DAZZLING ORANGE COUNTY
I love following the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and the Anaheim Ducks—recently in the Stanley Cup playoffs—two of the most successful sports franchises in the nation. I love watching the U.S. Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach. I love how luxury resorts line the South County
SEE Victora Beach, Laguna’s prettiest, has a tower fit for Rapunzel and a high-tide swimming pool circa 1920.
coast, the perfect counterpart to family-friendly North County, and how, like a string of emeralds,
DO
one of the world’s great collections of golf courses
The giant Ferris wheel at
I love the galleries of Laguna Beach, the antique shops in Old Towne Orange, and the antiquities at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana.
Moorish-themed Irvine Spectrum Center can be seen from the freeways.
I love the Disney parks’ “World of Color” water-and-light show and Pixar-inspired Cars Land— and FastPass. I love the Xcelerator coaster—and all the other coasters—at Knott’s Berry Farm. I love the tethered-balloon ride at the fledgling Great
Babette’s at Crystal Cove Shopping Center in Newport Coast offers
Park in Irvine. The summer nights are forever, too. I love the sunset view from the Rooftop Lounge in Laguna Beach, the cocktails at roof-optional Mesa in Costa Mesa and the hip bowling and cool clubbing at the Triangle in Costa Mesa and Anaheim GardenWalk. I love that our rock history includes Dick Dale, Social Distortion and No Doubt—and that we can hear Janet Jackson and the Foo Fighters at the Honda Center. I love that so many of the county’s finest restaurants are in shopping destinations or hotels, making life for visitors that much easier. There are reasons sports legends such as Kobe Bryant and Teemu Selänne and other celebs have homes here; you’ll probably discover many of those during your visit. In fact, you might consider extending your stay. Enjoy your summer here in the O.C., whatever season the rest of the world thinks it is. I hope this time and next, you’ll find it all as amazing as I do. — Jeff Levy, Publisher
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TASTE
organic farm-to-table fare.
left from top, BENJAMIN GINSBERG, edwin santiago. PREVIOUS PAGE, benjamin ginsberg
stretches from one end of the county to the other.
9/21/15 3:32 PM