Update!

This summer I vacationed in Pennsylvania to visit family, but we turned it into a long road trip for three weeks going to all the major landmarks. While on this trip we went to three theme/water parks. We went to the Pittsburgh area to visit my grandma, and there we went to Kennywood, which is a seriously amazing amusement park, watched baseball, went on the Monongahela Incline (which is basically a trolley that goes up a hill), and went to a wave pool. After staying in the area for about five days, we went off to Hershey, the land of chocolate. The area is very small and the only reason to go was to go to the world-renowned theme park, Hersheypark. Once we left Hershey, went to Gettysburg, which was actually very entertaining. I'm a lover of history myself, but knowing that a huge battle was fought for our county there was quite exhilirating. From Gettysburg, we went to the Pennsylvania Dutch Country. We originally stayed in Lancaster, but we visited the town of Bird-in-Hand, where there is about a mile long farmers market filled with the tastiest things you can imagine. Vendors also sell dolls, antiques, and such. After this, we were off to Philadelphia to see my cousin, aunt, and uncle whom I hadn't seen in about seven years. We walked everywhere in Philly. And we went everywhere. The National Constitution Center was probably my favorite landmark, but we also visited the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Congress Hall, Betsy Ross's House, the United States Mint, a Benjamin Franklin's Grave. Other places visited were the Reading Terminal Market (best food ever), the famous "LOVE" statue, and Citizens Bank Park, home to the Philadelphia Phillies. In Reading, we saw a baseball game for the AA afiliate of the Phillies, the Reading Fightin' Phils. On the way out of Philadelphia, we visited Valley Forge. Our second to last stop on this trip was the Pocono Mountains, which really aren't mountains at all. We ate at the same restaurant every night except for one, and was very pleasant. Our activities included going to the pool, going kayaking, and going to the community center, which we had unlimited access to the whole time we were there. One day we also went to Camelbeach Mountain Waterpark, which was very enjoyable, but a bit cold. Our trip concluded with driving back to the Pittsburgh area one last time. Despite my brother's begging to go back to Kennywood again, we went to Laurel Hill State Park to enjoy my grandmother's company. The man-made lake was closed for swimming due to cloudy water, but we rented a paddleboat and took it out for about 35 minutes, even though our rental was for an hour (my mom was complaing it was too hard to maneuver). Our last day consisted of going to my dad's childhood church's picnic. We played bingo, jumped in a bounce house, ate food, and played baseball (which I realized I will probably never play again). Expect to see entries on Kennywood, Hersheypark, and Camelbeach Waterpark in the future!

Over the summer, before the big trip, I go to some places that I go all the time during the summer. Those places are the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and Raging Waters Waterpark. Also expect to see entries on these.

Thank you for reading this update on my vacationing staus!

California Adventure Restaurants

     This will be just like my "Disneyland Restaurants" entry, but with the California Adventure Park. I haven't been to that many eateries in California Adventure, but I feel like reviews for the ones I have been to would be great!

Buena Vista Street:
Carthay Circle Restaurant:
This dark, fancy resturant will be perfect for couples and adults. This is part of California Adventure's renovations along with Cars Land opening, so it is either the first or second newest restaurant in the park. The atmosphere is a little too upscale for 12 and under, for at least one of my siblings fell asleep while we were there, and I was 12 at the time, so I was about to. The restaurant is expensive, with adults ranging from $30-$60. The food also takes a while to come. If you want to see World of Color that night, dining packages are available which come with a three course meal and center stage tickets for the show. Adults are $60 and kids are $25. Again the restaurant is great for anybody but families with small kids. Reservations are highly recommended, and I remember waiting after we made a reservation because they over-booked.

 

 

The lighting is pretty bright in this picture, but this is before it opened.

 

 

Carthay Circle Lounge:

This is the place where you will wait to be seated for the Carthay Circle Restaurant. It basically serves appetizers and drinks (alchohol included). As I said above, we waited even when we had a reservation, and we waited for about 40 minutes. We were starving when we got there, so I believe we ordered some nachos for the five of us to split. Of course, the nachos were covered in peppers, olives, and of course, cheese, to make the dish more sophisticated, but we just dug in. You can eat dinner here, but seating is very limited. There is a bar to sit at for adults.

 

 

Sorry for the bad quality picture, but like I said, the lighting isn't great.

 

Pacific Wharf:

Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill:

If you don't pack snacks for lunch, this is probably the most affordable restaurant in the park. It is located in a food court, so you order, wait to get your food, then sit down. The food isn't so amazing that you want to go there every single time, but it fills your stomach. The price is $15 and under per person, so like I said, affordable. There really isn't too much to say about this restaurant, for it's mediocre. The view is of the (beautiful?) man-made lake for Paradise Pier, but overall, the experience is enjoyable.

 

 

This is probably taken at about 6 pm.

 

Thanks for reading my post!

 

Thank you to go.com, disneylandnewstoday.com, sodisney.com, and disneymouselinks.com for pictures and info!