Gay Days Disney Shows the Best of Anaheim

They call it "The Happiest Place on Earth," and when you throw in an estimated 30,000 LGBT visitors for Gay Days, it easily becomes the gayest place on Earth. Although millions visit Anaheim every year for the theme park, many are surprised to discover the wide array of cultural events, dining, shopping and pristine beaches the area boasts.

A sea of red shirts spanned Disneyland on the weekend of Oct. 5-7, as LGBT visitors queued up to ride Space Mountain or to enjoy a Grizzly River ride down the rapids in Critter Country. As is Disney's tradition, the park was decorated to reflect the upcoming holiday, with Halloween d�cor and a wide variety of merchandise from Tim Burton's "The Nightmare Before Christmas."

Gay Days Disney began in 1998 with about 2,500 guests, and large-scale organized protests that have been absent for the past several years. Although the event isn't officially sanctioned by Disney, said Gay Days Anaheim Producer Eddie Shapiro, the park cooperates with organizers with events like a morning "gay cruise" on the Mark Twain Riverboat, a photo op in front of the Sleeping Beauty Castle and special lunch events for gay families, lesbians and bears.

"Although it has evolved beyond just the red shirts, we have to wear them to show that we are the majority this weekend," said Shapiro. "It's also a place for gays to reclaim that childhood comfort and safety. In Disney films, the underdog always triumphs, and that appeals to gays."

At Disney California Adventure, located across from Disneyland, Hollywood was the theme, with many attractions for the kids, including "Cars" Land, and "a bug's land," plus attractions based on "Aladdin," "Monsters, Inc." "The Little Mermaid" and The Muppets.

But there was also plenty for the adults, as well, including a fast-dropping Hollywood Tower Hotel ride, plus a midway-style Pacific Wharf leading to the park's best attraction, California Screamin', the 120-foot steel coaster that is the eighth-longest in the world. Standing in line just moments before workers closed the ride for the evening fireworks display, we found ourselves sandwiched between a group of lively, friendly lesbians from Ohio, and Reichen Lehmkuhl, Logo reality TV star of "The A List: New York."

There was also a wide array of Gay Days events outside the park. A Welcome Center provided free gift bags for attendees, and a Pride Cocktails event provided a meet and greet at the Grand Californian Hotel, a large Alpine lodge-style accommodation at the threshold of Disneyland.

The hotel also sponsored screening of ABC's "Nashville," and Logo's "RuPaul's Drag Race," plus "An Evening With Miss Coco Peru!" On Sunday, Mrs. Carol Brady herself hosted, "An Intimate Conversation with Florence Henderson," to benefit Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS.

At the nearby House of Blues, "The Derek and Romaine Show" from Sirius/XM did a special broadcast before a live audience, and the club hosted Kingdom, a dance party with DJ Kimberly S. and Karmin. Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen welcomed DJ Ray Rhodes and Momma for Wonderland, a dance party benefiting The Trevor Project.

The Anabella Hotel was the place for Gay Days pool parties, with the modestly attended Saturday night Ladies Lounge and Sunday's Plunge! pool party with DJ Zach Moos.

Located within walking distance of Disney, the hotel was a natural fit for Gay Days guests. The clean, spacious rooms featured a king size bed and an additional full size, to accommodate large parties, plus a veranda at the entryway only slightly marred by dripping AC units. Other amenities included hotel bathrobes and slippers, and an in-room safe.

Although it offers a breakfast buffet and other meals, the hotel restaurant Tangerine Grill misses the mark, and guests would do better to order pizza from local mom-and-pop shop Marri's Pizza, or authentic Tex-Mex eatery Taco Mi Pueblo, both located nearby on Katella Ave.

In fact, some of the best experiences during your trip to Disneyland can actually occur once you delve into Orange County's local favorites.

Exploring Orange County's Hidden Bounty

Downtown Anaheim is currently in the midst of a renaissance, including the development of the 100,000-square-foot Anaheim Convention Center. Grab lunch at the Gypsy Den, OC's original alt caf�, featuring healthy salads, a daily panini special and hearty soups.

