My Journeys Behind The Orange Curtain - Orange County, 2007
Despite warnings of Orange County on television from "The
OC", "Laguna
Beach", and "The
Real Housewives of Orange County", I laughed in the face of it all, daring
to venture deep, deep behind The Orange Curtain.
Page 1 of 2
 Fourth
of July fireworks, Ladera Ranch, deep deep within Orange County, 2007.~~ My friend Tom in South Orange County had told extraordinary tales of The OC - the business parks, the planned communities, the homeowner's associations, the large chain restaurants, the reality TV shows... ...but undeterred, I came. |
 We
gathered in a large grassy park to watch he fireworks of Ladera Ranch, a
master planned community nestled in the hills of South OC, Fourth of July,
2007.~~ Developers in Ladera Ranch broke ground in 1999 in an apparent effort to recreate the look and feel of the neighborhood featured in "Edward Scissorhands." I had ridden camels in Rajasthan, escaped from wild elephants in Ghana, and been chased by the Burmese military. But here, here I was in a land I had thought only existed in "The Stepford Wives". Filled with awe, I knew I had to return.
|
 Along
with Lisa, I ventured behind The Orange Curtain only ten days later to visit
Tom again. We gasped as he revealed that just one hill over, in
a land called Coto de Caza,
"The Real Desperate Housewives of Orange County" lived and ate.
From Ladera Ranch, Tom skillfully cut through large swathes of South OC to arrive at our destination, Laguna Beach. ~~ Here, at the Festival of Arts in Laguna Beach, a Korean dancer twirls a long white ribbon during Asian Arts Day, featuring dance and live music and art workshops.
|
 Korean
drums at Asian Arts Day at the
Festival of
Arts in Laguna Beach. |
 Some
last-minute adjustments to the golden-tiered headdress before performing a
traditional Cambodian dance at the
Festival of
Arts in Laguna Beach. |
 A
Cambodian dancer prepares for her performance. |
 Minutes
before performing traditional Cambodian dances at the
Festival of
Arts in Laguna Beach. |
 Performing
a traditional Cambodian, or Khmer Classical Dance, accompanied by a pinpeat
orchestra, consisting of xylophones, drums, oboes, gongs, and other music
instruments. |
 Want
to move here? Laguna Beach has a median home price of over two million
dollars (2007).
It's also an artistic community, boasting many art galleries, and is known for being one of the most environmentally aware cities in Southern California. In 2004, MTV created a reality television show titled "Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County", which has aired on MTV for 3 seasons. The show dared to ask what insanely rich high school kids do with their time. |
 Enjoying
the sweet life of The OC at Laguna Beach. |
 This
Laguna Beach resident knows that "OC" actually stands for "Only
Crustaceans".
Laguna Beach Survival Guide:
Craving to interact more with the O.C. native, I vowed to return to this
savage land. |
Orange County 2007
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