, but it’s much better and cheaper than what you’ll find inside the park.  I am including it on this list because it is in walking distance.

Also walking distance (just North of the Disneyland Resort on Harbor Blvd.) is Big Top Pizza.  Do not go there.  The food is no good.

If you’re looking for the safety of a franchise location, there is a Round Table Pizza (my favorite pizza franchise) about 10 minutes South of the Disneyland Resort.  From the resort area, travel South on Harbor Blvd. and you’ll find Round Table in the shopping center on your right at just before Garden Grove Blvd.

If you enjoy New York style pizza, you have to go to Ritchie’s at the Block in Orange.  The Block is a large outdoor shopping center that you should probably check out on your trip anyway.  At the Block you’ll find Dave & Busters, a small bowling alley, a Vans store with an indoor skatepark where you can watch from a balcony, and many great restaurants.  Ritchie’s pizza is one of my favorites.  The Block is located just South of Chapman Ave. and the 5 Frwy.

Lastly, I’m going to recommend Lamppost Pizza in Orange.  They are a small franchise and their pizza is great.  They are a little bit further from Disneyland Resort, located on Chapman Ave. East of the 57 Frwy.  They are a sports themed restaurant and always have games playing on their televisions.  They also have some video games for the kids.  I am a little hesitant to recommend this place because last time I went there, the dining room was a little bit run down.  The pizza was great, though, so it makes my list.

Take it from a pizza lover, you can’t go wrong with any of the places on my list!

Southern California has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world.  Staying in a Newport Beach Vacation Rental is an ideal way to enjoy the beaches, but there is much more to do.  I’ve lived in Orange County most of my life and have been fortunate enough to have done it all.  Below is a list of things you must do while staying in your Newport Beach vacation rental.

Ride the ferry boat to Balboa Island and get a Balboa Bar.  For those who don’t know, a Balboa Bar is a vanilla ice cream bar hand dipped in chocolate and rolled in a topping of your choice (e.g., sprinkles, nuts, etc.).  They are a Balboa Island tradition.  Dad’s Donuts is pretty much recognized as setting the standard for these treats, but there are many shops on the island where you can get them.  The island is very small so you can’t miss these treats.

Rent a paddle boat and cruise around the bay.  This is a great way to enjoy the area.  Newport beach looks different when viewed from the water.  If you’re lucky you’ll even be able to get up close with one of California’s most famous acquatic residents - the California Sea Lion.  From your Newport Beach vacation rental, head to the ferry stop and you’ll find several paddle boat rental shops.

Eat at Joes Crab Shack on Pacific Coast Highway (PCH).  This restaurant has a great family-friendly atmosphere.  The food is great and the prices are reasonable.  It’s not fine dining, but you’ll have a good time.

If you’ll be staying in your Newport Beach vacation rental during December, don’t miss the boat parade.  Days and times vary year to year.  The parade takes place around Newport Harbor and features everything from yachts to dingys all decked out for the holidays.

Of course you Newport Beach vacation rental stay would not be complete without visiting the beach.  You can’t go wrong anywhere along Newport Beach.  I recommend going near the Newport Beach Pier.  There are a few shops next to the pier so it’s convenient to grab lunch during your stay.

That’s it for the “must do” list.  Now for a listing of some of my other favorite things to do around Newport Beach: go deep sea fishing from Davey’s Locker in Balboa, visit the OC Marketplace (swap meet), eat at The Old Spaghetti Factory, have a Pizookie at BJ’s Pizzeria in Balboa (this probably should be on the must do list), go to the OC Fair (in July/August), walk or bike alongside the sand on the bike path.

Disneyland restaurant food is notoriously expensive.  While the experience of Disneyland dining is nice, it is certainly not worth $20 per person.  Even worse, the Disneyland food quality (except in a few locations) is poor.

The experts don’t eat at Disneyland restaurants because they know it is a waste of money.

I don’t recommend avoiding Disneyland restaurants for your entire trip.  Some of the nicer Disneyland restaurants are definitely worth visiting (more on these in later posts).  However, if you just want to grab a quick lunch or dinner, you will pay too much and get poor quality if you eat Disneyland food.

What Disney won’t tell you (but all the locals know) is that there is a strip Mall just across the street from Disneyland.  You’ll pay half the price of Disneyland food and the food quality is much better.  It’s the secret alternative to Disneyland dining.

In this strip mall is a Subway, Pizza (including by the slice), Mexican, Chinese.  Everyone knows what Subway is like.  I’ve eaten at the Pizza place many times and the quality is much better than what you’ll find in Pizza Port.  A lunch special is about $5 compared to $10 for the equivalient Disneyland food.

