Anaheim conference: June 2012

I am not a Disney fan.  It's probably fair to say I am a Disney non-fan, as opposed to being merely Disney-neutral.  I'll spare you the details of my non-fan-itude, but, given my aversion, you will understand that I'm not overly fond of conferencing in Anaheim, where Disney is about all there is.  The southern California weather was lovely, indeed, but simple things like finding a restaurant other than chains or those in hotels or those connected with Disney was nearly impossible unless you had a car.  When the creeping crud took hold and I needed to find a real drugstore (as opposed to the scant assortment in hotel gift shops or gas station mini-marts), none was accessible within walking distance.   But I made it through and, on my return, stayed home sick for almost the rest of the week. All in all, this was NOT an enjoyable conference experience.

But a few sights were worth sharing, like the courtyard outside the convention center.

Giant alliums with blue and white blossoms were scattered throughout the convention center area.  Some are visible here.

My colleague, Tom, did have a rental car and took me on a drugstore run.  What a surprise to spot this stand on our way!  At first glance, it looked just like a Rita's Water Ice stand.  

On the way back to the hotel, after I stocked up on OTC drugs, we stopped.  My throat was so sore, it hurt to swallow anything, so it seemed that a cool treat would be medicinal.   They had black raspberry water ice that was unbelievably good -- even with my impaired taste buds -- and thoroughly soothed my painful throat!   Imagine our surprise when we read this:

Yep.  "Soft serve real ice cream shipped from Pennsylvania." 

Sunday evening, our last night, Tom drove us all to Huntington Beach to sit by the Pacific and bask in the calm.  The sun was beginning to set, and the breeze was quite chilly, so our stay wasn't long, but it was a lovely break.

The road back took us through an area known as "Little Saigon" with Vietnamese everything all around, including, of course, restaurants.   We stopped at "Pho 54" and three of us had dinner for less than $25.

Staying in Anaheim for 4 days and managing to miss everything Disney related = success! 

After missing almost the whole rest of the week at work because of the crud, I believe I have finally turned a corner!   Glad to be home to recuperate in my bed, in my house, with my cats.