Convenience Store Heaven--Orange County
These are all 7-Elevens unless I note otherwise, such as (AM/PM) or (Circle K).
You don't have to call me a loser. If I don't already believe I'm a loser, then
your telling me won't convince me.
Boy, aren't you getting a little thirsty?
Costa Mesa
You know, of course, that I don't live in Costa Mesa anymore. Since I don't live there anymore, I guess this will just have to serve as a service to all those people out there who do. The old haunt is right off the 405, so occasionally I'll stop there. Not very often, though, although it's a nice place to stop if I'm driving into Long Beach or something.
Harbor Blvd. and E. Mesa Verde
This one's good just because it was across the street (Harbor Blvd.) from my apartment complex.
I lived in commerce heaven, I think someone said, because within 5 minutes walking distance
there was a Coco's, Pier 1 Imports, Subway, Boston Market, Golden Spoon, a hardware store, a bowling alley, an Albertson's, and a few car dealerships, not to mention some other places.
They used to charge 80c for a refill, but they switched owners early in 1997 and now they
charge 74c like the rest of the 7-Elevens. The new owners are nice, the guys always
make it a point to say "hi" and "how are you" when you walk in. Not only that, but when
they first changed ownership, they mailed out coupons for free SBGs and coffee, with a
thing you could fill out to win a phone card. I guess I didn't win the phone card, but I
found enough coupons in the trash (la la la) to stay nice and juiced up for a few days.
I ain't no scab, though, since the coupons were right on the top of the trash can, so I
didn't have to dig in or anything. I guess it's a little too bad we moved right when the
place was getting interesting.
Harbor Blvd. (block south of I-405)
This is probably my favorite in the area. They've got good big cookies, nice selection. It's about a mile north of the apartment, and just off the 405. It was really convenient when I came off the 405 in a thirsty mood. How often do I come off the 405? Just about any time I go somewhere. How often
am I thirsty? Well, you figure it out. (Really, with going to school in Long Beach, I came off the 405 just about every day. Can you imagine?)
Oh, well, I don't come off the 405 in Costa Mesa anymore. Just once in a long while. This one was also pretty good because they were the only
place where I could get a roll of quarters (other than a bank).
Baker, between Fairview and Mendoza
This one is maybe a mile NE from home. It's very close to a Del Taco, which makes it a very nice selection indeed. It doesn't have anything really special about it, though, just a 7-Eleven.
Baker and Bristol
This one is a half mile or so east of the one above. I think this one kinda sucks. The times I've
been there (just a couple), the soda was warm and so the ice melts too fast. One of the joys of
the big drink is getting to eat the ice when it's done. It's in a somewhat convenient location when
coming home from South Coast Plaza, but not convenient in the way that Disneyland is more convenient than
Disneyworld (cuz in case you didn't know, Disneyland is about 15-20 minutes up Harbor Blvd. from where I lived in CM.. no freeways, even).
Hey, I just went here a couple times, and it's not all that bad after all. I must have gone there during a bad spell or something. They repaved the parking lot, and the soda is cold now. They even added a bunch of new cookies and junk. Actually, I think it is more convenient coming from that area than the other stores. It's all right after all. They recently (as of this year, 97)
got these cookies that are really big and have chocolate stuff (like icing) lightly slathered over the top. They look pretty, but they're not really all that great after all.
Fairview and Wilson, SE corner
This one is one to two miles from home. It sucks worse than the one above. The ice is small, and the soda warm, so the ice melts before you even get the thing home. The cups they had when I was there had all sorts of problems with the wax. And their cookies suck, too. The parking lot is pretty inconvenient, especially making a left hand turn. I've been there once, and probably never again.
After all, there's a Circle K across the street..
Fairview and Wilson, NW corner (Circle K)
This is the Circle K I mentioned in the one above. It's not bad, but I have no reason to be in this part of town, except that it's right next to a Jiffy Lube, so I guess I'd be in the area once every 3000 miles or so.
Coolness...they got those cookies that before I'd only seen in Long Beach.
I might have to check it out a couple more times. Cool. There's a slight problem, though.. Some places have drink fountains that aren't quite tall enough for my 64 oz cups. They're just barely tall enough, but at the end, sometimes the spout touches the drink, and I don't think that's very sanitary, and it's hard to get a cup out from under it, too. And Circle K is the one with
those tall 64 oz cups to begin with. Go figure. But the cookies'll make me want to return.
Newport and Wilson (Circle K)
This Circle K is just over the 55 freeway from the one above.
It's on the way to James' place. You wouldn't believe
the drink selection they have.. Among the regulars, they've got Hawaiian Punch and Squirt. I can't imagine 44 oz of Hawaiian Punch. Wow! It's not in a really convenient location, although they have a deal where you can get a free 44oz drink with a ticket stub from the local Edwards Cinema. Not bad, I must say. Actually, we've found that you can use any Edwards ticket stub, not just from Triangle Square. Cool.
I tell you, when we were getting ready to move, we had a whole bunch of movie tickets that we hadn't used for free drinks yet. I tried my best to get rid of those tickets, but alas, I am only one man and there's only so much I could do.
Paularino and Bristol
I discovered this one while temping in a building here.
Coming out of the parking garage driveway, the driveway opened up right on a 7-Eleven. More or less, anyway. It's not particularly special, though. It's similar in selection to the one just a skip down the street on Bristol. It's kinda hidden (which is why it took me a year to find it), and the parking lot isn't too great to get out of going the way I wanna go. I probably won't ever go there again, but it's nice to know it's there and that I've been there. That, and how can you resist a street name like Paularino?
