Visit the OC

WELL this was quite the project. For my Orange County Tourism class this semester, we had to do a "creative" piece to express our very own Orange County, California - and might I add, this has been by far my FAVORITE university class. Not only did I get to learn cool things about my home town, but also had fun doing it (a rare thing these days). You may recall my journal asking for help thinking of things that represent Orange County as a tourism destination, and besides, yes, our history of Oranges, here's what I narrowed it down to:





Disneyland:
Yes yes, the ORIGINAL. And quite surprisingly, the smallest. Walt Disney's original theme park, built in Anaheim (5 min from my house YAY) is the main tourist attraction for not only Orange County, but most of Southern California. Disneyland is not only the only Disney park Walt himself walked through while it was open (you can still pass by his office on Main Street which always has the lamp in the window lit), but it is also the only park that must be marketed differently than the rest as the majority of park-goers are southern Californians. Locals can buy annual passes to the park and as they are QUITE expensive, they're used frequently; it's commonality to just pop over to Disneyland (some people go every day) for lunch or dinner and perhaps a ride or two after work or school. Because most guests are frequent visitors, Disneyland commonly holds special events to liven the park, including the 60th Anniversary Diamond Celebration, Disney Dapper Day, Harry Potter Day, Lolita Day (not official park events), Star Wars Season of the Force, Mickey's Halloween Party, and much more. There's always something new happening for Disney-holics, and it's always the talk of the town.

When making this one, I was torn between making an image of Disneyland or Disney's California Adventure Park (still an awesome cool park, but let's be honest, it's the little sibling to Disneyland). Especially because California Adventure has the Mickey Ferris Wheel and California Screamin. In the end I decided on the Disneyland castle, just because what is more Disney than that?




Seaside:
The next biggest attraction are the beaches! This image in particular was inspired by Newport and Balboa, mostly Newport because of the pier. With the warm climate pretty much year-round, everyday's a good day for the beach! If you want the typical surf culture, Huntington's the place to be, but if you want a little higher class you go to Laguna Beach. Rocky? Crystal Cove. Sandy? Seal Beach. Boating? Dana Point. Whale watching is also a fun trip, and either dolphins or sea lions are always guaranteed.




Shopping:
A lot of you said "rich snobby people," and I blame The OC and Real Housewives - dude, they weren't even really shot here wth. BUT there is some truth to it, the third biggest attraction is high-end shopping! It's literally a pass time. Most notable are South Coast Plaza, Fashion Island, the Irvine Spectrum, the CAMP, etc. If you're looking for luxury, this is the place to be. This piece was modeled after a particular restaurant in Fashion Island.


SO ANYWAY thanks so much for all your help, guys! If you're ever in my neck of the woods, come hit me up. We'll go do thingssss OvO



artwork (c) WesternSpice