Visit New York City: The Donut Pub

Since 1964, the Donut Pub has been a destination for fresh donuts, pastries, and piping hot coffee. As it enter the pub, you are greeted by a wall filled with donuts. It took me a good 10 minutes to narrow down my selection to one donut, since everything looked so good.

The donuts were amazingly fresh, moist, and not greasy at all.

The display case facing the street is hard to resist.

Look at all the donuts. They have cake donuts, yeast donuts, jelly-filled donuts, etc. They also have muffins and other assorted pastries.

Counter seating is available!

I ended up selecting the red velvet cake donut. I couldn't taste much of the red velvet, but I didn't care. The donut melted in my mouth - soooo good.

The hubby opted for the donut stick.....

.... and a ham and egg sandwich.

203 W 14th Street (@ 7th Ave)

(212) 929-0126

 

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Off-Island: Knott's Berry Farm

During our recent trip to Southern California, we visited Knott's Berry Farm.  It was our kids' first visit to Knott's and we couldn't wait to take them on the various rides!

Upon arriving at Knott's Berry Farm, we first went to the Information Center to obtain a Guest Assistance Pass for Musician.  Although children in general can sometimes get impatient while waiting in line, for those with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, waiting even a short time can easily result in increased anxiety, meltdowns, and tantrums, so to try and prevent such situations, we knew it was important for us to request a Guest Assistance Pass.

The pass does not give him "front of line" access or immediate boarding as some people mistakenly believe - it simply allows for "modified waiting times to attractions."  There could still be a wait depending on the length of the line.

Note: For guests with special needs, there are two different types of passes - a yellow pass in which the guest will wait on the sidelines for the rest of their party to get through the line, and a blue pass in which the guest gives the pass to the ride operator, who gives a time to return (the time will be what the operator believes it takes to get through the line).

I brought along all of Musician's documentation and explained Musician's situation to an employee who was standing right outside of the Information Center.  She proceeded to ask me how many people were in my party, and I told her 5 (myself, my husband, and my 3 sons, including Musician), and she ended up giving me a blue pass after writing down "4 total" on the pass.  I assumed that 4 is the maximum number, but because Musician already started to get anxious and started stimming in the short time I was requesting the pass, I was unable to ask for clarification (the pass itself notes that ONE riding companion may board with the guest, so I was grateful that she even allowed us more than 1).  

The employee who gave us the pass seemed very informed about those with special needs, including an ASD.  When I mentioned Musician had an ASD, she was readily aware how problems can occur when those with an ASD are waiting for a very long time.  I was very appreciative of how knowledgeable she was.

After getting the Guest Assistance Pass, we headed straight to Camp Snoopy.

Luckily, there was little or no wait for most of the rides which Musician wanted to go on, and we only used the Guest Assistance Pass once while in Camp Snoopy.

The first ride he wanted to go on was the Balloon Race (there was no line) and he just loved it!

He also wanted to go on the Red Baron ride, which had a fairly long line, so we used the Guest Assistance Pass. We had no issues when we showed the pass to the Ride Operator, but just as Musician was about to go into one of the planes, he started crying for some reason, and he ended up not going on the ride.  The Ride Operator was very empathic, saying it was okay and not a problem.

As for Smiley, he loved the Log Peeler.  He rode it twice!

Both of the kids also loved Charlie Brown's Speedway.

After a few more rides at Camp Snoopy, we explored the rest of Knott's Berry Farm, where we rode on a few more rides.

Musician's favorite rides at Knott's happened to be any that involved a train, and it was so great that Knott's has several!  He rode the Calico Railroad, Calico Mine Ride, and our entire family got to ride the Grand Sierra Scenic Railroad.

The one ride we used his Guest Assistance Pass for outside of Camp Snoopy was the Timber Mountain Log Ride.

Once again, we had no issues whatsoever using the card. We simply presented the pass at the ride exit where the attendant wrote down a "board time." Once the board time expired, Musician and I presented the pass to the ride operator and went on the ride.

Of all the rides at Knott's, the one thing that Musician loved the most was not even a ride - it was the Angry Bird carnival-type game (he LOVES Angry Birds!).

Also, Musician really enjoyed watching all of the roller coasters throughout the park. He loves riding them, and always asks to "ride the big roller coasters," but he loves to watch them too - the repetitiveness just intrigues him.

Overall we really enjoyed our visit to Knott's Berry Farm. We love that the park is autism-friendly and that the employees were not only friendly and helpful, but they seemed to be knowledgeable about those with special needs.

