Review #1500 My +1…read moreand I made the early morning trek from south OC to Alamitos Beach in order to cheer for the Special Olympics World Games triathletes. We met with Jennifer T. for our Yelp goody bags while meeting up with fellow Yelpers. We made our way down to the beach as they started the first portion of the triathlon: swim. We were amazed and inspired by these athletes as they swam, biked, and ran to the finish. We were at the finish line as Noah Dellas (Team USA) became the first person to ever win a gold medal in Triathlon at the Special Olympics World Games. It was fantastic and the energy was amazing. All eyes were on the top medal finishers and it was great to see Team USA take home gold! Thanks to Yelp LA, Katie B., and Jennifer T. for setting up cheer squads for the Special Olympics. Congratulations to all the athletes and I wish them luck in the rest of their events this week. There are Special Olympics World Games events happening around LA all week, so check them out as it has been a while since LA has hosted an Olympics.

My second Half…read more Supporting the Special Olympics, especially with respect to the upcoming 2015 World Summer Games in Los Angeles, made me feel great. But just getting out-of-doors and into the crisp, early morning air, just being surrounded by other early risers anxious to rack up some mileage is motivation enough. You see, what I've found is that morning people, they're different: they're more courteous, more polite, encouraging. Morning people smile, and they have no reservations about offering an abundance of "good morning's" to those around them. This scenic run--in the heart of downtown Long Beach, along the Shoreline Marina and across from the majestic Queen Mary--it was a good morning as well, completely as expected: exhilarating, fun-filled, refreshing! But really, this race had no choice. I mean, we ran ocean side, up and down sandy Alamitos Beach, with many other runners, bikers, and walkers also enjoying the smiling sun and the fresh ocean air. Added, this race was very well organized: streets were blocked off and monitored by the Long Beach Police Department, parking (a $10 fee) was directly adjacent to the expo and early check-in, water stations were manned and frequent during the race, and medical stations were positioned, prepared, and even mobile! (It was very cool to race along Shoreline Drive without a car in sight.) The effort put into this event was evident, and easily this will be a run I look forward to again next year! My final time -- 02:52:35 My place -- 102 out of 131 runners, 9 of 11 in my class. =]

This was my first time running the Santa Hustle. I found out about it through Groupon and decided…read moreto throw in one last race for the year. Packet pick-up: Nice and easy at the Buena Park Mall. You got your bib on one side of the table and went to the other to get your sweater. They warned people that the sweaters ran small and let people try them on. I thought about getting a small and there was no way I could fit in it. Goodies: They gave you a bear and a hat. I did not wear them while I ran. My goal was to try and place in the top 3 to earn a medal for the 5k. Participation medals were not given out. Plus the beard ran a little small. It was fun seeing everybody wearing their red outfits. Race: There was a 5k and half marathon. They need to be a little more clear on the start. Some 5k folks started because it seemed like they were supposed to go and it was for the half marathon race or 10k, it's been a while. You got to run out of the parking lot, into Knotts, back out onto the street and into the parking lot. It was cool to run into Knotts. They had chips and candy at the end with water. I'm used to bagels and bananas, and aside from that there wasn't much else. There were some booths, but not as many as other races. Cool things: They brought out two reindeers, so that was fun. Weather: Cold! For CA it was cold. It was below 60, so I had a hard time warming up.

