According to a Google search of our blog, the last time we went to the OC Fair was in 2008, before n was born. Therefore, we decided it was about time to go back, face the crowds, indulge in some fried food and all the other stuff one does at a fair.

We had to go on the weekend in order for D to come along, so we knew it would be crowded whatever time we went. After trying to avoid the 55 South, which was jammed due to the fair and a car accident, we found our way to the Experian parking lot at 475 Anton, which has a free shuttle to the fair on weekends. This would’ve been fine, except the bus we were supposed to take was delayed. Luckily, we brought two strollers on advice from my mom, so the extra wait was fine (we were able to put the strollers underneath the bus).

We decided to go late afternoon/early evening so the sun wouldn’t be so hot, and our plan worked for the most part.

First stop was dinner.

Australian battered potatoes, pan-fried chicken (in back), and gyro (not pictured). I mostly wanted to try the potatoes out of curiosity…not quite sure what makes them Australian aside from the flag toothpick! There was a choice between cheese and ranch. In hindsight, I should’ve bought the half/half combo because the cheese had some jalapeno in it…not good for the kids. However, there were more than enough pieces not hit by the jalapeno cheese, so the kids munched on those. There was a lot of batter, though…I think these were a once in a lifetime deal.

The chicken and gyro were good, but not out of the ordinary. Next time maybe we’ll go for the giant turkey leg. $9.75!, but considering the amount of meat on the chicken, which was only a few dollars less, it might be worth it.

Next was the Ice Museum, which my parents told me about. This was a new attraction, I believe. The building was freezing (obviously) and they offered ponchos to people, but I came prepared with sweatshirts for me and the kids. D toughed it out in his t-shirt.

Then we saw the requisite animals of the fair.




HUGE oxen

For dessert we shared a Cow Pie…sounds appetizing, doesn’t it?


It wasn’t too special, just a waffle wafer topped with soft serve, some chocolate sauce and oreo crumbles. However, D and the kids thoroughly enjoyed it.

Couldn’t resist taking a picture of these guys.

No rides for us this time around…maybe when the kids are older.

At the box office, I noticed there was a early bird ticket where you could get in between 10-11 a.m. for only $2, but you have to leave by noon (not sure if this was only for the weekends). My question would be how they would know if you left by noon or not? Since we only stay a couple of hours anyway, maybe that would be an option for next time.

The Great Park in Irvine has been the object of some ridicule and certainly has had its setbacks. However, it does have great potential, and I hope that one day all of its dreams and plans come to fruition. Until then, we will continue to try to take advantage of all of the free events that take place there. On Saturday, there was an anniversary celebration.

A new grove of palm trees has been installed.

There was a variety of things to see and do:
n + k were all smiles during the free carousel ride.

Interesting displays

Hand-painting. (Some people were disappointed that the only option was an orange bicycle, the Great Park’s “mascot”.)

A sunflower potting station.

The mickey mouse mugs were cute, but not very fun to carry around the whole time. I’m glad we went early though, because the line grew to be pretty long.

Aerial acrobatics show. (I should have taken video…the stunts were truly amazing!)

Petting zoo. (We skipped the line and just looked at the camels).

Free orange sorbet in a real orange peel cup. (This was so good, especially on a warm day. A little messy for the kids to eat, but they loved it.)

A rendering of a future neighborhood planned for the park.

For dinner we ate from a couple of food trucks. The first, The Burnt Truck, we had tried before. This time we had the fried chicken slider ($2.50), Vietnamese pork ($2.50) slider and tater tots ($2). The food could have been a little warmer, but the flavors were good. The second was a new to us truck, SlapFish We had a lobster grinder ($6) and a Major Crunchy fish sandwich ($7).

We also bought a coconut water since I’ve wanted to try it for a while. Both of the sandwiches were yummy, the coconut water not so much. I like coconut, but the water just tasted weird to me.

All in all, a fun, but somewhat tiring outing.

In an effort to get our money’s worth with our state park pass, we have been visiting different beaches.

A few weeks ago we went to Crystal Cove. The setting really can’t be beat, but it is a bit of a trek down to the water, especially with kids.




These are the steps you have to take to get to the beach.

Birds!

