Running a 5k or 10k with an energized band of laced-up Santas doesn't happen often. In fact, it's…read morequite a sight to see: a rolling blanket of Christmas red coursing along the California coastline, sun shining brightly, runners' wispy, white beards waving in the salt air while the December morning surf crashes upon sandy beaches. It's a lot of fun! And what's even more fun is that all of those Santa suits you see running around are part of your registration. You may choose a Christmas t-shirt, or, if you'd rather, full Santa get-ups--beards, caps, pants, and jackets--are available instead. Here, everyone's getting into the holiday spirit! And to top it off, after your run, the finishers medals are also themed and unique: gift wrapped presents with dangling name tags identifying the race itself and the year you've run.

This one has all the ingredients of a great review…read more I took the plunge and rode Pixar Pal-A-Round... you know, that giant 120-foot Mickey Ferris wheel that you can see from practically everywhere in the park. I'd walked by it countless times, but I could never convince my wife or my son to ride it with me. Turns out... they may have known something I didn't. I figured, "How bad can a Ferris wheel be?" Famous last words. As I'm getting ready to board, there are babies crying and little kids looking nervous. That probably should've been my first clue. Then I thought I'd at least be riding with another group. Nope. Disney looked at me and said, "You're flying solo, buddy." The wheel slowly climbs higher and higher until you're staring over all of California Adventure. Beautiful views... for about five seconds. Then the swinging gondola reaches the top, rolls off the track, and suddenly launches forward and backward like it just remembered it had somewhere to be! I was hanging on for dear life. I came looking for a little thrill, but this thing scared the shit out of me. If my wife or son had been with me, I probably would've tried to make the gondola swing even harder just to mess with them but all alone? I was busy reevaluating every life decision that brought me to that seat. The ride itself was spotless, the Cast Members were friendly, and the atmosphere around the pier was awesome. It's definitely a classic Disney experience. Scare factor? On a scale of 1 to 10... scary as shit. Would I ride it again? Absolutely... right after I forget how terrified I was the first time. Just don't let the word "Ferris wheel" fool you. This thing has a personality

Always go swinging unless you want a picture than go non swinging!…read more Swinging goes around twice! Very fun relaxing You fill get that fuzzy feeling in your tummy

It's the Open. If you have a good strategy, you can really…read moreenjoy this event. Here is what I do: 1. Get there early, no later than 9:30 a.m. 2. Park across from Tacos Los Cholos (lunch place) 3. Make your way down to the water, visit as many booths and you can. Get some freebies. 4. Park it at the waters edge. Watch the action. We were lucky this year to see the guy who won surf in a heat. It was amazing. 5. After an hour or so, go by the shopping tent. So much great merch, you will be amazed. 6. Head up to Tacos Los Cholos and have the most amazing ribeye tacos ever!!! Best tacos in Orange County. 7. Head home before the crowds.

Now that my husband is afraid of flying, we finally hang around home sweet home. While the rest of…read morethe country has flood, tornado, sink holes, Huntington Beach has balmy weather, we're in paradise! The iconic biggest event of the year is the US Open of Surfing which concluded yesterday w the winner who is from Encinitas, California. Jake Marshall has surfed since he was 7 and after becoming champion we can expect him to be in the Olympic Games someday. I have been going to the us open forever n I have been disappointed LEXUS as a sponsor has not generated as much excitement as past sponsors, the best one was with HURLEY of course bc they are in the surfboard business, surf wear and surf culture. They gave out a lot of freebies like caps, water n pens, Lexus almost had nothing. These days the only food you see are unsightly huge food trucks. We ate at Lorea inside the Pasea hotel, it was expensive n the food was mediocre. I always think it's hilarious seeing HB cops riding horses, they looked so cool, the cops on motorcycles had AK47 strapped on the bike! The crowd has been tame n really behaving, years ago it was rowdy w public drinking n brawling from mostly kids fr the inland empire. That said this yearly event is 5 stars bc if you love watching surfing , this is it! We are the one and only SURF CITY USA.

