New Year’s Eve - Can you spare me a dime, buddy? I am on the ‘net searching for a decent New Year’s Eve party to attend (friends said I need to get out and socialize), so I decided to book a room and really do it right. I know the party towns to some degreee, so decided to see what it would cost me to go have fun and stay all night. Here’s what’s happening and how much it will cost you this year:
Huntington Beach - The Hyatt Regency Resort and Spa is having a smooth jazz concert in their ball room. The tickets are affordable, but the hotel room at the Hyatt is costing around $290, plus tax and parking fee, for a total of around $330. The concert ticket is either $125 (no dinner), or $175 (dinner). I am looking at a minimum $500 (1 person) for this entertainment.
All year long it’s always the same…warm & sunny, mellow and overcast, but rarely reaching 50 degrees or lower at the Southern California beaches! SoCal has gotten warmer over recent years. And to many of us, it’s gotten a little too hot. So when we long for a cool beach day, that wait is a long time coming. But what happens to us spoiled Southern Californians when the weather does take a dip is pitiful by world standards. We don our gay apparel–fur boots, down jackets rated to keep your warm well below freezing, heavy leather gloves or mittens, and woolen caps. We are quite spoiled about the temps, so the cool beaches seem cold. Walking along the Newport Beach pier the other night, I looked down to a rare site. Nobody! It was only 7 p.m. but there was no one around. This beach destination was deserted. Blame it on Christmas, on the economy, or on being a weekday. But I believe it was empty because the temperature was in the lower 50’s. The rains came, and the same people who cried about the cold are buying even heavier clothes and heading for the snowy white mountains we can see from the beach. There’s no explanation for this crazy behavior we Southern Californians exhibit. But one thing’s for sure. The rest of the U.S. thinks we’re pretty darned lucky…and they’re coming this way to enjoy the “cold”. We recommend you bring a coat.
PIRATES DINNER ADVENTURE
Are you celebrating Christmas with gifts this year? The stores are only a fraction of their normal holiday crowdedness, and truthfully, most of our extended family has had a horrible year as entrepreneurs and job seekers. So, we at beachcalifornia.com have said for several years that you might as well give gifts that are practical and fun… if you can afford them, that is.
On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me, a partridge in a pair tree. This year however, my true love will be getting tickets to the Buena Park Pirates Dinner Adventure. Of course one ticket is for me!
Cruise of Lights boat tour of lighted homes in Huntington Beach, Calif.
I have always loved the Christmas season and its traditions. Growing up in the Midwest (Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Wisconsin), I practiced my holiday songs in choir rehearsals at First Presbyterian Church in Liberty, Mo., and an a’cappella group at my high school, where we performed our concerts by candlelight. Now that I’ve been in California most my life, I find that the lack of snow in sunny Southern California doesn’t dampen local spirits during the holidays. Nor does the size of communities that contain millions of people. For instance, I just read that Liberty is thinking of axing the budget for the Historic Jesse James Jail/Museum which in recent years got a whopping 3,000 visitors annually. When I compared it to the 15 million visitors each year in my city here, I was surprised that I have become so accustomed to large numbers (trillions, in fact). And through it all, there is a similar sense of community here that I experienced in small towns as a kid. So in that vein, here are a few notable people I’ve seen in action this week:
Didi Stanton: She volunteers for the Cruise of Lights. The systems analyst by training, is a shining star/volunteer, offering the 45-year young OC Philharmonic modernization with online ticket booking for their annual cruise event.
Raul R. Rodriguez: Raul is on top of the world, or at least gets around it with his successful design business. Winning more Rose Parade float design awards than any other individual, he travels globe with his magic wand, sprinkling beauty on light parades at theme parks, neon signs and entryways at Las Vegas casinos, creating beautiful graphics for fiction books, and inviting others he meets to share in the journey of possibility thinking. Rodriguez drove 35 miles to volunteer as a judge for an event.There’s more to it, but that’s the main gist.
Chris MacDonald: The inveterate volunteer loves his community and spends one day per week helping people in downtown Huntington Beach. It’s only one of his giving deeds, but he really puts himself into each task and is totally absorbed in each project.
Do you have someone special you’re thinking about this season? Don’t buy them a gift in these tough economic times. Just call, take them to lunch, or send them a note and let them know how special they are. It’s the greatest gift of all.
Free concerts at malls feature professional musicians
Many of us are hurting in the bank book this year. In fact, I will not be shopping for gifts. It’s just not in the budget this season. But if you think I’m unhappy or a grinch, the opposite is true. I live like a queen (or king, if you’re a dude), because I know how to enjoy what’s free for the taking. Pictured above is a concert at the Marketplace in Long Beach, Calif., where free concerts are held on weekends during the holidays.Here are some holiday tips to help you SLEEP, EAT & DRINK better:
1. Volunteer for something you like…really like. If it’s a musical, concert or even a boat parade, get out and offer your services for a day or night. While these events often charge a fee for attendance, being a volunteer allows you free admission while helping a cause.
2. Stay cheap at the beach and SLEEP well. In a blog post we did on our hotel reviews blog, I found a room with partial ocean views in mid-December for around $80 in Pismo Beach! It’s mid-week but geez, with a 3 diamond rating, who’s complaining?
3. Go to free events and EAT. On our calendar of events, we’ve discovered and posted over 100 tree lighting ceremonies, many with hot chocolate, cookies and other free things to enjoy. We found free carriage rides with horse drawn carriages in Escondido, free concerts, hayrides, and community sing-alongs.
4. Challenge yourself to save on something that’s a waste. For me, I love to buy a cut Christmas tree. It’s hard to resist the temptation by abstaining from this annual tradition (I love the smell of pines & firs). I am not sure I can give up my passion just yet, but when I DRINK water, I have given up buying individual plastic water bottles. There is more than one benefit to this practice, but it is an example of pro-active consumerism.