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Travel

The Anti-tourist Trap

Marissa Bostick
Editor In Chief
@MariBMe

Tourist traps so fondly named for their enticing appeal to
visitors. These places are often designed to have you spend your
hard-earned vacation fund on measly knick knacks and subpar
food. The activities at these locations are something to marvel
at if you can get past the sky-high ticket prices, obscenely long
lines and hordes of people all clamoring after the same cheaply
made souvenirs. A vacation should be more than standing in
line wedged between a questionably sweaty man and a gaggle
of knee-high children ready to cry for no reason. For your
consideration dear reader, I offer you a list of suggestions a bit
off the beaten path but still memorable that you will want to post
about them.
Wähfles Café: 1502 Foothill Blvd #101, La Verne, CA 91750
About 30 minutes away from Victoria Gardens sits a niche Photo by Marissa Bostick
establishment with food stylings of fine dining without all the OC Zoo: 1 Irvine Park Road, Orange, CA 92869About
fuss. It mainly caters to the brunch crowd with its waffle only 15 miles east of the beach and 30 miles south of Los Angeles
menu, which sounds limited but is not. Wähfles Café lets sits a hidden gem many Californians do not even know exists,
you customize your waffle order, or you can choose from a The Orange County Zoo. The zoo itself is a part of the Irvine
selection of prearranged options. If sweet is your thing then Regional Park which means bonus activities for the whole family.
try the “Crème Brulee”: House made Madagascar vanilla bean What makes this zoo special is its focus on animals and plants
custard torched turbinado sugar and topped with seasonal that are native to the southwest United States. The particularly
berries; “‘Merica”: house-made strawberries and cream sauce small zoo still manages to house mountain lions, black bears
with fresh strawberries and blueberries or “Maple Bacon”: and various reptiles. There is also a free petting zoo occupied by
Applewood smoked bacon, maple syrup and a Ghirardelli goats. If you’re looking for a cheap activity to do this is it as the
chocolate drizzle. However, if you like savory then the rosemary entrance fee is 2 dollars for anyone over the age of 3 and free
wahfle sandwiches “Scarlette Johanson” or “Lisa Simpson” are for children 2 and under. You do have to pay to enter the park
suggested. Nestled between two pieces of rosemary wahfles on however it is only 3 dollars on weekdays and 5 dollars on the
the “Scarlette Johanson” is chicken breast, mozzarella, tomatoes, weekend, the price range jumps to $7 – 10 on major holidays.
basil, red onions and a garlic aioli. The “Lisa Simpson” features After the zoo take the children to enjoy the playground, ride
avocado, mozzarella and tomatoes. The restaurant also features the train or even just enjoy the scenery and have a picnic. Even
a coffee and tea bar with many of the favored varieties like nitro without children, this zoo is a cute spot to take the animal lover
cold brew, French press and even coffee cocktails made to in your life without having to pay for parking and entrance to the
resemble bar drinks. The tea and lemonade selections are also LA or San Diego Zoo.
to be desired as there are the usual suspects of black, green and West Newport Beach
old-fashioned lemonade. Wähfles Café also features a hibiscus What makes West Newport Beach so special is the lack of
blend along with strawberry and raspberry lemonade both made tourist foot traffic. The average tourist is drawn into the Newport
with their respective fruit purees and basil. area for its bustling nightlife scene or the establishments located