Drinking in and around the Happiest Place on Earth

Sunsets + beer = happiness

While drinking inside Disneyland is limited to visits to the exclusive Club 33, it's neighbor Disney California Adventure has several options for partaking in tasty adult beverages. From outdoor carts, a bar with amazing sunset views, to a swanky lounge, there is something to suit nearly everyone's tastes.

My personal favorites are Carthay Circle Lounge, the Cove Bar and Sonoma Terrace.  Carthay Circle Lounge is a great place to hide away for a bit to either avoid the summer-time heat or crowds.  It is dark, quiet, and has several areas for both large and small groups to enjoy snacks and drinks.  Since the Cove Bar is going to be rethemed as the Lamplight Lounge, in conjunction with the transformation of Paradise Pier into Pixar Pier, it will be interesting to see what changes will be made to this fan-favorite bar.   
The Sonoma Terrace focuses more on bottled beers and is usually far less crowded than both Carthay Circle Lounge and the Cove Bar.  The majority of all of the bars, lounges, and beer carts open at 11 a.m..  Flo's V8 Cafe is the exception to this, since they are open for breakfast.  So, you can have a beer with your breakfast while enjoying the scenic views of Radiator Racer Springs.

HippopotMai-Tai

Not only are there drinking establishments within the confines of Disney California Adventure, but there are also numerous options located in the on property hotels as well as various locations throughout Downtown Disney.  One of my favorite places to visit is Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar, located in the Disneyland Hotel area.  The drink menus at all of the bars both inside Disney California Adventure as well as the Disneyland Resort Hotels are generally the same.  One of the exceptions, though, is Trader Sam's.  Trader Sam's is a small, tropical indoor tiki bar.  The decor is fantastic, there are so many small details that are easily overlooked.  While sitting inside enjoying tiki drinks, it is easy to forget that you are surrounded by a massive hotel and two theme parks.

Cheers!

Mickey's Halloween Party

Disneyland and Halloween are two of my favorite things.  Visiting Disneyland during Halloweentime is always something I look forward to each year.  This year, I decided to attend one of the special ticketed Mickey's Halloween Parties.  I've always been a bit reluctant to attend, because as a Disneyland Annual Passholder, I already pay a nice sum of money each month to have the opportunity to visit the Happiest Place on Earth.  Why would I want to purchase a separate ticket for an after hours event?  Well, for starters, they have special Halloween themed fireworks.  Back in 2009, before Disneyland offered the Mickey's Halloween Party, for a very brief period of time, the Halloween themed fireworks were able to be seen by those in attendance during regular admission times.  Since 2010, though, the Halloween Screams fireworks are only able to be viewed during Mickey's Halloween Parties.

Spooky Halloween projections on buildings on Main Street U.S.A.

When first entering the event, it was quite crowded with non-party attendees as well as party attendees near the front entrance to Disneyland.  For guests attending Mickey's Halloween Party, they are able to arrive before the actual start time to the party, which is nice for those who are not frequent visitors to Disneyland.  Each party attendee receives a tiny bag to hold candy, although you can also bring one from home if you'd like to try to get your money's worth of candy.  

Characters on floats on the Rivers of America

The decorations and Halloween themed music are a nice enhancement to the regular Halloweentime decorations throughout Disneyland.  The treat stations are located in various areas throughout different lands in Disneyland.  We visited the treat stations on Main Street USA, the Golden Horseshoe, the Rivers of America, as well as those located near the Hungry Bear restaurant.  I think the only way you would be able to visit all of the treat stations were if you arrived early, although, I don't know how you would also manage to visit any of the attractions.  The only attraction I wanted to visit while there for Mickey's Halloween Party was the Haunted Mansion Holiday.  Although the Haunted Mansion has been decorated by Jack Skellington since September, the wait times whenever I have visited have been close to two hours.
During Mickey's Halloween Party, we only had to wait for twenty minutes, which was a definite treat. 

