Page 663 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - USA

L OS ANGELES  661

tile-worker sculpted steel rods children to the US during
and pipes into a huge skeletal “Operation Diaper.” It was
framework, adorning it with permanently docked for use
shells, tiles, and broken glass. as a hotel and tourist attraction
He never gave a reason for in 1967. Today, visitors can
building the towers and, upon view part of the original
finishing, deeded the land to Engine Room, examples of
a neighbor and left LA. The the different accommodations,
towers, standing 100 ft (30 m) and an exhibition on the
at their tallest, are now a State war years.
Historic Site. Next to them, the Nearby, the Aquarium of
Watts Towers Arts Center holds the Pacific is one of the largest
temporary exhibitions of work aquariums in the United States.
by African-American artists and It holds 550 species in 17 major
also hosts art workshops. habitats, offering visitors a
fascinating exploration of
marine flora and fauna from Cloisters framing Mission San Juan
the Pacific Ocean’s three distinct Capistrano’s central courtyard
regions: Southern California
Baja; the Tropical Pacific, and x Mission San Juan
the Northern Pacific. Capistrano
P Queen Mary 26801 Ortega Hwy. Tel (949) 234-
Pier J, 1126 Queens Hwy. Tel (562) 1300. Open 8:30am–5pm daily.
435-3511. Open Mon–Sat. & 7 8 Closed Good Fri pm, Thanksg., Dec 25.
∑ queenmary.com & 7 = 8 _ Swallow Festival
(Mar). ∑ missionsjc.com
E Aquarium of the Pacific
100 Aquarium Way. Tel (562) 590-
3100. Open 9am–6pm daily. This “Jewel of the Missions”
Closed Dec 25, weekend of the was founded in 1776, and its
Toyota Grand Prix. & 7 = 8 chapel is the only surviving
The Queen Mary, Long Beach’s most ∑ aquariumofpacific.org building in California where
famous hotel Fr. Junípero Serra preached.
l Long Beach z Knott’s Berry One of the largest in the chain,
the mission was built as a self-
q Metro Blue Line from downtown Farm® sufficient community. Its Great
Los Angeles. 8039 Beach Blvd, Buena Park. Stone Church was destroyed by
Tel (714) 827-1776, (714) 220-5200. an earthquake in 1812, leaving a
With palm trees and ocean as @ 29, 38, 42. Open hours vary per rambling complex of adobe and
a backdrop, downtown Long season & day. Call to verify park hours. brick buildings. A restoration of
Beach is a mixture of carefully Closed Dec 25. & 7 = 0 - the chapel re-creates the
restored buildings and modern ∑ knotts.com mission’s former glory.
glass high-rises. At its heart,
Pine Avenue, lined with stores, Located in Buena Vista in
cafés, and restaurants, retains Orange County, Knott’s Berry c Newport Beach
the early Midwestern charm Farm® has grown from a Hwy 1, S from Los Angeles.
that gave the city its nickname, 1920s boysenberry farm to
“Iowa by the Sea.” a 21st- century multi-day enter- Famous for its million-dollar
Along the ocean, the tain ment complex. Offering homes and lifestyles to match,
restaurants and shops in more than 165 different rides Newport Beach has a 3-mile
Shoreline Village offer views of and attractIons, its main charm (5-km) stretch of wide sand
the ocean liner Queen Mary. The lies in its emphasis on authen- and two piers along Orange
Cunard flagship from 1930s to ticity. The Old West Ghost County’s coast. Fresh fish,
the 1960s, this luxury liner was Town, in the heart of the caught by the historic Dory
converted into a troopship park, has original ghost-town fishing fleet, is sold beside
during World War II. buildings. America’s very first Newport Pier at the northern
It carried more than theme park, Knott’s offers end of the beach. Farther
80,000 soldiers six themed areas, inland, the coastal wetland of
during its wartime dozens of live- Upper Newport Bay Ecological
career. At the action stages, thrill Preserve is a refuge for wild-
end of the war, rides, shopping, life and migratory birds. It
it transported and dining, as also offers a bike path, fishing,
more than 22,000 Statues of cowboys on a well as a full- and guided tours on foot
war brides and Ghost Town bench fledged resort. and by kayak.

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