[ SUNDAY TRAVEL ]

DISNEYLAND RESORTS
The House of Blues features Mississippi Delta food, music
and a theater that can accommodate about 1,000 people.

Downtown Disney
takes grown kids
on a wild ride

Fun choices range from the
ESPN Zone to the
House of Blues

TAKING THE ADVENTURE

---

By Tim Ryan
Star-Bulletin

IT'S BEEN A ROUGH DAY for me in Disney's California Adventure park. So many rides, so much food, so little time. Right now, though, I seem to be in Fantasyland, sitting in a large, glove-soft leather chair with speakers attached to the high wings, surrounding me in sound. On the left armrest is an implanted remote-control device with a dozen or so buttons, and before me are a dozen small television screens and a giant one about 20 feet across.

On the big screen, the Los Angeles Lakers are barely ahead of the Sacramento Kings. And on the other screens are college basketball, hockey games, a golf tournament and some sports I don't recognize. When I push a button on the remote that corresponds to a television, the speakers in my chair adjust accordingly.

DOWNTOWN DISNEY Hours: 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. Cost: Free to walk around Location: Between Disneyland and California Adventure

Just when I think things couldn't get better, a waiter asks if I would like a glass of wine, a beer or something to eat!

I'm definitely in a zone -- ESPN Zone that is, one of 11 restaurants in Downtown Disney, an open-air esplanade between Disneyland and the company's new California Adventure.

The two-story ESPN restaurant (714-300-3776; price range $8-$22) offers dozens of TV screens, all tuned to live sports events. There are three elements in the restaurant: the Studio Grill, which re-creates the atmosphere of the ESPN Studios; the Screening Room, the ultimate place to watch sports events from around the world -- that's where I'm sitting -- and the Sports Arena upstairs, featuring interactive games like wall climbing, which I choose not to do after three glasses of wine.

The 300,000-plus-square-foot Downtown Disney is composed of 17 shops, a 12-screen megaplex theater, House of Blues, Rainforest Cafe, Ralph Brennen's Jazz Kitchen, Y Arriba Y Arriba Latin dining and entertainment from Miami, and a 40,000-square-foot Disney store.

DISNEYLAND RESORTS
Latin dining and entertainment, Miami style,
put plenty of spice into Y Ariba Y Ariba.

I STROLL OVER to the House of Blues (Sunday-Thursday 11 a.m.-midnight; Friday-Saturday 11 a.m.-1 a.m.; 714-778-BLUE) to sample what they call Mississippi Delta (price range of entrees $10-$15) and actually try some deep-fried alligator while listening to some up-and-coming rock group in a theater large enough to accommodate about 1,000 people.

Just across the walkway, the Jazz Kitchen (5-11 p.m. daily; 714-776-5200; price range for entrees $16-$30) is a real find for jazz lovers. The house band is excellent, and the red-and-white cake is to die for.

Louisiana cuisine can be found in two dining rooms, Flambeaux and the posh Carnival Club. If you want a decidedly Latin experience with a major touch of Cuban, head to Y Arriba Y Arriba (11 a.m.-2 a.m. daily; 714-533-TAPA; price range $5-$15). There are a dance band and Latin entertainers but, best of all, no cover charge. The menu offers lots of tapas -- bite-size snacks that are a favorite throughout the Latin world. Sit at the second-floor bar, and peer down on the gyrating dancers below.

But if a late-night stroll is what you're looking for, downtown Disney is great for that as well. There's Compass Books from San Francisco featuring books on entertainment and California travel. A magazine stand outside offers popular periodicals. Starabilia offers celebrity autographs and Hollywood-themed items. Hoypoloi features one-of-a-kind art and decor created by artists in the United States. The 4,500-square-foot LEGO Imagination Center has 400 different LEGO toy products, and exclusive LEGO-branded shirts, hats and sports gear.

And there's plenty of security here, sort of a Disney trademark. I counted more than a dozen very visible guards in 15 minutes.