We had decided that viewing the earlier showing of the Frightfully Fun Parade, which runs both before and after the Halloween Screams fireworks, would make the most sense since I attended a party on a Tuesday night.
I wasn't quite sure where the best view of the parade would be, and decided on trying to view it from the left side of the castle.
Our view of the fireworks was okay, I could see some of the castle projections, but not all of them.
I really liked the Halloween Screams fireworks.
I just didn't like how it was a bit disorganized for where to sit and/or stand for the fireworks.

Which leaves me with the question, was it worth it to attend Mickey's Halloween Party?  Will I attend Mickey's Halloween Party in the future?  I really don't think the price of the ticket was worth all of the offerings of the party.  I also felt that the fireworks viewing area could have been better organized.

The Halloween Tree in Frontierland

But, I love Halloweentime at Disneyland.  So, I imagine, in a few years, I will be back for another Mickey's Halloween Party.  If I do go again, though, I will make sure to purchase tickets for a Friday night rather than a Tuesday evening.

20 Years of Adventure with Indiana Jones!

Like a younger family member growing older, when I heard Indiana Jones Adventure at Disneyland was turning twenty this year, I was a bit surprised. Had it really been TWO decades since Adventure Land had forever changed??  

Decoder cards from Indiana Jones Adventure, yes, I save everything.

I still remember the first time I went on the ride (yes, I know it's officially called an "attraction."). Upon approaching the queue, I was handed a small card that was able to be used to decode messages throughout the queue. I thought this was such a fun idea! It definitely helped pass the time while waiting.  Seeing one of my favorite childhood movies transformed into a ride was amazing! 

Fast forward twenty (!) years, and Disneyland decided to celebrate with a celebration for Annual Passholders.  As soon as I heard about the event, I signed up. I've attended other Annual Passholder events, but never during my favorite month of the year, March.  

Guide for the event which included a decoder card and of course I had to get a birthday button!

After quickly checking in near the ticket booths, we were handed a guide with a decoder attached. Gotta say, I'm a sucker for freebies, especially when they are unique event specific items!  With nobody in line at the entrance turnstiles, we were inside the park after a few minutes of checking in. My first priority of the night was to visit City Hall on Main Street to get birthday buttons for both myself and Indy. The CM who helped me was so sweet and gave buttons to both me and my boyfriend. I'm glad she found it amusing that I wanted a birthday button for Indy rather than odd. 

Sleeping Beauty's Castle

I was so happy to see that the park was very uncrowded. As a lifelong Disneyland visitor, my childhood memories include days when the park was less busy than it is nowadays.  After walking down Main Street, and taking obligatory photos of Sleeping Beauty's Castle, it was time to have some adventure!  

I would not want this job!

During the event, the West Side of Disneyland was open, so we started off by visiting Frontier Land.  The wait for Thunder Mountain Railroad was only ten minutes, which is a rarity.  After riding the wildest ride in the wilderness, we headed to visit the fellow birthday celebrant,  Indiana Jones Adventure. Near the queue entrance was a man balancing on a boulder. I couldn't watch him for too long, because I was worried he would fall!  There was also a fez wearing band,  The Joneses playing music whuch really added to the ambiance. Thankfully, after a short twenty minute wait, we survived the huge boulder at the end of Indy. 

The Joneses

It was then time to visit my second favorite house in Anaheim, the Haunted Mansion. I was so happy that there wasn't a line, which was also the case for Pirates of the Caribbean! Throughout the West Side of the park, mellow retro music reminiscent of the time period of Indiana Jones was playing,  which was a nice touch. There was also a special showing of Fantasmic, as well as a panel discussion with Tony Baxter, both of which we decided to skip. 

Haunted Mansion

The 20th birthday celebration for Indiana Jones Adventure was a wonderful time.  Being able to celebrate my favorite day of the year at one of my favorite places was fantastic. I hope that Disneyland continues to offer these special events for Annual Passholders! 

Happy Birthday!

2014, A Year of Amazing Adventures

2014 was another year filled with amazing adventures, from attending concerts, visiting new breweries, beer events, and of course drinking delicious beers.  Listed below are just a few of my highlights from 2014!

