Great Wolf Lodge is the Indoor Water Park that Southern California Didn't Know It Needed

For the Blogger Kid 2.0's birthday in August, we gave him a choice: Throw a party with his friends, or go to the new Great Wolf Lodge in Orange County with his family. He chose Great Wolf -- with no regrets.

The idea of an indoor waterpark... in Southern California... in the middle of a drought... seems, well, a little odd. And indulgent. But Great Wolf Lodge is not the only water park in Southern California (it's actually smaller than many)... and because it's indoors, there's less evaporation -- so it loses less water than other parks. For parents, it's nice to know that the only people in the park are staying at the hotel (so there's a bit of a safety factor there), and no one's getting a sunburn.



We spent two nights at the Great Wolf, which is almost necessary in order to enjoy a full day at the park, as well as parts of the other days. (Actually, on the days you check in or check out, you can also utilize the park for the full day). The hotel rooms are fine but average; the food options include a decently priced restaurant, a breakfast buffet and even a Dunkin' Donuts outlet. (There are other choices nearby outside the hotel).



Many of the water slides are for multiple riders; there is also a wave pool, a body surfing pool, a lazy river and more.



Outside of the water park, the lodge also includes a small miniature golf area, an arcade and other games. At night, kids run around the hotel halls with wands in hand, playing the game "MagicQuest." It all costs extra, of course.



And that's one of the things about visiting a place like Great Wolf Lodge: You end up spending a lot more money than you thought you would spend.





At 105,000 square feet, the Southern California outpost of Great Wolf Lodge is the chain's largest water park.



The water park also closes at 8 p.m. on weekdays -- a little too early for people actually staying in the park (but I suppose they need time to clean it up for the following day).



Great Wolf Lodge
12681 Harbor Blvd, Garden Grove, CA 92840

Here's a video from one of the larger water slides:

A Visit to Laguna Beach

Laguna Beach is one of those places you like in theory, but there's honestly no real reason to travel all the way down to the south part of Orange County to see. (Especially having spent plenty of time there in the 1990s.) But we happened to be at a gathering in Irvine a few weeks ago, so we took the opportunity to explore.

What I enjoy about Laguna is the almost island vibe you get, as if you were walking around Lahaina. Of course, the promise of Laguna as an artists' colony has long ago been replaced by extreme wealth (as celebrated on MTV's "Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County"), but its location has allowed it to retain a small town charm.

From Crystal to Christ, The Evolution of Orange County's Famed Cathedral

(Photo by MARK BOSTER/Los Angeles Times)

The L.A. Times has an interesting take on how the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange County is taking pains to turn the Crystal Cathedral into a more Catholic-friendly cathedral:

"The exterior will always be the Crystal Cathedral, at least for a while," said Duncan Stroik, a professor of architecture at Notre Dame and editor of the publication Sacred Architecture Journal. "Catholic on the inside, but kind of Protestant on the outside."

Those who have taken on the project recognize that their assignment is a intimidating one, but they also have faith:

They can turn the Crystal Cathedral into the Christ Cathedral.

The diocese bought the Crystal Cathedral campus in 2011 for $57.5 million, beating out Chapman University in bidding for the Garden Grove property after Schuller's ministry filed for bankruptcy.

The diocese launched a $53-million undertaking to refurbish the complex, moving the congregation of nearby St. Callistus to the Christ Cathedral campus and handing over the old Catholic church to the Crystal Cathedral's refugees. (The transition hasn't gone without tension: The removal of engraved markers, called Walk of Faith stones, during the construction process has upset some of the Schuller followers who bought them.)

Walking the cathedral grounds, Neal marveled at what the Catholic Church has acquired: The Richard Neutra-designed Arboretum, where experts were at work restoring the architect's original vision. The cultural center, so futuristic in its design that it stood in as Starfleet headquarters in a "Star Trek" movie. And his favorite place, the Chapel in the Sky, the penthouse peninsula of windows from which he could see the far reaches of the diocese's domain.

Read more here.

Rate-A-Restaurant #251: The Beachcomber

Restaurant: Beachcomber


Crystal Cove

Location: 15 Crystal Cove (Newport Coast)

Type of restaurant: American/Seafood



We stipulated: We traveled down to Newport Beach with Evan's cousins and their parents (read about our Balboa Island visit here) and were looking for a nice spot for dinner. After some quick Internet research, The Beachcomber popped up on our radar. So we headed down to Newport Coast and Crystal Cove.





They stipulated: Reservations are limited to Open Table, and aren't taken over the phone. As a result, 70% of tables are first come, first served. That leads usually to a lengthy wait -- but the Beachcomber suggests that people walk around Crystal Cove as they wait. "12.3 acre Crystal Cove Historic District is a well-preserved example of Southern California vernacular beach architecture and terrain. The District retains the scale and ambiance of a 1930's beach resort."





What we ordered: Yellow fin ahi with snap peas ($26.95); truffle spinach macaroni and cheese ($17.95); ranch pork chop ($23.95); salmon ($25.95); kids burger ($7.99); fog cutter drink ($10)







High point: The ahi was good; the kids were happy with their burgers; the Fog Cutters were strong and the overall vibe was one of being at a semi-cheesy tiki bar/restaurant in Hawaii. The kind of vibe you want when you're on a mini-vacation, and I feel like it was worth the extra hassle.