A couple months ago, I attended a screening of "Let the City Speak", a documentary chronicling…read moreQuetzal's history from their humble beginnings to their current status as one of the most influential Chicano rock bands. Through director Akira Boch's lenses, the film covers various locations around East Los Angeles that I have never visited despite how close they are, one of which is Elephant Hill. Walking up Harriman Ave, the paved road transitions into a dirt trail surrounded by houses and small farms. The path inclines sharply in some areas and even with careful steps I was kicking up dirt due to mini ditches made from people off-roading. What you will find as you make your way up is a collection of abandoned items, such as rusted classic cars, mangled plastic dolls, weathered plastic bins, and shards from tiles and glass bottles. If you're paying attention, you will also notice purple cardoon flowers among the dry grass, a giant cypress resembling a woman's silhouette, snails clinging onto branches for dear life, and the screeches of hawks up above mixed with the scurrying of lizards below. There's a lot to appreciate here. I'd like to revisit this trail during milder weather, perhaps during the rainy season.

It's fine if you're in the area, but I would not drive out my way to hike here. It mostly just a…read moredirt trail up the hill. If you got 45 minutes to an hour you can climb up for the view. It's said that there's trash and the people don't care to pack out with they bring up. On a hot week day morning, not another soul. I climbed up a steep incline and slid on my way down. A walking stick and shoes with tread would be useful.

Scaryyyyyy ride…read more This ride is a Supreme Scream lol You will scream. The first drop is insanely large and sooo fast lol This ride is not for the faint of heart lol Really, if you have any medical issues I wouldn't go on this. It's pretty extreme lol Lots of fun though if you enjoy drop rides! My husband loves this one. I used to love it, but not in too old to handle it lolol

Review #1009 2026-079…read more Located in the Boardwalk, Supreme Scream (5: Aggressive Thrill) is a 325' tall drop tower that lifts riders 252' into the air before plunging them down at forces up to 4 Gs & -1G of weightlessness for 3-secs. For the young thrill seekers, there's a minimum 52" height requirement... not one for the faint of heart for a short 45-sec. ride. In its opening year, nearby residents complained about the ride's noise that engineers installed 14" sound buffers in the mechanics to muffle the screeching. The ride uses an S&S Power pneumatic (compressed air) system, actively blasting riders downward at speeds up to 50 mph than just using pure gravity like Magic Mountain's Freefall. Riders are blasted straight down, then bounce halfway back up before returning to the launch pad. The line may be long because it only allows 12 riders at a time even though ride time is short. I watched my daughter & her friends chatter in anticipated excitement... once they were strapped, giggles & nervous smiles. I couldn't see her during the fall, but I could definitely hear her screams. I hope from the chemical rush of joy to amp the ride's fun than primal fear, which would be me. LOL Are you brave for this "30 stories up, 3 seconds down" of Supreme Scream? Recommended: Not for "old" me, but for all you thrill seekers out there like my teen.

Oogie Boogie Bash is easily one of my favorite Halloween experiences at Disneyland. This is a…read moreseparately ticketed after-hours event at Disney California Adventure, and it truly feels like a completely different experience from a regular park day. Once the party gets going, the park comes alive with Halloween decorations, specialty entertainment, characters in exclusive costumes, themed music, spooky lighting, and that unmistakable Disney magic. One of my favorite parts was exploring the immersive treat trails. These aren't your typical trick-or-treat stations--you're walking through themed areas, collecting treats, and encountering Disney villains along the way. The attention to detail makes even something as simple as getting candy feel like part of the entertainment. Villains Grove was another standout. Walking through Redwood Creek Challenge Trail after dark with the dramatic lighting, music, special effects, and eerie Disney-villain atmosphere was absolutely beautiful. It felt mysterious and immersive without being too frightening, which makes it especially fun for families. There are also special character appearances, Halloween entertainment, seasonal attraction overlays, photo opportunities, and plenty of little surprises throughout the night. I loved that there was always something else to discover instead of simply feeling like the park had been decorated for Halloween. And then, of course, there's the merchandise! There were so many fun Halloween and Oogie Boogie Bash-themed pieces available for purchase, and I definitely couldn't leave empty-handed. I picked up some of the event merchandise, including a Halloween pin set, seasonal drinkware, and some of the adorable Halloween-themed collectibles. I'll be sharing everything I purchased in my video because some of these pieces are just too cute not to show off. I especially loved the fall and Halloween artwork and all the little Disney details throughout the designs. What I appreciate most about Oogie Boogie Bash is that it feels like an actual event rather than simply Disneyland with Halloween decorations. Between the villains, treat trails, entertainment, exclusive merchandise, seasonal attractions, and beautiful nighttime atmosphere, there's so much packed into one evening.

