Los Angeles & Southern California - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [204]
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DETOUR: GLEN IVY HOT SPRINGS
Nicknamed ‘Club Mud’ for its popular red clay mud pool, this lovely day spa ( 888-258-2683; www.glenivy.com; 25000 Glen Ivy Rd; admission Mon-Thu $35, Fri-Sun & holidays $48; 9:30am-6pm Apr-Oct, 9:30am-5pm Nov-Mar) has 19 pools and spas filled with naturally heated mineral water, surrounded by 5 acres of landscaped grounds profuse with bougainvillea, eucalyptus and palm trees.
The spa is technically in Corona, just east of Orange County in Riverside County. To get there, exit I-15 at Temescal Canyon Rd, turn right and drive 1 mile to Glen Ivy Rd, then right again and go straight to the end. If traffic isn’t too bad, it’s about a 45-minute drive between the spa and Old Towne Orange. You can wallow in the water, lounge in the saunas or steam rooms, take an aqua aerobics class, treat yourself to a massage (for an extra fee) or swim laps in a larger swimming pool. Minimum age for entry is 16. It gets pretty busy in summer, so arrive early for a chair.
For lunch, try a heaping salad at the spa’s Café Sole, or head back toward the freeway to stock up on produce at Tom’s Market ( 951-277-4422, 888-444-1516; 23900 Temescal Canyon Rd, Corona) or try a cheap, tasty taco at Senor Tom’s ( 951-277-1002).
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BOWERS MUSEUM OF CULTURAL ART
Gliding under the radar like a stealth bomber, the small, generally unknown Bowers Museum ( 714-567-3600; www.bowers.org; 2002 N Main St; all exhibits adult/student & senior $17/12, prices may fluctuate depending on special exhibit; 11am-4pm Tue-Sun) explodes onto the scene every year or two with a remarkable special exhibit that reminds LA-centric museum-goers that the Bowers is a power player on the local and national scenes. At the time of writing, China’s famed Terra Cotta Warriors were due to make their American debut from May 18 to October 12, 2008. The permanent exhibit is impressive too, with a rich collection of pre-Columbian, African, Oceanic and Native American art.
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DISCOVERY SCIENCE CENTER
Heading south on the I-5, follow the giant 10-story cube – balanced on one of its points – to the doors of the hottest kiddie attraction in town, the Discovery Science Center ( 714-542-2823; www.discoverycube.org; 2500 N Main St; adult/child $13/10; 10am-6pm). More than 100 interactive displays await in exhibit areas named Dynamic Earth, The Body, Dino Quest and more. Step into the eye of a hurricane – your hair will get mussed – or grab a seat in the Shake Shack for a 6.9 quake. Warning: parents may be tempted to nudge their kids aside for a turn at many of the displays.
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CRYSTAL CATHEDRAL
You needn’t be an ‘Hour of Power’ fan to appreciate the architecture of the Crystal Cathedral ( 714-971-4000; www.crystalcathedral.org; 12141 Lewis St) in Garden Grove, about 2 miles southeast of Disneyland. The awe-inspiring cathedral is built in the shape of a four-pointed star and boasts 10,661 windows, seating for 3000 and a 16,000-pipe organ. Designed by the late Cleveland-born Philip Johnson, International Style architect turned postmodernist, the church anchors a vast campus of gardens, reflecting pools, fountains and sculpture. Explore on your own or take a free 30- to 45-minute tour (offered regularly from 9am to 3:30pm Monday to Saturday).
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ORANGE
pop 127,000
The city of Orange, southeast of Disneyland, is home to the mega-sized mall Block at Orange ( 714-769-4000; www.theblockatorange.com; 20 City Blvd West), where you’ll find all the latest OC chain-store fashion, plus restaurants, movie theaters and a skateboarding park. But there’s more charm in the town’s historic center, called Old Towne Orange. It was originally laid out