Low point: Still, the wait was long for a table, which tried the patience of the kids. It didn't seem like they were in a rush to accommodate us. By the time we sat down, it was late -- and dark.



Overall impression: I was surprised to learn that the Beachcomber at Crystal Cove had only been around since 2006. It felt like an old Trader Vics or Don the Beachcomber's -- giving off a 1950s Tiki bar feel. I love that whole going-back-in-time vibe.

Chance we'll go back:  If we were back in Orange County, perhaps.

For a complete list of our more than 250 restaurant reviews, check out Franklin Avenue's companion Rate-A-Restaurant site.

Live Like the Bluths: A Saturday Afternoon On Balboa Island

It was a Saturday worthy of "Arrested Development." We visited the setting of the late, lamented comedy (although it wasn't shot there) -- Newport Beach and Balboa Island -- and yes, it's true: They do love their frozen bananas there. We failed to run into any Bluths, however.

Located off of Jamboree Road and accessible only by ferry or a single bridge, Balboa Island is a dense, 0.2 square-mile destination popular for its mom-and-pop shops as well as boating and its vacation rentals (as well as those bananas, as referenced on the show). We spent the night this weekend in Newport Beach and decided to visit the island, and were indeed charmed. (Homes go for millions of dollars on Balboa Island, so yes, it's strictly a place to visit.)


Balboa Island post office


Starfish, found near the water


Blogger Kid and cousins walk along the water


One of many personal piers


Cow guards over a shop


Painter gets in a bit of inspiration before the sun sets


Dad's Frozen Banana Stand. Don't like bananas? The "Balboa" bar is a square of ice cream covered in chocolate and sprinkles.

Rumors of Dunkin' Donuts Coming to L.A. Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

The Orange County Register's Fast Food Maven blog teased readers today with this headine: Is Dunkin’ Donuts headed to Southern California?

The answer, as regular Franklin Avenue readers know, is no. At least for the forseeable future. And after the Fast Food Maven gets our hopes up... she tells us the same thing:

My co-worker Jon Lansner recently spotted this “Tweet” from Dunkin’ Donuts: “Calif is our No.1 asked/answered Q on the social media. A) We’re coming; when, tbd.”

What?!!

I immediately followed up with Dunkin’ Donuts, an 8,000-unit chain with no brand presence in California. Is Dunkin’ Donuts really coming?

Turns out, we shouldn’t hold our breath. A marketing rep for Dunkin’ Brands, parent company of the doughnut chain and Baskin-Robbins, sent me this statement:

“We get these kinds of tweets, emails and blog posts all the time about Dunkin’ opening in California. Dunkin’ Donuts will eventually be in California, but there is no date set yet. We will, of course, let you know if we get more specific news on the California market. “

Dunkin' Donuts owner Bain Capital has been rapidly expanding the chain, including in the Southwest. We wrote last year:

According to NPR, the "nine new stores in Phoenix is just a start. Dunkin' Donuts has plans for 150 in this (Arizona) area. And 10,000 new stores in the next decade, starting in the Southwest, and then moving toward Starbucks' home territory in the Northwest."

So yes, the plan appears to be an eventual return for Dunkin' Donuts in Southern California -- which it abandoned about 14 years ago -- but when that will finally happen is still a secret.

The Aquabats, DJ Lance and Friends Rock the Halls

Thanks to Metblogs LA, we scored tix Friday to check out The Aquabats' famous annual holiday show at the Henry Fonda in Hollywood.


The Aquabats' MC Bat Commander and crew.

Fellow Orange County bands Suburban Legends and Dusty Rhodes and the River Band opened the show -- along with DJ Lance Rock, the host of our fave preschool show, "Yo Gabba Gabba."


The whole Yo Gabba Gabba! gang on stage.

Yep, that's right -- Maria and I get a sitter to see our first concert together in ages, and wouldn't ya know, we go to the one featuring characters from the kids' show we watch with the Blogger Preschooler. As you know, we're quite the "Yo Gabba Gabba" fans at Franklin Avenue HQ.



It felt like we were cheating on our little guy, especially when we looked around and saw quite a few hipster parents with their kids in tow. But we figured (a) the show was late -- the Aquabats wouldn't go on until 10:30 -- plus the B.P. is a bit under the weather -- so bringing him was a non-starter.


Brobee, attempting to keep his moustache on.

The "YGG!" characters all made it to stage to dance along to some of the show's most popular grooves -- "It's Time to Dance," etc. Plex also proclaimed that "This is Radio Clash" is his favorite song. Poor Brobee's mouth kept coming off. And I marveled that all of the characters stayed so long in costume -- as I learned from our visit this summer, it's so hot inside that the actors who play Brobee, Muno, et. al., can only stay zipped up for a few minutes at a time.


DJ Lance and Plex bust some moves.