To get there, exit the Disneyland main gate (don’t forget your hand stamp) and go left (away from Downtown Disney).  As you get to the end of the property, go right at Harbor blvd.  The strip mall is half a block down on the opposite side of the street at the corner of Harbor and Katella.  It’s a nice 5-10 minute walk along the palm-tree lined Harbor blvd. 

A family of 4 can expect to save about $30 and you’ll be able to avoid the crowds and enjoy some good quality food.

Even if you are unfamiliar with the layout of Disneyland, you can easily find your way around, by understanding the theory behind the layout.

It’s not always obvious to people when looking at a Disneyland map, but Disneyland was layed out using a hub and spoke concept.

In the center of the park is “the hub”.  This is where the “Partners” statue of Walt and Mickey is located.  From this point, you can enter any of the 5 main “lands” of the park.  Main Street is to the South.  Fantasyland is to the North.  Tomorrowland is to the East.  Adventureland and Frontierland are to the West.  Each land is also connected to adjacent lands so you can go from land to land without going back to the hub.

Once you are aware of this basic layout, it becomes much easier to figure out how to get from place to place.  You may be tempted to start in one of the lands adjacent to Main Street and work your way around the park (like a clock) to make sure you don’t miss anything.

While this isn’t a bad idea, it is the most common guest pattern.  If you arrive in the morning, your best bet is to go straight to the back of the park and work your way forward from there.

California Adventure also has a hub and spoke layout.  Although the hub is not as centrally located as it is in Disneyland.  California Adventure is much more oblong (even though their map is not drawn that way) with Hollywood Pictures Backlot being at one end and Paradise Pier being at the other end.

The hub design of Disneyland is one of the best things that Walt personally designed into his park.

To get a free stroller rental at Disneyland show your Chase Disney Visa card.  This entitles you to unlimited free stroller rentals and some other nice Disney related benefits.  There is no annual fee.  The Disney Visa is currently offerred through Chase bank.

Angelo’s and Vinci’s Ristorante located in downtown Fullerton is one of the best family restaurants in all of Southern California.   

The menu includes a wide variety of traditional Italian dishes.  I’d like to tell you how good they all are, but I always get the Calzone because it is so good!  It is a little pricey, but is large enough to easily feed 2-3 adults.

The atmosphere and decor are the big draws of this Fullerton restaurant. 

If you enjoy classic Hollywood items, you’d be interested to know that the restaurant was founded by Steven Peck (famous Hollywood dancer).  Photos of famous actresses and actors from the past are found throughout the restaurant.

The main dining room has tables on the floor and balcony seating around the perimeter of the room.  The room has the feeling of eating in an Italian marketplace.  Every inch of the walls and ceilings are cover with relics from Italian arts and mock Italian storefronts.  Words can’t describe the scene, everywhere you look there are puppets, statues, paintings, flags, faux blocks of cheese and deli meat, carnival masks, pictures, wine bottles, etc. 

Basically, it is one big celebration of Italy and the arts.  There is so much to look at and talk about, you and your family will have a great time.

The restaurant is located about 10 minutes North of Disneyland in Fullerton.  So, it’s not too far to drive if you are visiting the area.

I can’t recommend this place enough.  It’ll be an experience you’ll never forget.

Angelo’s & Vinci’s Ristorante
550 N Harbor Blvd
Fullerton, CA 92832
(714) 879-4022

If you’ve been to Angelo’s and Vinci’s, please leave a comment about your experience.

I really hate to give out this Disneyland tip because it has helped me so much - especially on those really crowded days.

This tip works whether you’re waiting for the Disneyland tram at the parking lot or at the park. 

Each tram car has one wide row at the front for guests with strollers and narrow rows behind that for guests without strollers. 

The loading area has a wide line at the front of each car (to line up with the wide row) and an undivided area for guests without strollers behind that.

In the stroller line, there are usually families of 4-5 with a stroller or two.  Each Disneyland tram car can accommodate about 2 strollers and 8 people.  So, you almost always end up with room for 2-3 more people in the stroller row.  Since most of the groups in the stroller line are more than 3 people and they have a stroller that they also have to fit, the openings are filled from the line immediately behind the stroller row.

This is the key to this Disneyland tip - wait in the line immediately behind the stroller line.  This line moves almost twice as fast as the other lines.  I estimate that I usually save about 15 minutes (2 trams) by waiting in this line.

At the end of the day, when you are tired and you just want to get to your car, you’ll be thanking me for this tip.