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Ha ha ha...is this really the response you're going with?
It matters not, Disney is firmly in the heart of Orange County, as are the MLB's Angels, the NHL's Mighty Ducks, world class beach cities like Newport Beach and Laguna Beach, major airports, etc. People know about NOVA from overhead shots of government buildings in spy/political movies lol.
Without LA, the only thing OC would have for sure are the beaches.
I used to live in San Diego and Los Angeles and frequently went to OC to experience those amenities, so no need for the condescending lecture from you on what the area has to offer (there's only one major airport in OC vs. two in NOVA btw). Be that as it may, OC wouldn't be all that well known if it weren't for the spillover of growth from Los Angeles in the 1950s and 1960s. I acknowledge that the entertainment industry in nearby LA sealed OC and the overall SoCal lifestyle makes OC well know in pop culture, but it's not as if NOVA's relationship with DC is not unknown. But if movies are your only reference, I'd see why you'd be so limited in your knowledge of NOVA... Stop being such an immature homer. Your snarky comments totally miss the point that both areas have their strengths, but wouldn't be what they are now if it weren't for their proximity to major cities.
Ok then, which area would someone be more likely to plan a standalone vacation to? I don't think I'm missing any points. The OC stands up by itself without being carried.
Ha ha ha...is this really the response you're going with?
It matters not, Disney is firmly in the heart of Orange County, as are the MLB's Angels, the NHL's Mighty Ducks, world class beach cities like Newport Beach and Laguna Beach, major airports, etc. People know about NOVA from overhead shots of government buildings in spy/political movies lol.
OC is nice but you're selling Nova short.
Nova has the CIA, Pentagon, Mount Vernon and the Arlington Cemetery along with 2 major airports and has multiple train lines connecting major business points. Nova also boasts some of the top 10 richest counties in the country along with one of the best public education systems.
Your list for OC comprises of sports, two beaches and an airport. Doesn't sound spectacularly unique or a standout either.
Outside of the thin sliver of land from Newport Beach to San Clemente, OC is incredibly mind-numbingly dull and uninteresting. It pretty much has all the worst aspects of suburban sprawl without many of the benefits, at least you get a decent sized yard and land in NOVA. Little stucco beige boxes stacked on top of each other and chain store filled strip malls as far as the eye can see. Then there are the people of OC......ugh the worst.
Nova has the CIA, Pentagon, Mount Vernon and the Arlington Cemetery along with 2 major airports and has multiple train lines connecting major business points. Nova also boasts some of the top 10 richest counties in the country along with one of the best public education systems.
Your list for OC comprises of sports, two beaches and an airport. Doesn't sound spectacularly unique or a standout either.
You just made my point by highlighting government facilities as the draw of NOVA. Are people going on vacations to Reston, Virginia and doing romantic tours of government buildings?
You just made my point by highlighting government facilities as the draw of NOVA. Are people going on vacations to Reston, Virginia and doing romantic tours of government buildings?
Probably not but universities and global partners send folks here all the time
You just made my point by highlighting government facilities as the draw of NOVA. Are people going on vacations to Reston, Virginia and doing romantic tours of government buildings?
And you're making your West Coast bias and California tunnel-vision known by comparing two vastly different regions solely based on tourism when both regions offer far more than that. Yes, NOVA benefits from being next to the Nation's Capital, but again, OC benefits from being near Los Angeles. You keep saying the area is known for sports, but the MLB team there is named the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim rather than solely the Anaheim or Orange County Angels for a good reason. And they didn't move to OC (From Los Angeles) until the mid-60s, so they aren't even an original OC institution. Neither were the Rams when they moved there in 1980...from Los Angeles. And are back in Los Angeles after years in St. Louis. As for the Ducks, they were started by Disney, after a movie, so who cares. NOVA has hockey in DC, but their practice facility is in NOVA.
Besides Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm, there isn't anything about OC that makes it significantly stand out compared to Northern VA if we're solely talking about tourism. NOVA may not have theme parks within immediate vicinity, but they're nearby (Kings Dominion and Busch Gardens). As for beaches, Virginia Beach and Ocean City are a few hours away not to mention the Outer Banks aren't too far away and even Florida's beaches are within easy reach via air. Considering the traffic and congestion throughout Southern California, it's not as if people are hightailing it to Laguna or Huntington Beach every day...But NOVA has a lot to see and do, and a few minutes of research show that.
Not too many people here schlep it to Disneyland when the Walt Disney World Resort and Universal are a quick flight away in Florida. We're not dying to fly all the way across the country to go to OC for those specific attractions you keep bringing up when we have similar offerings nearby or a daytrip away.
As for things to do, yes a lot of things here are related to the government and this Country's history because Washington, DC is next door. Acting as if that's a detriment to NOVA is foolish and short-sighted on your part, not to mention outright disrespectful of our Nation's history, but then again, you think that watching movies is the only way to have knowledge of NOVA, so I see what mindset you have.
Keep making snarky comments if you want to, but there are plenty of attractions here:
If I want to go to OC for tourism, I'll go there and enjoy their attractions and not try to look for the same experiences in a totally different region of the country as you seem to do.
Last edited by biscuit_head; 08-10-2017 at 12:10 PM..
Who cares about tourism as far as quality of life and living is concerned? If anything it's actually a negative with regions this large. Only positives I see with being a big tourist destination is the additional amenities it brings that otherwise might not be there but that really only applies to smaller regions like Honolulu, Orlando, Vegas, etc...
Who cares about tourism as far as quality of life and living is concerned? If anything it's actually a negative with regions this large. Only positives I see with being a big tourist destination is the additional amenities it brings that otherwise might not be there but that really only applies to smaller regions like Honolulu, Orlando, Vegas, etc...
Thank you! My sentiments exactly. NOVA has so much more to it than what it offers to tourists or having something that other people "think of" when it comes to the region and solely focusing on tourist attractions is trivial. Same goes with OC
Shouldn't Orange County (coastal) be compared to Tidewater/Hampton Roads, VA (coastal) ??
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