California Adventure - SoCal

California Adventure is where buying the 2-day pass really comes into play. CA Adventure and Disneyland share the same land, and are divided literally with a sidewalk. If you go right, you are in Disneyland, and if you go left, you are in CA Adventure.

California Adventure has more of a theme park feel, and is geared more towards adults, but there are plenty of attractions for kids as well. CA Adventure has attractions like rollercoasters, a ferris wheel, and the swings. CA Adventure also has more theatricals, such as 3-D movies and an attraction called Soarin' Over California. I was ready to ride!

California Adventure has what is called a fast pass, which is available for an additional price. This fast pass allows you to bypass the line and head straight for the front! The pass comes in handy on such rides as California Screamin', a rollercoaster set to music!

Soarin' Over California was the hilight of my day at California Adventure. When you enter this ride, it seems like you are entering a movie theater, with a huge screen in front of you. You are guided to your seats, which are on different levels, and eventually elevate and pivot you off the ground so there is no one in front of you. Eventually the screen comes alives and you are watching a short movie on all California has to offer. Not only that, but the way you are seated has you feel like you are the pilot of a plane, flying low over the CA land. The cool thing about this is when there is movement on the screen, your seat moves as well. You are taken over the snow-capped mountains in Northern California to San Fransisco, to Napa Valley, to L.A. to San Diego, and many points in between.

The 3-D movies are cool as well. We went to several, but the "A Bug's Life" production was exceptional. The concept of a 3-D movie really isn't that difficult to grasp, so I'll leave this up to the imagination.

In a section of California Adventure, there is even a mini-Hollywood, including several mini movie sets. If you are lucky, you might even catch a production of a mini disaster.

Tips on California Adventure:
-Tips on CA Adventure are similar to that of Disneyland. One tip that is different, but applies to both parks is this: go on a week day to avoid long lines, families, and park enthusiasts.

Disneyland - SoCal

As we drove away from the San Diego Zoo, we headed north up the coast a ways until we took the exit for Anaheim. And that could only mean one thing....DISNEYLAND!! I couldn't believe my childhood dream was about to come true in just a matter of hours! I remember not getting a wink of sleep that night!

Disneyland was just a short walk away from our hotel, and I was ancy to get going. We got the 2-day pass into Disneyland and California Adventure, which I will tell you more about in another blog.

Disneyland is split up into 5 different mini-parks, including Main Street U.S.A. (an early 20th century Midwest town based on Walt Disney's childhood), Adventureland (featuring jungle-themed adventures), Frontierland (illustrating western frontier), Fantasyland (bringing fantasy into a reality), and Tomorrowland (looking into the future). We carefully mapped out our plan of attack, and we jumped right in! We started with some of the rides at Tomorrowland, and made our way from there throughout the park. Highlights for some of the rides while in Disneyland were: Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, It's a Small World, Indiana Jones Adventure, Autopia, and Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters. See a complete list of the attractions here.

Not only did we wear ourselves out with ride after ride, we made some time to meet the Disney characters in Toontown! By then, the child in me had really come out, and I was practically jumping up and down in excitement!

Disneyland left me speechless. I can't really describe to you the thrill of being there, and how I wanted to stay there for days to come! Everyone's inner child will come out, I can guarantee it!

Tips on Disneyland:
-Plan ahead! Map out your route before you get into the park. Do this for multiple reasons: 1) The park will consume you, 2) You will know exactly what attractions you want to see, and 3) When you get there, you won't waste any time.
-Limit purchases throughout the day or else you will be carrying bags with you. Try and keep your spendings (except for food) for the end of the day.
-I remember getting a little edgy trying to get around people with strollers. Don't get me wrong, Disneyland is the greatest place to bring a family, but personally, I would wait until children are old enough to walk, and also can remember their experience at the park.

San Diego Zoo - SoCal

After our amazing experience with the Blue Angels, we were in for yet another surprise. We woke up early on the 3rd day in CA, and were told to pack our bags for at least 3 days! I was all excited now, waiting for word on where we were going, but Aunt Linda and Uncle Matt wouldn't tell us until we could see it for ourselves! With a little driving ahead of us and much anticipation, our final destination was the San Diego Zoo!

The San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park, is one of the largest and most progressive zoos in the world with over 4,000 animals of more than 800 species. I was ready to run wild as we had the whole day ahead of us, dedicated to the Zoo!! Aunt Linda and Uncle Matt had suggested we take a bus tour through the park as to not miss any great attractions, so we did. Our double-decker, open-aired bus took us by all the hot attractions: koalas, pandas, giraffes, rhinos, zebras, and elephants. The tour guide stopped at almost all attractions for photo opportunities, and also told us a little history on the animal. The guide was very informative, and I believe I got the most the zoo had to offer on this tour.

After the tour was over, we were set loose to see additional attractions. These included smaller animals like turkeys and reptiles. The prettiest animals I saw there were the koala bear and flamingos. We even took the San Diego Zoo Sky Ride to the other side of the zoo, and on it you will see a beatiful view of the San Diego skyline, and the animals from above!

I couldn't get enough of the zoo, and it is one of the best attractions SoCal has to offer.

Tips on the San Diego Zoo:
-I am not a strong advocate on seeing sights from a bus. I would much rather walk and take my time, but this is an exception. The bus tour took its time at each attraction allowing for ample time to ask questions and take pictures. I'm not exactly sure the cost of the tour, but it will save you bunches of time, and you get the highest level of information.

