Category: Places

Notes from our Disneyland + Big Bear run (trying to escape the Las Vegas heat before school starts).

0) The day before we left, we battled a pantry bug infestation. After decades of bulk purchases it was finally our turn. Better that they showed up before we left, but it made for a hectic run up to the vacation. From now on, everything bulk goes into the freezer for a week. And no more stocking up.

1) Our boy is not good with mountains nor traffic and certainly not both—he’s thrown up a couple of times on the Cajon Pass between Victorville and San Bernardino.  If your kiddo has a similar issue, Coyote Canyon Park is a lifesaver.  It sits right after the pass with restrooms and a shaded playground. As a city park, the restrooms might be closed after dark, but they were open both times we’ve visited. Our future Vegas to SoCal runs will plan on hitting the Clyde V. Kane Rest Stop and then this park as we glide into the megacity.

2) The kids felt they liked Legoland almost as much as Disney.  If so, there’s more stuff to do a short drive away, the weather more pleasant, Legoland a bit cheaper, and the park is well suited for younger kids. San Diego FTW. That said, this is Disneyland!  

3) We refused to pay the extra $35 per head per day for Lightning Passes but still got plenty of rides by skipping the popular roller coasters (Matterhorn, Space Mountain, Star Wars, Cars). That said, keep an eye out for the virtual queue program.  It was being used to control crowds at the Haunted Mansion Ride (and I suspect offered as a free taste for their Lightning Pass system).

4) We stayed at the Anaheim Islander Inn and Suites (which we used for our last visit five years ago).  A totally no frills motel with bananas and costco danishes for “breakfast”.  The place was clean, walking distance to the park, and the price was right.

5) The design manager at my office with a bit more Disneyland experience recommends the Candy Cane Inn.  It’s a little pricier but looks a lot nicer (it was on our route to the park).  We would have considered this place if we were visiting with our parents since they have a shuttle to the park.

6) Bring a stroller. This is the last time our boy can ride it and it was nice to throw wheels under him for the half mile march home. Even so, we’ll bring it next time since it was a great provisions cart to supply these day long marathons.

7) The three weekday tickets were the best deal we could find. Ideally, we’d live in Southern California and visit once a month for a season, but that’s not an option for Nevadans. Three days in a row was plenty; we were getting frayed by the last day. Even our girl acknowledged that she would have had her fill after four days (two at each park).

8) I strongly prefer Disneyland over California Adventure. Disneyland feels more authentic in its simulacrum, partly because much of it was built before disability standards. California Adventure is the outdoor mall version of Disneyland—the girl commented that it felt a bit like a casino. But they preferred the thrill rides at California Adventure.

9) We planned on exploring other parts of LA, but it was too friggin hot. Coming from Vegas, I thought we could handle the heat, but outdoor all day under a humid 83 is a lot. So we went up to Big Bear instead. Along the way, we got gas in San Bernardino. It was 105. I have no idea why anyone would live there instead of Vegas.

10) Yes, the boy threw up twice on the way up the mountain.

11) We stayed up there for two full days to decompress from Disney before heading home.  We hit up the Big Bear Valley Historical Museum with a few old buildings and plenty of exhibits, well worth the entry fee of $5 per adult. The Big Bear Alpine Zoo was a bit more expensive ($54 for the family) and the animals were hiding from the heat.  The San Diego or Los Angeles Zoos would be better deals…but we weren’t in SD nor LA, and LV don’t got no zoos.  Both places were good for 90 minutes each if you savor the strolls. 

12) I suspect there are plenty of nature things to do as well, but we used up all our walking energy in Anaheim. Our AirBNB had Disney+ so we caught up on Bluey. YouTube noticed and fed us the single Bluey episode that the Mouse refuses to stream on their service. Fortunately the Australian Broadcasting Company has now uploaded Dad Baby for everyone to watch. It’s hilarious. Go check it out.

13) We also watched Finding Nemo, Finding Dory, and Dumbo. They’re all great, but Dumbo was amazing. 5 minutes of story as an excuse to produce 85 minutes of badass animation. If you haven’t watched Dumbo lately, do yourself a favor and check it out after you watch Dad Baby.

14) The ride home was uneventful. Unlike the route up from LA, the road down to Vegas was gentle, on par with a Mount Charleston run.  Along the way, we hit up the EddieWorld gas station north of Barstow.  It was meh—what you’d expect from any wannabe tourist trap (like the Terrible’s at Jean). 

