|
|
|
USA
Alabama - Birmingham Alabama - Gulf Coast Alaska - Anchorage Alaska - Cruising Alaska - Dog Mushing Arizona - Best of the West Arizona - Grand Canyon Arizona - Phoenix Arizona - Roots Rediscovered Arizona - Scottsdale Arizona – Tombstone Arkansas - Little Rock Arkansas - Natural State California - Anaheim California - Celebrity Cemeteries California - Cool Shopping California - Delta Gold California - Fisherman's Wharf California - Lake Tahoe California - Los Angeles California - Movie Magic California - Napa Valley California - Palm Springs California - Sacramento California - San Diego California - San Francisco California - San Francisco Alcatraz California - San Jose California - Shamu at Seaworld California - Sonoma California - Whalewatching California – Costa Mesa Colorado - Denver Colorado - Springs & Pikes Peak Connecticut - Mystic Country DC Washington - DC Reinvented DC Washington - Historic DC Delaware - First State Florida - Bok Sanctuary Florida - Dynamic Downtowns Florida - Fort Myers Florida - Ft. Lauderdale Florida - Ft. Lauderdale Adventure Florida - Gulf Islands Florida - Jacksonville Florida - Key West Florida - Key West Mix Florida - Lakeland Florida - Miami Florida - Miami Hotels Florida - Orlando Florida - Orlando for Adults Florida - Plant City Florida - Tampa Bay Florida - Tampa Busch Gardens Florida - Vacations for All Ages Georgia - Atlanta Georgia - Brunswick & Islands Georgia - Columbus Georgia - Savannah Hawaii - Big Island Hawaii - Honolulu Hawaii - Kauai Hawaii - Maui Hawaii - Maui's Lahaina Hawaii - Oahu Hawaii - The Islands Idaho - Boise Illinois - Chicago Illinois - Chicago Town Illinois - Route 66 Indiana - Indianapolis Indiana - National Treasures Iowa - Rich Landscape Kansas - Heart and Soul Kansas - Home on the Ranch Kansas - Trail to Abilene Kansas - Wichita Kentucky - Arts & Crafts Louisiana - Baton Rouge Louisiana - New Orleans Louisiana - New Orleans Carnival Maine - Must See Maine - Outdoor Adventure Maryland - Annapolis/Anne Arundel Maryland - Baltimore Maryland - Road Travelled Massachusetts - Boston Massachusetts - North of Boston Michigan - Detroit Michigan - Lansing River Trail Minnesota - Minneapolis/St. Paul Minnesota - Waterfalls Minnesota - Wine Country Mississippi - Easy to Travel Missouri - Branson Missouri - History Touched Missouri - St. Louis Route 66 Montana - Big Sky Montana - Great Falls Nebraska - Family Fun Nevada - Casino Getaways Nevada - Las Vegas Nevada - Monied Vegas Nevada - Reno/Tahoe Nevada - State Parks Nevada - Time to Visit Vegas New Hampshire - Curious George New Hampshire - Outdoor Adventure New Hampshire - Summertime New Jersey - Atlantic City Beach New Jersey - Outdoors New Mexico - Albuquerque New Mexico - Away to Santa Fe New Mexico - Santa Fe New York - Amusement Parks New York - Cultural Treasures New York - New York City New York - State Parks New York - Waterfalls New York – Shuffle off to Buffalo North Carolina - Charlotte North Carolina - Motorsports North Carolina - Roanoke North Dakota - Legendary Adventure Ohio - Columbus Ohio - World of Discovery Oklahoma - Oklahoma City Oklahoma - Wild Side Oregon - Central Oregon Coast Oregon - Lincoln City Oregon -Newport Oregon - Portland Oregon - Toledo Oregon - Trails Pennsylvania - Brush Valley Pennsylvania - Philadelphia Pennsylvania - Quirky Penn Pennsylvania - Scenic Route 6 Rhode Island - Tiny Gem South Carolina - Charleston South Carolina - Myrtle Beach South Dakota - Great Faces Tennessee - All Seasons Tennessee - Memphis Tennessee - Nashville Tennessee - Regions Tennessee – Secret City Texas - Arts & Culture Texas - Beaches Texas - Christmas Bird Count Texas - Dallas Texas - El Paso Texas - Family Fun Texas - Fort Worth Texas - Forts Trail Texas - Houston Texas - Ranch Roundup Utah - Enduring Favorites Utah - Salt Lake City Vermont - Seasonal Virginia - Historic Triangle Virginia - Virginia Beach Washington - On Water Washington - Seattle West Virginia - Mountain State Wisconsin - Great Lakes Wisconsin - Milwaukee Wyoming - Dreams Unchanged |
USA - CALIFORNIA - COSTA MESA : FROM LIMA BEANS AND GOATS TO ART AND CULTURE by Kevin Retief   Looking across Costa Mesa's South Coast Plaza to the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, it is hard to imagine that all this was once just lima beans and goats! In fact, the lima bean fields preceded everything else in the now South Coast Metro area.There are those who might prefer fields of lima beans and goats: but lima beans and goats don’t offer world class shopping, exceptional performing arts and award-winning restaurants. Agriculture and farm stock alone would not have earned Costa Mesa the reputation as Orange County’s cultural center nor the title, “City of the Arts”, although....... In the 1950s, Costa Mesa, then nicknamed “Goat Hill” for its rural flavor, was a hive of agricultural activity, and the Segerstrom family were pioneering the commercial production of lima beans. Progress was in the air and things were about to change in Costa Mesa.
