When most people think of going to the laundromat, they think of 3 hours of hell that they’ll never get back from their life.  And really, how fun can sitting in a hot, loud room full of short bus rejects actually be?  (Actually I’ve always wanted to open a laundromat that had a live DJ and a bar, but I just don’t have the money to do something like that.  If you do, please open it by my house!!) Truth is, unless you use my idea, laundry will probably never be fun.  But isn’t there someplace that one can do laundry and be happy?  Well, in Orange, there is.

Look how happy that t-shirt is!

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According to this article, Newport Beach officials are considering getting rid of 66 or so fire pits along the coast from the Balboa pier to Big Carona.

I just so happen to LOVE the fire pits.

I don’t know that I’ve used the ones in Newport as often as the ones around Huntington Beach, but my memories of them stretch back to high school, where we would all gather around and, uh, innocently have a good time.

Really, we weren’t all that bad.

But the rings have always been magnets for partygoers, as there is something sort of hypnotizing about a huge flaming pile of wood blazing at sunset and beyond.

Now we use the fire pits as a family.  My son loves nothing more than to hang out, play in the sand, have a picnic, and help his dad build the fire.

I hope that Newport doesn’t ban the use of the rings, but instead beefs up enforcement. 

And let’s hope that Huntington Beach doesn’t get any bright ideas from Newport, either.

If you want some spooky spoilers, here’s a nice video of Disneyland’s Halloween Screams Fireworks!

This is Disney at its best people. If you haven’t gotten out to the park to see it, then you’re really missing out!

Jay Jennings, the curator over at The Knott’s Berry Farm Museum, alerted me to this video of his recent book signing event. It’s nice to see people still love the place and frankly I haven’t seen a line like that since I waited in like for chicken dinner. Mmmmmm mmmmmmm!

The video features Jay signing his book Knott’s Berry Farm: The Early Years inside the famed Chicken Dinner Restaurant on Aug 29, 2009. Nearly 300 people lined up to see the author – including Disney Imagineer Tony Baxter.

A couple of years ago I posted a popular entry about Yogurtland in Fullerton. Since that post, the chain of fro-yo shops has expanded from two locations to fifty! Their newest location, accompanied by their new headquarters, is in Anaheim. Hooray! Fro-yo for all (except Dave because he’s a party-pooper and doesn’t like it)!

It’s about time Anaheim got a taste of the delicious frozen Yogurtland treat. Yougurtland’s newest location can be found at 683 N Euclid St. Anaheim, CA 92801. Maybe I’ll see you there, cause you know, that’s where I will be spending all of my spare time.

Two more pictures after the jump…

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As our constant readers know, I am prone to fits of nostalgia about the wonders of Knott’s Berry Farm. I can’t help it; it’s a condition. Needless to say I was thrilled, wait let me rephrase that… I was THRILLED (!!!) when I saw Jay Jennings (pictured below), the Curator/Historian of The Knott’s Berry Farm Museum was releasing a new book entitled Knott’s Berry Farm: The Early Years.

[Photo courtesy of The Knott’s Berry Farm Museum]

A nice feature over at The OC Register quotes Jennings as saying ”I hope my book brings back fond memories of when families visited Knott’s Berry Farm and Ghost Town and the sheer fun and joy of walking up and down Main Street“. Indeed it does! With all the recent hubbub about D23 it’s nice to see a little history and street-cred being bestowed on Orange County’s original theme park!

There was a book signing on Saturday but, alas I was being burned alive in LA on that day so I was unable to attend. There is something to be said for an event that is smaller, more personal and rich with history. I encourage you to check it out the KBF Museum web site and of course, order that book! One more photo after the jump…

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The wifey and I stopped by the new Bob’s Big Boy (in Orange) for breakfast this morning at 8 AM and we were the only ones in the joint. If there is a lesson to be learned from this, it is go early and beat the rush! As for the breakfast itself, it was… interesting. Not my cup of tea coffee really.

Have you had breakfast at Bob’s? What did you think?

There are so many things I love about Old Towne Orange (the houses, the people, the shops just to name a few), but I have one spot that has been my favorite since I discovered it several years ago.
Pitcher Park-

Pitcher Park sits at the corner of Almond and Cambridge in an entirely residential area, minus the school across the street. The park is small, taking up no more width than 1 house and no more length than 2 houses. It has benches, tables, greenery…all the things you expect to find in a park. But when you look closer, you see the little details that I love so much about the park.
Well don’t just sit there, follow the link to hear what they are and see more pictures! (more…)

Our friends at Mice Age have posted an update by their chief commentator Al Lutz. While often didactic and prone to instructive (rather than constructive) criticism, one cannot help but be fascinated by Mr. Lutz’s juicy tidbits he throws to the drooling Disneyland devotees all over the world. This particular update focuses heavily on D23, Murphy the invisible dragon and the current DCA expansion. However, at the very end of his column he addresses the alleged headaches Disneyland is enduring over this year’s Free-On-Your-Brithday campaign. Essentially he reports the promotion has been one gigantic pain in the ass. Who am I to argue with that? :) He then casually drops this little bomb:

The new campaign for 2010 will allow anyone a free ticket to Disneyland, but only after they complete a certain number of volunteer hours in their community with a Disney approved charity or nonprofit organization.

Say what? Really? That’s sounds like an administrative nightmare!! Still, I really like the idea of encouraging volunteerism and rewarding people with a magical experience. If they really do bring this concept to fruition it will be one of the most unique promotions the Resort has ever seen. I like high concept ideas like this and am interested in seeing it in action.

Would you complete a certain number of volunteer hours to earn a free ticket?

Simply put, this home movie filmed inside Disneyland in 1956, is nothing short of enchanting. It’s two minutes of pure nostalgic joy. Watch closely as Walt himself makes a casual appearance to meet and greet Guests. It’s astounding. I ask you this: When was the last time any of you saw the current Disneyland Resort President or better yet CEO Bob Iger, just strolling through the park chatting with Guests? He was remarkable and thus far, irreplaceable.

[Unfortunately Metblogs does not support the embedding code for this video. Just click the link below the preview picture and you'll be whisked off to Vimeo's web site]

CLICK HERE TO SEE Home Movies At DisneyLand – 1956 from Jeff Altman on Vimeo.