While I worked at that Unocal building, my trip home took me by this little store. I decided to stop by a couple times, just to see how it is. It isn't particularly special, but now they've got Diet Dr. Pepper on the fountain. I don't think I'd seen that before. The problem is, they charge 85 cents for a refill, so unless I really want Diet Dr. P, I don't see myself going there much, if at all.
Building section:
Unocal Building--555 Anton, Costa Mesa
In case you don't know, 555 Anton is pretty close to South Coast Plaza (and
across the street from Hooters). This building was mentioned in a couple of
newspapers because of its innovative styling and creature comforts. They have
filtered water coming out of the taps, they have these spiffy chairs for everyone (unlike
some places where they have good chairs for some and really bad chairs for others), and
the scrubs get to sit by the windows while the bigwigs in offices are on the inside.
They have Starbucks coffee, too, but I don't drink coffee so it doesn't matter much
to me. The really good part is that they have a convenience store on the first floor
as part of the lunch area. The lunch area is called the Filling Station, and the store
area is called Fast Break (where you can, I suppose, bust a move). Inside, they've
got a Taco Bell Express (has most of the regular items) and a Subway, as well as
a lot of the other stuff you get in a c-store, like candy bars and snacks and bagels
and whatever. Their drink system is pretty good, too, and the names of the different
size cups I have on the main 7-Eleven page. They've got both Cherry Coke and
flavored iced teas (which would make Linda happy if she worked there.. most places
have one or the other). Not only that, but the refills are .59 +tax, cheaper than usual.
Anyway, as a place to work 15 hours a week, it's not too bad.
But I don't work there anymore. The idea was good, but it wasn't all that good
in practice. Besides, I can get Taco Bell crap at school all the time anyway.
Taco Bell Building--In Irvine somewhere
I worked at this pager company that was next door (more or less) to
the Taco Bell corporate headquarters. You can see the Taco Bell building from the
405, just in case you were wondering. In the underbelly of the building, they have
(of course) a Taco Bell in the cafeteria. They also have a KFC and a Pizza Hutt inside,
both of which are part of the same company. What makes it notable is that they have these
top secret experimental foods that they must test out on the employees before they
send them out to a larger market research group. For example, when I worked there
(which sadly was only two weeks), they had this thing called a "Crispirito." It was a
thin, deep fried burrito, sort of a mix between a chimichanga and an egg roll. They had
options where you could get a dipping substance (e.g., sour cream, salsa, guacamole)
for an extra charge. Those were good little suckers. I'd rather eat those than those
new "Wraps" things. Doesn't anyone see that wraps are just burritos with fajitas
in them? Or mabye fajitas wrapped like a burrito. I think the largest drinks they had
were 32 oz, but the pager company had free sodas in the fridge, so I didn't have to
worry about being well-juiced.
Anaheim
Disneyland
No, they don't have a 7-Eleven in the park. If they did, they'd probably
charge five bucks for a Big Gulp (**update.. last time I was there, early 2001, you'd get a 16 oz bottle for $2.50), and then fill it half way or something.
I don't have anything against Disneyland, really, just that it costs a lot.
But if you're thirsty, which is bound to happen at Disneyland, a cool place
to go is the Monorail Cafe. Linda worked there one summer a few years ago.
It's expensive, which you'd expect, but at least they give really big
portions. If you're hungry and don't care to eat anything spectacular or
healthy, eat there. They've got this 5 lb. chimichanga on the menu for
eight dollars or so, and if you ask for sour cream, it's like they give you a
whole carton of it. Anyway, if you're thirsty, you can get flavored
Cokes--chocolate, cherry, or vanilla. I like the chocolate, of course. Not only
do they give you refills of the Coke, they give you refills of the syrup,
which is pretty cool. Sure, the waitresses are all in their 90s, but they're
pretty nice.
important update! Well, they totally messed up the Disneyland resort hotel area, and the Monorail Cafe is nowhere to be seen. I went there last year (July 2000, give or take), and I wanted to show a friend of mine the Cafe and also where I got ill-fatedly married. Well, that whole area was torn up and under construction. I suppose the fact that the place I got married was now a pile of rubble was sort of symbolic. Anyway, now it's Downtown Disney, some kind of shopping area with restaurants and all that. Definitely made for the tourists who stay there, so if they don't feel they spend enough money going to Disneyland for two days, the California Adventure for a day, and of course paying too much to stay overnight in a crappy city like Anaheim, they can go downstairs and enjoy high priced Disney related stores and stuff.
Down the street
There's a 7-Eleven on Harbor (I think), just down the street from Disneyland.
I've never been there, but I thought I'd mention it to you in case you needed
to stop for a Super Big Gulp after a day in the Magic Kingdom. The reason
I've never been there is that it always looks kinda scary. I might stop by
there once, just for the sake of the page and all you readers out there.
Irvine... Irvine??
A nice young woman named Wyndi
who goes to high school there told me that there's a 7-Eleven
in the Culver Plaza. I'll believe it when I see it, though I don't know if I'll get to see it
since Irvine gives me the creeps. I've worked there a few times (as a whore... ack, I mean temporary employee), but I never went as far south as Culver Drive. That'd be interesting, though, since I thought that Irvine City Ordinance 2.5.b.ii paragraph 2 specifically prohibits 7-Eleven and other convenience stores or gas stations from being in Irvine. It musta slipped through somehow. They probably were able to grease the public officials somehow (like with free Slurpees for life?). You could include the Taco Bell
building in the Irvine section, if you like.
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