Monday in Orange County

We had a lazy start at the Hyatt Regency in Orange County, as Deborah’s registration was not until 12:30. We rose early, but then did not. Getting brewed coffee from the in-room coffee maker using one pod for each separately made coffee. My hat has gone missing and may have been left at the Red Robin (I will check with them on Tuesday). The weather is going from cool and overcast to hot and sunny so far. Deborah is freezing in her overly air-conditioned classes.

After enjoying our company and coffee, eventually we tried the hotel’s breakfast with the usual buffet, which featured an excellent omelet station that served Deborah a perfect product. She watched the creation of her breakfast and might try those techniques at home. Yes, a lesson and breakfast!

Deborah headed to her classes, and I headed out to get the lay of the land. This is not the best part of town, and the local food joints, aside from the usual hotel chains (Outback, Joe’s Crab Shack, and Red Robin), are a bit basic. The largest sign is a massive Jordan on a shoe discounting store name. Target is nearby and huge, and I head there. The place features a food market, pharmacy, and a selection of mostly discounted items. I get an HDMI cable there (we forgot one) that we may use to repurpose one of the huge TVs to display and sound for our laptops. I walk a circular track back to the hotel, more interested in the area than rushing back.

I see a guy with a roller full of personal items waiting for the bus. Street people, like most of us, do not like to be treated as if they are invisible. I ask the guy how the buses worked, and he goes over everything with me. He is detailed in his answer and strongly suggests that I could qualify for the senior discount (I have yet to reach 65, and thus will pay the full rate, which disappoints him). He apologized if he had offended me for making an age remark, and I reassured him that he did not. He is disappointed that I need to get back to the hotel, but I thank him.

I walk to the hotel, return to our room 758 in Tower A, I think (I just follow the same trail). There, I leave the cable, finish, and publish the blog. With that done, I return to the outside and the bus station. I have loaded two apps and begun to work out how to make this work.

I found the bus stop, and an older guy started to talk to me endlessly about rebuilding old trucks. I listened as he seemed to enjoy an audience. While I can recall little of the mix-and-match Frankenstein truck he built from multiple wrecked trucks, he told the story with enthusiasm and many laughs. He exchanged parts, and apparently, there is a ‘bible’ of parts that can be exchanged on late model vehicles to help. I have always imagined that folks would buy multiple wrecks and then use them to merge into a final, questionably safe, Mad Max-like truck. Here was someone who did it. I thanked him as my bus appeared.

The 543 bus arrives, and the driver tells me to just take a seat as I try to make the app work. Disappointed, but with a free trip, I enjoy a slow trip to Disney.

I arrive and, after a mistake, walk into Disneyland and Downtown Disney. It is a long walk! I will complete over 8,000 steps today, with most of them in the next couple of hours. The sun is out, and I notice my hat is not on my head. Hmmm.

I take some photos in the free Downtown Disney area and start to think about our plans. We plan to visit Disneyland on Friday and Sunday, and the California park on Saturday. I just walked through, surprised by how much more there is since Susie and I were here long ago.

Deborah was thinking of having dinner there one of these days. I look for places that would fit. While the food at the Jazz place may not be ideal, the music and drinks might be. I walked only into the Star Wars shop where you can assemble your own lightsaber. I resisted. I liked a few of the shirts, but I deferred that purchase to later, if ever.

The sun was hot and I missed my hat. I walked out of the Disney area and found a bus to get me back to my part of Orange County, 43. I still could not make the bus things work, but the driver was kind and told me to just take a seat. I suspect few tourists get it right. Another tourist using a translator app got help from the driver and learned that the buses on the other side of the street were what she needed.

The bus returned me to the hotel without issue, and soon I was with Deborah, who finished her first day of classes. We got some food and drinks at the hotel bar. We retired to the hotel room. We just stayed there and went to sleep early.

Thanks for reading.