I liked that there's a nice variety of rides. There are many thrilling roller coasters perfect for adults and older kids, and Camp Snoopy offered a lot of great rides for the little ones.  I also liked that there were a few rides that our entire family could go on together.

There was so much to see and do at Knott's.  We were there for four hours and I wish we had more time there since there were a few things we didn't get to do, but with 3 kids ages 5 and under, you can imagine how cranky and tired they were getting (I think I may look into staying at the Knott's Berry Farm Hotel the next time so we can take the kids back to the hotel to nap and return to the park).

We can't wait to go back again, and by then Musician will be older and taller, and maybe he'll get to ride the "big roller coasters" that he can't get enough of watching!

Knott's Berry Farm.  Enjoy!

Knott's Berry Farm: 8039 Beach Boulevard, Buena Park, CA 90620; 714-220-5200

Thank you to Knott's Berry Farm for providing the complimentary admission tickets.

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Hall of Heroes Super Train at Pearlridge Center

Now through August 5, Pearlridge Center has some really cool exhibits and a Super Train as part of the Hall of Heroes event.

The boys got to ride the Super Train (cost is $3 per child under 48 inches tall), which goes around a comic-book style setting of tall buildings and lots of super heroes in action.

Throughout the mall there are lots of other fun exhibits (like the Batmobile).

The Hall of Heroes exhibit runs through August 5.

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Off-Island: Paul's Place

Before we went to Adventure City during our recent trip to Southern California, we decided to find a restaurant nearby the amusement park to have breakfast, and after searching online, we decided on Paul's Place after reading reviews that Paul's Place offered hearty breakfast at very reasonable prices.

I ordered the Ham & Cheese Omelette with Hash Browns and an English Muffin.

It was the first hot breakfast I had all week during our vacation, so I ended up eating almost the entire thing!  Everything was delicious!

The boys shared the Hot Cakes. 

There were 4 hot cakes total, and the 3 boys ended up eating just two total. Although I've tasted better pancakes elsewhere, I thought they still tasted fine, and they were large and fluffy.

DH ordered the Hungry Paul's Special with Scrambled Eggs and Bacon.

Paul's Place was a great find for breakfast.

The food was good, our orders were ready quickly, the portions were generous, the prices reasonable, and the service was very good - all of the employees were super friendly!

It was a great place to have breakfast!

Paul's Place: 7012 Orangethorpe Ave., Buena Park, CA 90621, 714-522-5050

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Off-Island: Adventure City

While searching online for things do with our kids during our trip to Southern California, I discovered Adventure City. Despite all my years of traveling to Southern California, and even living there while attending college, I had never heard of Adventure City even though it's been open for many, many years!

After reading more about Adventure City and their rides and attractions on their website, I knew all of my kids, including Musician, who has an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), would love it!

On the day we arrived, there were many school groups in attendance - there were at least 5 or 6 different classes with at least 20 kids each.  I thought this would result in us having to wait a long time for the various rides, but turns out that there was little or no wait for all of the rides! 

It can be difficult for children to be patient while waiting in long lines, but for kids with an ASD, waiting can even be more problematic.  Fortunately, almost all of the rides at Adventure City were quick, meaning any lines went through quickly as well.

There is a good variety of rides, ranging from those that are "tame" to "thrill," that are perfect for little ones.  Some of the tame rides include the Carousel,  Rescue 911, and the Crank 'n' Roll.

There are several rides that are a bit more adventurous, such as the Barnstormer Planes, Crazy Bus, and Giggle Wheel.

And then there are the "thrill" rides, which include the Freeway Coaster, Tree Top Racers (unfortunately it was closed when we visited), and the Drop Zone.

Throughout the day I heard numerous kids, including my own, comment on how much they loved certain rides, however, what seemed to generate the most excitement out of most of the kids, especially my boys, was not even a ride at all - it was the Rain Room, where fine mists of water are sprayed in a tent.  It was such a fun way to cool off on a very hot day.  My boys didn't want to leave the Rain Room!

The boys also really loved the Thomas the Tank Engine play area.  There is a small table where kids can build tracks, and there's also a big box of Thomas the Tank Engines.  My boys could've spent hours just in that area!

On site there's also an Arcade, a Children's Theater, a Petting Farm, Parker's Fill-Up Station (food and drink), a Party Station and Party Tree House where kids can hold birthday parties, and a gift shop that carries all kinds of fun and colorful items.

I really liked that there is a lot of seating all throughout the park (benches, tables and chairs), which allowed me to sit down with Musician whenever he felt too overwhelmed by all the sights and sounds, and I also liked that there wasn't a huge crowd of people, since crowds can be intimidating for Musician.

