Orange County

Orange County, California is a county in Southern California. A patchwork of 34 independent municipalities, Orange County's population is one of the most culturally diverse in the world. Orange County's terrific and irrefutable reputation as a tourist destination recently got it its own TV series, The O.C. The county's main tourist draws are its beaches and of course its two theme parks, Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm.

Cities
There are many cities large and small in Orange County – here are a few of the major ones.


 * Anaheim - Home of Disneyland, the Anaheim Ducks (National Hockey League) and Los Angeles Angels (Major League Baseball), second most populous
 * Buena Park - The city known as the home of Knott's Berry Farm, lots of used car lots, gateway to Los Angeles.
 * Fullerton- Home to Cal State Fullerton
 * Huntington Beach - "Surf City". Huntington Beach has a long surfing tradition and famous beaches.
 * Irvine - One of youngest and the largest city in terms of land size. A somewhat gentrified community with a significant Asian-American heritage.
 * Laguna Niguel - one of the larger and more wealthy/exclusive communities in south Orange County, the city has most parks per square mile in the county and home to the Chet Holifield Federal Building.
 * Newport Beach - one of the richest communities in the nation, and the setting of The O.C.
 * Santa Ana - one of the oldest and largest cities in Orange County, with a tremendous Mexican-American population and cultural influences.
 * Seal Beach - A small beach town with a host of cute shops, awesome local restaurants, and a handful of Irish pubs mostly situated on Main Street.

Getting Here
The major airport for the region is Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Once you've collected your baggage, walk outside to the curb and select one of the many forms of transportation available at the airport (taxis, shared vans, car-rental shuttles, etc.). If you do not have baggage, all ground transportation away from the airport is accessed via the lower level at LAX.

The John Wayne airport has several airline carriers operating from this airport and it serves Orange County as a regional airport. It is in the City of Costa Mesa.

The other nearby airport is in the city of Long Beach. The Long Beach Airport is served by four carriers, the most significant of which is Jet Blue, mostly serving the west coast, and a few other cities in the south west, north east and Texas.

Ground Transportation
This section needs to be updated.

Finding A Couch
Orange County is smaller than Los Angeles, but still quite spread out and densely developed causing confusion and frustration to the first-time visitors. When looking for a host to surf with, you may want to clarify exactly where he/she is located and how easily you can access public transportation during daytime work hours. Hosts in Orange County get less requests than in Los Angeles, but you should still contact several people directly two weeks before your intended arrival. Mass emailing is not appreciated and may not receive any replies. Try to personalize your request and take some time to read up on your host. If you still cannot find a host, contact a city ambassador or post an emergency couch request in the Orange County Last Minute/Emergency Couchsurfing group.

As a general rule for Couchsurfers, no matter which country you are in, it is highly recommended that you have a hostel/hotel in mind as a backup plan in case your host cannot accommodate you or a problem arises. Use common sense and be prepared as you would be if on your own.

Public Transit (Bus/Subway System)
Public transportation in Orange County is much worse than in Los Angeles is limited to only major streets and all service is normally stopped by 11 pm. OC Transit is the main system for Orange County. You can search for public transit routes by entering your current location (i.e main intersection) and your destination. There are a few other bus companies that provide service to Orange County and they will show up if you use the search website.

Bus drivers do not carry change, so you should have the exact cash fare when you board. If you do not want to use any form of public transportation, car rentals are recommended since taxis can be fairly expensive, especially during rush hour or high traffic.

Regional Passenger Train
Metro Link is the regional passenger connection system, a train system connecting Orange County with adjacent counties which goes as far south as San Diego County, as far east as San Bernadino and Riverside Counties and as far north as Los Angeles and Ventura County. Major destinations it would connect you to include Anaheim (Disneyland), San Juan Capistrano and San Clemente in Orange County, just north of the San Diego county line, Downtown Los Angeles and the Burbank-Bob Hope Airport.

Tips
If you plan on staying in California for at least a month, consider buying a SIM card or a pay-as-you-go phone. You can purchase one at Target for as cheap as $20 USD which includes a SIM card, a charger and the phone.

Wireless Internet / Hotspots
These are all free options for internet and wifi access in the Los Angeles. Some are open 24 hours or access is available outside the buildings after hours.


 * Public libraries
 * Most hotels and hostels, some larger malls/shopping centers


 * Vons, Pavillions, Ralph supermarkets (certain locations) and Whole Foods supermarkets


 * Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (may require purchase), most McDonald's (with and without purchase), and nearly all stand-alone Starbucks

Events
Need to update section to show Orange County Events and Locations. These listed need to be reviewed and expanded as there are many more places to visit and activities to do.

Couchsurfing
Check the Orange County Group on CS to keep up to date with L.A. CouchSurfer activities. It is a good idea to contact one or two active members personally to know if there is anything going on. Do not post couch requests in this group.

Monthly Events

 * ArtWalk - second Thursday each month

Festivals and Holidays
February - Chinese New Year

April - Thai New Year

May - Cinco de Mayo

June - LA Pride

July - Independence Day

Listings

 * OC Weekly - a free newspaper featuring a large listing of cultural events and leisure activities in Orange County.
 * Yelp OC

Orange County In 24 Hours
When CouchSurfers have only one or two days to spend touring Orange County, it's usually recommended to them that they select from the landmarks on this list:


 * Downtown Disney, Disneyland and California Adventure
 * Newport Beach and Balboa Island

Sightseeing
Tourism remains a vital aspect of Orange County's economy. Anaheim is the main tourist hub, with the Disneyland Resort's Disneyland being the second most visited theme park in the world. Also Knotts Berry Farm which gets about 7 million visitors annually located in the city of Buena Park. The Anaheim Convention Center receives many major conventions throughout the year. Resorts within the Beach Cities receive visitors throughout the year due to their close proximity to the beach, biking paths, mountain hiking trails, golf courses, shopping and dining.