I grew up in a family that went to Disneyland every year during the summer. After all this time, I…read morehad never visited the park during the Halloween season. So I decided to check out their Oogie Boogie Bash. This event was created in 2019 to be a separate admission ticket on specific nights at Disney California Adventure Park. The park closes early to the general public to allow Oogie Boogie Bash ticket holders to enter at around 3pm. Once all of the general public guests have left, the Fall festivities begin at 6pm. The Oogie Boogie Bash includes special entertainment, character encounters and immersive treat trails with lots of free candy. I've been to special Disney events like their annual Lunar New Year celebration in the past and thought they did nice job with this one. Oogie Boogie is the main antagonist of Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas and who they name this event after. They do a great job with the Halloween decorations at Disney California Adventure Park. When you enter, you are given a trick or treat bag that is filled with candy by cast members at specific locations. My bag was overflowing when I left. Because the event is limited capacity, I enjoyed the shorter wait times. I also tried a couple of special food items that were created just for the Oogie Boogie Bash. For merch, I picked up a glow-in-the-dark t-shirt at one of the gift shops. I enjoyed walking through the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail because they transform it into an atmospheric walk-through experience called Villains Grove. One of my favorite things about the Oogie Boogie Bash is the character encounters. Many of the characters that you can meet are some of the more rare Disney villains like Dr. Doofenshmirtz (Phineas and Ferb), Ernesto de la Cruz (Coco), Agatha Harkness (Marvel), Syndrome (The Incredibles) and Hades (Hercules). I had some fun having a little banter with the Judge Doom character from "Who Framed Roger Rabbit". It was fun to see all the kids (and adults) dressed up in their Halloween costumes. People are so creative these days with their outfits. Toward the end of the evening was the special Frightfully Fun Parade starring Jack Skellington. I bought the dessert party reserved VIP-seated viewing for the parade that comes with complimentary beverages and a box of sweet and savory treats. My box was filled with freeze-dried fruit, gummy worms, a blueberry ooze cake, salted caramel macarons, mini cupcakes, sugar cookies and other fun stuff. The parade wasn't very long but entertaining. Overall, I enjoyed my first Disney Halloween experience. The Oogie Boogie Bash is pricey (it's Disney), but a fun event to check out. It was actually nice being at the park during the evening hours and having less people to deal with. Oogie Boogie Bash has a special night just for D23 members.

As a natural place, Topanga Canyon epitomizes what much of mountainous L.A. County looked like…read morebefore urbanization, suburbanization, and exurbanization brought their ever more destructive waves of subjugating the land. Every once in a while, the lands lashes out, and the Palisades Fire was close enough to Topanga Canyon to remind everyone of just how vulnerable we all are, especially when we live on hillsides amid the trees and scrub brush. I don't wish disaster or any sort of ill will on the people who live here, but the people who live here, while many of them fierce champions of the wildness of the land, are really part of the problem. Ideally, this would all be wilderness. But people live here, so there are stores, and more people living and spending their days here. I understand the hippie and even back-to-the-land notions of the 1960s and '70s, but even then, this secluded ideal was being co-opted into an exclusive ideal--OK, not intentionally or in any kind of widespread way, at first, but who can afford to live here now if they don't already own the land? That's a really sad truth about much of California now, and it all comes down to pure greed disguised as an inexorable market truth, a physical law as reliable, immutable, and potentially punishing as gravity or the spread of wildfire. It is beautiful, though. As it happens, I've recently read two works of fiction that mention some of the new-money fakers that occupy this canyon. In both, someone was pretending to be someone he was not, in often frightening and offensive ways. Southern California can feel like that sometimes--a lot of the time, if I'm being honest. If you don't care about any of this, it's fun to drive from the 101 to the 1 on the 27, and vice versa. Just don't do it in the rain. Or during the Santa Anas.

Gets extremely cold at night, internet reception can be extremely challenging. Locals race their…read morecars around here, which I don't recommend.

Cute little neighborhood park that has basketball court, kids playground and picnic table. Popular…read moreamong residents and is kept very clean. It's quiet with plenty of shades.