Go. See. Do. Riverside and Beyond
The Happiest Place on Earth just became a bit more expensive… again.
Disney posted a price increase announcement on the Disney Parks Blog yesterday, announcing that ticket prices for Disneyland and Disney World would increase effective June 2, 2013.
Here are some of the new prices currently listed on Disneyland’s website compared to the old prices:
When Flynn’s Arcade in Disney California Adventure closed, I wondered where the classic arcade games would go. They seem to have ended up on the first floor of the Starcade in Disneyland by Space Mountain. I don’t know if they are the exact same games that were at Flynn’s or how long they will stay, but I was pleasantly surprised to find them on our trip to Disneyland on Easter.
Yes, I gave in and got passes again.
It seems silly to play video games at Disneyland, but we did it anyway. It’s not often that we get to play classics such as Galaga, Scramble, Space Invaders, Tron, Pac-Man and Asteroids. I even showed my kids how we did it in the old days by getting the high score on Galaga.
Unlike Flynn’s Arcade, Starcade is open during the day, but there aren’t any special tokens like there were at Flynn’s.
In addition to the classic games, there are also a few Fix-It Felix Jr. games from the movie Wreck-It Ralph.
Are you or your child interested in BMX racing? If so, there are a few tracks within driving distance of the Inland Empire. The two closest to Riverside are the Orange Y BMX track in Orange and the Grand Prix BMX track at the Fairgrounds in Perris.
One of my sons is starting to get into BMX, so I thought I would write about the local tracks. I’ll start with the Orange Y (short for YMCA) BMX track since I raced there when I was a kid.
The Orange Y is right next to the 55 freeway at Chapman Ave. This is a very well known track that has been around since 1977.
Since my son is a beginner, I signed him up for a beginner / intermediate clinic with The Jammer (aka Paul Washington). The Jammer has been teaching BMX clinics for over 20 years and is also the track’s race announcer.
I highly recommend this clinic for new racers and their parents, since it covers many of the basics, including:
The Orange Y is sanctioned by USA BMX and offers racing for riders of all ages, not just the kids. There are even old man races for those who raced as a kid or just started late.
For more info, visit www.orangeybmx.com.
A few weekends ago, I took my youngest son to see the Space Shuttle Endeavour make its way through the streets of Los Angeles. Before we headed home, we stopped for a late lunch at a Los Angeles landmark – The Original Pantry Cafe.
My dad used to take our family to The Pantry when I was a kid, and even though I haven’t eaten here in probably over 30 years, I still remember the ham and potatoes. For my first trip back, I ordered a ham and cheese omelette. The ham was the star… big hunks of ham. Next time I’ll order the traditional ham steak and eggs to go along with the mound of awesome potatoes and enormous sourdough toast.
My son chose the French Toast and a cup of hot chocolate, and he was a happy boy. He wants to go back. Notice the pats of butter in the background. No whipped butter here.
The Pantry is a local landmark that has been around since 1924. It has been in its present location since 1950. If you decide to give this place a try, here are a couple of tips:
I will close with a quote from the Pantry’s website:
SINCE 1924
NEVER CLOSED
NEVER WITHOUT A CUSTOMER
THE ORIGINAL PANTRY… 24-7
The Original Pantry Cafe
877 South Figueroa St.
Los Angeles, CA
www.pantrycafe.com
We drove out to Los Angeles yesterday to see the Space Shuttle Endeavour. We caught up to the shuttle at Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. and Menlo Ave. / Bill Robertson Ln. Thousands of other people were there too…
What an amazing sight.
The Space Shuttle Endeavour will be on display at the California Science Center beginning 10/30/12.
I remember going to Fuddruckers in Costa Mesa when I was a kid. It was my favorite burger place back then, and is still in my top three now. It has been many years since the Costa Mesa location closed, but the Ontario location is still around.
Fuddruckers offers four burger sizes: 1/3, 1/2, 2/3 and 1 pound. The all-American beef is fresh, never frozen, and cooked to order. Complementing the burgers, are light, slightly oversized buns that are baked fresh every day in the restaurant. In my opinion, these are the best hamburger buns anywhere. Order a side of onion rings and a shake, and you’ve got a great burger experience.
If you’re not in the mood for a beef burger, you can also get a turkey, veggie or salmon burger. Fuddruckers also offers “exotic burgers”, which are made from free range buffalo, elk and wild boar.
Fuddruckers does not top your burger. Instead, they let you build your own burger by selecting your own fresh produce and toppings.
Fuddruckers in Ontario is a pretty big place, with plenty of seating. This place also has the new style of Coke machines that let you come up with pretty much any combination of flavored soda you can think of.
Although I’m not sure when the Ontario location opened, Fuddruckers has been around since 1980. If you like burgers, give it a try.
Other Fuddruckers’ locations in SoCal: Lake Forest, Buena Park, Lakewood, Burbank, Santa Monica, San Diego Mira Mesa, La Mesa, Chula Vista.