In fact, tour groups arrange their entire vacation trips around a visit to “The Ultimate Shopping Resort”, and guidebook editors even extol it as worthy of a visit as any theme park. With its mix of shopping (an unparalleled collection of over 280 boutiques, including every marquee designer in the world and nine anchor department stores), spa services, dining and entertainment, the lavish South Coast Plaza is practically a travel destination in its own right. But the South Coast Plaza was not the only contribution to the future of Costa Mesa that began in the Segerstrom lima bean fields of mid-century California. While the shoppers' paradise was being developed, the Segerstroms were encouraging progress in other directions too, with the creation of the Town Center office complex and the county's tallest building, Center Tower. And then in 1983 ground was broken on Segerstrom-donated land for the Orange County Performing Arts Center. Three years later, Segerstrom Hall – one of the nation’s most innovative and technically advanced homes for the performing arts – opened its doors for the first time with soprano Leontyne Price and Zubin Mehta conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Since then, the center has enjoyed performances by the world’s finest international, national and regional artists in ballet, opera, musical theater, classical music and jazz among other disciplines. Just 14 years after the opening of the Orange County Performing Arts Center, in yet another chapter in the remarkable transformation of “Goat Hill”, Henry Segerstrom made a personal pledge of $40-million as the cornerstone gift in the capital campaign to fund the Center’s expansion project. In 2006, opening celebrations for the new 2,000-seat Concert Hall and the 500-seat Music Theater will mark the Center’s 20th anniversary with a program of events. Placido Domingo will sing the world premiere of the William Bolcom song cycle. But that’s not the end of the story, nor is it the end of what Costa Mesa has to offer. Across the street from the Center, the state-of-the-art Folino Theatre Center is another Costa Mesa success story. From humble beginnings at a converted two-story marine hardware store, the South Coast Repertory is now acclaimed from coast-to-coast as the leading developer of new American plays, including four of the last nine finalists for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the 1999 winner. In 1988, South Coast Repertory earned the highest recognition in regional theater, the Tony Award for Distinguished Achievement, the thirteenth year such awards were bestowed. Costa Mesa is also steeped in the art of cuisine – over 107 sidewalk cafes, bistros and restaurants offering an array of dining adventures, with cuisine from around the globe. From casual dining at the Wolfgang Puck Cafe to award-winning restaurants such as Antonello Ristorante, Troquet, and Chat Noir. Transportation to and from the Orange County Performing Arts Center and Folino Center is complimentary when patrons dine at any South Coast Plaza Village restaurant. To round off Costa Mesa’s claim as City of the Arts there is a gallery of the Orange County Museum of Art in South Coast Plaza, the unique “California Scenario” sculpture garden created by Isamu Noguchi, and a stunning variety of indoor and outdoor contemporary sculptures and other art works by prominent artists including Joan Miro, Jean Dubuffet and Henry Moore. For good measure, add the Orange County Fine Arts Inc. and the Showcase Gallery in South Coast Plaza Village; the Orange County Museum of Art at South Coast Plaza; Bowers Museum; and at John Wayne Airport the John Wayne/Orange County Airport Arts Program. Not bad for what was “once all just lima beans and goats”! SCRIBBLES ETCETERAS
Apart from its own entertainment it is the ideal “home base” for visitors to Southern California. Disneyland, Disney’s California Adventure and Knott’s Berry Farm are an easy freeway drive of about 20 minutes; Universal Studios Hollywood 45 minutes; Legoland just an hour; and SeaWorld and the San Diego Zoo in San Diego and snow-skiing in mountain resorts in about 90 minutes. Photo courtesy Costa Mesa CVB
|
||||||
| DESTINATIONS: Africa / Asia / Australasia / Canada / Caribbean / Europe / Latin America / Mediterranean / Middle East / United States CRUISES: Cruises Around the World / Competitive Cruise Quotes HOTELS: Canada Hotels / USA Hotels HOME: Home Page / Contact Us / Submissions |
|||||||
| ABOUT US: Travel Scribbles features hundreds of travel articles and travel stories with writing from some of the best travel writers covering hundreds of destinations from Africa and Asia to Europe, Canada and the USA. Personal experiences, travel guides, cruise reviews, wry commentary and even poetry on vacation destinations fill the pages of Travel Scribbles. We are always interested in submissions so if you have an experience of a destination you would like to share with our readers, or if you have any comments on our site - please feel free to contact us at info@travelscribbles.com |
|||||||
 |
|||||||
