MunkyBoyExtrordinar

Do not SPEED through this little hell hole of a hick town or like me you may spend a week in jail while the Judge is fishing waiting for the traffic fine to be set.

Altough I had no desire to go here and could not wait to leave, I do consider the high desert worth visiting (but ONLY visiting). I got stationed here while in the marine corps, and the sunrises and sunsets are very beautiful. The heat even though a dry heat gets like an oven in the summer which is made even worse by the view of Big Bear Mountain’s snow covered summit.
Being there you are more than aware that it is not fit for human habitation
I would suggest only visiting during the winter months.

If you are under 20 years old or with a young family thenthe boardwalk and beach at Santa Cruz would probably be alot of fun. It was fairly well maintained and had a very wide beach. I was a bit distracted by the very obviously marked disposal containers for used syringes on the streets, I would not suggest going to the water front too late at night or to early in the morning.

The “Big Trees & Pacific” train that runs up to a picnic grounds may be a nice excursion, but I did not have time to check it out.

What can I say, BIG TREES….. you really need to experience them to get it. Shakespear could not do them justice, so I won’t waste your time with my attempts. And I am no tree hugger.

I used to work with an ex-hippy who said he lived in OC during the mid 70’s when it was little more than a collection of sleazy hotels. Then a bunch of lincolns and caddilacs showed up with New Jersy license plates carrying large guys in suits from Atlantic City. These Mafia type guys started buying up ocean front property and chased all of the hippies out through direct intimidation. So those nice hotels in OC are now (so he claims) making money that directly or indirectly flows into the pockets of the Atlantic City mafia.

Otherwise the place is a over comercialized and lower qualty version of spencer gifts with sand and ocean thrown in just so you dont feel like you are on Jerry Springer.

You must go to Queen City Chilli or Skyline Chilli and get a Three-way. It is spagetti noodles topped with Cincinnati chilli (coney island hotdog chilli) and then heaped with shreaded cheddar cheese. the four-way adds either chopped onion and kidney beans, while the five-way adds both.

Do not drink the Habu Saki no matter how much your friends encourage you…. very bad.