Last weekend was Memorial Day, the official kick off to summer. However, it felt more like fall around here in Los Angeles with rain and chilly temperatures. But this weekend we were back on track with picture perfect weather; the type of weather perfect for a barbeque at the beach.

This week my adventures took me to Laguna Beach. There’s a lot to see and do in Laguna and I couldn’t do it justice in just one article. Laguna Beach includes 7 miles of coastline with some of Southern California most scenic beaches and coves you'll find along the Southern California coast. The best tide pools, diving opportunities, and best sunsets on this region of California coast are right in Laguna Beach.  Home to mansions and quaint cottages that line bluffs above the sandy coves, for over 100 years, tourists have flocked to a little piece of paradise to scuba dive, to paint the colors of nature which seem more vibrant there and to enjoy natural beauty not seen elsewhere. In addition there cultural festivals, the Sawdust Art Festival, Pageant of the Masters, and ample state parks and wilderness to explore. So with the beautiful weather and water, this week I focused on the tide pools of Laguna and the “beaches”.

Laguna Beach holds the distinction of having one of the greatest number of localized beaches of any city on the California coast.  The list includes the northern beaches of Irvine Cove, Crescent Bay, Shaw's Cove, Boat Canyon, Diver's Cove, Picnic Beach and Rock pile. Central Beaches include Main Beach, Sleepy Hollow, St. Ann's Street, Thalia Street, Oak Street, Brook's Street and Mountain Road Beach. Southern Laguna Beach (South Laguna Beach) beaches include Bluebird Canyon, Pearl Street, Wood's Cove, Moss Point, Rockledge, Victoria Beach and Treasure Island.

Laguna got its name long ago from the Ute-Azteca Indian word for lakes, Lagonas. Spaniards who arrived later called it Canada de las Lagunas (Canyon of the Lakes) and in 1904, the area became known as Laguna Beach.  Around the same time artist Norman St. Clair traveled from Los Angeles to capture the scenery on canvas. His artist friends were so impressed with his paintings and reports of a balmy year-round climate that they joined him. (He and his wife actually lived in Laguna off and on prior to 1912.) The plein-air artists who painted in the style of French impressionists, settled and by the late 1920’s, half of the residents were artists.

Following the artists came the Hollywood filmmakers who found Laguna to be every bit as appealing on the silver screen as it was painted on canvas. Many of Hollywood’s famous stars like Bette Davis, Mary Pickford, Judy Garland, Rudolph Valentino, Charlie Chaplin and Mickey Rooney maintained homes in Laguna Beach. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and John Steinbeck also went to Laguna for inspiration and relaxation, frequenting landmarks like the White House and the Cabrillo Ballroom.

With summer arriving there is nothing better than a BarBQ at the beach. My “spot” for this American Tradition was Laguna's "Window to the Sea", Heisler Park located in the heart of downtown Laguna. Boardwalk area with pathway to Heisler Park, volleyball and basketball areas, picnic tables, children's play area, protected tide pools. Laguna Beach has some of the best diving spots in Southern California.

After Barbequing some Corn on the Cob Oaxaca style and salmon it was time to explore the beach. Just north of Heisler Park is a Divers Cove. This area provided a small sandy beach to prepare for going out to the water. Here you will find divers and snorklers. Snorkeling in California is dismal compared to places such as the Caribbean, Australia, and South East Asia however; Laguna reefs are about the best in Southern California outside of the Channel Islands.

The other draw to the beaches at Laguna is the tide pools. All along the beaches one can find reefs and craggy rock formations that when the tide recedes leaves tide pools.

Tide pools are pools that are left behind when the ocean (or any body of water) recedes at low tides. You'll most often find them in places with rock formations on the shore. Sandy beaches without rocks generally do not offer best viewing for tide pools. In California the tides are around 6 hours apart. You'll discover two high and two low tides per day. 

During low tides you may see many plants and animals in the pools and around them. Some may be there all the time, and some may be trapped in hollows of rocks when the water recedes. Some of these included starfish, cucumber fish, crabs, and a wide variety of shellfish and small fish mixed with a plethora of plant life and seaweed. 

While Laguna offers a variety of activities such as shopping, dinning, art, and culture, most of it’s unique beauty can simply be found by spending a day down at the beach—exploring tide pools, diving or snorkeling, and having a barbeque along the beach while other surf. It is the quintessential “California Scene”.

I love my Spring and Fall Road Trips! When visiting California people often travel the famous Route 1 through Big Sur or Route 101. Or they may drive portions of Route 66 through the desert. Going from Los Angeles to Sacramento there are two main highways that go across the never-ending San Joaquin Valley. Most people take Highway 5 because it is the fastest route but most will say it is a boring drive. The alternate Route..Route 99 is not quite as fast and most will say is equally as boring. However, if you take your time you will find that not only is a Road Less Traveled, but a road filled with history and industry making up the heartland of California.

This Springs Road Trip takes us along part of Route 99 into the Central California Valley to some historic little towns and then a detour into the Sierra Foothills and up into the Sierra Mountain Range visiting two national parks..Kings Canyon National Park and Sequoia National Park. Usually, lodging is the “item” that costs the most..however, this time the price of gas nearly equaled that of lodging. I can foresee that road trips will become less frequent for American families. My journey was as follows….

Day One-Leaving Los Angeles, I headed north on Highway 5 through the Grapevine where the 99/5 split occurs just south of Bakersfield. A few miles north of Bakersfield off Route 99 is a little known California State Park….the Colonel Allensworth State Park. This was a colony of African Americans that formed a city for African Americans in 1908.

Allen Allensworth was born a slave in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1842. At the age of 12, he was "sold down river" for trying to learn to read and write. After some trading by slave dealers, he was taken to New Orleans, and bought by a slaveholder to become a jockey. The Civil War started, and when the Union forces neared Louisville, Allensworth found his chance for freedom. He joined the Navy and when he was discharged, he had achieved the rank of first class petty officer. In 1871, he was ordained as a Baptist minister and entered the Baptist Theological Institute at Nashville. While serving at the Union Baptist Church in Cincinnati, he learned of the need for African American chaplains in the armed services, and got an appointment as Chaplain of the 24th Infantry.

He had seen many African Americans move west after the Civil War to escape discrimination. With four other men with similar vision, Allensworth decided to establish a place where African Americans could live and thrive without oppression. On June 30, 1908, they formed the California Colony Home Promoting Association. They selected an area in Tulare County because it was fertile, there was plenty of water, and the land was available and inexpensive. They first bought 20 acres, and later, 80 more. The little town with a big vision grew rapidly for several years -- to more than 200 inhabitants, by 1914. That same year Allensworth became a voting precinct and a judicial district. Colonel Allensworth was killed on September 14, 1914, when hit by a motorcycle, while getting off a streetcar in Monrovia. After a funeral at the Second Baptist Church in Los Angeles, he was buried with full military honors.

Since most of the water for Allensworth farming had to come underground from the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and there were many other farms and communities between the mountains and Allensworth, the water supply for the town and farms began to dry up. The next blow was the Great Depression that hit the whole country in the early 1930s. Public services began to shut down, and many residents moved to the cities to look for work. The Post Office closed in 1931. By the 1940s, most of the residents were migratory farm workers, and the population was mainly a mixture of Blacks and Hispanics. Housing deteriorated, as most of the people didn't consider Allensworth their permanent home. The population had shrunk to 90, in 1972, and later dropped to almost zero.

A drive began in the early 1970s to save the town of Allensworth. Allensworth would be an historic monument and public park dedicated to the memory and spirit of Colonel Allensworth as well as a place to note the achievements and contributions of African Americans to the history and development of California. In 1976, when the town site became a state historic park, restorations began, and plans began for further preservation, restoration, and reconstruction, and for interpretation of the history of Allensworth.

After visiting the State Park, I forged on to Fresno where I stayed for the first few nights as my home base.

Day Two---I woke up and headed north out of Fresno up Route 99 to the town of Merced. Merced had a historical main street district that was fun to walk around but their main attraction was the County Courthouse, which also serves as a County Museum which depicts the history of Merced County as well as the settlers of the Great Central Valley. The courthouse was built in 1875 and is one of the oldest historical buildings in California. On the National Register of Historic Places, the architectural style of the building is Italianate, designed by State Capital Architect, Albert A. Bennett.

Further north of Merced is Oakdale, a quaint town that seems unchanged by time. Main Street was very authentic looking with numerous antique shops. Oakdale has two claims to fame..the Cowboy Capitol of California and the Hershey Visitors Center.

The Oakdale Cowboy Museum contains the sights, sounds and smells of the California heritage. Upon entering the Cowboy Museum, one quickly notices the memorabilia that illustrates the lifestyle of the American Cowboy. The unique skills of the leather crafter are seen on the finely tooled leather saddles that surround the two galleries of the Museum.

The action photographs that fill the spacious walls along with several personal collections tell the story of our early western beginnings. The many tools of the rancher such as branding irons, boots, spurs and chaps are displayed for a “hands on” experience.

It's only fitting that Oakdale, known as the “Cowboy Capital of the World” has a Cowboy Museum commemorating our local ranchers, rodeo cowboys and cowgirls. Centrally located, Oakdale attracted many young “cowhands” in the 1950’s & 60’s that worked on area ranches during the week and entered rodeo competition on the weekends. Several of these cowboys won rodeo championship titles and brought home coveted awards and national acclaim to Oakdale. Together, these rodeo athletes earned over 25 professional world championship titles, countless trips to the National Finals Rodeo.

Oakdale, California, is also sweet home to Hershey’s Visitors Center and Gift Shoppe. Located next door to the chocolate factory, it’s easy to see why chocolate-lovers are in heaven as soon as they open the front door.  It’s the gateway to everything HERSHEY’S! HERSHEY’S chocolate and confectionery favorites, fun souvenirs, affordable gifts and fresh-baked cookies.

After my tour around Oakdale, I headed back on to Route 99 over to the town of Modesto..yes, the same Modesto that Scott and Lacy Peterson were from…and Gary Condit and the Shandra Levy Mystery! But there are two historical stops in Modesto.

The McHenry Mansion, built in 1883 by Robert McHenry, prominent local rancher/banker, is a fine example of the Victorian Italianate style of architecture. In 1923, it was converted into apartments and remained as such until 1976 when the Julio R. Gallo Foundation purchased it and donated it to the City of Modesto for restoration and for community use. The Mansion is decorated and furnished with antiques appropriate to the period when Robert and his wife, Matilda inhabited the Mansion (1883-1896). Two rooms on the second floor, a bedroom and adjoining sitting room, reflect the period when their son resided in the Mansion (1896-1906). Today, the Mansion is open for tours and is the site of many weddings, receptions and special events.

The other stop was A & W root beer Stand. Why is this so exciting? Well, first off George Lucas was from Modesto and this particular A & W Root beer Stand was used for his film American Graffiti. Second, this is one of the few A & W Root beer Stands where you pull your car up, use the intercom to order your food, and a waitress brings your food out on roller-skates! It was like 1958!

The last stop on this day was the Hilmar Cheese Company in Hilmar, California. In 1984, twelve Central California dairy families, seeking to maximize the value of their Jersey cows' high solids milk, created the Hilmar Cheese Company. They invested heavily in research and the latest technology. Committed to continuous improvement and innovation, the company has grown to be the world’s largest single-site producer of cheddar cheese and whey products. Hilmar Cheese Company is recognized internationally for its superior quality, consistency and unparalleled, personalized service.

Aside from buying fresh cheese there are free tours of the factory and exhibits.

Day Three-There’s no doubt that the Central Valley is the heartland of California providing the state and the nation and parts of the world with a variety of fruits, vegetables, meat and dairy products. My day in Fresno consisted of going on the Fruit and Nut Trail (yes..California is the home of fruits and nuts!)This self-guided tour through California's agriculture heartland was created through a partnership between the elected and civic leaders and the farmers in Eastern Fresno County. The Fruit Trail celebrates the beauty, flavor and culture of this region.

Kingsburg is also known as the "Swedish Village". With its Swedish architecture and village atmosphere, Swedish banners fluttering from lamp posts and brightly painted Dala Horses, the Swedish heritage of the community is preserved.

The next stop was Reedley dubbed as "The World's Fruit Basket". Reedley holds many festivals year round. The city of Reedley hosts the annual Reedley Fiesta in October, the Reedley Electrical Christmas Parade in December, the Reedley Street Faire in May, the Reedley Certified Farmers Market (Wednesday evening,in the summer), the Reedley Taste of the Town in September, and many other festivities to keep the residents and visitors busy and entertained. Reedley is situated along the Kings River and in the summer, many local residents and visitors drive to Cricket Hollow Park and Reedley Beach to enjoy what the Kings River has to offer.

Civil War hero Thomas Law Reed settled here to provide wheat for Gold Rush miners in the mid 1800s. His donation of land for a railroad station site established the town as the center of the Valley's booming wheat business. Railroad officials commemorated his vision by naming the fledgling City in his honor. When mining fever began to fade, wheat demand slackened. Kings River water was diverted for crop irrigation, and the region began its over 100-year tradition of bountiful field, tree, and vine fruit harvests. With water and railroad services in place, farming families of European immigrants were recruited, and the settlement was incorporated in 1913, with Ordinance No. 1 adopting and prescribing the style of a Common Seal on February 25, 1913. An important element in the early town was a colony of Mennonites, whose strong traditions and values still shape Reedley's culture. The population today is diverse and multi-cultural and Reedley boasts a current population equal to 20,500

Day Four—The day was hot, so I had to take it easy. The Cenrtal Valley can be like an oven. Day four took me down Route 99 to Tulare County. Tulare County was settled in the area, called “Four Creeks” more than one hundred and fifty years ago. Adventuresome settlers built their first fortress, Fort Visalia, and before long Visalia became a thriving community.

The area consisted of a swampy area within a massive oak forest, with waterways flowing from the Sierra Nevada. Desirous of local autonomy, the group petitioned the state legislature for county status, and on July 10, 1852 Tulare County became a reality.

One of the towns I visited was Visalia. One of the first inhabitants of the fort was Nathaniel Vise, who was responsible for surveying the new settlement in November of 1852. Visalia became the county seat in 1853.Named for Nathaniel Vise’s ancestral home - Visalia, Kentucky - Visalia grew rapidly.

The mid 1850’s brought many transient miners through the town on their way to the promised gold fields. However, the gold failed to materialize and many returned to Visalia to live their lives. In 1858 the town received another boost. John Butterfield’s Overland Stage chose Visalia as a timetable stop on the St. Louis to San Francisco route. Once a creek side settlement, Visalia has become a thriving community that takes pride in the small town feel and high quality of life that accompanies its big city amenities.

A few miles east of Visalia is a quaint and quiet town of Exeter. Upon entering the city limits I felt like I was on the Andy Griffith Show and in the town of Mayberry.

The town of Exeter is situated at the base of the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. Situated in the middle of California’s agricultural heartland the great San Joaquin valley, one of the world’s most fertile valleys, Exeter is known for the sweetest oranges in the world. Exeter is also known for its abundant supply of citrus, deciduous fruits, nuts and table grapes. National recognition was given to Exeter in 2000 as “One of America’s Prettiest Painted Places”. More than twenty huge professional murals have been painted on exterior walls throughout the downtown area.