Favorite Events

1.  Sabroso Craft Beer and Taco Festival
Drinking beer while watching luchadores in a picturesque setting, this event was so much fun!

2.  Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Fest  
Of course, once again, my favorite beer event of the year and one I always look forward to all year long!

Favorite Beers

1.  Ska Brewing's Mexican Logger
A great beer for a warm summer day, I love how light and refreshing this beer tastes!

2.  Firestone Walker's Oaktoberfest
A beer that until last year was only available on draft, so happy to be able to get it in bottles at my local grocery store!

Favorite Shows

1.  Pixies
A year when the Pixies tour is a good year indeed.  Seeing them at Humphreys by the Bay in San Diego was fantastic.  

2.  Weezer
Seeing one of my all-time favorite bands was so much fun, loved that they played both old favorites as well as their new album in it's entirety!

Additional Highlights

1.  Bottle Logic Brewing
Who would've imagined a brewery opening in February winning a medal at the Great American Beer Festival in October?  Pretty amazing if you ask me!  It's been exciting to see Bottle Logic Brewing's success in less than a year's time.  I can't wait to attend their first anniversary celebration!

2.  Bootlegger's Brewery
So excited that the first brewery that introduced me to craft beer won not only one, but two medals at the Great American Beer Festival!  

3.  A Visit to Club 33 and Le Salon Nouveau
Craft beer inside Disneyland?  Luckily, I was able to drink a local favorite, Bootlegger's Brewery's Rustic Rye thanks to a kind friend.

I had such a great 2014 and look forward to many more fun-filled adventures in 2015!

November Adventures!

The Red Trolley at Disney California Adventure is all decked out for Christmas!

To say that November has been a busy month would be a huge understatement!  I can't believe it's already coming to an end and that December will be here in a few days.  I've been lucky to hang out with some of my favorite friends, drink some amazing beers, gone to a couple of rad shows, and of course gone to some pretty cool places.  One of my favorite events during November is San Diego Beer Week, although it isn't just one event, but numberous events throughout the week.  I was so happy that I was able to attend both the World's Biggest Bottle Share, located at various locations along 30th Street in North Park, and Ballast Point's Victory at Sea event at Hamilton's Tavern.  

Snazzy booklet to go along with the Weezer show!

WEEZER!

Beachwood is one of my favorite spots to meet up with friends!

     

Sharing Beach City Brewery's PCH at SDBW World's Biggest Bottle Share

One of the signature tastings at SDBW World's Biggest Bottle Share

SDBW World's Biggest Bottle Share, Polite Provisions

   

Mike Hess Brewing is RAD, so glad I finally got to visit!

  

One of my favorite SDBW events, Victory at Sea, Hamilton's Tavern

   

Viva Navidad at Disney California Adventure is SO much fun!

Sometimes, getting stuck on an attraction isn't such a bad thing.

I beat the bots and can't wait to see the Foo Fighters next year!

It's the most wonderful time of the year, Disney California Adventure

  

One of my favorite beers, Pliny the Elder, Toronado, San Diego

A perfect beer for Thanksgiving, Ska Brewing's Euphoria!

Crystal Cove and Disneyland are great places for fall fun!!!

Sometimes, the best adventures happen in my own backyard.  Even though I've lived near the ocean nearly my entire life, there are still many nearby beaches that I have never visited.  This past week, I ventured to Crystal Cove to have breakfast at The Beachcomber Cafe.  Walking through the tunnel under the Pacific Coast Highway is like traveling back in time.  If you've never been to Crystal Cove, I highly recommend it!  Of course, I also visited my favorite neighbor, Disneyland.  This time of year is one of my favorite times to visit because of all of the decorations for Halloween.  Although the crowds seem to be more dense than during the summer, it's still a great time of year to take photos.

Crystal Cove

Clouds and waves at Crystal Cove

3, 2, 1, blast-off!!!

Matterhorn Mountain

Submarine Lagoon

Balloons and Sleeping Beauty Castle