Unfortunately, the Costa Mesa Fuddruckers is gone.
Fuddruckers
“Now it’s time to say goodbye”…
Our Disneyland passes expire in a few weeks and I don’t plan to renew them due to the recent price increases. Although we will miss having our passes, we are happy that we got to experience Cars Land before our passes expire.
Then again, if history is any indicator, I just might give in and pay the new prices after a few months of grumbling.
We took advantage of the early entry program for annual passholders and got to enter each park one hour early on separate days. This program ends in September, so time is running out if you’re interested.
If you like Disneyland and haven’t been there recently, Cars Land in California Adventure just might be a good reason for you to go back. There are probably thousands of Cars Land pictures on the Internet, but I thought I would add a few myself:
According to the Disney Parks Blog, each of the 22 tractors in Mater’s Junkyard has “a distinctive look and personality”.
In my opinion, the Radiator Springs Racers attraction is one of Disney’s best. Disney really went all out on this ride.
Of course, Cars Land needs some cars:
The camera on my iPhone doesn’t do justice to Cars Land at night:
In addition to Cars Land, there are some other changes:
Not a huge change, but considering I’ve been riding the Matterhorn for as long as I can remember, the seating arrangement in the new bobsleds was a surprise:
The only change that I’m not thrilled with is the new bridge near the entrance of California Adventure. I get that the Golden Gate Bridge doesn’t fit in an old Los Angeles setting, but I definitely thought the old bridge was a more striking visual.
The Counter at The Shops at Dos Lagos in Corona was one of our favorite places to get a burger. After the owners of this franchise closed it in 2009 and re-opened the location as The Alibi Bar & Grill, we tried it a few times but it just wasn’t the same (The Alibi isn’t around anymore either).
Fortunately, The Counter has another location in Irvine. We don’t go there often, but it sometimes makes a good stop for lunch when we drive in to Orange County.
If you visited The Counter in Corona before it closed, then you know what this place is about. Angus beef burgers (fresh and natural: no hormones, no antibiotics), fresh toppings and many, many choices.
If you have not been to The Counter before, you are missing out on a hot, juicy, well-seasoned and perfectly-cooked burger.
If you aren’t into beef, you can get chicken, turkey or veggie burgers… and if you don’t do bread, you can get your burger in a bowl.
The Counter also has great sides, including fries, sweet potato fries and onion strings.
If you find yourself driving through Irvine craving a burger (who hasn’t?), The Counter is a good choice.
My youngest son enjoyed his first time fishing so much that he is asking me every day to take him again. Since I have lost track of the fishing equipment my dad and I used when I was a kid, it was time to go shopping.
After checking out the selection of rods and reels at our local sporting goods store, we decided to try out Bass Pro Shops in Rancho Cucamonga. This place is awesome.
When we walked in for the first time, it took a few minutes to take everything in… aquariums, rock formations, stuffed animals, and lots of stuff to buy. Check out the pictures on the store’s website to get an idea of how huge this place is.
It reminded me of the Blues Brothers when Jake and Elwood were driving through the mall and Jake said, “This place has got everything.”
If you are in to hiking, camping, kayaking, boating, fishing, hunting, shooting, archery… (you get the idea), then this is your place. The fishing section alone is the largest I have ever seen.
In addition to all of the merchandise, this store has an indoor shooting range, an indoor archery range, a NASCAR simulator, a full service fish restaurant and a shooting arcade.
I have found that big stores often suffer from poor customer service, but not this place. I saw five employees working in the fishing section alone, and there were probably more. Two of the employees helped me pick out what I needed, and I appreciated that they did not try to steer me into the most expensive equipment.
The next time we need anything for the great outdoors, we will definitely be back.
Bass Pro Shops 7777 Victoria Gardens Lane
I took my two sons fishing this past weekend at Huckleberry Fish Pond, which is located at the Santa Ana River Lakes in Anaheim. This is a great place for kids to try out fishing.
If you don’t have your own equipment, you can rent rods and reels at Huck’s Shack. Nets and bait are also provided, so you could pretty much walk in with just your wallet and have a great time fishing. The staff is very friendly and will help your children fish.
The best thing is that they guarantee that kids will catch fish. My boys caught four catfish in about two hours (it would have been five but dad didn’t get the net under one of the fish in time).
One thing to note is that there is no catch and release. In addition to an admission fee, you pay per pound for the fish you catch.
Many other animals roam around the pond including chickens, roosters, goats, geese and even a peacock. Don’t worry about any flying birds trying to snag your bait or fish since the entire pond area is enclosed by netting. However, the chickens will try to get your bait if you don’t keep the lids closed.
The same people that operate the Santa Ana River Lakes operate the Corona Lake off the 15 freeway. According to their website, these lakes have produced multiple state records, including:
My boys enjoyed it so much that they want to go fishing at a big lake. Next time, we’ll go to Corona Lake.
Click on the thumbnails below to view full-size images:
