Anaheim Resort District Dining 2016

I got a little obsessed hunting for local food options in the Anaheim Resort District (where the Disney Theme Parks and Anaheim Convention Center are located) ahead of Star Wars Celebration last year.

I talked to frequent Disneyland-goers about their favorite spots, exchanged emails with the Anaheim Convention Center and their concessions-provider Aramark, and even tried sorting through online business license records.

Once I was in Anaheim, I walked into restaurants I hadn’t been able to find information for to ask questions and pick up take-out menus.

In the end, I had this list of restaurants that are some combination of unique to the area, highly recommended, and/or offering something local, as well as being walking-distance from the Disney Parks and Anaheim Convention Center – without requiring admission.

So here it is, updated with current information and grouped geographically. I marked up a map to help you visualize it all.

1. Downtown Disney and Disneyland Resort Hotels

Located between – but outside of – the Parks, Downtown Disney includes shopping, restaurants, and live music.

While this is not the place to find indie eateries, there are plenty of unique spots that are true to their location in Mickey’s backyard. (I mean, it’s not like every city has an Enchanted Tiki Bar.)

Catal Restaurant – frequently recommended as one of the best restaurants in Downtown Disney.
Earl of Sandwich – for a quick bite.
Napa Rose Lounge (at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa) – for seasonal small plates. Full dinner menu available in the main Napa Rose dining room (reservations recommended).
Tangaroa Terrace (at Disneyland Hotel)
Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar (at Disneyland Hotel) – for drinks.

Find character dining, menus, accessibility, hours, etc. on Disneyland Resort’s site.

2. East of Disney

We walked by a lot of the places listed below en route from our hotel to the convention last year. We tried a few and liked breakfast at Chambers (and were guests of Hotel Indigo Anaheim), lunch at Tanor, late-night take-out from Sabrosada/Alertos.

We ran out of time to try the Pizza Press while we were in Anaheim, but the Pasadena location hosted us for lunch on our more recent trip. Summary of the upcoming review: it was super good!

Pizza Press build-your-own-pizza concept (similar to Fired Pie here in Phoenix). They’ve expanded to 6 Southern California locations.
Chambers Bar & Bistro at Hotel Indigo Anaheim – breakfast, sandwiches, flatbread, local produce, and seasonal desserts. While it appears the chilaquiles are off the menu (sad trombone), we also enjoyed their breakfast burritos.
Gandhi Palace – Indian restaurant recommended by Whitney Drake on last year’s BlogHer post.

Anaheim Resort Centre

In another post, I called this “Anaheim’s Local Food Corner,” because one unimpressive-looking strip mall contained 5 different non-chain restaurants.

California Pizza Place (menu) – narrow dining room with walls crammed with retro paraphernalia serving pizza, burgers, and pancakes. Delivery is also available.
Tanor Mediterranean Grill (menu) – Mediterranean/Persian food with delicious chicken shawarma.
Star Burger (menu) – fusion of burgers, kimchi, and bulkogi (Korean-style grilled beef).
Sabrosada (menu) – formerly known as Alertos Mexican Food, family-owned taqueria with five Southern California locations. We liked the al pastor and pollo asado mini tacos.
Panda Kitchen (menu) – American Chinese food. You can call ahead to pick up your order or dine in.

Anaheim GardenWalk

This is a bigger, newer shopping center populated mostly by chains, including the Cheesecake Factory that the German Big Bang Theory fans we met last year were so excited to visit.

Kip Barry’s Cabaret – Cafe, magic gift shop, and performance venue. Formerly Houdini’s Hideaway.
House of Blues – Restaurant and music venue, opening at the GardenWalk this fall. (Moving from their previous location at Downtown Disney, which has already closed.)

3. Anaheim Convention Center

The Anaheim Convention Center is across the street from the Disneyland Resort. I was pleasantly surprised to learn they are serious about sourcing local and sustainable food and beverages. If you’re attending a conference or convention there, you can check out ecoGrounds / Java City Fair Trade coffee in the lobby. They may also have the Hearst Ranch Grill open with all-beef hamburgers from the Convention Center’s own herd of free-range, grass-fed cattle.

If you don’t have an event badge or just want to get out of the crowded Convention Center halls for a minute, here’s what’s right next door:

Anaheim Marriott on southwest side of Convention Center has a bar/restaurant called nFuse that serves local craft beers and seasonal microbrews. There is also a nice lobby with lots of seating. I believe there is also wifi and outlets. (Otherwise, there’s also a large Starbucks off the lobby. They handled the extra long line like it was child’s play.)
Hilton Anaheim on west side of Convention Center. In the food court…
- Just Grillin’ Express – Burgers, salads, and fries (spicy or not) made from ingredients delivered daily. Based in Alhambra, California.
- Submarina – a Southern California based sub sandwich chain.

– More info –

Disneyland Restaurants Guide (Disney Food Blog) – information on restaurants throughout the Disneyland Resort, including inside the Parks.
Disneyland Resort Beer List (Beers and Ears)

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A big thanks to Sarah Woloski of the Skywalking through Neverland podcast, Genevieve Eldred, Paul Barrie of the Window to the Magic podcast, and Whitney Drake for sharing their favorite spots!

The map is a screenshot from Apple Maps I modified in Skitch. Other photos by Phillip and me.

July 25, 2016July 25, 2016

Phoenix to Pasadena

Since I couldn’t take all of you to Pasadena with me, here’s the one-minute version of the drive.

You can see us travel from the Phoenix freeways, through the desert, over the state line/Colorado River, past the Cabazon Dinosaurs, and finally make it to the (much cooler!) Los Angeles County and City of Pasadena.

I put it together from the Snapchat photos and videos we took along the way. I snapped most of them from the passenger seat. When I took over driving for awhile, Phillip learned how to use the app and took on the videographer role.

Oh, in case you’re wondering, I’m travelcraftjrnl on Snapchat. Also, I have a couple other new videos in the pipeline, so feel free to subscribe to my YouTube channel to make sure you don’t miss those.

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July 18, 2016July 25, 2016

Garden Sculptures at Norton Simon

One of the things that really struck me as I was wandering through the Sculpture Garden at the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, California was the interplay between the sculptures themselves and the natural elements surrounding them. Smooth tree trunks, twisted branches, round lily pads, and even afternoon sunbeams beautifully echo (or are echoed in) the artwork.

There are more sculptures on the lawn in front of the museum, as well as inside. Many of those are also framed by trees and illuminated by sunlight.

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We received complimentary press passes to Norton Simon Museum via Pasadena Convention & Visitors Bureau.
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July 14, 2016August 11, 2016

Happenings List: July 2016+

This is our monthly curated roundup of maker/artist/explorer events!

Angle brackets (>>) point to related info on our site.

U.S.

National Park Service Centennial

Aug 25. There are programs throughout the United States to celebrate the Park Service’s 100th birthday.

Now – 2017. Art Quilt Tour: 13 art quilts created in celebration the National Park Service Centennial are touring the National Parks they depict now through 2017.
Read on to find out about celebrations in Arizona, Hawaii, and Massachusetts!

+Arizona

Tucson Movies in the Park

Jul 22, Aug 5, Aug 19 at Reid Park, Demeester Performing Arts Pavilion, Tucson. Free admission.
>>Ongoing Phoenix-area movie events.

Sewing Classes with Oxford Dogma

Aug 3, 6pm. Sew a Waxed Canvas Shave Kit at TechShop Chandler.

CraftHack

2nd Mondays, 6pm at Gangplank Chandler. Free monthly meet-up of artists and crafters. Learn something new or bring your own project to work on!

Aug 8: Craft Swap!
Sep 12: Project TBD

Hilton Indoor Fine Art Festival

Jul 16, 10am-6pm at Hilton Tucson El Conquistador Golf & Tennis Resort.
Juried fine arts festival with artisan displays from around the region and live strolling acoustic violin, jazz and bluegrass performances.

National Park Service Parks in the Pines Birthday Bash

Aug 20, 10am-5pm at Flagstaff City Hall Parking Lot. Celebrate the National Park Service’s centennial with a free park fair, photo booths, and cake.

Maurice Sendak art exhibit

Now – Jul 17 at Burton Barr Central Library. 50 original pencil drawings and other early images from Where the Wild Things Are author and illustrator Maurice Sendak.

Blended Conference

Sep 15-16 at Windmill Winery, Florence. Blogging conference with workshops, speakers, and networking.

>>Our visit to Windmill Winery.

+California

Pasadena Summer Concert Series

Now – Sep 25 at Levitt Pavilion band shell in Memorial Park, Pasadena. Free concerts featuring both emerging and established musicians of many genres.

Thursday through Sunday evenings.
Thursdays are children’s nights.
Festival opens two hours before music starts.
You can picnic on the lawn.

Balboa Park San Diego Summer Events

Now – August 29, Mondays, 7:30pm at Spreckels Organ: 2016 International Summer Organ Festival. Free outdoor concert series.
Now – Sep 2, Fridays: Balboa Park After Dark. Extended musuem hours, food trucks, and entertainment.
Now – Sep 5, 3:30pm at San Diego Zoo: Nighttime Zoo. Artisan demonstrations, movies, live music and other performances to celebrate the San Diego Zoo’s centennial.
Now – March 3, Sundays, 2pm at Spreckels Organ: Sunday Organ Concerts. Free weekly concerts at one of the world’s largest outdoor pipe organs.

Citrus Historic State Park

Most Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 10:30am, 12:00pm, and 2:00pm. Tour and Tastes: Learn about citrus trees, sample fruit, and pick some of your own.
Jul 16, 9am. Groves on Wheels: Wheelchair and stroller accessible guided tour through the Park’s citrus groves.

>>Our visit to Citrus Historic State Park.

dineLA Restaurant Week

Jul 18-31. Fixed-price menu at restaurants throughout Los Angeles.

#BlogHer16: Experts Among Us

Aug 4 – 6 at JW Marriott LA Live, Los Angeles. BlogHer annual conference.

Aug 6, 10:30am. Mobile-Readiness Blog Review Geek Lab: I’ll be leading this interactive small group session. (See online schedule.)

The Junk Show

Aug 14, 8pm at Copper Still, Los Angeles. A monthly comedy-focused variety show at the bar inside Jaraguá Salvadoran restaurant.

+Colorado

Animalia exhibition

Now – August 21 at Loveland Museum/Gallery, Loveland. Art with animals as the subject, which explores their complex relationship with humans.

“The Rat Race” sculpture (and photo) above by Ken Newman will be included in the exhibit.

+Hawaii

Volcano Art Center

“Where people, art, and nature meet.” Educational center and fine arts gallery with handcrafted work by over 300 local artists, as well as a performance series and rain forest tours in Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park.

Jul 15 – Aug 7. “Quilts in the Forest, Quilts in the Park” at Niaulani campus: Volcano Art Center’s first annual quilt show, in celebration of the 100th birthday of both Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and the National Park Service.
Mondays at 9:30am. Weekly Forest Tours at Niaulani campus: Free, one-hour guided tour to learn about Niaulani rain forest and other rare native Hawaiian rain forests.
Photo above by volcano art center on Flickr.

Return of ‘Alalā: Restoring The Voice Of Hawaii’s Native Forests

Sep 3 – Oct 9 at Volcano Art Center, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park campus. Juried exhibition of multimedia artwork featuring depictions of the Alalā, Hawaii’s native crow, in anticipation of its reintroduction into the wild this September.

+Indiana

Outdoor Concerts in Indianapolis

There’s a great round-up of free summer concerts on the Visit Indy blog.

Now – Aug 3. Summer Under The Sails at The Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, Wednesday evenings and midday Thursdays.
Now – Dec 16. Fountain Square 3rd Friday Music Series at New Day Craft monthly.

>>Our visit to Fountain Square.

+Massachusetts

Bring the Park to the People!

Aug 20, 1-4pm at Eagle Park, Lowell. Interactive pop-up museums with crafts and informational materials, neighborhood tours, and a community weaving project in celebration of the National Park Service’s 100th birthday.

+New York

Point of Vision: Celebrating Women Artists in Fantasy and Science Fiction

Now – Aug 20 at Museum of Illustration at the Society of Illustrators, New York.

The Great Food Truck Derby

Aug 19, 4pm at Hayground School, Bridgehampton. At least 15 New York City and Long Island food trucks serve food and drink during the Community farmers market. Event benefits Hayground schoolyard projects providing culinary arts training for local kids. (Graphic via Edible East End.)

