I have to go to Brea, CA for work next week

[Kathy in Cambridge]

Can anyone tell me what the closest airport is? What is the area like? I've never been there before.

Thanks! :hi:

[ET Awful]

1. John Wayne Airport in Orange County is probably closest.

LAX is a bit farther away.

I'm not too familiar with the area, so can't help much there, I was more of a San Fernando Valley/Ventura County dweller while I was there.

[DBoon]

8. I'd consider Ontario airport too

Use LAX only if you must - it is quite a ways.

[Spiffarino]

10. Shout out to Ventura Co.!

Raised in Simi Valley...lived there 29 years. WAAAAAYYY too Republcan for me now!

[St. Etienne]

15. Two of my better friends live there now.

Shout out to Chatsworth!

[newscaster]

2. The Brea area

Brea is primarily a bedroom community with commercial areas near by.
Its not on the beach but the shore is easily reachable. The closest airports are Long Beach airport or John Wayne airport. The John Wayne airport is actually in Orange county.
Go to your nearest AAA office and get the California book and a map of southern California. It will help you familiarize yourself with the area.
Good luck.

[bobweaver]

3. It's Orange County

The airports to choose from would be:

LAX
John Wayne
Ontario

Brea is mostly a suburban, fairly conservative area
Not far from Anaheim and Buena Park though, if you are into theme parks

[signmike]

4. Brea, Orange County, Bush, Reagan, Nixon country

[Kathy in Cambridge]

5. Bummer

what about safety, restaurants, bars?

Any scenic areas?

[DBoon]

7. It is very safe

very suburban.

I'm sorry, it is basically very boring.

For scenery, you won't be far from the Cleveland National Forest. The Northern Orange County beaches (Huntington Beach, etc.) aren't too far. Higher mountain resorts (Lake Arrowhead, Idylwild) and the desert (Palm Springs) are maybe an hour or 2 away.

There are most likely some very good restaurants there. Nice thing about SoCal, even in the most unlikely places there are immigrant communities with excellent eating places. You may find Thai, Persian there. Of course, Mexican will be ubiquitous.

Nearest colleges are Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State Fullerton.

[Spiffarino]

9. We used to call it being "Behind the Orange Curtain"

Remember, Orange County is where Nixon was born (Yorba Linda) and died (San Clemente). If you get around Dana Point, there's a restaurant there called Olamendi's. It's right on the PCH (California Hwy 1). It was Nixon's favorite restaurant. There are literally hundreds of pictures on the walls of the Olamendi family with the Nixons and other prominent Repubs. It was so incredibly kitsch I went back to eat there three more times. The food's fairly good, but the atmosphere is downright surreal.

If you're into history, you might check out Mission San Juan Capistrano. The church dates to around 1805. The gardens are magnificent.

San Clemente State Beach is a nice place to walk around. There are a couple of stairways that lead down to the water. Doheny State Beach is nice, too. There are tidepools near the Institute.

I live in NC now, but I was raised in Southern California. Hope you enjoy my old stomping grounds.

[bobweaver]

12. Nixon was actually born in Whittier, California

but the Nixon library is located in Yorba Linda, California, which is right next to Brea. My late stepmother tended the rose garden at the Nixon library for a few years. Don't worry, I never set foot on the Nixon library grounds, no way! Orange County is a conservative stronghold (hq of the John Birch Society) but some small pockets of OC are liberal (Laguna Beach, Garden Grove for example).

[Spiffarino]

13. Whittier? No kidding?

I used to play music at a bar in Whittier many, many years ago. I didn't know Tricky Dick was born there. I thought he was from OC, not LA County. Thanks for the update.

FWIW, Laguna Beach rocks. It's one of the coolest, most eclectic communities I've seen in CA. It reminds me of where I live now.

[Taverner]

6. You could check out the Carpenters Museum in Downey

:)

[bobweaver]

11. You could even stop in at...

...the Nixon library in Yorba Linda, California, very close to Brea!

[Kathy in Cambridge]

14. Kick