Blue Angels Air Show - SoCal

The United States Navy Blue Angels Air Show is a first class flight show, spotlighting 6 acrobatic aircrafts. The Blue Angels split into the Diamond (Blue Angels 1 through 4) and the Lead and Opposing Solos (Blue Angels 5 and 6). Most of the show alternates between maneuvers performed by the Diamond and those performed by the Solos.

We were lucky to have been with Uncle Matt because his company sponsored the Blue Angels, so we got to go behind the scenes and get some VIP treatment. Some of the behind the scenes stuff we did was: getting to go onto the Navy Base in El Centro, CA, having the honor to meet the Blue Angels at their "Food Festival" the night before the show, and get front row VIP tickets to the real thing!

The day before the show, the Blue Angels had a practice run on the navy base, and we watched the whole thing. Before then, I had never heard of the Blue Angles, and now I was getting the experience of a lifetime. How they do all their formations, I will never know. Click here to see a video. They are so precise on their maneuvers, and one wrong move could result in tragedy. The Navy will forever have my respect!

The Blue Angels Air Show is a show you won't want to miss, and it is a once in a lifetime experience. If you decide to go to a show (their shows run from March to November in various city's), be honored! You will be blown away by what they can do, and you will remember it forever!

Tips on the Blue Angels Air Show:
-No matter when or where you go, make sure to stay well hydrated. Bring lots of water!
-Be prepared to make the show an all day event. When the Blue Angels come to town, its a big event. Not only is the show a production, but the whole base is like a fair. There are a bunch of planes on the base that the Navy used to use in war, and you have the opportunity to go inside of them and see what a war plane is all about. Other fun things to do before the show might be taking part in a Navy simulation, eating really good food, and talking with vetrans!

Southern California

Southern California. This destination pretty much speaks for itself. In Southern CA, it's sunny over 300 days of the year, it's where you go to make dreams come true, and it's the land of opportunity. I had the honor of spending 8 whole days here, seeing the Blue Angels, San Diego, LA, Hollywood, Anaheim, Malibu, Santa Monica, and much more!

My roommate and I went to SoCal for spring break in college, and we were at an advantage. We stayed with her aunt and uncle, who have lived there for quite some time and knew all the in's and out's of the area, so we were at their mercy the whole week. We went into the vacation not knowing one single thing we would do, and not a minute was wasted. I'll encourage you now to soak up some sun and follow me along my journey! Enjoy!

Prudential Building - Boston

Some of you are probably wondering why I would write about a building in Boston. Well, the Prudential Building happened to have an observation deck at the top, and I was eager to go up to the top.

At the top, you have a choice of if you want a headset for a walking tour, but we decided against it because there are plaques telling you what you are looking at, and it cost extra from what you pay to get in. The view from the top is amazing, but you don't need me to tell you that twice!

From the north, your gaze will head straight to the Charles River. The Charles River runs through Boston and is an amazing sight to see! The day we went, there were sailboats on the river, and they looked like they just fit! To the east, the John Hancock Building rules the sky. I'll note that at the base of the John Hancock Building, there is a very cool photo opportunity with the reflection of church steeple shining off the surface of that building. Click here to see the picture. Back up on the Prudential Building, just beyond the J.H.B. is the beautiful Boston Harbor.

A southern view will mostly show you residential areas of Boston. The whole time we were there, I couldn't get over the fact that a bunch of residential areas were nestled right in the heart of the city. This made me feel like I wasn't in a big city, rather a quaint one. I really liked this aspect of Boston.

The western view was one of my favorites. This view looked onto the freeway, and more importantly, Fenway Park! Our particular view of Fenway included a game being played! The Red Sox were playing a day game, and with the binocular apparatus to use, we could actually see the players running around on the field. That was cool for me to see!

Going to Boston, we had no idea there was going to be a birds-eye-view opportunity, but much to my surprise, there was! I am glad we heard about the Prudential Building, and as a knowledgable source, I will highly recommend it!

Tips on the Prudential Building:
-Use the price discounts to your advantage. There is a student discount if you show your ID, and I remember sneaking in with the discount (without actually having one) by saying that I was in between college and grad school and my new ID was being made. It's worth a shot. :) I've done this in other places in the past as well, with child age limits when I was older than what the cut-off age was, and I got in as a child.

Boston Harbor/Quincy Market - Boston

Whenever my family and I go to a destination, we like to take a day or so and just walk the city. We do this because we get as much time as we want at a particular attraction, and we can stop along the way if we find a store, etc. that looks appealing. This is exactly what we did the day we visited Quincy Market and the Boston Harbor.

Quincy Market is like a farmer's market times 100. A popular tourist attraction, Quincy Market has everything from ice cream and sunglasses kiosks, to restaurants, to souviner shops. You want to be sure however, that you are getting the best bang for your buck. Try haggling. It may work. Quincy Market is also home to Faneuil Hall, and the other Cheers Bar. If you are just dying for a beer, go in and check it out, or even if you want to just peek in to see how different it really is. The further you walk along Quincy Market, the closer you come to the Boston Harbor.

The Boston Harbor is breathtaking! It is everything I thought it would be, and more! If you are lucky enough to go there on a clear day, you could spend all day there. The Harbor is a place for inspiration, a place for reflection, and a place for serenity. While my mom was watching planes take off on the other side of the water, my brother and I were goofing around with camera angles (we are photgraphy freaks). If you want to get away from it all in a bustling city, go to the Harbor.

Tips on the Market and Harbor:
-If you are looking for an original and authentic New England restaurant, head to the harbor. I never knew I could love crab as much as I did!
-Bostonites say Quincy Market is the biggest Boston rip-off. Don't believe everythng you see, or hear, price-wise.