+Virginia

Virginia Craft Brewers Fest

Aug 20 at Devils Backbone Basecamp Brewpub & Meadows. Celebration of Virginia’s craft beer industry.

>>Over 60 participating breweries, including South Street, which we visited in Charlottesville.

+Washington

Graphic Masters: Dürer, Rembrandt, Hogarth, Goya, Picasso, R. Crumb

Now – Aug 28 at Seattle Art Musuem. Exploration of how six historical artists used prints and drawings to express personal sentiments.

Shoe Camp with Jason Hovatter

Jul 21-24 at White Salmon Studio, White Salmon. Intensive 4-day shoe-making workshop. Finished shoes will be custom built to a casting of your foot and based on a classic 10th century Northern European design.

+Washington DC

Objects Out of Storage

In conjunction with the ongoing Patrick F. Taylor Foundation Object Project, the Objects Out of Storage program temporarily displays related objects with talks from experts at National Museum of American History about once a month.

Aug 3, 12pm. Fort Collins

INTERNATIONAL

+UK

Star Wars Celebration

July 15 – 17 at London Excel Centre, London. Star Wars fan convention.
>>Things we saw at last year’s Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim.

WORDfest on Beckenham Green

July 16, 12pm at Beckenham Green, Bromley. Free community festival of all things book-related – crafts, workshops, bands, groups, poets!

July 7, 2016July 7, 2016

5 Telltale Signs You Went to Phoenix Comicon 2016

Did you or someone you know go to Phoenix Comicon 2016?

You may notice some or all of these symptoms:

1. Persistent laughter over PUGS-related incidents. Chuckling resulting from things said during the Phoenix Ultimate Geek Smackdown may continue for days.

This is a tournament of geeks to see who can most passionately debate absurd topics like “Ant-Man vs. Aunt Mae: Who was the better A(u)nt?” As bizarre as the questions were, this year’s contestants took some even more bizarre – and hilarious – approaches to arguing their respective sides.

2. Outbreak of photos of dogs in superhero costumes.

Superdog, Wonder Dog, Batdog, and a four-legged Ewok were among the cosplaying pooches that gathered on the patio of the Herberger Theater ahead of the Comi-PAWn Pet Parade.

3. Thermoqueuephobia – fear of waiting in line in the heat.

About the time it topped 110 degrees on Friday, a “perfect storm” of crowds and computer glitches resulted in a registration line that spilled out onto the sidewalk and stretched about a block-and-a-half. Organizers apologized for the hours-long wait and worked to rectify the situation so lines would be inside the rest of the weekend.

A video posted by stephanieliebold (@stephanieliebold) on Jun 4, 2016 at 7:41pm PDT

4. Claims of spotting Jedi weapons in unusual places, such as on Phoenix streets and in place of a symphony conductor’s baton.

Outside programming included pairs from Syndicate Saber demonstrating their surprisingly elegant lightsaber combat and choreography. This was followed by a lightsaber walk, where anyone with a lightsaber could light it up and march around downtown Phoenix.

While that was going on, Phillip and I were at the Phoenix Symphony’s Star Wars vs. Star Trek performance. The audience could vote via text for which franchise’s music they preferred. To announce the winner, Conductor Tito Muñoz emerged with a red lightsaber, which he began using to conduct the “Imperial March!” (We were not allowed to take photos during the performance, but I found one on Instagram!)

5. Sudden increase in geeky and/or pop culture related skills, such as learning in a matter of days how to make a duct tape prom dress, a music video, and a tabletop game.

Yep, as usual there were a plethora of diverse panels, including…

Huntington Keith’s panel on making costumes from duct tape. In high school, he used duct tape to make a tux and a Kaylee-from-firefly-inspired prom dress.
While the protracted music video’s post-apocalyptic theme may have felt contrived, the cast and crew were able to accomplish a lot on a budget. The song itself, “They Pretend,” is a catchy, reggae/Afro-pop melody by K-Bass & Farafina Musiki, who are worth a listen.
The Making the Game panel, where Father-and-son team Eric and Gavin Torres spoke about their experience in making and distributing their indie board game.

If you missed out, check out Phoenix Fan Fest this October. (Passes are on sale now.)
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We received media passes from Phoenix Comicon and the Phoenix Symphony.