The crowd itself was quite a mix: Older attendees (some of whom, we learned later, were parents of the bands); plenty of aging hipsters -- some with kids, most without; and a ton of teens. So many teens, it was the first time I'd seen people playing "Duck, Duck, Goose" on the venue floor between bands.

We caught most of the evening upstairs from the Fonda balcony -- perfect for us old farts.


One more DJ Lance/Plex shot.

After DJ Lance, we dug the sounds of Dusty Rhodes and the River Band. The group's mix of rock, jazz, bluegrass, country and folk comes courtesy their use of violin, accordion, organ, mandolin and other instruments.

Then, the ska-tinged Suburban Legends opened with an old Alfonso Ribiero "how to breakdance" ad, walking on stage with their own moves. They survived a bad mic to get the crowd going; lead singer Vince Walker proclaimed it "the best L.A. show ever."


Fans flash the Aquabats sign.

And then, the main event...



We'd never been to an Aquabats show, but I'd come knowing what to expect: A lot of energy. The 'Bats -- MC Bat Commander, Crash McLarson, Jimmy The Robot, Ricky Fitness and Eagle "Bones" Falconhawk -- performed our favorite, "Pool Party," fought off bad guy White Buffalo, screened a clip from their TV pilot, and played long after the 11:30 curfew.

And Boom Goes The Radio Tower

KFI's hopes of finally erecting a new 684-foot broadcast tower in La Mirada were dashed Tuesday, when it came crashing down. K6RIX.com was there, and took shots of the collapse (above, and below).

KFI has been broadcasting from a temporary stick since 2004, when the station's old 760-foot tower collapsed after a small plane crashed into the tower while trying to land at nearby Fullerton Municipal Airport.

It took several years to get approval for the new tower, but construction finally began on Saturday. According to KFI, the tower had risen to about 250 feet on Tuesday, when it crashed around 2:30 p.m.

K6RIX.com reports that one person was injured, but thankfully most of the damage was confined to the tower:

Nobody was on the tower during this phase of the installation and only one person was hurt when the North/East guy structure gave away. There was some minor damage to a couple of trailers and the top 8' of the gin pole came through a warehouse roof. Other than that, there is just a bundle of steel and ceramic in the parking lot with some damage to the enclosure wall and fence.

K6RIX.com caught a shot of the tower in mid-collapse:

Rate-A-Restaurant, Extreme Bathroom Edition

Funny enough, Maria and I thought about doing this a long time ago, but never did. Instead, new blog Restaurant Restroom Rater is doing the dirty work -- and I mean that literally. The RRRater is hitting eatery bathrooms throughout Southern California, and pointing out the good, the bad... and the gross.

The RRRater's reviews are simple, three- or four-word summaries of some of the highlights and lowlights. For example, this is his take on the The Cliff Laguna Beach (above):

.messy
.men's
.funky shaving mirror
.adjacent stall laced with t.p.
.rr cleaning schedule needs tidying
.The Cliff Laguna Beach sunsets are phenom

Any of you have a fave or least favorite public restroom out there? I would have to say LAX's restrooms make it tough to leave on a flight with an empty bladder. I've taken to just waiting until I board the plane...

The Smurfs in Orange County?

(Pic: Don Kelsen/LAT)

Most bizarre story of the week -- and this is Monday, so that's saying a lot -- goes to the mysterious deep forest figurines in Orange County.

Mike Hazzard and Ed Schlegel discovered a well-placed group of figurines -- made to look like a village -- somewhere in the Santa Ana Mountains. Whose figurines are these? How do they maintain it? Is Smurfette really as hot as we all remember? The L.A. Times writes:

They were bushwhacking through chaparral in search of endangered southern steelhead trout when they came across a small clearing in the San Mateo Wilderness north of Camp Pendleton, about 15 miles east of San Juan Capistrano and near where Orange, Riverside and San Diego counties meet.

Nestled neatly under the sage, in a hard, flat area choked with dust, was a tidy village of ceramic houses and bunny figurines. The eight houses stood 5 to 7 inches tall and featured chimneys and steep roofs of gleaming green, yellow and pink. Scattered among them were 11 miniature bunnies.

"I just looked off to the side," recalled Schlegel, 65, a retired Los Angeles County fire captain who spotted the village first, "and there were the little ceramic houses like gingerbreads. I thought, 'This is strange' — it was definitely placed there, but who knows with what intent?"

Noting its exact location on a map, the friends returned to their hidden "Bunnyville" several times over the next few years, and each visit gave the mystery new depth. They noticed that the toy village was well maintained; the foliage surrounding it neatly clipped and the ceramic houses polished and cleaned. Once they found footprints.

"Obviously somebody holds it in high regard," Hazzard said. "It's definitely someone's secret spot."

At social gatherings they'd talk about the bizarre ceramic village with their friends.

Then one night Schlegel told the story again.

"Sounds kind of like something I saw," one man replied.

What he saw, it turned out, was another miniature ceramic village, this one with more of an alpine theme, in the same forest, atop a mossy rock ledge.

"I was amazed," said John Kaiser, 67, leader of the Sierra Club team that had come upon the alpine village more than a year before.