On Thursdays, a local Farmer's Market flanks the Center Street Promenade, which is lined with twee little shops like the juice bar Healthy Junk, hair cuttery/drinkery Barbeer, card shop Home Eco�nomics and shop store Heart & Sole.

A short walk away in an old Packard dealership on Anaheim Blvd. is Umami Burger, a local chain that offers artisanal hamburgers like the Truffle Burger with house-made truffle cheese and glaze, and the Manly Burger, with beer-cheddar cheese, smoke salt-onion strings and bacon lardons. The d�cor features chandeliers created from 400 sequentially numbered California license plates found while excavating the property.

Through a glass door next door, Greg and Barbara Gerovac man the large silver brewing tanks of the Anaheim Brewery. They are the fourth owners since the brewery first opened in 1870, and as a nod to history, keep the slogan, "One for a nickel, two for a dime/ Get your beer in Anaheim."

Their tasting room offers a delicious selection of Anaheim Gold, Red, Hefeweizen, Stout and Old Pacific IPA, all served on the long wooden bar purchased for the brewery after their partnership with the City of Anaheim.

The Brewery stands next to the new Anaheim Packing District, a former citrus packing house that the city is renovating to be like San Francisco's famed Ferry Building, a high-end shopping district with a "plug and play" kiosk format with an Americana theme. The restoration is well under way, and will be open to the public in Spring 2013. The local Anaheim Resort Transportation system can ferry riders from place to place.

Laguna Beach, An Artisan's Paradise

A short drive away on Laguna Beach's South Coast Highway, master glass blower John Barber has run his Studio Arts Gallery for 27 years. After his sister in Munich introduced him to the 11,000-year-old tradition of blowing glass, he became fascinated by the fact that little has changed in the method since the Iron Age.

Using a 900? oven, Barber puts glass with minerals like radium or solarium for color on the end of his blow tube and into the "glory hole," and with the help of his apprentice, within 10 minutes had created a beautiful piece of glass stemware. Barber admitted he thought it was a shame that few Americans rise to the challenge of creating stemware.

At nearby Laguna Culinary Arts, Executive Director Nancy Milby left her career as a CPA to follow her passion, traveling the world, sampling wines and bringing them back to her gourmet cheese shop and wine cellar. Having just returned from Italy, she poured us a selection of cheese and wines from that region, and explained how Italian sheep's milk cheeses like Parmesan Romano pairs well with a red like Barbera d'Asti, noting that Italians always drink wine with food.

She also noted how white wines like the Grechetto she poured were redolent of the terroir's citrus, limestone and green apple. In the Napa Valley region, the heat causes the sugars to rise and the acids to drop, mandating the addition of sulphur to make it palatable and prevent those white-wine headaches.

Whether you're interested in wine tasting, cooking classes, or just selecting a delicious pairing of wine and local cheeses, Laguna Culinary Arts is a must-see. Thousands flocked there on March 9 for the Laguna Beach Uncorked! -- International Wine & Food Fest.

On Laguna Beach proper, a recent First Thursday Art Walk event had local art galleries opening their doors for flocks of local residents to peruse the artwork. Art lovers moved between galleries enjoying the evening's offerings, and more than a few purchased the artists' wares.

Many more lingered along the picturesque boardwalk to watch the sun set over the Pacific Ocean. At nearby hotel La Casa Del Camino, the Casa Surf Project recently had ten designers from Billabong, Roxy, Quicksilver and other surf wear brands renovating hotel rooms with an oceanic theme.

Upstairs at the Rooftop Lounge, guests enjoyed the last of the sunset, while downstairs in their K'ya Bistro Bar, Executive Chef Craig Connole, Orange County's top chef of 2010, served up tapas-sized portions of lobster mac-n-cheese, saut�ed pesto mushrooms, wild Hawaiian ahi poke, duck leg confit and a savory braised beef short rib.

Shopping And Culture Abounds in Orange County

If your idea of a good time includes serious retail therapy, Orange County offers something in both the high- and low-end ranges. At The Outlets at Orange, you can drop your kids off to skate at Vans Skate Park, while you peruse the outdoor mall's many shops.