The area's warm Mediterranean climate and 42 miles (68 km) of year-round beaches attract millions of tourists annually. Huntington Beach is a hot spot for sunbathing and surfing; nicknamed "Surf City, U.S.A.", it is home to many surfing competitions. "The Wedge", at the tip of The Balboa Peninsula in Newport Beach, is one of the most famous body surfing spots in the world. Southern California surf culture is prominent in Orange County's beach cities.

The old town area in the City of Orange (the traffic circle at the middle of Chapman Ave. at Glassell) still maintains its 1950s image, and appeared in the That Thing You Do! movie. Little Saigon is another tourist destination, being home to the largest concentration of Vietnamese people outside of Vietnam. There are also sizable Taiwanese, Chinese, and Korean communities, particularly in western Orange County. This is evident in several Asian-influenced shopping centers in Asian American hubs like the city of Irvine.

Historical points of interest include Mission San Juan Capistrano, the renowned destination of migrating swallows. The Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum is in Yorba Linda and the Richard Nixon Birthplace home, located on the grounds of the Library, is a National Historic Landmark. John Wayne's yacht, the Wild Goose or USS YMS-328, is in Newport Beach. Other notable structures include the home of Madame Helena Modjeska, located in Modjeska Canyon on Santiago Creek; Ronald Reagan Federal Building and Courthouse in Santa Ana, the largest building in the county; the historic Balboa Pavilion[24] in Newport Beach; and the Huntington Beach Pier. The county has nationally known centers of worship, such as Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, the largest house of worship in California; Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, one of the largest churches in the United States; and the Calvary Chapel.

Since the premiere in fall 2003 of the hit Fox series The O.C., and the 2007 Bravo series "The Real Housewives of Orange County" tourism has increased with travelers from across the globe hoping to see the sights seen in the show.

Orange County has some of the most exclusive and expensive neighborhoods in the U.S., many along the Orange Coast, and some in north Orange County.


 * Disneyland
 * Knotts Berry Farm
 * Balboa Fun Zone
 * Nixon Presidential Library & Museum

Hiking
There are lots of hiking trails around Orange County with both Beach Walks in areas like the Newport Back Bay and Bolsa Chica Wetlands and mountain trail in the Cleveland National Forest or various regional parks.

Museums
There are many interesting museums located around Orange County. The Bowers Museum is has a fantastic collection of Asian art. Discovery Science Center is another popular attraction in Santa Ana. The Center is open every day and admission various depending on the exhibits. Most museums do offer free admission, but you must plan in advance to find dates with free admission.

Theme Parks
Six Flags California/Magic Mountain, Disneyland, Universal Studios and Knott's Berry Farm are popular theme parks for tourists.

Volunteering

 * Food Not Bombs - Serving healthy, vegan meals to the homeless every Thursday and Sunday at Pershing Square
 * Food On Foot - Feeding the homeless around Hollywood every Sunday
 * Tree People
 * Habitat Work - Weekend backpacking trips mainly involving the removal of invasive plants on the Wind Wolves Preserve in Los Padres National Forest.

Vegetarian and Vegan Restaurants
Here are some of the Los Angeles Couch Surfers' favorite vegetarian/vegan restaurants...

Anahiem:


 * Thuyen Vien (vegetarian and vegan) - 1740 S Euclid St Anaheim, CA

Tustin:


 * Native Foods Cafe (vegan) - 2453 Park Ave Tustin, CA 92782

Resturant Reviews

 * Yelp OC

Transportation
Flights to San Francisco or San Diego can easily be purchased online from SouthWest Airlines or use BookingBuddy to compare prices. Trains and connecting buses on Amtrak or Bus lines such as Greyhound are also options. You can also check the Craigslist Rideshare page or post a request on the CS California Ride Share Group.

Destinations near Orange County
Los Angeles is the largest city in the region and about 1 hour north of Orange County by car. Within 200miles / 350 km you can reach Palm Springs, Coachella Valley and Joshua Tree National Park are east and can be reached via Interstate 10. Towards the northwest, Santa Barbara and Solvang can be reached via Pacific Coastal Highway 1. Also known as Highway 1, it is a famous scenic seaside route that extends into and through The Big Sur. In the southeast, Temecula is a great place to go wine tasting. From there, you can visit the Salton Sea and Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, close to San Diego. To reach San Diego, you can drive south for two hours via Interstate 5. Tijuana, a small city on the border of Mexico, is also popular with tourists.

Embassies & Consulates
Use the Department of State's website for full listings of all embassies and consulates in the United States. A commercial website offers information on Consulates and Embassies for Los Angeles here but there is no way of knowing how complete or accurate this information may be.

Hostels & Hotels
Agencies Unlike small compact cities such as San Francisco, Orange County (and Los Angeles) is a large sprawling metropolitan area that blends into surrounding cities and counties. Even by car, it can take two hours to get from one end to the other. When selecting a hostel, check that it's in the area you want to explore.

twizi.com Includes an over all map of where all their hostels are located.

lahostels.org/ They have hostels including Fullerton (Orange County). There also have a "Travel Store" with classes for new travelers, Eurorail and Amtrak passes, and shuttles around the southwest.

hostels.com

hostelbookers.com

usahostels.com

Many hostels listed with an agency may also have there own website. You may wish to check the individual website to see if the price is any better.

Individual Hostels

Surf City Hostel Prime location but noisy and busy neighborhood espeically during weekends. Artsy atmosphere and sits above a local bar/club. Right next to the beach and the Hermosa Beach Pier. Live music, DJs in the surrounding area.