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Condé Nast Traveler picks
 Best of Anaheim
Ever since Walt Disney turned Anaheim's orange groves into a cash crop of another sort in 1955, his mousecentric theme park has lured visitors from around the globe. But there's so much more to California's tenth-largest city, as well as the rest of Orange County, an oceanfront swath of land between Los Angeles and San Diego that is the world's fortieth-largest economy and a crossroads of the hottest trends on the West Coast. Some of the finest resorts in the state have opened recently along the county's 40-mile stretch of beaches, and, while visitors who knew Anaheim before Orange County became "the O.C." might harbor nostalgia for the classic kitschy motels that surrounded the park, in the last several years those motor inns have vanished and major hotels have sprung up to cater to the latest generation of visitors.
Attractions & Activities Of course, Disneyland, is the original reason travelers started flocking here. Traces of what visitors saw in the early years remain—you can still take a spin on Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride or It’s a Small World—but the mouse’s Imagineers do their best to keep things fresh. The big news of late was the relaunching of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, which now includes a Johnny Depp/Captain Jack Sparrow look-alike, an automated tie-in to the wildly successful movie series. California Adventure, the five-year-old addition to the Disney empire, got off to a slow start and is still much less crowded than the original park. But several popular new thrill rides—like the Tower of Terror free-fall—are drawing adrenaline junkies for whom the park’s California Screamin’ roller coaster and the Grizzly River Run white-water rapids just aren’t enough. For those seeking less of a rush, though, perhaps the nicest surprise is to discover that you can order a very un-Disney-like microbrew at various kiosks or a bit of vino in the Golden Vine Winery (1313 S. Harbor Blvd.; 714-781-3463; entrées, $23-$84). At 300,000 square feet, the new Downtown Disney District is a shopping, dining, and movie complex so vast you could spend a whole day there (1515 S. Disneyland Dr.; 714-300-3776). For those who just can't miss the big game while on the road, the ESPNZone sports restaurant is the first establishment you encounter upon entering Downtown Disney (714-300-3776; entrées, $10-$28). A short walk farther inside, the House of Blues hosts a wide array of talent—you might catch Wayne Newton one night, George Clinton of Parliament/Funkadelic another. You can also take in a Sunday Gospel Brunch or brave a karaoke session in its Voodoo Lounge (714-778-2583). Four years ago, Broadway's Nederlander group arrived a mile outside the Disney sphere of influence and began operating the Grove of Anaheim, a midsized arena hosting acts from Pat Benatar to the Gypsy Kings (714-712-2700; thegroveofanaheim.com). Visitors looking for more sophisticated diversions can commute 15 minutes down the Santa Ana Freeway to Costa Mesa, where the 20-year-old Orange County Performing Arts Center recently unveiled a new Cesar Pelli-designed auditorium and theater (714-556-2787; ocpac.org). A few miles north of the Disney area, several destinations provide respite from the crowds and traffic. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Fullerton's Muckenthaler Cultural Center, known for its photography and painting exhibitions, has recently opened a jazz institute and hosts occasional musical performances (714-738-6595; muckenthaler.org). For a touch of SoCal's unique and vanishing native vegetation—chaparral to redwoods—stroll the 26-acre Fullerton Arboretum, on the campus of Cal State Fullerton, where a restored Victorian home serves as a small museum devoted to the Golden State's agricultural past (714-278-3579; arboretum.fullerton.edu). Political junkies will want to make the short drive northeast of Anaheim and Fullerton to a theme park of another sort, the Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace, which, along with exhibits on the less controversial aspects of the life and times of the thirty-seventh president, has nine acres of gardens (714-993-5075; nixonlibrary.org). South of Anaheim are posh coastal towns that front some of the area's best beaches—from Newport Beach, with its yacht-filled marinas, to Laguna Beach, a former artists colony that still has a faint bohemian vibe, to Dana Point and its bluffs covered with golf courses. All are