"Tales of a Twisted Angel, a Crushed Orange & More" marinarena's Profile

You have arrived in Marinarena's world, mostly dedicated to the greater Los Angeles area, including Orange county. This page, as is life, is always under construction.

Note that all pictures are from my lenses taken by me, except travel pics with me of course and wherever credited elsewhere on my pages!!

Come to visit my world at least once a week.
Rate my tips if you would be so kind and I reciprocate :-)

** UPDATES:

I'M CONSTANTLY ADDING IN THE Los Angeles page.

I'm almost always sunny with a cool breeze. CHECK OUT any of my BEACH pages, esp NEWPORT !

See some of my EUROPEAN TIPS!

Oxford Edinburgh

Revisit the main Los Angeles pages and leave your preconceptions of Los Angeles behind.

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Now, some explanatory terms...

Twisted Angel = Los Angeles, California, or another nickname of mine. So, one can read the title of this VT page two ways. Clever, eh?
L.A. with all of its parts (in the greater L.A. county ) gives it quite a unique shape not like any other place of this world!

Crushed Orange = Orange County, California. Also I could say Orange Crush here but better to stay with the adjactive-noun combo ;-) in the title.

So Cal = Southern California

"A Crushed Orange", Orange County(California)

The Marinarena homepage is inspired partly from a cultural writing/art project in which I was to present an imagined sense of community or some kind of arbitrary area.

Los Angeles especially fits under these definitions. It is really hard to know where L.A. begins or ends, geographically and otherwise. So, when talking about the city, there is no one clear-cut image - rather many! Read my L.A page and you'll know what I mean!

And then there is Orange county , which has quite a personality of its own. It can be said that O.C. is the little sister of Los Angeles, often seen as spoiled because of her suburban opulence and is perceived a bit snobbish. However, there is a humble quality not to miss in her as well and this draws many to live in her neck of the woods. Mainly, I grew up in Cerritos, in L.A. county. However, O.C. has been home since 1997(except for a year in Corona, in nearby Riverside county). Cerritos resembles very much O.C. with its ultra-suburban atmosphere. So, I feel very much caught between the sister L.A and O.C. counties.

Orange County, is highly exhalted by some, cynically portrayed by others. Lately, it has been getting attention as "The O.C. " because of the wildly popular soap of the same initals. Hmm... so much to say to counter the often false ideas that many O.C. soap fans have about Orange county!!

Of course, this area is well known for Disneyland (aka Dismaland) in Anaheim, but, here, we shall adjourn the much ado over Disney and portray the real O.C. as seen through my lenses and thoughts.

Marinarena at the L.A. Zoo and Botanical Gardens

MY PURPOSES and GOALS for this Site (in no exact order):
1. To share my heart and soul :-)
2. To showcase my modest photography and other work.
3. To educate myself about my own area.
4. To inform local and out-of-town people that Los Angeles does have culture!
5. To prove to folks that one can get around L.A. without a car by providing bus and train routes and therefore encourage people to use public transportation!
6. To introduce parts of southern California (esp. close to L.A.) lesser known to most.
7. To connect to cool Vters close by and abroad.

and I thrive to specialize in So Cal murals/wall art, water fountains and displays, listings of theaters and museums, unique store and theater marquees, and in spotlighting the small and ordinary towns of this gigantic area.

a breathtaking sunset in Cerritos, CA

CITIES (Of Los Angeles county)

Meet...

the original one who's good, bad, ugly, pretty...well who's everything in one -- Los Angeles ---W L.A.
L.A. is continually "pregnant" with various communities featured inside, including: Silverlake, Los Feliz, "Valley" areas, Carson & more!

the grungy urban sailor chick- San Pedro

the unabashed liberal & funky artist -- Venice (Note that San Pedro & Venice are actually a part of the city of L.A. but have such a unique personality that they are featured seperately.

the sisterly three Hos :-) --
HoHollywood NoHoNorth Hollywood
WeHoWest Hollywood
have much fun in these entertainment filled sister cities!
(Note that Ho & NoHo are actually parts of LA, but are featured seperately, like S.P & Venice

<<Westside Gals>>>

the one everybody knows of but doesn't really know -- Beverly Hills
-- enjoy the beautiful parks & immaculate quality here

the very popular & attractive one that everyone loves -- Santa Monica
A TOP 5 PAGE!!

the studio gal who likes to be behind the scenes -- Culver City
--home of Sony Pictures and much more!

