About now, the holidays are over and kids are back in school. Some CHA attendees are leaving home in less than 3 weeks for booth set-up. Full-on chaos of last-minute product preparation and other plans are descending. About now, the thought of stealing a few moments of actual vacation on your CHA business trip is probably starting to sound pretty nice.
There are definately a selection of tempting destinations to choose from for some hours of R&R while in Anaheim. The first thing that most people think of in Anaheim is the Mouse who would be king – Mickey.
Disney has two theme parks and an entertainment district in Anaheim. Disneyland, is of course, the original Disney theme park built by Walt Disney, and is it’s smallest park. Disney’s California Adventure was opened in 2001, and features roller coaster adventures along with Disney characters and other attractions. Disneyland largely features most of the child-themed attractions, while California Adventure is largely designed for an older audience (with a few exceptions).
Disney runs shuttles to many Anaheim area hotels to facilitate visits from guests who are without cars or who do not wish to drive in the area of the parks.
Visiting the Disney parks is not cheap of course. But if you order by January 12th, discount park tickets can be purchased through CHA. One special ticket that is offered for pre-purchase is the Twilight Ticket, not available for purchase at the park gates at all. For $34, you are allowed admission to one of the parks after 4 p.m. on one evening. Considering that a full-day ticket costs $63 at full price, that is a good deal for a convention-goer whose day is committed already to business.
If a theme park sounds a bit too ambitious for an evening, Disney offers their Downtown Disney entertainment district. Featuring themed restaurants (profiled in a previous countdown entry here) and unique shopping for both Disney and non-Disney products, the district could be a great way to combine some souvenir shopping for the family at home with a fun dinner.
If instead of the Mouse, discount designer shopping is more your style, you might want to try visiting The Block at Orange for an evening instead. Only a couple of miles southeast of the convention center – a short drive or cab ride – the Block also contains themed restaurants and shopping. The dining possibilities include Dave & Buster’s, Cafe Tu Tu Tango, Alcatraz Brewing Company and T.G.I.Friday’s, among many others. Dessert treats are also available at such specialty stores as Ben & Jerry’s and Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. And after you are fueled up with a good meal, you can go shopping at the legendary Off 5th Saks 5th Avenue outlet, at Ann Taylor outlet, or at Steve & Barry’s University Sportswear (with the nation’s largest selection of university licensed clothing). If iTunes isn’t your thing, visit the Virgin Records Megastore for their (mega) selection of all things audio.
And speaking of audio, if music is your thing, Anaheim has plenty of chances to hear it live. Downtown Disney offers several locations with live music, including Flambeaux’s Jazz Club and the House of Blues. The House of Blues is offering a special show on Jan. 30th for which tickets may be purchased through CHA on a first come, first served basis. The Grove of Anaheim will be hosting performances by India Arie on Jan. 31st and Feb. 1st. A wide variety of other area venues offer live music as well.
For sports fans, the Anaheim Ducks are hosting the Phoenix Coyotes the night of Wednesday the 31st at their home arena in Anaheim. Tickets range from $16.25 to $297 for the game depending on seating (although I hope for $297 I would get a seat in the penalty box in the middle of all the action!)
The frustrating reality is that most of us will probably be just minutes from all these interesting sites and attractions and see none of it. I’m told by a friend who is a veteran CHA attendee that she never sees anything but the convention center and her hotel. But perhaps with some planning and determination, a few of us will be able to say something besides “the inside of the convention center” in answer to the question “what did you see in California?” asked by all those people who think CHA is a wonderful boondoggle for all of us.
Or maybe we’ll at least be able to have one meal that wasn’t generic hotel catered chicken, but instead in an entertaining destination restaurant.
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