15) We skipped the claw machine at Prizm Mall at Primm this time, but it’s a way better stop with all the massive murals inside and outside of the dead mall. I wonder how long that building will stay open since it only has one shop operating in that place. Five years ago we hit up the old Barstow Outlet Mall (the old one set back from the freeway). At the time it was almost empty but still well maintained with green lawns. That place is now fenced off and totally brown inside.

16) I brought a bunch of books but I didn’t get much reading in. But I did get some good progress on The Conference of the Birds (Darbandi & Davis translation). I dig it. I don’t grok the Sufi obsession with “love” in a Islamic context but I’m only halfway through. At least I’m now in sync with the masnavi meter. Last year, I tried to read Rumi’s Masnavi but I couldn’t get past the rhyming structure. Now I think I can flow with it.

update: 17). I completely forgot to mention the highlight of our Zoo trip. While at the gray wolf exhibit, the three wolves settled up against the glass. They were on a raised platform so our faces were less than an inch away from these majestic beasts. Mama was so moved that she let the kids buy a wolf stuffy at the gift shop even though she’s sick of the proliferation of soft toys in our house. This afternoon my daughter looked the zoo website and found out that these wolves were rescued from the illegal pet trade. They arrived malnourished and with severe mange. Humans are so callously cruel, and yet, this zoo shows that we can also emend our faults.

1. Zoo is the truth. Visit it. Get a membership. Visit it a few times.
2. Yes! The carousel started running again that week at Balboa Park after a six month rehabilitation. What a gem! Gorgeous carvings. It has character, which the carousel at Legoland lacks.
3. unfortunately, the miniature train at Balboa Park, is uneXceptional.
4. We’ll be back next March and with another set of 2-day passes to Legoland. (They charge almost nothing for the second day, aside from the $30 parking charge.)
5. Visit the ships at the Maritime Museum. It’s awesome. We spent all day (without even taking the harbour tour). I could not imagine packing myself with a bunch of dudes to explore the world. I hope to return ten years later when they’ll be old enough to savor the exhibits. They also enjoyed the park across the street.
6. Unimaginably bigger is the Midway Aircraft Carrier. After the Maritime Museum closed, we walked to this ship and holy hell, that thing is massive. We’ll visit in five years when both kids are old to understand its enormity.
7. The years as a project manager of large construction projects taught me the value of money. What we saw ain’t cheap, forty or four hundred years ago.
8. Several active warships were docked across the bay. Super-empire!
9. Regrettably, the kids (five and nine) aren’t old enough to enjoy art museums. But that’s not so disappointing when it’s a small free jewel box like the Timken Museum of Art.
10. Quirky Spanish Village Art Center was also fun, but nerve-wracking while manhandling a five year old to keep him from touching everything.
11. Preferably, art should be touched, but that’s not my call in someone else’s studio.
12. On the other hand, you can touch the art at the New Children’s Museum. Not cheap ($76 for the four of us), but the Whammock! by Toshiko Horiuchi MacAdam is worth every penny. My daughter is aging out of the museum, so it was a bittersweet visit.
13. Nighttime festivities at the zoo freed me to wander Balboa Park on my own for two nights (we only bought one adult membership for my wife since it came for coupons for my entries).
14. Mingei International Museum was cool. High craft meets high art. Next time I’ll pay to peruse the second floor gallery.
15. Lovely to hang out at the May S. Marcy Sculpture Court and Garden. I sketched a few sculptures, eavesdropped on a couple of conversations, and enjoyed the evening as the sun set.
16. Kicking it on the the stairs in front of the Timken Museum was a joy as a group of youngsters danced to a bluetooth speaker. I miss living in a real city.
17. Jump! One young fellow was lying on the ground. As a middle aged fool, I assumed he was stretching his back. He suddenly twisted himself upside down in a flash.
18. I enjoyed a couple of hours at the Natural History museum. I wasn’t into the taxidermy, but stared for a while at bones and hand-drawn botanical illustrations.
19. How did he grow up so fast? After the zoo closed, we checked out a moth event outside the Natural History museum. The boy asked great questions for the entomologist. I didn’t realize he was so fluent in English.
20. Go to the Fleet Science Center. (According to my coworker who grew up in San Diego)
21. For $229, the Balboa Park annual pass (2 adults and 4 kids) is a no-brainer in future visits.
22. Even though the AirBNB was in a great location, it was a little grimy. But we had a place to sleep and cook for a week at a reasonable price. It came with fleas.
23. Dogs! But the landlord’s dogs were super cute. Our boy Drew During our waits for Dinner. I also started watching Bluey with the kids. It’s Dang great!
24. Cute library alert! Vegas libraries are big community centers, so it fun to check out the little University Heights public library. I found a Mutts alphabet book and an illustrated copy of Kipling’s Just So Stories.
25. Bordertown Primm has a dead Outlet Mall on the way home. There are only two stores still open with the rest filled with murals. The only reason it hasn’t been abandoned is because it’s attached to a casino. I hope it stays alive, it’s the best rest stop, clean, unused, and air conditioned. Especially since the claw machine gave us a Pickachu for $1!
26. A week away from podcasts and writing, though I sketched a little. Before the trip, I suspected that I needed a break. In retrospect I sorely needed it. If you’re not sure, take one.

