L.A. County Fair: I'm giving you another chance

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Okay, last week I tried the L.A. county fair for the first time in many years. I will admit that I screwed up, for the most part—no sunblock, no hat, didn’t map out a path back to my car. It was hotter than I had expected it to be. I had a free admission pass but had to pay for parking and ended up in a poorly marked lot with hundreds of other cars. I should have left myself a bread crumb trail or something.

Into the fair I went, found out that everything you want to play or ride in the carnival area costs far more than it should. Actually, almost everything at the fair costs more than it ought to, except for a bottle of water. They want four bucks just for an ice cream.

I managed to win two rather large stuffed animals which I must admit are quite nice. That doesn’t mean I won’t try to sell them.

I made the mistake of riding something that goes backwards, way too fast, and the music is deafening. I squeezed my eyes shut and temporarily rendered myself blind by the end of the ride.

I went on some truly lame haunted house ride–it was so hot inside that it felt more like a hell house–and somehow one of my stuffed jobbies got yanked out. I had to send the ride operator back inside to retrieve it for me. Good thing nobody was waiting for the ride. Something in there almost knocked my sunglasses off the top of my head as well. My bad for not having put them away first.

After a couple of hours or so, I was so hot and miserable that I decided to call it a day. I made the death march back out to the parking lot and could not find my car. Had it been cooler, I would have kept going and would have found it, but could not go on. I was already beet-red and sweating off pounds, which is not altogether a bad thing. I went to the AAA guy, who sent me to the guy who directs parking, who radioed another guy to come and drive me around in his truck till we found my car. Air conditioning and a cool shower at home never felt so good.

Yesterday, a friend who works at the fair offered me a free admission, free parking, and advice on parking in a different lot and taking the tram to the entrance. Now I will get a chance to see the exhibits, marketplaces, contests, animals, pavilions, etc. I might even see the Body exhibit if I feel like forking over a few more bucks.

Fair, I will do better this time. I hope you do, too.

2

Put $2 to win on the 70-1 shot in the 2nd race when you get there.

It was really cool to take my date (the 3rd one with my future wife) out to that hillside restaurant for a very nice dinner after we left.

3

Have dinner at the Toad in the Hole, if it is still there.

4

I looove to go to the fair- I find it to be tons o’ fun. You are correct in that you must be prepared, however, with SPF, water, and lots and lots of money. But did you go by yourself?? I don’t see how that would be fun. Take kids, lots more fun.

5

Pomona Valley Mining Company?

Man, I spent too many happy hours there.

6

The key to parking at the fair is to not be cheap about it. Enter Gate 3 and valet your car at the Sheraton. That puts you into the fairgrounds right behind Building 5. Air conditioning until you hit all the food stands, then shoot left past the racetrack to the midway, or bear right into the animal exhibits. Feel good about yourself - everybody around you is a fat schlub.

7

Frog left!

8

I will never understand why they tore down the old Fun Zone entrance to the midway. It was located right before the carousel. That was some awesome neon that really set the tone for what you hoped to find inside.

9

That’s the place…but it might have still been Castaways back in 1983…place has been there since I remember as a kid.

10

Yeah, it was Castaways a long time ago, though I know it changed to Mining Club before 1983. I worked about ten minutes from there, and we hit that place at least once a week.

11

They chopped off part of the park this year. The old building compound where Toad in the Hole was is gone. The buildings were probably to old to be serviceable, but a major part of the “Old Fair” atmosphere is missing. They brought the main Midway up in front of the Race Track and lopped off the section where the Midway was to re-configure the parking. It was a real mess, but we had my mom with her handicapped parking sign.

I’ve been to the fair almost every year for the past 30 years, and I always love it. But it was real different this year. Or maybe they changed it last year. I missed last year.

12

My friends couldn’t go and I don’t have kids around, so yes, I was solo.

It was better last night. Cold, but that feels good to me. I rode the two bigger Ferris wheels and the sky tram, won another prize, had a brat and lemonade, went to the petting zoo, got some Mackinac fudge, saw as much as I could and must have walked about ten miles–or it felt that way.

**Check this out: I had the free parking and free admission, and then, when I was waiting to buy a ticket for the body exhibit, a woman came up to me and gave me a ticket! Another freebie. She saved me eight dollars. :smiley:
I must point out the supreme irony of the Body exhibit, which focuses on health, being located directly across from Totally Fried (Klondikes, frog legs, Twinkies, etc.).

I did not see anything called Toad in the Hole either.