The economic crisis has hit Disneyland. I thought the "Happiest Place On Earth" was recession proof until last Sunday when I went to the "Magic Kingdom" with three cousins from Mexico City. Traces of the crisis (pronounced "cree-seas" in Spanish) were everywhere, from the lower admission cost to the manageable lines.
The ticket price was our first indication that things were not all rosy at Disneylandia. Instead of the 90-something dollars the website cited for adult admission, our tickets were only $69 each. (When I say "only" I mean "only" in the sense that I had been prepared to fork over a hundred dollars for a day at an over-crowded, overrated money sucker.) My cousins got in for two dollars less because of their senior status and we were all pleased by the surprise rate cut.
The lines were another sure indication that all is not well with the world. We waited 10-15 minutes for most rides and 30 minutes at the more coveted Indiana Jones and Space Mountain. Five minutes for It's A Small World? It is possible! Only half capacity at the Tiki Tiki Room? Yes! This actually made the visit more pleasant for me, as I had started the day dreading long lines and lack of private space. It was the Sunday before Christmas, after all, and I figured the weekend was the worst time for Anaheim. Not so.
I enjoyed my trip to Disneyland. Indiana Jones was a pretty decent attraction and the Christmas decorations covering the park were pretty, especially in It's A Small World and in New Orleans Square. I laughed and screamed my way through the ever-reliable Space Mountain and was impressed by the animatronics of Pirates of the Caribbean, including its spot-on Johnny Depp/Jack Sparrow character.
I was pleased that Disneyland has caught on that they can't totally gouge people for money like they used to. Who's going to pay $90 for Disneyland when you can get into Knott's Berry Farm or Universal Studios for half that price? It's still a total rip-off and they should be ashamed for charging a family of four $260 to get in, but at least we happened upon the Magic Kingdom when its luster is as faded as America's.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Riding The Long Beach Loop
Every first Thursday of the month, three Long Beach bars coordinate an event called the Long Beach Loop. For $10, riders are shuttled on a red double decker bus from Alex's Bar to the Prospector to the Pike and back to Alex's Bar. The $10 pays for transportation and cover charges at all three locales, which all have bands playing. It costs $5 to get into the bars if you're not on the Bus. The Loop has been going on for four months now.
I accidentally joined the party this past Thursday with my friends Peter & Valerie and their friend Scott. Peter wanted to see a San Antonio band called Girl In A Coma that he'd discovered at South By Southwest. They were playing at Alex's Bar and the plan was to eat and meet at his house and then trek on over.
We arrived at the bar around 10pm and discovered that the band wasn't going on until 12:30. Oy! What else is there to do but drink at that point? We had whiskeys but most of the crowd was stocking up on the 24 ounce Tecates that were on special for $3. Those same Tecate tall boys sell for $2.25 at Albertson's, so it really is a deal.
Alex's Bar is located on a desolate stretch of Anaheim Blvd., an industrial street I usually avoid at night. You can't really see the bar from the street and you have to enter through the alley. It's dark and red inside like Hollywood or Eastside bars but has a definite local flavor.
The crowd is mostly overweight Latinos dressed like modern Rockabillys. Lesbian couples are well represented as are Long Beach hipsters. But the difference between Long Beach hipsters and Eastside ones is that the Long Beach crowd doesn't cop an attitude. People are polite. They stand back to let you pass or step aside when you need to get to the bar for a drink.
We had seats at the bar and at one point I left my cocktail to go outside. There was a woman sitting in my chair when I returned, and when I reached past her for my drink, she apologized for sitting there and offered to move. This does not happen in Hollywood.
Bella Novela and Girl In A Coma were on the bill as was a good DJ who kept the mood light between sets. Because of a dimly lit stage with a red velvet backdrop, it looked like the poor bands were playing in the dark. No spotlights whatsoever. Nevertheless, opening act and Long Beach locals Bella Novela rocked the house with their Siouxsie Sioux-like vocals and synthesizers, and girl rockers Girl In A Coma blasted through their loud set.
My group was the oldest in the place for sure but no one cared or looked twice. I even ran into my sister's niece Maggie (my brother-in-law's niece) in the bathroom. Maggie is a super cute 21-year-old and if Alex's Bar is cool enough for her, it's definitely good enough for me. I will be back -- just not by myself because it really is in a sketchy neighborhood.
I accidentally joined the party this past Thursday with my friends Peter & Valerie and their friend Scott. Peter wanted to see a San Antonio band called Girl In A Coma that he'd discovered at South By Southwest. They were playing at Alex's Bar and the plan was to eat and meet at his house and then trek on over.
We arrived at the bar around 10pm and discovered that the band wasn't going on until 12:30. Oy! What else is there to do but drink at that point? We had whiskeys but most of the crowd was stocking up on the 24 ounce Tecates that were on special for $3. Those same Tecate tall boys sell for $2.25 at Albertson's, so it really is a deal.
Alex's Bar is located on a desolate stretch of Anaheim Blvd., an industrial street I usually avoid at night. You can't really see the bar from the street and you have to enter through the alley. It's dark and red inside like Hollywood or Eastside bars but has a definite local flavor.