Day Five and Six! I love America’s National Parks. I personally feel that while other countries may have great temples, museums, castles, and archaeological sites…The United States Greatest Treasure are its National Parks. Growing up in California you would think I had seen all of them in California but I had never been to Kings Canyon National Park and Sequoia National Park.

The National parks are a 50-minute drive east of the Central Valley heading up into the foothills of the Sierras.

In the late 1700s and early 1800s, Spanish began exploring the edge of the Sierras. Soon afterwards, trappers, sheepherders, miners, and loggers poured into the Sierras seeking to exploit whatever the mountains had to offer. By the end of the 19th century, San Joaquin Valley communities increasingly looked to the Sierras for water and recreation. In the struggle between all these competing interests, two national parks were born that became what we know today as Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. Today the parks together protect 265 Native American archeological sites and 69 historic sites.

Kings Canyon had been known to white settlers since the mid-1800s, but it was not until John Muir first visited in 1873 that the canyon began receiving attention. Muir was delighted at the canyon's similarity to Yosemite Valley, as it reinforced his theory regarding the origin of both valleys, which, though competing with Josiah Whitney’s then-accepted theory, later proved true: that both valleys were carved by massive glaciers during the last Ice Age.

Kings Canyon's future was in doubt for nearly fifty years. Some wanted to build a dam at the western end of the valley, while others wanted to preserve it as a park. The debate was settled in 1965, when the valley along with Tehipite Valley, was added to General Grant National Park, established 1890.

Before the arrival of the white man the foothill area of the park was inhabited by various tribes includes the Monaches. These Indians lived on a diet of acorns, were familiar with the groves of the giant trees, and traded with Paiutes who lived across the mountains in the Owens Valley. Tragically, most of the Indians in the area died of an epidemic in 1862. My first stop was Kings Canyon national Park.

However, the preservation effort was ultimately successful and Sequoia became the nation's second national park when it was established on September 26, 1890, as a result of the same piece of legislation which created Yosemite and General Grant (now Kings Canyon) National Parks. It tripled in size one week after its founding, when the Giant Forest area was actually added to the park. In 1926 the park was again expanded toward the east to include the crest of the Sierra Mountains, including Mount Whitney. The last section added was the Mineral King area in the southern portion of the park in 1978, culminating an effort to save the area from development as a ski resort.

Sequoia National Park contains gigantic specimens of a number of different types of trees, but the most memorable are surely the giant Sequoias which inhabit several groves scattered through the park. These gargantuan trees may grow to a height in excess of 300 feet. Among all species of trees, they are second in height only to their close relatives, the redwoods of the northern California coast, although they are considerably larger in bulk and girth.

The sequoia, which sprouts exclusively from seeds, continues to grow throughout its life. It usually dies only when toppled by wind or other catastrophic event. The trees are virtually impervious to disease; the oldest specimen on record lived approximately 3200 years.

The giant sequoia trees cluster together in groves. In fact, all of the earth's sequoia trees are contained in 75 groves which lay at an elevation between 5000 and 7000 feet in the Sierras. Thirty of these are in Sequoia or Kings Canyon National Parks. The heart of the Sequoias is in the Sequoia National Park Giant Forest. Four of the earth's 5 largest trees are found in this grove, which contains a total of 10,657 trees, 8411 of which are greater than one foot in diameter. The trees in this grove, named by John Muir, enjoy ideal climatic conditions which include some 44 inches of precipitation per year. In one section of the Giant Forest grows one of the world's most famous trees--the "General Sherman" sequoia. Although sequoia trees continue to grow throughout their life span, this tree is already the world's largest and in fact ranks as the planet's largest living thing.

