Fousesquawk Travel Destinations-Irvine, California

Irvine


That's right, fellow travelers-Irvine. Forget about Paris, Rome, New York, and all those other dreary places full of tourists. For your next vacation, consider Irvine. In fact, you should plan a full week.

Let me tell you why. First of all, you don't have to worry about being hustled back and forth from one tourist trap to another with a bunch of other tourists. There are no tourist traps, and there are no tourists.

But there are attractions. Shopping? The Irvine Spectrum is the place. And after a full day of shopping, you'll be ready to eat and unwind. If you happen to be in Irvine on a Monday, the Spectrum is the place to be. And if you like beer, the Yard House is the perfect place to while away the hours sampling the 144 brews they have on tap from all over the world, which all taste the same.

And don't forget; Irvine has been voted year after year as "America's Safest City". You can go anywhere in Irvine at any time day or night and not be bothered. The only exception is UC Irvine during a few days in May when we have a full moon and all kinds of strange people show up on campus to stand on a soapbox and bay at the moon talking about a mythical land far away called Palestein ( I think that's how it would be spelled if it even existed.) After a day of that on a Tuesday afternoon, I suggest heading to the Spectrum to unwind.

Aside from the Spectrum, you can also visit the Great Park. There are plenty of signs conveniently located around the city telling you how to get there. You can't miss it because it is located not too far from Downtown Irvine.

Left: Great Park                                                                    
Right: Downtown Irvine

I recommend the Great Park on a Wednesday when you can see the gopher races. After several hours of that, it will be time to head for the Spectrum to unwind and sample some more of those 144 brews on tap at the Yard House that all taste the same.

For Thursday, I suggest a historical tour of Irvine. Charter buses can take you and your entire family on a guided tour of Irvine's places of historic interest. You can see the first McDonald's of Irvine, built in 1965. The first mall in Irvine was built in 1971, and of course, the final stop will be the Spectrum, where you can finish your day with a glass of Schweinfurter Schweinbrau direct from Germany.

On Friday, I suggest you explore the political side of Irvine with a trip to City Hall (if you can find it). If you're lucky, maybe you will meet the mayor and the famous revolving city council, which consists of Sukhee Kang (It's his turn to be mayor, but he's running for a seat in Congress)...

Ahem. Beth Krom, who recently ran for a seat in Congress...

Ahem. She lost....


.....and former mayor Larry Agran. He's the man to see in Irvine whether he's mayor or not. You want a pothole filled? See Larry. You just want potholes? See Larry. After you see Larry, you'll need to unwind, so the Spectrum is where you will want to be.



"132 bottles of beer on the wall, 132 bottles of beer...."


Here's a fun fact; Did you know that the corporate headquarters of the Yard House is located in Irvine?

Don't take my word for it. (It's the tallest building in Irvine.)

If sports is your bag, Irvine is just a stone's throw from Anaheim, where you can go to Angels Stadium and pay a fortune to see some boulders in center field and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Irvine play baseball or the the once-Mighty Ducks play hockey at the nearby Pond or whatever corporate name they call it this year. The Angels are all the rage this year since they signed 11-year veteran slugger Albert Pujols to a ten year contract, which means they will have him till he's 42 years old. It's the greatest deal since the Cubs signed Alfonso Soriano to that 8-year deal that still has 2 1/2 years to go.

But I digress.

Anyway, after taking in an Angels' loss on Saturday and watching Old Al go 0-4, it's back to Irvine for dinner at the Spectrum and a couple of nightcaps at the Yard House. The special Saturday brew is Belgium's  Delirious Monk which is 23% alcohol. If you don't like it, you can take it home to your wife or girlfriend and tell her it's perfume. She won't know the difference until her face starts wrinkling up like a Kellogg's corn flake.

Sunday is get-away day, and it's good-bye to the Spectrum, the Yard House, and Irvine with all its memories. As your plane lifts off from John Wayne Airport and passes one last time over the city of Irvine, you gaze out of the window at the charming city below nestled scenically between the 5 and 405 freeways...



...and promise her that one day you will return.