Most of the staff we encountered were very friendly, with the exception of one ride operator who did not smile or talk to or acknowledge any of the kids AT ALL, but there was one employee who really stood out, and that was Pat.  Pat, who was at the Thomas the Train kiosk, was pleasant and helpful.  She chatted with me about Baby, and when I asked her if there were any Adventure City brochures, she told me they were in the process of reprinting them so unfortunately they didn't have any available, but she went to the front office area to see if there was anything she could give me with information on Adventure City, and brought back some flyers.

Overall we had a really nice time at Adventure City.  We were there for about two hours, and the boys got to do and ride everything they wanted to without having to wait in very long lines.

If you have little ones, I would highly recommend visiting Adventure City.  The price is reasonable, there is no charge for parking, and there is a nice variety of rides and attractions.  It's truly a hidden gem in Southern California!

Here are more photos I took of Adventure City. Enjoy!

Adventure City: 1238 South Beach Boulevard, Anaheim, CA 92804, 714-236-9300

Admission: Child $14.95 (Infants 12 months and younger admitted free); Adult $14.95; Senior $9.95 (55 years and up); Arcade and Climbing Wall not included in admission price.

 Thank you to Adventure City for providing the complimentary admission tickets for my family.

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Off-Island: Claim Jumper

My all-time favorite chain restaurant on the mainland is Claim Jumper (I soooo wish they'd open in Hawaii!).  Their great menu selection, huge portions, reasonable prices, and friendly service are just a few of the reasons why I love Claim Jumper so much, so during our recent trip to Southern California, we made sure that a visit to Claim Jumper was on our itinerary!

We were in a party of 9, and the entire time, our server, Daniel, was awesome.

As soon as we were seated we were given Claim Jumper disposable adhesive place mats, which I thought  was super cool (we didn't need to use our own!). 

DH had the Ribs & Chicken Combo.  Talk about a FEAST!

DS1 had the Kids Mac & Cheese. 

The Kids Meals come with Fries and a drink, and I love that they come with an additional side of choice, such as Mandarin Oranges, or Frozen Grapes (the Frozen Grapes were a hit with all the kids!  First time I've ever seen Frozen Grapes served at a restaurant).  

I ordered the Grilled Cobb Sandwich.

It was REALLY good, and really filling (I could only finish half). The sandwich consisted of grilled chicken,  bacon, avocado, bleu cheese crumbles and a garlic aioli.

DS2 had the Kids Chicken Nuggets with Fries and Frozen Grapes.

As expected, the food was great (there was another family with us but I only took photos of our family's food), portions were huge, prices were reasonable, and the service was AWESOME.

Upon leaving, Daniel thanked us and he went on, saying something like "No, really, thank you, because with out you, there is no us."

Again, those may not have been his exact words, but it was something to that effect.

I have never heard anything like that from a restaurant's employee before!  We all left feeling valued (and stuffed!).

Hope it's not too long before we have the chance to dine at Claim Jumper again!

Claim Jumper: 2250 E 17th Street, Santa Ana, CA, 714-836-6658

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Off-Island: Johnny Rockets - Anaheim GardenWalk

One night during our vacation we decided to walk across the street from our hotel (the Ramada Maingate at the Park) to the Anaheim GardenWalk, where we had dinner at Johnny Rockets.

DH ordered the Route 66 Burger, topped with Swiss cheese, grilled mushrooms, grilled onions & mayonnaise, along with Onion Rings.

DS2 had the Kids Chicken Tenders Meal (love the ketchup smiley face!).

I ordered the Chicken Club Sandwich with Sweet Potato Fries.

I thought the fries were okay - I  wish I stuck to regular fries though.  The sandwich was pretty good.

DS1 had the Rocket Grilled Cheese Meal.

DH also got the Chocolate Strawberry Kiss Shake.  YUM!

Overall we all enjoyed our dinner at Johnny Rockets.  The service was great, we got our food rather quickly, and it was a nice atmosphere!

Johnny Rockets: Anaheim GardenWalk, 321 W. Katella Ave., Suite 320, Anaheim, CA  92802, 714-491-1800

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Off-Island: Ramada Maingate at the Park

While planning our most recent to trip to Disneyland, DH and I decided we wanted to try and stay closer to the park than our last visit.  We also wanted to find a hotel that was reasonably-priced and offered free breakfast and parking.  After researching the Disneyland Good Neighbor Hotels, I found that that the Ramada Maingate at the Park (Ramada Maingate ATP) was not only quite close to Disneyland (check out their YouTube page for a video on how quick the walk is), but it also offered complimentary continental breakfast and free parking, as well as free WiFi, and all rooms are equipped with a microwave and refrigerator.

