There's a whole cute little area just over two miles away from the hotel known as the Anaheim Packing District in the heart of CtrCity Anaheim. CtrCIty is a revival of the downtown Anaheim area with shops and eateries and breweries all tucked into a small area. This is another one of those little areas in which it wouldn't take much to get lost for an afternoon.
Although, I gotta tell you...as I was strolling the streets trying to get a picture of the Muzeo sign into a frame without having to step into the middle of the street, an older woman stopped me to ask me why I was taking pictures. I didn't know quite what to say without having to launch into an hour long explanation of EDE and the purpose of my visit out there. When I'd finally managed to make her understand, she promptly began listing all of the places that I needed to tell people about.....every one of which was located outside the city of Anaheim. She said that, "In order to really have a good time, you have to get out of Anaheim. There's really nothing to do here." She said while standing out front of Muzeo watching the F.R.A.N. cars toodle by.
At any rate, once you get down to Center City, there are several things you can kill some time looking at.
First, there is the Center Street Promenade. There are little gift shops, bigger little gift shops, places to eat and places to grab a beer.
Then, of course there is the Anaheim Packing house (separate post coming for that where I will take you on a walkthrough of the building and the outside areas). They have live music Thursday through Sunday and a TON of places to eat and drink.
Whist strolling the streets, be sure to stop for a beer at the Anaheim Brewery. I gave it the old college try and was, unfortunately, stopped dead in my tracks.
The lesson here? Check signs and hours before you decide to head out to anywhere.
Other things to see...?
Muzeo Museum and Cultural Center:
It's regarded as an arts, events, and museum space that runs a creative program focusing on honoring culture, history, heritage, and art. There are indoor and outdoor exhibits as well as both ticketed and non-ticketed ones. No, I didn't go in, I was on a mission.
There's actually a bunch of stuff to see, but their website is horribly out of date (at least right this minute), but I do want to provide the link to you:
I could go on for a few more pages, but I think I've rambled long enough. I just want this posts to be a guide rather than a tome.
Oh, but one last thing, if you poop out, there is F.R.A.N.
Free Rides Around the Neighborhood
Named after Francisca Avila-Rimpau, one of the "Mothers of Anaheim," it is exactly that. A free ride around the neighborhood. It doesn't seem to be an extraordinarily extensive route, but it IS something
Evidently, though, it's pretty simple and personalized to use. You download the App, make your selection and wait for your pickup. There are 10 preset stops
1. The Circle Stop (BARN / CP7 / Anaheim ICE / Harbor Lofts / RARE / Wells Fargo) 2. Center Street Stop (CP4 / GOOD FOOD / St. Joseph’s Disney Travel / MiX) 3. Carnegie Plaza Stop (CP3 / Ctr St / Anaheim West Tower / MUZEO) 4. Kraemer Stop (Kraemer Building / CP2 / Community Center) 5. City Hall Stop (City Hall / CP1 / River Arena) 6. Electrica Stop (Electrica – COMING SOON / Little People’s Park) 7. Farmer’s Park Stop (Packard Building / Farmer’s Park/ Greenhouse) 8. Packing House Stop 9. MAKE Stop 10. Leisuretown Stop (Leisuretown – COMING SOON / Tony’s Deli) NEW Pearson Park Stop
and you're picked up in one of the vehicles named after Fransisca's daughters and granddaughters.
So, again...this is Anaheim's CtrCity....oh, and I guess these aren't "A"s for "Andrea" but for "Anaheim," instead. Lame.