The crowd is mostly overweight Latinos dressed like modern Rockabillys. Lesbian couples are well represented as are Long Beach hipsters. But the difference between Long Beach hipsters and Eastside ones is that the Long Beach crowd doesn't cop an attitude. People are polite. They stand back to let you pass or step aside when you need to get to the bar for a drink.
We had seats at the bar and at one point I left my cocktail to go outside. There was a woman sitting in my chair when I returned, and when I reached past her for my drink, she apologized for sitting there and offered to move. This does not happen in Hollywood.
Bella Novela and Girl In A Coma were on the bill as was a good DJ who kept the mood light between sets. Because of a dimly lit stage with a red velvet backdrop, it looked like the poor bands were playing in the dark. No spotlights whatsoever. Nevertheless, opening act and Long Beach locals Bella Novela rocked the house with their Siouxsie Sioux-like vocals and synthesizers, and girl rockers Girl In A Coma blasted through their loud set.
My group was the oldest in the place for sure but no one cared or looked twice. I even ran into my sister's niece Maggie (my brother-in-law's niece) in the bathroom. Maggie is a super cute 21-year-old and if Alex's Bar is cool enough for her, it's definitely good enough for me. I will be back -- just not by myself because it really is in a sketchy neighborhood.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Tailgating Is Great Sport
Tailgating is one of my favorite sports. It goes hand-in-hand with football and doesn't require much skill other than drink mixing, munchie consumption, and locating decent bathrooms.
I tailgate once a year with my family for a Notre Dame football game (my sisters are both Notre Dame graduates). In 2007, this meant renting an SUV and partying on the golf course adjacent to the Rose Bowl for the Notre Dame/UCLA game. This Thanksgiving weekend, the occasion was the Notre Dame/USC game at the Coliseum.
The Coliseum is a lovely venue but it's tough to coordinate a tailgate because it costs 40-100 dollars to park anywhere near the stadium and 25 dollars to squeeze into a parking garage that doesn't permit pre-game activities of any sort. Access to the prime parking areas are limited to those USC super fans who pay $2500 a year for membership to the Cardinal and Gold Club and get nice parking spots as a reward. For the rest of us, it's all about finding a nice patch of grass or friendly Trojans to party with. We opted for the latter and spent the afternoon with our longtime hairdresser Yvette and her USC clan.
Yvette has been cutting hair for our family for years. She married a mega USC fan a couple of years ago and invited us to join them at their tailgater. The party was ideally located across from Tunnel 19 and was easy to find thanks to its high-flying American, Marine, and USC flags.
It was a serious spread: full bar with top shelf liquor, salty and sweet snacks, burgers, chicken, sausage, and all the fixings. Our eight-person group put only a small dent in the amount of food and booze they had there. The other SC fans throwing the tailgater were in great spirits and quite welcoming despite us cheering for the opposing team. I attribute this either to the flow of alcohol or the fact that Notre Dame was no match for SC this year and we all knew it.
Tailgating puts people in a good mood -- revelry replaces rivalry when drinks are flowing. The scene is also the backdrop for unexpected reunions: In the women's bathroom, I ran into a gal I was a cheerleader with in high school; my mom saw a high school friend she hadn't talked to since they graduated 50 years ago; and one of my sisters met up with both work friends and fellow ND alums.
You don't even have to like football to enjoy a tailgater. Just show up, have some food and drink, and enjoy. It makes a rout like the one Notre Dame suffered much more tolerable.
I tailgate once a year with my family for a Notre Dame football game (my sisters are both Notre Dame graduates). In 2007, this meant renting an SUV and partying on the golf course adjacent to the Rose Bowl for the Notre Dame/UCLA game. This Thanksgiving weekend, the occasion was the Notre Dame/USC game at the Coliseum.
The Coliseum is a lovely venue but it's tough to coordinate a tailgate because it costs 40-100 dollars to park anywhere near the stadium and 25 dollars to squeeze into a parking garage that doesn't permit pre-game activities of any sort. Access to the prime parking areas are limited to those USC super fans who pay $2500 a year for membership to the Cardinal and Gold Club and get nice parking spots as a reward. For the rest of us, it's all about finding a nice patch of grass or friendly Trojans to party with. We opted for the latter and spent the afternoon with our longtime hairdresser Yvette and her USC clan.
Yvette has been cutting hair for our family for years. She married a mega USC fan a couple of years ago and invited us to join them at their tailgater. The party was ideally located across from Tunnel 19 and was easy to find thanks to its high-flying American, Marine, and USC flags.
It was a serious spread: full bar with top shelf liquor, salty and sweet snacks, burgers, chicken, sausage, and all the fixings. Our eight-person group put only a small dent in the amount of food and booze they had there. The other SC fans throwing the tailgater were in great spirits and quite welcoming despite us cheering for the opposing team. I attribute this either to the flow of alcohol or the fact that Notre Dame was no match for SC this year and we all knew it.
Tailgating puts people in a good mood -- revelry replaces rivalry when drinks are flowing. The scene is also the backdrop for unexpected reunions: In the women's bathroom, I ran into a gal I was a cheerleader with in high school; my mom saw a high school friend she hadn't talked to since they graduated 50 years ago; and one of my sisters met up with both work friends and fellow ND alums.
You don't even have to like football to enjoy a tailgater. Just show up, have some food and drink, and enjoy. It makes a rout like the one Notre Dame suffered much more tolerable.
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