PICTURES of ORANGE COUNTY (Los Angeles, Irvine: costs, airport, design)

[psichick]

Originally Posted by Roma

psichick,

Those are great photos (even for a foggy hazy day)!!! I just absolutely love the Back Bay it's one of my favorite places. Oh and the beach shot, I would love to be walking on that right now. I can feel my feet in the sand in that one photo you took.

~Roma

The sad and scary part? I was wearing this heavy North Face jacket and FREEZING!!! It was cold! (okay, so maybe low 50s with a breeze isn't cold to many, but it is to me). Glad you enjoyed the shots. I enjoyed getting them.

[yo vanilla]

Wow, I'd give my left nut for low 50's in January (actually one year we had it for three or so days!! Still have the nut though ). Here it's 16F now and looking to be -20 or 30 with the wind chill next week!!!!

[cabolissa]

Originally Posted by psichick

The sad and scary part? I was wearing this heavy North Face jacket and FREEZING!!! It was cold! (okay, so maybe low 50s with a breeze isn't cold to many, but it is to me). Glad you enjoyed the shots. I enjoyed getting them.

Yep. We're having to wear jackets now! But I still see people in their jackets with shorts on. I still wear sandals (no socks) to work every day unless it's raining. That's the only time I wear closed shoes (besides exercising)!

[missionhome]

Wyland, the famous painter of whales and marine life, brought his "Clean Water Challenge" to Mission Viejo on Wednesday. The 1,000 sq. ft moving exhibit came to Castille Elementary in central Mission Viejo and the school's very generous principal (she is SO nice) opened it to the entire community. The Water Challenge is also sponsored by Scripps Institution of oceanography (UCSD) and the Birch Aquarium at Scripps.

There were numerous activities inside that offered a hands on look at the importance of water and the crisis that the state of California could have, overall teaching a love of the planet and preserving what we have to the students.



The kids could not have been more excited




Mission Viejo schools participate in the "Community of Character" program.


Trabuco Hills High (Saddleback Valley Unified), located at the northern tip of Mission Viejo (serves portion of N. MV, Foothill Ranch, and 1/2 of Rancho Santa Margarita), is undergoing some major construction. The school is getting a two story parking structure and a new building. Seen here is the new artificial turf put in on the school corners facing the street.


O'Neil Elementary School (SVUSD) recently was saved by the district board from being closed. A little over 400 students attend the award winning school that was the city's first school.



Kaleidoscope Courtyards: A entertainment type mall with movie theater, laser tag, Howie's Game Shack, Jump n' Jamin, dining, and some more. Hit hard by the recession though: Bally's Fitness, Versachee, a jewelry store, El Torito, and more have all closed. The center has always had vacancy, the theater seems to be the only really popular thing.



Renovated one year ago, Vista del Lago Park near the lake.



Mallorca is the upscale condo community on the west side of Lake MV. Units range from $400k (non-view) to about $900k (lake front upgraded) in todays market, much higher than any other condo in the city.



Looking down Vista Del Lago Rd.


Plaza del Lago, the lake front shopping center.

Tortilla Flats, in Plaza del Lago, has great Mexican food, is pretty inside, and has gorgeous views of the lake. It is often rented for weddings.

[missionhome]

Finishing the photos from yesterday's bunch.

Casta del Sol is a gated community in MV for residents 55 or older. It is one of two communities like this in the city. Casta del Sol is roughly bounded by Marguerite on the West, Alicia on the North, Olympiad on the East, and Jeronimo on the south. Some homes have views of the Casta del Sol Golf Course and Oso Creek. There are about 2,000 homes in Casta del Sol, all single family detached homes.



Cypress Point is a small neighborhood tucked up against the Casta del Sol Golf Course. It features nice condos and single family homes (although on probably the smallest lots in the city). Attends: Castille Elem, Newhart Middle, Capistrano Valley High.


Tres Vistas is a guard gated community of the lake with nonview, view, and water front homes. The community has a private beach, tennis courts, and small park. Attends: Barcelona Hills Elem, Newhart Middle, Capistrano Valley High.



Melinda Park is in the northern portion of the city, adjacent to the border with RSM, at the corner of Melinda and Santa Margarita Pwky.


The Heritage House at Melinda Park will have small exhibits a few times a year on city history.


Canyon Crest is a large gated community in North Mission Viejo set on a large hill. The neighborhood has custom, semi custom, and track homes and a beautiful club house. Association dues are fairly high though. Attends Castille Elementary, Newhart Middle, and Capistrano Valley High.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by missionhome

Finishing the photos from yesterday's bunch.

Excellent job - as usual. It is especially beneficial with the labels and other useful info like the schools zoned to the pictured neighborhoods.

[Forever Blue]

Great pics!! I appreciate all those who type descriptions of their photos. It's nice to know what I'm looking at!

[IloveOC]

Once again - - great photo's. And I agree that it is nice to see the descriptions.

[skilaketahoe]

I'm glad I found this. Thanks for the pics.

All I knew about OC was from a tv show. No one 'down under' knew if OC was a job title, like school janitor.

[Fontucky]

missionhome, what is that trampoline/radar dish looking monstrosity on the roof of the Kaleidoscope building? I've driven past it a million times, but have never ventured inside.