Starling Travel

Tyreseus moved to San Francisco this year and he is enjoying the diversity it has to offer. Here is his review of a show he saw in his new hometown. Something that he would have never been able to see if he had stayed in Utah.

• Blind Prophecy 2.0 – Typically San Francisco

He saw the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players. They find slides at estate sales, garage sales and various other places and then write songs about them. When they perform, they show the slides while they sing with charming and hilarious results.

They are touring the United States right now, so you may be able to see them in your hometown:

• The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players : Tour

If they are not performing near you, you can actually see them right now through the power of YouTube.

More videos after the break…

Los Angeles is a bustling metropolitan area, one of the biggest in North America, yet there are strange, forgotten pockets that have been abandoned. For a different travel experience, that’s free unless you get caught trespassing, try visiting the ruins of southern California.

• Metroblogging Los Angeles: Ruins of Southern California

The one that looks the most interesting to me is the former site of the Los Angeles Zoo. Empty cages and imitation caves. I can’t wait until the next time we go to California to see these unique sites.

Re-Imagineering is a weblog written by Pixar employees about what is wrong with the current Disneyland and how to fix it. Most of the time they are right on the mark, but this entry is completely WRONG in all capital letters this time.

• Re-Imagineering: Elemental Losses: Earth

Their entry argues that because the parking lot of old Disney was so drab and boring it was a stark contrast to the magical world of Disneyland. That might have been true. Maybe even back when they built California Adventure, the parking lot WAS better than the new addition, but now, they are WRONG.

We visited Disneyland this year and I was truly impressed with the parking situation. The moment our car got on Disney property, I felt like we were already in the Magic Kingdom. Friendly employees directed our car to the structure and then within the structure, they even directed us to a parking spot. It went so easily and we weren’t driving around and around looking for a place to park our car like we did at Universal Studios.

It was so easy to remember where our car was because we were on the Goofy floor. Even the kids remembered where our car was parked, “Goofy!” Each of the floors were assigned a Disney character, which is so much easier to remember than Floor 5.

When we went down to the trams, we could take an elevator or the bank of escalators. All the escalators went down, so it was very easy to get out of the parking garage and to the tram that quickly came to take us to the park.

When we returned, all the escalators were going up instead of down. I had no idea that they even made reversible escalators, but the Disney Imagineers planned long and hard on this parking structure to make it an easy experience for people who are tired and just want to go home.

I think the writers for Imagineering need to look at the current incarnation of Disneyland with new eyes. Look at it as if you never saw the Disneyland of 1958. Look at it as a parent of today and imagine trying to get three tired kids back to the car and out of the park. The parking structure is one of the things at Disneyland that WORKS. It works so well and so efficiently that people probably never even notice it.

Pictures Via Flicker:

• disneyland parking lot: about 1958 on Flickr – Photo Sharing!

• Parking structure on Flickr – Photo Sharing!

Jeff Voris has a Flickr Slideshow of the pictures he took while he was at the county fair in Orange County, California. You can see it here:

• Orange County Fair 2006 Slideshow – by Jeff Voris

These are my two favorite photos:

Summer is the time for county and state fairs. If you need a break for the weekend, plan a trip to your county or state fair and enjoy all the weirdness that your local area has to offer.

Via: Boing Boing: Unusual photos taken at OC fair

Funny the Vlog took a tour of the Jelly Belly Factory with her friend. They weren’t allowed to film during the tour, but they could film in the store and while eating. It’s a fun glimpse into the Jelly Belly Factory Tour.

Here is a link to the official Jelly Belly Website:

• JellyBelly.com – The Official Site of Jelly Belly Candy Co.

You can take a virtual tour of their factory here:

• JellyBelly.com – Virtual Factory Tour

Where: Jelly Belly Factory: 101-F Nut Tree Road Vacaville, CA 95687 Google Map Phone: 707-447-4821

Hours of operation:
Monday- Saturday: 10:00am – 9:00pm Sunday: 10:00am – 6:00pm

Bev lives in Davis, California and she took a trip to her local farmer’s market. Come see the beautiful vegetables, entertainment and dogs.