Three years after our country shut down, we went on our first vacation, for a week out in San Diego.

Finally getting out of Nevada made me a little sad about the time lost. But I was also grateful for the massive privilege to take a week off and not have to worry about it.

One big mental shift on this trip was my constant worry about time. Trying to optimize a trip is madness but I couldn’t help myself. I’m not sure what happened to the young man who spent a lovely spring afternoon on the Seine just reading Raymond Chandler. Maybe he’ll return one day.

Legoland

• Kids (just 9 and almost 5) loved it.
• It’s not a big park, but it took two days to get everything out of it.
• The second day was drizzly which worked great — shorter lines and the rainy day pledge means we get free admission for a day within the next year.
• What didn’t work great was the Technic rollercoaster. Totally not worth an hour wait.
• Pretty amazing to stumble across my childhood friend my first day at the park. It’s a small world.
• The boy was scared of some rides the first day, but then enjoyed them on the second day.

San Diego Safari Park

• Gorgeous views.
• Tons of walking.
• Make sure to visit the botanical gardens at the top of the park.
• Worth a day, definitely a great perk for locals who are already members of the main zoo, but wasn’t a highlight. Most likely way better for the animals than the humans.
• Wait until the Elephant Valley construction is completed before visiting if you’re out of town.
• Bring Binoculars.

San Diego Zoo

• Every bit as amazing as I remembered it.
• Even with the disappointment that the Great Pandas have been recalled back to China. (Fortunately I found out before we arrived).
• There was a long line for the tour bus in the morning. By the afternoon there was no wait. I presume it was the same dynamic for the Skyfari gondola.
• The was the only park we didn’t stay till closing time, only because they had extended hours to 7pm for Spring Break.
• Maybe next time I’ll bring some sketch books and we can draw some animals.
• Hopefully the next visit won’t be in such a rush, cause we’ve now seen most of it all.

La Jolla

• We got lucky with free admission to the Museum of Contemporary Art (2nd Sundays and 3rd Thursdays).
• Coming from a city without an art museum, it was amazing. But I’d have a hard time paying $25 per adult since the kids didn’t have much patience.
• Wrangling an 4 year old around priceless art is tiring. International travel is at least two or three years away.
• If you go to the museum, check out the Orange Wedge.
• Also check out Adriana Varejao’s disemboweled painting.
• Free parking in the city is a nice perk. Keep an eye out on the signs, every street has different rules for how long you can park.
• We got to walk through to tide pools at low tide. This was dumb luck as well.
• The momma seals and pups at the “Children’s Pool” are cute, even if you could only watch them from above since that area is closed between Dec 15-May 15 to protect the seals.
• Always good to revisit the Pacific Ocean.

COVID-19

• We’re still COVID cautious. Thankfully we got nary a side-eye for being masked up the whole trip.
• Recommend the 3M Aura and VFlex N95 masks. V-Flex comes in two sizes, and the smaller size was perfect for the kids. I’ll be curious how they feel when it gets warmer.
• We stayed at an AirBNB. Flushed out the house when we first arrived, including running a Corsi-Rosenthal box for the first night.
• Not eating out removed a decision point throughout the trip. Less fun, but simplified the travel.
• Our pattern was to have a big breakfast, get to the attraction, play till the 5pm close, eat a PBJ Sandwich in the car, and go home to cook a late dinner around 8 (or 9!) pm.
• We also kept Kind bars in the backpack.
• Since we didn’t eat out, getting an AirBNB near a supermarket was critical. We brought plenty of stuff from Vegas, but you always need something.
• I just realized that the Take and Bake Pizza from ALDI’s is the first non-frozen, non-home prepared meal we’ve had in 3 years.
• I didn’t go in, but my wife reported that ALDI’s isn’t all that. Very sparse, which explains the equally empty parking lot.
• It might be my bougie privilege speaking, but I appreciate that California charges for plastic bags. It’s long overdue to make these perks not-free so they aren’t freely wasted.
• As for illness, let’s see how things go in a week. So far so good, but given our long hibernation, I’m assuming we’re the freshest meat out there for all the latest germs out there (corona and otherwise).

