Navigation

Welcome to my blog. I write mostly about travel and in particular my love of Disney, with a few tidbits such as musings about movies or theater thrown in for good measure. I have stories dating all the way back to 1997 so be sure to explore! I don't post regularly, so if you want updates be sure to join and follow this blog (links below). Feel free to share, and if you want you can also click the Facebook or Twitter links below. You can also follow me on twitter. And be sure to comment letting me know what you think!

Friday, June 8, 2012

Southern California - 2002 - Old Towne Orange

          Old Towne Orange July 5th, 2002

This is a re-print of an original post to the ThompsonFamilyWeb site about a trip we took to Southern California in July 2002. It is mostly unaltered from my original post.

Intro
Angels Baseball game
Old Towne Orange
Disneyland
California Adventure
Downtown Disney
Harbor Blvd Hotels


Old Town Orange is a small commercial district in the old part of the city of Orange. Located where Chapman Ave crosses Glassel St., it is a fun combination of nostalgia, kitsch and some terrific shopping. At its center is a circular plaza with a small tree-lined park. This plaza is surrounded be some small shops, restaurants and an old bank building that houses a Starbucks. Andie & I left the kids at my parents house - just a few blocks away - and went shopping. We really enjoyed just looking around. A few of the shops - an old theater converted into a Christian Center and a men's clothing store called "Sir Wicket" which offers outfits that I can't imagine anyone actually wearing - are fun if for no other reason than their out-and-out strangeness.
If you enjoy antiqueing, this place is a must. There are several antique stores offering everything from old junk and tchotchkes to memorabilia to fine antiques. There are two stores that offer refurbished jukeboxes & vending machines and the like. There is an old-fashioned pharmacy that actually has a real, working soda fountain. We spent well over an hour in one store alone - "Country Roads Antiques and Gardens". This is actually a co-op of several vendors who set up displays. The store is huge and very well laid out. We actually didn't buy anything, but that was mostly out of our desire not to get anything we'd have to bring back. If you enjoy exploring towns with a little history, and especially if you like antiqueing, then you should do yourself a favor and break away from all the theme parks for a day and visit Old Towne Orange.

No comments:

Post a Comment