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A Day at the Fair

Last Thursday, Daniel, Melissa, Leslie, David, Aaron, and I headed for the L.A. County Fair. The last time I headed for the fair was supposed to be a quiet Tuesday in September 2001. I actually did make it there later in the month and I remember not being that much impressed. This year, I decided to go with some friends, and I can say that the L.A. County Fair still does not impress me. Of course, most of you know that I lived in Pleasanton (home of the Alameda County Fair) and in Davis (A hop skip and a jump away from the State Fair in Sacramento). The State Fair by far still holds the mantle as the best Fair I have been to. Why? Maybe it is the monorail. Maybe it is Wet and Wild. Maybe it is the free trees that they used to give out in the forestry section. I don’t know. The food isn’t that great, but somehow the ambience of the whole affair was just better.

The L.A. version is actually large (considering there are 9 million people in LA County it needs to be) and was fun for a visit, but I did notice that there were not many differences since the last time I was there. Sure the flowers in the floral exhibit were good, but I did notice a sharp decline in the quality of vendors at the fair – not nearly as much “Wow, that’s way cool” stuff as there used to be. Maybe I am just getting older and am less easily impressed.

Some of the things I enjoyed: The photography exhibit (always a fav, and I signed up to get some information about possible participating next year – wait. I live in Orange County – D’OH!), the model railroad (Daniel was drooling for hours over it), the vibra-chairs, the tribute to 100 years of flight, and the presence of a “Hot Dog on a Stick” stand near the livestock and other farm animals exhibits (including pigs!! At least we know it was fresh).

Some of the things I didn’t like: the price of food was outrageous, you could only buy water at designated “Sparkletts Stands” not at the rest of the food stands (idiotic), admission and parking ($10 to get in and $7 to park). I dunno why prices are so out of control – it is like they are trying to weed out people or something. Maybe its just inflation.

I did take some good pics that I will try and post on here later today. In the meantime, I’m getting all my stuff pack and laundry done for the big trip.