Detour Home

• We took a detour home through the desert. Added an hour to the drive time.
• I love driving 2-lane highways. My wife was not amused.
• Not sure I’d do it in summer, it would be terrifying to have car trouble with that heat.
• There some cute shops in Joshua Tree and 29 Palms. Make sure to gas up in one of those two towns, it’s a lot of nothing after that. (And gas was cheaper than in San Diego!)
• I wish we stopped at the little Wonderland Books shop, but we were in tired, heading home mode.
• It was awesome to see the big restored Roy’s sign at Amboy. They’ve cleaned up the lobby. Worth a stop for a couple of pictures.
• The highlight of the detour was the Kelso Depot. The building is nicely restored and the National Park Staff were super friendly.
• Because we didn’t get gas at Joshua Tree, we had just enough gas to make it to Vegas, but had to refill before landing at home. It gave us one last ride — the kids’ first car wash. They squealed in delight.

With the free admission day in Legoland, we’re now pondering a summer visit. Might as well revisit the beach and Zoo. Add one day at Balboa Park and a visit to the New Children’s Museum (which we loved in 2019) and we’re back for another full week.

Some bureaucrat at the California Office of Tourism just earned her wings.

I was a freshman living on the north side of campus. The shop was on the west side.

It was a rough year in the dorm. I escaped by hiding in bookstores and read the entire Sandman series in his shop.

Comic Relief had a simple rule. Read what you want but don’t sit down.

Beyond that, they were really totally chill. I went through the Blade of the Immortal series in that shop as well.

I was a poor student, so I read a lot but only bought the occasional comic, but they were cool about it.

Hopefully I repaid their hospitality with many purchases after I graduated and got a job.

The other night, I thought about Rory, a big guy with long stringy blond hair and a big black wrist stiffener. A jovial presence in his kingdom. I remember hanging out with him a few times as he smoked a couple cigarettes outside on University Avenue. I still think about his warnings about acid free tape (there adhesive was acid free, but the tape membrane wasn’t).

He was a gracious host. After all my free loading during the college years, I willingly bought much of what he recommended to me. There are plenty of obscure graphic novels on my shelves from his store.

I also fondly remember the time when I picked up Frank Miller’s Yellow Bastard from his Sin City series. A couple days later I returned it. I was a bit embarrassed, but that book was just too dark. A great novel, but I couldn’t have it in my house.

No judgment. No big deal.

He moved his shop to a bigger place right before I moved out to Texas. A few years later he passed away. The shop is now gone.

But the memory of Comic Relief still lives fresh in my mind’s eye. It was an institution, for a moment. Thankfully I was there for it.

These small institutions that enrich our lives are always but fleeting. This haunting reality is a bit of a downer, so I just try to be grateful in the moment. And when they’re gone, I remind myself that it was a boon to be at the right place at the right time.

It was a lovely day, so we drove out to a local detention basin at the western foothills near our house. There wasn’t any good parking. All the nearby developments were gated communities, and we didn’t want to take our Odyssey up a gravel utility road.

So we drove back down a long suburban block to the closest elementary school. Fortunately, this extremely upscale development had created a linear park along the thoroughfare. This was no mere sidewalk. It wound back and forth and looped under itself (twice!) with unnecessary pedestrian bridges buttressed by gabion walls. Along the route, there was a large lawns which was populated with little mounds. The kids loved running up and down this bumpy plain.

At the end of this luxurious walk, we turned up the gravel utility road, slipped through a gap in the guard rail at the storm channel, and suddenly found ourselves in the middle of the desert.

At the upper rim of the basin you could look all the way out to the Strip.

In the bowl, you could only see the hills and sky.

A few months ago, I had hiked alone to this detention basin via a decidedly less bourgeois route, coming down from the hills via an arroyo, following the storm channel into this space. I already knew this was a pretty cool spot, and it was nice to share this place with the rest of the family.

Admittedly, the gratuitous walk with fancy trashcans that looks like planters is also enjoyable, but the pleasure of the linear park is dampened by its artifice. In contrast, the detention basin is real, a piece of infrastructure that exists because we insist on occupying this desert valley.

Unlike the linear park that tries to be something, this basin just is.