If you looked in your newspaper or online right now, you will probably be able to find out where the farmer’s market is in your area. This weekend, take a break from your normal routine and have a vacation in your own home town. Listen to the music, smell the earthy goodness and pet the dogs for sale.

Bev posts a new video every day on her website:

• Funny the Vlog

Check her out for new glimpses into her life.

Colleen Wainwright lives in California and has had many opportunities to go to Disneyland as a child and as an adult, but for the first time, she went to Disneyland WITH children.

• communicatrix » Blog Archive » Miss Colleen’s Wild Ride

The first time I went to Disneyland with children was with my friends’ three kids last year. They had never been to Disneyland, but they had been to other amusement parks. The concept of rides were not scary to them and the waiting in line was expected.

Watching them experience Disneyland for the first time was more fun than my first trip there. I loved watching them discover the hidden secrets that Disneyland has to offer.

There are so many people who are eager to complain about Disneyland because it’s more commercial than they remember it as a child or because certain rides have disappeared never to return. Disneyland is not a museum and guess what? It’s not a shopping mall either.

Through the eyes of a child, Disneyland is another world that doesn’t exist anywhere else. Those who believe otherwise have lost their child’s eyes.

Why is Rob wearing socks on his hands? Is the weather at Lake Tahoe so cold in June that he needs their warmth? Watch the video to find out.

Traveling to new places comes with all sorts of obstacles that you might not have expected. Being able to improvise is the best option.

Hopper Video: Hopper Video In California (HVIC): June Snow Cabin

Where: Lake Tahoe, California Google Map

TahoeChamber.com – Lake Tahoe Chambers of Commerce and Visitors Centers

I have seen so many movies that try to portray how invigorating sailing can be. I’ve seen water lapping on the side of the boat. I’ve seen the bouncing water horizon. I’ve seen the ropes and the sails flapping in the wind. None of those videos prepared me for how truly awesome sailing is.

There is something so relaxing and inspiring about sailing that I can’t capture on film. I can remember how it was, but I can’t show you. It was a little like setting up a tent while you’re camping. It was a little like trying to hike a difficult trail. It was a little like flying down a mountain on my mountain bike. All of those things wrapped into one wet experience.

Jeff, the man who took Kathleen, Lisa and I sailing knew his boat like it was an old friend. I asked him, “How do you know all this stuff?”

“I was born on the water,” he replied, “My father manufactured shipping boats and we always sailed from when I was little. My whole family sails.”

“Are you from San Francisco?”

“No, I learned to sail right off New Jersey, but the sailing is so different there.”

“How so?”

“There is so much more wind in the San Francisco Bay and more variation in the tides. In New Jersey, we would need a much bigger sail.”

Our small sail took us all around the San Francisco Bay. We passed the city and Alcatraz before we finally docked in Marin.

If you ever get a chance to go sailing, don’t let fear get in your way. Say yes and find out how intensely awe-inspiring sailing can be.

Where: Pier 40, San Francisco, CA Google Map

Marin Dock, Sausalito, CA Google Map

Approximate map of the route:

Music: Overature by Kevin Macleod via Royalty Free Piano Music

We were walking through the Haight. We stopped at the corner of Cole and Haight for a cup of coffee. While we waited for the barista, I sat on the chairs watching the artist paint a mural. My friend, Kathleen Bennett explained the back story to me on video.

Yana Zegri painted a mural there long ago. When the building needed repairs, the mural needed to be sacrificed to save the building. Now that the building is rehabilitated, they hired the original artist to re-paint the mural, and it’s gorgeous. It’s called Evolutionary Rainbow and depicts the evolution of the planet from the primordial soup to the age of humans. From my vantage point at the coffee shop, it looked like a watery rainbow, but when you get up close, each color depicts a stage in our evolution. Here are some photos:

Where: On Cole Street near Haight, San Francisco, California Google Map

For More Photos: Flicker Photo Group: Evolutionary Rainbow