<<South Bay Beauties>>
the convenient & industrious one -- Torrance
--stay here in an ordinary city, conveniently close to L.A.

the well "rounded" one-- Redondo Beach
-- go here for a "turn of the 20th century beach experience."

the wealthy/healthy one-- Manhattan Beach
-- visit the home of VT, many Lakers & other wealthy folk and, oh, there's the lovely beach & pier too!%c

la chica mas hermosa (the most beautiful girl)--
Hermosa Beach
-- see a charming beachtown!

-the runner-up who's truly first-class
El Segundo
-- drop by this quaint town seconds from LAX!

- the breezy, cool one
Marina Del Rey
--sail on here!

<<Sisters w/ nice peaks (mountain views, I mean :-) >>

the grand rose queen & architect--
Pasadena
--see a distinct, picturesque city!

the magnificent artistic baby--
South Pasadena
--discover a truly quaint, well-designed town!

the green, borderline valley girl--
Glendale
-- go to a city w/ good scenic views & shopping

the media darling --
Burbank
-- go for some TV tapings here, like one of the Tonight Shows

the well-to-do, isolated crystal blue wonder
Malibu/Pacific Palisades
-- see the ocean blue and envy the wealth

the Mediterreanesque island beauty who is the envy of many --
Avalon
--go here on Catalina Island!

the cowgirl -- Calabasas
-- experience a somewhat rural ranch feel just outside of L.A

<<Gateway Girls (near or leading to Orange county)>>

the redeemed one & beach bum gal -- Long Beach
A TOP 5 PAGE!

the witty, urban chic one -- Whittier
--come to experience the local charm of Uptown

the ordinary-extraordinary one -- Cerritos
--see my other hometown!

the clear, pristine diamond of the rough--Claremont

Elegant Laguna Beach, California

CITIES (of Orange County)

the old charmer -- Orange
--be comfortable in the seat of Orange County! She is continually "pregnant" with Garden Grove, Fountain Valley & other cities also featured inside!

<<North county gals>>
the all-around good one -- Fullerton
-- see a growing entertaining part of O.C.!

the most promising one who's turning heads -- Brea
--a kind of "Pleasantville" here!

the quiet conservative -- Yorba Linda
--Small Town Americana!

<<Gateway Girls OC>>
the border girl--La Habra
--discover my hometown as I do!

the ordinary yet surprisingly fun one --Buena Park
--Hollywood: Orange County Version!

the one that makes quiet waves
Seal Beach
-- Go to a beach convenient for LA & Orange county!

<<Well-centered gals>>
the entertainer -- Anaheim
--where to find Dismal-land (uh, Disneyland) in greater L.A.!

the quiet, urban artist -- Santa Ana
-- go to the zoo, museums, historic buildings, the mall & the Taco Bell science center in one place!

the ironic one (trendy yet independent)-- Costa Mesa
--A TOP 5 PAGE!

the business-savvy one with a fun side -- Irvine
--see concerts & the corporate world here

<<The Big Beachbums>>
the posh beachy ones-- Laguna Beach Newport Beach
--Laguna: my favorite beach area!
--Newport Beach is "The T.V. O.C."

the cool surfer -- Huntington Beach
--A TOP 5 PAGE!

<<Beauties of South County>>
the quiet, sandy one --
Dana Point
--DP: small, gorgeous and unassuming community

the romantic one w/ old charm -- San Juan Capistrano
-- home of a spectacular mission and more

San Clemente
-- SC : local beach fave off Amtrak!

** Also... sizzlin', smokin' girls of the I.E. (Inland Empire- east of L.A. & O.C.) to be featured more in depth :

the grand queens of the desert--
Palm Springs

Riverside and

Ontario
(both pregnant as well with other baby cities inside)

the little "crowned "princess that likes to go around in "circles"
-- Corona

the blossoming desert flower w/ the strange name--Rancho Cucamonga

OK, I must , must post this LOUD and CLEAR!!!

Most tourists, as I judged from the forum and in common knowledge,want to see Hollywood and Disneyland, wish to go from a LA center point to Hollywood, LAX or Long Beach, or from LA to the main central area of OC. There is great hype that public transporation is impossible in these areas but it's just not true. Just remember these tips to save some bucks and gain opportunity to sight-see without driving.

Downtown LA-Hollywood, LAX, LA-Long Beach and more ANAHEIM Transportation Page (Disneyland travel tips) Knotts Berry Farm
(amusement park) including Disneyland to Downtown LA

Bath, England

my fascination with water. I hope to see several of the world's beautiful water fountains, waterfalls, rivers, seas and oceans.