The statistics describing this tree are astounding. It measures 36 feet in diameter at its base and reaches a height of 275 feet. The tree weighs almost 2.7 million pounds and contains a volume of 52,500 cubic feet of wood. One of its branches alone measures approximately 7 feet in diameter, and a 15-story building would fit comfortably beneath its first branch! The General Sherman is estimated to be somewhere between 2300 and 2700 years old.

Also in Seqouia Nationa Park is Mount Whitney, at 14,505 feet above sea level is is the highest point in the coniguous 48 United States!

Words cannot describe the thrill of walking and standing amongst these giant trees. Aside from the trees, I spotted a bears and a hike to Moro Rock gave a spectacular birdseye view of the Sierra Moutnains and the Great Western divide.

While most people only head up to visit the National parks of Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon it is worth the time to slow down along Highway 99 and enjoy a bit of the history and industry which has made California such a great state!

It was hot this weekend in Los Angeles…it was South East Asia hot! So what better weather than to slip into a movie theater and enjoy a show in air conditioning. However, I’m not fond of going to the movies. Frankly, most of the movies that are released now don’t impress me but more importantly the theaters today are found in a mall, twenty theaters together, and no character at all. As noted from a trip of the week a year ago, I enjoy classic movies enjoyed in a theater that makes you feel special. Here in Los Angeles there has been several old movie palaces that have been historically preserved and show classic movies to a new generation. For an evening, you can feel like it’s the mid 1940s in Los Angeles where movies were melodramatic and the theaters they were shown in were like palaces.

This week took me to Glendale to the Alex Theater with a special showing of Annie Get Your Gun. Going to the movies here is more of an event than just going to a local mall and seeing the recent releases. I’ve been here a few times for special screenings of classic movies, but the theater also hosts a wide array of cultural arts events.

Since 1925, the Alex Theatre has been a Los Angeles area landmark. Designed by architects Charles R. Selkirk and Arthur G. Lindley, the Alexander Theatre, as it was originally known, opened its doors as a Vaudeville and motion picture house. Featuring Greek and Egyptian motifs, the Alex Theatre is not only an important example of the grand theatres of the early 20th century; it also provides a strong sense of identity for downtown Glendale, California.

In 1992, the Glendale Redevelopment Agency purchased the historic theatre to serve as the centerpiece of Glendale's revitalized Brand Boulevard. The agency dedicated $6.2 million in public funds to restore the Alex to its former splendor and transfer it into a performing arts center. Since reopening on News Year's Eve 1993, the historic theatrer has been a source of pride for residents and attracts thousands of theatergoers to Glendale each month.

The auditorium of the theatre is designed as an "atmospherium" with an open air illusion enhanced by the stage-set wall encircling the auditorium, creating the feeling of being enclosed in an ancient garden. The Alex is one of the few atmospheric theatres constructed in Southern California and one of only a handful that still remain. The new seating in the auditorium and the restored lobby areas capture the feeling and ambiance of the original design.

From the late 1920's through the 1950's, the Alex Theatre served as a preview house for major Hollywood releases and community events attracting the glamorous stars of the time from Hollywood. In 1940 in an effort to extend the glamour of the theatre out to Brand Boulevard, architect S. Charles Lee, a designer of over 400 movie houses, created a 100 foot tall Art Deco neon tower with a spiked starburst at the top. Integral to his design were the three dimensional marquee, outdoor ticketing kiosk, and the decorative terrazzo floor crested in bright tropical colors that were all restored as part of the restoration project.

Today, the Alex Theatre is owned by the City of Glendale and operated by the nonprofit Alex Regional Theatre (ART) Board and serves as a multi-use facility for professional and community performing arts institutions. Resident companies include the Alex Film Society, Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles, Glendale Symphony Orchestra, Glendale Youth Orchestra, Musical Theatre Guild, and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. In addition, the Alex Theatre presents a full season of world-class presentations including music, opera, live theatre, comedy, lectures, popular concerts and dance.