It's a great place to get a bite to eat as well, with venues including the Alcatraz Brewing Company, Caf� Tu Tu Tango and the Market Broiler.

"The Outlets at Orange offers the perfect combination of shopping and dining for visitors to our unique area," said General Manager Kristin Elfring. "The variety of quality dining options enhances our popular appeal as OC's only outlet and value retail shopping destination with nearly 120 popular stores and restaurants."

Top shops include Nordstrom Rack, Tommy Hilfiger, Banana Republic Factory Outlet, H&M, PacSun, Hollister, Converse, Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5TH and many more.

And for high-end shopping, there's no better place than South Coast Plaza, where luxury stores sit cheek-by-jowl with each other to create the highest-profit shopping destination in the U.S., with 23 million customers bringing in annual profits of more than $1.5 billion.

"It's the Happiest Shopping Place on Earth," said the affable Werner Escher, executive director of Domestic and International Markets, as he ushered us into the Access VIP Lounge, South Coast's exclusive VIP suite.

A respite for weary but valued customers and celebrity guests, Access offers deep couches, snacks, private restrooms and lounges for men, women and children to recharge their batteries. Escher said that recent guests have included England's royal family, Margaret Thatcher, Kobe Bryant, Steve Martin, Mark Wahlberg and Grace Jones. They also offer a personal shopper, with the first hour complimentary.

"It's not just about a hand in your pocket, it's a respite from the travails of shopping," said Escher. "And shopping and dining go hand in hand, so we want you to take home a memory when you're done."

South Coast Plaza has no food court, so with that, Escher leads us to AnQi Gourmet Bistro & Noodle Bar for lunch. The spacious restaurant is run by a family who escaped from Vietnam to make their fortune in California, and the menu reflects this, with both street-wok style noodle dishes, and tuna tartare tacos, Kobe sliders and specialty drinks like the Lavender mojito.

A glass runway spans the length of the main dining room, and is used for the restaurant's many fashion show events, as the modular wall units allow them to reshape the room to their liking.

After a tasty lunch, we're off to peruse the vivid window displays of stores like Prada, Miu Miu, Gucci, Hermes, Bulgari, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Salvatore Ferragamo, Tiffany & Co., Dior, Mikimoto, La Perla, Valentino and more. Although our budget limited us to the sweater sale at The Gap, other well-heeled shoppers testified to the mall's popularity among the jet set.

And although California is not known for its wealth of pedestrian traffic, just across the bowed Unity Bridge from South Coast Plaza is the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, a large complex of theatres and concert halls that provides top entertainment for locals and visitors alike.

Why go to Broadway, when it can come to you? At Segerstrom, the Broadway Series shows include "Memphis," "The Addams Family," War Horse," Billy Elliot," Sister Act" and more. The Mariinksy Ballet and the Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg has participated in the International Dance Series, and the jazz and cabaret series have featured artists including Pat Methany, Jane Monheit and John Pizzarelli, Lea Salonga, and more.

These artists play at Segerstrom's second location, the Ren�e and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. With a capacity of almost 2,000 seats, adjustable acoustic panels and a variety of smaller cabaret-style rooms inside, the concert hall is popular for a wide variety of shows.

It is also stunning, with beige Portuguese limestone, a serpentine glass fa�ade, a multi-tiered lobby featuring Francesca Bettridge's lighting design "Constellation," and "Connector," a slowly rusting exterior art installation by Richard Serra.

The Leatherby's Caf� Rouge offers formal dining, and the Marketplace Caf� handles concessions for the "performances of such breathtaking artistry and thrilling theatricality," as noted by Center President Terrence W. Dwyer. In the adjacent Arts Plaza, locals gather to watch classic films, projected on the side of the Segerstrom Center.

Between shopping, dining and cultural activities, by the time you return to your hotel, you'll be ready to relax and enjoy a glass of California's famed wine as you watch the sun set over Anaheim, which really might be the happiest place on earth.

For more information, visit www.anahemioc.org

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