Photo TR: 2006 LA Vacation

[TheRapidsNerd]

Lou's recent TR with her California adventures, brought up some great memories of my trip in July 2006.

 

To keep it short, my girlfriend's dad and stepmom invited us out to stay for a week in Newport Beach and play tourist. Airfare, meals, accomodations, all covered. I was absolutely thrilled to visit near my hometown of Torrance and got a surprise trip to Disneyland too.

 

This was just a great adventure and a good excuse to use my (then) new camera phone (also my first digital camera). So here we go...

 

EDIT: I really couldn't have picked a worse description line in "Free Vacation, sight seeing and Disney Land". Sounds like spam. Description fixed, though this TR seems to have tanked even before it got out of the gate. Eh, such is life.

 

EDIT EDIT: Since the response has been dismal, I'll just skip the updates and let this one die. If you've read this far, thank you, but save your valuable time for a better thread.

This was the other community pool where one of the kids had a swim lesson and where Jess and I the value of water-proof sun screen. Ours wasn't, and we got burned pretty bad later this week.

 

More pics to come.

Jess's dad pointed out that this lot was a mere $2.8 million. That's the most expensive dirt I've ever seen.

This house looked like something out of Martha's Vineyard.

There were some beautiful and expensive homes. This one looked like the castle house in the old tv sitcom, the Charmings.

After dinner, we took another walk around the neighborhood. Here's the huge fireplace near the entrance. Note that the smaller fireplace on the left is like what's in the average house.

Beyond the spiral and fountain was this large door. I opened it, expecting to be told to have fun storming the castle. Instead, I was greeted with a culdesac.

Same goes for this one. Oh well. If we visit them in the future, I'll buy an Odyssey White Hot and putt a few rounds.

One of the putting greens. Humoursly, 2 years later, I enjoy a good putting green and regret not doing a few rounds here.

The spiral path had a famous literary quote, but now I can't think of what it is.

This was a neat topiary garden with a spiral and fountain near the putting greens

Near the entrance drive was a pool, monsterous outdoor fireplace, and this trellace nearby.

Jess's family lives in a gate community called One Ford in Newport Beach. They also, no joke, live in Tawny Kitaen's old vacation home (Red haired lady in Whitesnake videos dancing on the cars, you know the one.) This pic is of one the paths around the neighbor hood. Jess and I took a short walk before dinner the first night.

Objects in picture are not as evil as they appear.

While taking off my fleece pullover, the zipper snagged upside my head.

Taxiing in to Dallas Fort Worth from Huntsville. We're already halfway to California! Strangely, I only saw 2 people wearing cowboy hats in the entire airport.

[TheRapidsNerd]

More pics from our host's neighborhood and home.

This chandelier was something ridiculously expensive.

 

During our stay, the little boy threw a parachute figure into it and the figure got stuck. Dad had to take a broom handle and VERY carefully retrieve said toy. This whole turn of events was pretty funny to watch.

I got a kick out of this BMW pedal car.

And this one was in the side yard.

This one was on the front porch.

There were several fountains scattered about. This one was also the wall along the backyard.

There were a couple large mirrors and leopard print carpet going upstairs from the Kitaen era. The mirror on the landing was about 8 feet high.

This was the view out the second story guest room. Pretty neighborhood...with no power or telephone poles. All that stuff is underground.

[TheRapidsNerd]

Jess and I had been joking on the way in "Hey, you think we'll go to Disneyland, haha?"

 

Well, when her dad picked us up at the airport and we hadn't been there over an hour he says "So what would you guys like to do?" We passed a DL billboard. "Do you guys want to go to Disney Land? Have you been there yet?" Jess and I looked at each other. Blink, Blink, Blink. On the outside "Um yeah, that sounds like fun. I've never really been." On the inside "WoooHooo and hot damn! I'm going to Disney Land! Yes!"

 

So the day after our killer sunburns, we got up early and headed for Disney. Of all the kids in the SUV, I was the biggest and the most excited.

Recently, I learned that the rocket ships used to sit here on top of this platform. This satellite dish thing was interesting, yet seemed a bit out of place. Still worthy of a picture.

 

More pics touristy stuff coming soon.

The Astro Orbiter is wicked cool sculpture to me. I love it. Would've liked a closer look at it, but we were on our way out.

More contempo wall decor. I took these pictures to get some inspiration to re-decorate my apartment when we came back from the trip. I would find more inspiration later during this week.

Not knowing the previous history, I thought this was just a huge restaurant with neat contemporary architecture. The pizza was good. Liked this big circle wall divider thing.

Jess and I on the train. The heat and crowds were getting to both of us, so everybody opted to bail around 1pm after lunch at Red Rocket's.

We caught the train to tomorrow land for lunch after milling around Frontier Land, a petting zoo, and something else. Missed out on riding or even getting a pic of Big Thunder Mountain, though did get video of Woody and a VERY pretty Pocahontus. BTM good. Pocahontus better.

Beyond this arch we discovered the awesomeness that is Dole Whip. I passed right by the stand and Jess' step mom says "Aren't you going to have some Dole Whip? It's really good." Dubious was I, but now, no longer. Gooooooooood stuff!

We went over to Adventureland and did the Enchanted Tiki Room (before it got new management), did the Jungle Cruise, and got fast passes for Indy. Sadly, we didn't make it back for the ride. Next time Dr. Jones!

Some of the Fantasy Land Canal.

After Pirates, I think we rode the Haunted Mansion and then went off to the dark rides. Winnie The Pooh, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, and the Fantasy Land Canal ride, were actually pretty fun and a first for me. Since we had little kids with us, the slower pace rides were a must, and my stomach wasn't so great after the drops on Pirates. Yes, weak, but that's the hand I was dealt.

This poor guy worked his fingers to the bone and took his job to the hilt. Well, at least he took a stab at it anyway.

Dead guys. Check. Sand. Check. Booty. Check. No Jack Sparrow just yet.

 

The Johnny Depp animatronic that replaced a generic pirate in a few scenes was increadibly life like. The way it moved, you'd think it was an actor. Really impressive robotics.

As soon as we got in the park, we dashed over to the newly redone Pirates for a quick ride. We waited about 10 minutes and off we went past this restaurant inside the ride.

So what if it wasn't a park-hopper? I'm here! DCA is a good excuse for another visit anyway.