They also offer one hour docent led tours. Tonight’s show was a classic movie musical of Annie Get Your Gun. The show starts with a cartoon, which this time was a Donald Duck cartoon. This was followed by a professor speaking about the movie that was going to be shown and giving some history about the actors and actresses. In past events they have also shown news reels from that era. Back in those days…going to the movies was an all afternoon affair with cartoons, shorts, newsreels, intermission, and the featured film.

Annie Get Your Gun is a 1950 American musical film loosely based on the life of sharpshooter Annie Oakley. The Metro Goldwyn Mayer release, with music and lyrics by Irving Berlin and a screenplay by Sidney Sheldon based on the 1946 stage musical of the same name, was directed by George Sidney.

Betty Hutton played Annie with Howard Keel (making his movie debut) as Frank Butler and Benay Venuta as Dolly Tate. Frank Morgan was originally cast as Buffalo Bill Cody but after filming the movie's opening production number, "Colonel Buffalo Bill", he unexpectedly died. Morgan was replaced by Louis Calhern. Originally, Judy Garland had been cast in the title role, and recorded all of her songs and worked for two months under Busby Berkeleys direction. She was forced to leave the production due to poor health and other personal problems that would soon end her career with:

In 1973 it was withdrawn from distribution due to a dispute between Irving Berlin and MGM over music rights, which selfishly robbed the public of enjoying this film for almost 30 years. It was not until the film's 50th Anniversary in 2000 that it was finally seen again in its entirety.

Tonight was a special treat because it was once again shown on the big screen at the Alex Theater. There are several theaters in Los Angeles that have been historically preserved and show classics movies. It’s a great way to recapture a little of Hollywoods Glory Years, while learning some history, and in this case escape the heat!

Life is about experience…sometimes it’s my international trip to Cambodia and other times it’s visiting a local regional park for a picnic! This week, was a new experience for me right in my own backyard of Long Beach, The Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. My friend Cameron (designer of this website), has been going to this event for several years and invited me along this year.

The Long Beach Grand Prix is the longest running major "street" race held on the North American continent, having completed its 33rd event. Attendance for the weekend regularly reaches or exceeds 200,000 people.

The Long Beach Grand Prix in April is the single largest event in the city of Long Beach. It started in 1975 as a Formula 5000 race on the streets of downtown, and became a Formula One event the following year. Since 1984 it has been a CART/Champ event. Other popular events during the Grand Prix week include a Champ Car Series race, a Historic Grand Prix featuring pre-1990 cars, and the Toyota/Pro Celerbrity Race.

The current race circuit is a 1.968-mile temporary road course carved out of the city streets surrounding the Convention Center of Long Beach. It is particularly noted for its last section, which sees a hairpin turn followed by a long, slightly curved front straightaway which runs the length of Shoreline Drive. The circuit is situated on the Long Beach waterfront, and is lined with palm trees (especially along the front straightaway), making for a scenic track.

We spent the day walking around inside the convention center where various cars and home living products are on display. But the focus was outside where we watched three races. Although the Champ Car World Series is the main event, a number of other races are also held. My personal favorite was the drifting race which began in 2005. This event included a demonstration by participants in the Forumula D Drifting series, in which participants engage in controlled slides, moving their cars sideways across the track. We were close to the track and it was exciting to not only hear the noise but smell the burning alcohol and rubber from the screeching tires!

There truly is something exhilirating watching these cars scream by. I could not believe or comprehend how fast these cars whizzed by and part of me would love to ride in one of those things (yet another part would probably crap my pants!)

Amidst the convention center and the track is also located Rainbow Harbor and The Pike. We then met up with a few friends of Cameron (Jesse and Travis) and headed over to Bubba Gump Shrimp Company for some seafood dinner and desert.

It was a long day but a lot of fun. Going to a Grand Prix was never something high on my to do list but I believe if you don’t know about something, you should give it a try..a new experience to learn something new and you might even really enjoy it as I did in this case. The most important thing is to experience life!