Don Young - Southern Californias Anaheim, Long Beach, Catalina Island, Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, San Juan Capistrano

To travel south along the coast from Greater Los Angeles is a totally different experience than the travel north from there.
Certainly, the coastline is beautiful in both directions, but where the northern reaches are given to older, more self-contained communities, rapidly giving way to a totally rural environment, the southern coast is a mecca for yuppies. This is where the large shopping malls can be found, the nouvelle cuisine, the jam-packed yacht harbors, the trendy art colonies, the all-glass churches, the manicured golf courses.

From Los Angeles to San Diego, very little open space remains, save for the state beaches, the wildlife sanctuaries, and the enormous Marine Corps base (Camp Pendleton) that commands the waterfront from San Juan Capistrano to Oceanside.

This, perhaps, is the stereotypical southern California, a place where young men and women wear a perpetual tan, where surfboards and swim fins are two of the most common household appliances, and where every day affords the opportunity for new adventures.

Just south of L.A., Highway 1 (often called the Pacific Coast Highway) continues to dominate the coast from Long Beach to San Clemente, while I-5 gradually works its way toward the sea from Santa Ana. But once the interstate reaches the beach, it becomes the "Main Street" for this part of California.

Like capillaries leading to a major artery, side streets link the many little seaside communities to the interstate and hence to the outside world.

Rail transportation is making something of a resurgence here. San Clemente, for example, can now be reached from Fullerton, Anaheim and Santa Ana to the north; and from San Diego and Oceanside to the south by way of Amtrak. The MetroLink Beach Train connects San Clemente Pier with Rialto, San Bernardino, Riverside, La Sierra, West Corona and San Juan Capistrano, providing seven arrivals and departures daily. MetroLink is the only suburbanto-suburban rail service remaining in the United States.

Those who would rather have someone else do the driving will have no difficulty arranging a tour with one of the local companies.

Odyssey Tours International, 800/304-1001, use mini-buses for more intimate trips.Pacific Coast Sightseeing Tours/Gray Line, 800/828-6699, provides guided tours throughout Los Angeles, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, San Diego and Tijuana to see such attractions as Sea World, Magic Mountain, Knott's Berry Farm and others. Tour Connection, 714/517-6655 or 800/678-9590, takes tours to such places and events as Tijuana, the Rose Parade and Sea World.

Founded in 1857 by German immigrants, Anaheim was the wine capital of California until the late 19th century. After a blight destroyed the vines in 1885, the farmers turned to growing Valencia oranges. Anaheim is now the second largest city in Orange County.

Today's primary attraction, of course, is Disneyland, a favorite for young and old alike. No trip to Anaheim would be complete without making a pilgrimage to Walt Disney's most endearing achievement.

For more information, contact Anaheim/Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau, 800 W. Katella Ave., PO Box 4270, Anaheim 92802, 714/999-8999 or 635-8900, fax 714/999-8913.

The Indians used brea (tar) for medicinal purposes as well as pitch for waterproofing their boats. The early Spanish and Mexican settlers used it to waterproof their roofs.
Then, in 1898, the first oil well came in. In 1917, Brea became Orange County's eighth city. A few oil pumps can still be seen working in the area.
Concerts are performed in City Hall Park between 6:30 and 7:30 pm each Wednesday evening during July and August.
An "Art in Public Places" program has put more than 100 sculptures throughout town. To take a self-guided tour, ask for a brochure at the Civic Center. Narrated bus tours, 714/990-7735, also can be arranged.
A new 52,000-square-foot Community Center, 714/990-7643, has recently opened. It contains a sports complex (fitness center and gymnasium), banquet facilities, meeting rooms, ballroom and art garden.
A video and a commemorative 75th anniversary book are available by contacting the Historical Society, 714/990-7735.
For more information, contact Brea Chamber of Commerce, Number One Civic Center Circle (Randolph and Birch Sts.), Brea 92621, 714/529-4938, fax 714/529-6103.

Only Disneyland draws more visitors than the cluster of attractions lining Beach Boulevard in Buena Park.

Strangely, Knott's Berry Farm, 8039 Beach Blvd., 714/220-5143 or 220-5200, did not start out to become a tourist attraction. In 1920, Walter and Cordelia Knott rented 20 acres on which to open a roadside stand and a chicken restaurant. In 1932, Walter Knott and a neighbor, Rudolph Boysen, crossed the blackberry, red raspberry, and loganberry to produce the first boysenberry. Knott built his first theme park, a Wild West attraction with staged gun fights that he called Ghost Town, to entertain the people who were waiting to be seated in his restaurant. Today, there are five additional theme areas on the premises: Indian Trails; Fiesta Village; Roaring 20s; Wild Water Wilderness; and Camp Snoopy, designed especially for kids.

Knott's latest addition is The Boardwalk, a tribute to the California beaches. The attraction includes the Windjammer roller coaster (the park's fourth).
Not far from Knott's is a full-size reproduction of Independence Hall, 8039 Beach Blvd., 714/827-1776, built by the Knotts.

Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum, 7850 Beach Blvd., 714/522-7045, opened in 1990. Robert L. Ripley, cartoonist and creator of the concept, was born in California. The 100,000-square-foot "odditorium" contains interesting, humorous and bizarre exhibits from around the world.

Movieland Wax Museum, 7711 Beach Blvd., 714/522-1154, contains more than 300 figures of movie and TV stars shown in realistic settings.
Discount coupons for most of these attractions are readily available.

The International Printing Museum, 8469 Kass Dr., 714/523-2070 or 523-2080, is somewhat unusual in that it is not on Beach Blvd. It can be reached from either Highway 91 or I-5, by taking the Magnolia exit and going north to Orangethorpe, then turning left and going a half-mile to Kass Ave. (the first street on the left after you go across the I-5 overpass). Make a sharp left on Kass and you are at the 25,000-square-foot museum, the second-largest of its type in the world. In addition to its exhibits of printing equipment dating from the 15th century, the museum contains the 85-seat Victorian-style Heritage Theatre, which presents actors imitating historic figures Mark Twain, Benjamin Franklin, Johannes Gutenberg, William Randolph Hearst, Jimmy Walker, Eleanor Roosevelt explaining the influence that printing had on their lives. The performances are given each Saturday at 7:30 pm.

For additional information, contact the Buena Park Convention & Visitors Office, 6280 Manchester Blvd., Suite 103, Buena Park 90621, 714/562-3560 or 800/541-3953, fax 714/562-3569; or the Buena Park Chamber of Commerce, 6280 Manchester Blvd., #102, Buena Park 90621, 714/521-0261 or 800/541-3953.

Fullerton Municipal Airport, Dale and Gilbert Sts., once a hog farm, is the oldest (1927) and largest general aviation field in Orange County.