(pictured above is the gold dome of the Ali Baba Motel, right off the 55 freeway in Costa Mesa; home of the 1 and 1/2 stars on yelp)
The previous night we enjoyed a Cambodian feast at Siem Reap in Long Beach and would be heading home, but before doing so, passed by the beach side town of Newport Beach...
We stayed only a few hours just to take a look around before having our lunch in Costa Mesa. I liked seeing all of the old neon signs...
The map of the Balboa Fun Zone which was a smallish entertainment complex, complete with arcade games, a ferris wheel, and shops selling hokey souvenirs, plus donuts, ice cream and candy. It's VERY touristy and to be honest, as soon as I saw it, I kind of didn't want to be there, but for TC's sake and for curiosity, we stayed on.
There was a dock for cars to board and head to a tiny island across the ways. We later saw many cars wait in line to do this. It was fascinating to watch. We also saw folks crossing the water in their kayaks and stand up paddle boards.
Zoltar is a total rip off! He is creepy too, haha. This reminds me of the movie, "Big" with Tom Hanks where they had one of these talking fortune telling mannequins.
TC always likes getting one of these pressed penny souvenirs during our various road trips...
Candy from the store, plus a couple of Pez for Valentine's (Strawberry Shortcake and Hello Kitty holding a heart, so cute!)...
Sadly, we did not partake of any icy, creamy and round and fried treats. We were saving our appetite for later.
A neat mural on the side of the donut shop:
Before we left, Bert and TC took a ride on this...
while I watched the cars being ferried over to the little island, one by one.
Alright, it was okay being here for a few hours but I would have been bored stiff if we spent more than that...
As we left, I found these signs amusing (the geriatric surfer, the fish shaped sign and the happy taco):
Our next stop was at a strip mall in nearby Costa Mesa....
2 comments:
Zoltar! That reminds me of Big, too, haha. My favorite scene is when Tom Hanks eats the baby corn. Heehee.
Zoltar was freaky looking.
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