Last weekend we went to Huntington Beach, state side. There was June gloom, but it was kind of nice not to have worry so much about the UV rays. (Yes, we still put sunscreen on!) Plus, we got to try out our new Tommy Bahama umbrella from Costco. We couldn’t find our old one, but this one seems to be of much better quality. It is also much larger, so our whole family can benefit. We might need to return to Costco for beach chairs, because D busted through our old one during this trip.


Sand cake with shell frosting made by k. Surprisingly, k was able to find three pretty large shells that day.

On Saturday the fam went to our first Fish Fest sponsored by 95.9. It was held at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine. We saw Jamie Grace, Tenth Avenue North, The David Crowder Band and Third Day. We actually went home before the main act, Mercy Me, who wasn’t scheduled until 9:30 p.m. (We had already seen Mercy Me at a Harvest Crusade, so we weren’t too sad to miss them. Plus, we were able to get out of the parking lot a LOT quicker than had we stayed until the end).

It was my first time sitting in the lawn section. I thought it would be better, so the kids could lie down and spread out more easily. It is a real hike to get there, and the slope for seating is also pretty steep. I would not recommend it for elderly, pregnant, or high-platformed shoes (which we witnessed). Luckily, we found a shady spot, so that was nice.

n fell asleep in my arms by the time Third Day took the stage. Both k and n had fun rockin’ out to The David Crowder Band, though.

Regarding food, they only let you bring in one sealed water bottle per person. The food at the venue was expensive, as expected. We bought a chicken kebab plus roll ($10), chicken tenders, fries and drink combo ($13) and a frozen lemonade ($5). That was almost as much as the tickets! If only they let you bring in outside food like their 4th of July concert.

To celebrate n’s upcoming 2nd birthday, we went to the Discovery Science Center. We pass by “the cube” on the 5 freeway all of the time, but this was our first time visiting. To save the $4 parking fee, we parked at the nearby Santiago Park. This was a tip I found in this great resource. One tip from us is to enter the park from Memory Lane, because the Main Street entrance doesn’t really have designated parking spaces.

The kids had been fighting all morning, but once we were at the park, they had fun strolling hand in hand.

At the entrance:

The current travelling exhibit features Elmo and the Sesame Street gang talking about the human body. I brought out our old Tickle Me Elmo for the past week so n would be more familiar with him (is Sesame Street even on anymore now that KCET is independent?)

On the Sesame Street stoop.

Mr. Hooper’s market.

Not too sure what this was, but it was cool. k thought it was scary, as can be seen by the look on her face. It’s difficult to read all of the scientific explanations when you’re constantly trying to make sure your two kids do not wander off. (Hats off to those with more than two!)

Upstairs is a pretty big hockey exhibit.

Driving the Zamboni.

Skating with socks.

Now I finally know what is inside that big cube!

A rocket display.

Outside there is a nice dinosaur-themed play area.

Sliding down the tail.

Me too!

This tricerotops moves.

We ate lunch at the Taco Bell cafe inside the museum. I read that it had been recently renovated, and it was nice.

Another tip would be to arrive early. We got to the museum at 10:15 (after walking through the park) and there was already a good amount of people inside. By the time we exited after lunch, it was crowded!

Walking back to our car we had to make a stop at the playground equipment, of course.
The park kind of has two sides. The part by Main Street is pretty nice.

The part closer to the parking lot on Memory Lane, however, is a barren wasteland, and pretty “sketch” (as my friend from law school used to say).
Note the peeling paint on the playground equipment:

n climbed up all by himself.

Within five minutes, this was the scene in the backseat:

I don’t want to complain too much, since I know most of the country is freezing right now, but it was a bit too sunny for our Saturday morning outing to San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine. There was not a cloud in the sky and it was just too hot for an enjoyable stroll.

However, we did see a bunny, several small lizards, and this little guy:

The best part was probably resting on a bench under the shade. n liked his snack:

There were a lot of ducks, but I expected to see more birds. Here is one unique one I spotted.

There was also a big one (sorry, don’t know my bird names) that swooped over our heads in a pretty dramatic fashion. Other than that, nothing too exciting. Maybe they are somewhere else for the winter.

It was an easy walk for kids (flat), but we’ll wait for a more overcast non-winter day to go again. At least parking is free (although limited)!