This was my second 5K in several months and this one was pretty fun. The Santa Hustle had 2…read moreoptions, a 5K and a half marathon. Half marathoners received a special medal and a voucher for free admission to Knotts Berry Farm. I really wanted a medal, but knew there was no way I could do a half marathon. A 5K is just my speed, especially the fun run variety, where there's a silly theme and people come with friends and family to just have s good time. A word to the organizers...consider giving the 5K people a medal too...even if it's smaller. I'd gladly pay more for the entrance fee to get a medal! Back to the event itself...things I liked: it was very well organized. I liked the emails sent out by the organizers spelling out the details of the event (i.e., parking map, packet pick up map, etc.). I opted to pick up my packet the day before to avoid the crowd the day of. It was an easy process and took about 5 minutes. I loved the dri-fit hoodie that I got with my packet. Very high quality and super cute. The only "bad" thing about the hoodie was that it ran very small. I ordered a women's large and it fit more like a medium. My friend's hoodie ended up being too small for her so she couldn't use it and ended up giving it to her daughter. You also received a Santa hat and beard to go with your hoodie. Like the hoodie, the hat was small (or maybe my head is just way too big?). In any case, I had to use an extra Santa hat I had at home which fit better. Not a big deal but just be aware of the size issues here! Other positives: Parking was free and painless. All the volunteers working the event were friendly and would cheer you on as you made your way through the course. They generously gave out choc chip cookies, M and M's, water, and powerade as we sweated away...which is a total exaggeration. We didn't break a sweat at all as we leisurely strolled the entire 3 plus miles. That's the fun thing about this type of run...you can stroll, run, sprint, whatever. At the finish line, we were handed bottled water and a granola bar. Oh, and I really enjoyed the holiday music playing throughout the course. The volume was just perfect and helped get us in the holiday spirit. Some mild disappointments: I wish the after party was on site. Instead it was offsite at a Farrell's restaurant. It was sort of anticlimactic to finish and not be able to immediately gather with fellow Santas to celebrate, cheer and dance. The other 5K I did a few months ago had an onsite after party with a dj, stage and music and it really made a difference in keeping the excitement going for a bit longer. Also the start line prep was sort of uneventful as well. They just had an announcer guy telling us when to line up, when the thing was starting, etc. At the other 5K I did, the start line area was sort of a mini event, with music, several guys throwing swag out to the crowd, getting everyone fired up and excited. I have to say, these pre- and post- run details make a huge difference in the overall fun factor. I still had loads of fun, though. Happy Holidays!

The entire 13.1 miles I kept thinking about President Palmer saying "You're in good hands". Damn…read more24 and catchy Allstate slogan. Free beer, free pizza, and free massage at the end of the race? I'm IN! Sadly all we ended up getting was a can of beer, the pizza was out, and we missed out on the massage. Oh well, I didn't need those pizza anyway after burning all those calories. We had two options for parking; either the Santa Monica lot or the Venice lot. We parked in the Venice lot and the walk to the start of the race was actually pretty far away. Jogging there gave us a good warm up I guess. The event was pretty well organized. They had bag check in and pickup signs everywhere. They had plenty of photographers everywhere. And they had plenty of water booths, porta-potties, as well as security everywhere. As for the running portion, it was alright. Parts of the race was really nice as you ran along the shore. Sadly, of all the times, LA suddenly decides to have a cold snap and record lows in temperature! Throughout the race, about every two miles, there are water / Gatorade stations and porta-potties. And at certain mileage points, there are either DJ's playing music, live bands performing, or groups of people cheering. At one of the turns there was a group of cheerleaders doing pyramids, pretty cool! And at another part there was a group of people playing giant drums, also very cool. The first half of the race was quite okay, but the second half became freezing as you're sprinting mostly downhill. It really sucked right before that downhill portion though because it was all up hill for a couple of miles before the loop back down. The worst part was that the road was very deceiving into making you think that it was going to loop soon.. and you end up going a good handful of miles before it actually does. Sigh.. Overall its a nice race, on a nice course, with good organization. The medal at the end is pretty neat, and I really liked the free t-shirt you got at the packet pickup. I was really sad about the pizza running out though, since I was starving by the time I was done.

Awesome Half Marathon Event (4 stars)…read more The half marathon event was an awesome event. -online registration was quick and easy -confirmation came right away -email information came regularly -bib pick up was a little downer -start line was conveniently located on Venice Beach -route was easily marked with lots of police escorts -great support from the water stations -nice bands along the way to entertain -finish line was nicely located downhill -lots of shuttle buses to return to the start line -AWESOME Medal Yay for my finish at 1:58, and I definitely plan to return next year Give the option for bib pick up in the morning of the race.