within reasonable driving distance of Anaheim, but traffic can be heavy and travel times unpredictable. Lodging Four Orange County hotels make appearances on Condé Nast Traveler's 2006 Gold List. Both the St. Regis Resort Monarch Beach in Dana Point and the Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel overlook the Pacific, and duffers will head straight to their oceanfront golf courses. The Montage Resort & Spa sits on a bluff in Laguna Beach. Newport Beach’s Island Hotel is inland, behind the ecologically protected Newport Bay wetlands area, but with its 20-story tower it has views of Balboa Island and beyond. Anaheim's finest, most popular, and priciest accommodation is the five-year-old Grand Californian Hotel, whose refined Arts and Crafts finishes contrast with its rugged national park landscaping. The centerpiece of Downtown Disney, it also has a convenient entrance to California Adventure. A block from the park, and currently undergoing renovation, the Anaheim Marriott is one of several long-established hotels next to the Anaheim Convention Center. The Hilton Anaheim has a dark-glass exterior and a vast, white-columned interior that have an Eastern bloc flavor, but it's a mainstay of local lodging. Among the handful of brand-new properties in Anaheim, the Doubletree Guest Suites Hotel is more upscale than most, with duvets between triple sheeting, jumbo pillows, and ergonomic chairs in the desk area. A preexisting 14-story tower that just underwent a $32 million renovation has reopened as the Sheraton Park, with flat-screen TVs, other in-room high-tech amenities, and two restaurants. With an airy, glass-enclosed lobby that rises the height of the main tower, the Hyatt Regency Orange County is the premier hotel among a cluster that have sprung up recently on Harbor Boulevard, a mile or so south of Disneyland. Dining Napa Rose is the Grand Californian's headline restaurant, where chef Andrew Sutton turns out seafood and meat dishes—such as honey mustard-glazed Pacific king salmon and Colorado lamb with sun-dried tomato tapenade—to complement vintages from a wine cellar as big as the Matterhorn ride (714-781-3463; entrées, $28-$37). Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen, in Downtown Disney, may be faux New Orleans, but the nightly live music is the genuine article. The packed downstairs Flambeaux room crowd dines on jambalaya and seafood ravioli while tapping their feet to jazz combos; the upstairs balcony is less raucous and provides a view of the nightly summertime fireworks (714-776-5200; entrées, $16-$30). Catal Restaurant and Uva Bar, a few doors away, largely serves Mediterranean fare (risottos, pastas, paella, and Moroccan braised lamb), which you can learn to cook in a Saturday-morning class (714-774-4442; entrées, $19-$30). Local critics and concierges consider the 20-year-old Anaheim White House the city's finest restaurant. Housed in an early-twentieth-century residence at the edge of a strip mall, it serves oddly named dishes like Coco Chanel Pacific Ahi, Prada Rack of Lamb, and Vuitton Costata steak. No matter the location or inspiration, presidents (Carter, Bush père) and entertainment royalty (Danny De Vito, Madonna) have come for the Mediterranean cuisine (887 S. Anaheim Blvd.; 714-772-1381; entrées, $23-$37). A big sports town, Anaheim has a number of new sports-themed food-and-drink establishments. Across from the Mighty Ducks Arrowhead Pond arena, JT Schmid's is a brewhouse whose sudsy treasure is showcased in vats in the rear. The pre- and post-game fare leans heavily toward steak and burgers, and the patio is a pleasant spot for a cool evening of quaffing (2610 E. Katella Ave.; 714-634-9200; entrées, $9-$37). Across from Angel Stadium, a more refined crowd heads to The Catch (the name alludes to both the sports theme and the seafood) for Hawaiian ono, a tequila-infused "drunken mahi mahi," and the game du jour broadcast in the front bar (1929 S. State College Blvd.; 714-935-0101; entrées, $15-$37). Truth in Travel is the guiding principle for all content published in Condé Nast Traveler. Other travel publications often accept free travel and accommodations. Condé Nast Traveler does not. It is independent of the travel industry. The magazine always pays its way, and, as far as possible, its correspondents travel anonymously. By doing so, they experience the world—both the good and the bad—as other travelers do, and their reports and recommendations are fair, impartial, and authoritative.
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