"Can't-Miss Costa Mesa!" a Costa Mesa Travel Page by marinarena

Don't miss Costa Mesa, especially if you happen to be in Orange County for a Disneyland visit. If you want to be entertained outside of D-Land and do some great shopping while being close to the ocean, you must come down here. Well, Costa Mesa itself does not have the beach. Rather, neighboring Newport Beach and Huntington beach have it -but CM is close enough to the waves.

In simple Spanish, Costa Mesa means "Table Coast" or "Coastal Tableland". Hmm.. judging the English translations,C M does not quite have the alluring ring to it-- but wait- going deeper into the Spanish dictionary, "mesa" means also "plateau". OK, Plateau Coast sounds much better. Costa Mesa may be flat but definitely not plain.

Costa Mesa fits into my "Crushed Orange" concept well. The idea came partly from the film/book, "A Clockwork Orange ". I had always wondered the meaning behind the title and found out that it related to an old Cockney phrase "queer as a clockwork orange"-basically, a thing or person deemed a clockwork orange was internally bizarre but appeared normal on the surface...

For the most part, Orange County is a subdued American suburb with a wholesome, family atmosphere image. But as one discovers more within the county, one finds areas like Costa Mesa which has its share of not so much the bizarre but of some deviation from "the norm". There are quite a number of gay bars and clubs and some eccletic independent shops down Newport Blvd which appeal to the "alternative to the norm" types. For the square folks out there, some city spots get a bit racy but nothing very shocking to drive away the mny families who come to live and visit.

Little Kae on the carousel at South Coast Plaza.

Here are some premier places in Costa Mesa:

South Coast Plaza (biggest mall in O.C.)
Triangle Square (outdoor shopping/dining area)
Fair Grounds (the official Orange County Fair location in the summer, with roller coasters, petting zoo, food, concerts and more!
South Coast Repertory (A premier playhouse in all of Orange county!)
Performing Arts Center (An absolutely splendid venue to see various performances- opera, pop, theater productions, etc Some years ago, I saw a version of La Boheme here!)

Plus - a variety of pubs and clubs spinning out tunes of pop, rock, swing, hip hop and more.