What an amazing experience!!!…read more Got there bright an early to cheer on the extraordinary athletes in the mornings triathlon event!!! I found my yelp people and we soon headed towards the water where the first event was getting ready to start. The first group to dive in the water was the young men's group followed by the young female group. It was very heartwarming seeing the smiles on the athletes faces as the crowd cheered for them when they passed us by. Next, was the walk to get their bikes and they were soon off for their 11 mile bike ride! yikes!! They looked so determined and focused that it was inspirational!!! The final event was to run to the finish line. I was lucky enough to see the first US men and women to finish the event. USA men was first and USA women came in second place. I was very impressed with Costa Rica cause a lot of their men and women where one of the first ones to finish the race!! I was really happy to be apart of the Special Olympics 2015 even if I was just a crazy enthusiastic fan!! I did get tieried eyed a couple of times because I know they worked so hard to get here and they deserved to be cheered to the fullest!!!

Well organized, small event, only about 100 or so triathletes…read more Fun course, 0.5 mile swim in Alamitos Beach, 11 mile bike ride near Queen Mary (2 loops), 3 mile run along the beach (1 loop). Parking $10, lot opens at 4:30 am. 5:30 am when Registration opens 7:00 am start time of waves. Only 2 waves, 1 for men (less than 49) and the other for females (and men over 50+). Timing chip was huge. Kim Kilgroe was there racing that day! Awards ceremony at the end, all proceeds benefit Special Olympics.

Jumping' Jellyfish, is located by the water at California Adventure. It's definitely for little…read moreones and maybe even an adult who is not too fond of actual roller coasters. The lines are quick as the ride is short. The ride and concept are very cute and my kids love this ride for its height without bent overly too tall. For your daring coaster lovers, this ride will be nothing. The ride is ok for me but I enjoy watching my little ones smile, and gives us a chance to take some great photos, so I take them here. They're only so little for so long. Maybe someday Disney will make it something Disney or Pixar related. At this time it's just Jumpin' Jellyfish. Go grab a corn dog or churro before or after the ride. They're super close to each other.

If you have small ones in your party that are unable to ride Guardians of the Galaxy for whatever…read morereason, you can take them here instead. The lines are usually very short and the ride is pretty chill. Fear or thrilling would not be 2 words that I would associate with this ride. Depending on which jellyfish you get, you will get a nice bird's eye view of Disney California Adventure Park.

A free 2 hour workout run by the Spartan race group to give you a taste of what you can expect from…read morea spartan race. There were tons of burpees, squats, push up, lunges, & laps around the track. The workout was basic enough for fitness beginners to get through but also challenging enough for people at an experience fitness level. There were about 500 people on the football field at redondo high with 8 trainers/coach going around letting everyone know the next exercise coming up. After the workout they had a drawing & two people won a free Spartan race, there was an after party at the near by road runner shoe store with free beer & a $10 off coupon for anything in the store. For the large workout events like this is suggest showing up an hour before the start time since the check in process take a while. This event started at 9, we showed up at 8:30 & it took 50 minutes to finally get checked in, but then they ran out of shirts. But other than the long check in issue the workout event was a great time.

Guardians of the Galaxy is an insane ride that I feel like if you are scared of drops, you probably…read morenot go on it because it is intense! I thought it would just be one drop but no it was multiple ones that made me personally super scared. But I still enjoyed it and also the inside of the places that you have to wait in line had a lot of cool items to look at! I especially like the cute dog in the spacesuit!

MY FAVORITE RIDE AT DCA (Disney California Adventure)!!!…read more I've heard there's six different songs for the ride and each one has a different ride sequence. I haven't been on all six. The ones I have been on have all been excellent! I love the drops and rises and the music is fun! The line is usually very long, so be prepared to wait when you want to ride Guardians! During Halloween, the ride is changed to Monsters After Dark and it's just as fun and playful as the regular ride. I love it!! Xie Xie!!!

Getting hit with a bit of a wait loading today. Regardless love Disney tram service.read more

Long lines right now for the tram. Waited for the 3rd tram. Wondering where all the goths are for…read morebats's day. I'm very excited! We only waited 10 mins.