The price was reasonable too - $99/night for 2 Double Beds.

Sounds like a no-brainer, right?  Well, I admit I was hesitant on making a reservation, and that's because the Ramada Maingate ATP is considered an "economy" hotel, and we normally don't stay at economy hotels based on a horrible experience we had years and years ago.

However, after reading a tremendous amount of great reviews on TripAdvisor, and seeing how responsive hotel management was to guests' concerns, questions, and comments on both TripAdvisor and on Facebook, I knew I had to give them a chance.

And I'm glad I did.

In summary, the location, the service, the room, and the amenities made the Ramada Maingate at the Park a great choice for our visit to Southern California.

For a more detailed review of my trip, please read further (click on any images to enlarge them).

Check-in/Room:
We arrived at the Ramada about 9am (went straight to the hotel after catching a red-eye flight), and although we requested early-check in (normal check-in is 3pm) and they were happy to accommodate early-check-in if rooms were available, we arrived in the middle of Memorial Day Weekend, so they were (not surprisingly) full and there were no rooms available for early check-in.

We decided to drop off our luggage for them to store in their luggage storage room and we went on our way to do touristy things.

We ended up checking-in at about 2:50pm.

Our room (we were upgraded to a Deluxe 2 Queen Beds room free of charge) was on the second floor, and unfortunately the 1 elevator on the property wasn't near our room, but we had no problems getting all of our luggage up to our room via the stairs.   

I thought the room was basic, but very nice (it was a renovated room) and clean, with the exception of a piece of McDonald's trash we found near the air conditioner.

I liked the furniture and I loved the special towel creations left on the counter and beds (what a really nice way to say "welcome!"), but we thought the TV definitely needed an upgrade.  Coincidentally, we happened to see a maintenance employee transport flat screens to various rooms during our stay, and he said all the rooms' TVs are being upgraded, but our room's TV wouldn't be upgraded until next week.

The beds were comfy, there were plenty of pillows, the water pressure in the shower was just fine, the toilets did not flush loudly as it does in other hotels, the air conditioner quickly cooled down the room when turned on, and the refrigerator worked fine (initially we thought it wasn't working well, but we simply had to turn the dial to the highest setting).

We had a really nice view of Disneyland's Fireworks show from our window, and we all slept soundly at night (could not hear street noise and could barely hear other guests outside or in other rooms).

Housekeeping:
Housekeeping always did a great job.  Even when we just asked for extra towels or toilet tissue, they were always prompt and courteous.

However, on the first full day we were there, we went back to the room mid-day to get the boys to nap.  We had the Do Not Disturb tag on the door, and while everyone was napping, we were unfortunately awaken at about 12:30pm when Housekeeping knocked on the door, asking if we were going to check out.

Fortunately, that was the only time we were disturbed with the Do Not Disturb sign on the door, and no other naps during the week were interrupted.

Breakfast:
The complimentary continental breakfast, served in the pool house daily from 6:30am-9:30am, consisted of donuts, muffins, cereal, hard-boiled eggs, fruits, biscuits, gravy, bread for toast, jellies, orange juice, milk, and coffee.

The pool house is rather small, so it can get quite crowded in there, and there is also very limited seating surrounding the pool.  There are a handful of tables and chairs and several pool-side loungers, but what we did, along with many other guests, was simply take the tray from our room and load it with breakfast for the family to take back to our room and eat.

Other amenities/services/etc.:

• Service: Jessica, Shelby, and Tiffany were just a few of the many employees I came in contact with that provided fantastic, friendly service.  
• Business center: On the property is a computer with internet access and a printer which I used to check-in online and print our boarding passes for our return flight.
• Dining: There are numerous dining options both on the property as well as within walking distance (we walked to the Anaheim Garden Walk one night for dinner, which is right across the street). 
• Pool:  We did not get a chance to enjoy the pool, but hopefully on a future visit we will!
• Laundry Facilities, Disneyland Ticket Sales, Gift Shop, and Scooter Village can also be found on the property.

Ramada Maingate at the Park was wonderful, and I look forward to staying there again in the future.   

Below are more photos taken of Ramada Maingate at the Park.

Enjoy!

Ramada Maingate at the Park: 1650 S Harbor Blvd, Anaheim, CA 92802, (714)772-0440.

Thank you to the Ramada Maingate at the Park for offering a discount and upgrade for review purposes.

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