Galco's Soda Pop Stop

Okay, so I went on a spontaneous trip yesterday afternoon (spontaneous meaning not planned beforehand...*cough* Nick's trip to the beach late night *cough*) to Galco's Soda Pop Stop in Los Angeles, just south of Pasadena off the 110. Let me say that this place is soda heaven in a desert place! I'm going to give it:

A-

The only reason for the minus is that it looks a bit run-down in the inside, but I think that's to keep the prices low.

Basically it's a converted small marketplace. Nothing on the scale of Albertson's or Ralphs, but like a local grocer. Inside they have two aisles devoted to simply every soda from around the world. One soda I saw was called "Lenin Lemon" for the Russian communist leader. There were some other favorites too from the midwest.

One that I saw was Cheerwine. It was featured on Food Network's Unwrapped and is a very popular soda in the midwest. It doesn't have any wine in it but is named simply because of it's texture and taste. It tastes like a cherry flavored soda with a hint of cola, but no caffeine. When you pour it in a bottle, it looks like you're drinking a sparkling wine of sorts. It got its name from a time when chemists named soda from their characteristics. So like root beer looks like beer, Cheerwine looks like wine.

Another favorite was the Dr. Pepper made from real cane sugar. I didn't have a chance to try it, but my brothers drank it down like water.

The larger collection was out on display in the shelves to purchase directly, but of course, they were warm. There was decent selection of goodies in the refrigerator cabinets including some from Jones Soda Co. that had political names on them. There was also a wide selection of beers and wines, but none that I recognized as unique. Ironically, this soda place had your classics such as RC cola and Sunkist, but no Pepsi or Coca-Cola (although, they did have Mexican Coca-cola in bottles).

Other than the soda, they also had some classic candies on display. Most of them you would recognize from the local supermarket but re-packaged with nostalgic designs. Nothing to go out of the way for, but a nice compliment to all the sugar induced feelings you will get when you try one of their sodas.

So if you're ever in the area, definitely give this place a try. It's a diamond in the rough!

Petco Park Review

Before I start, I just want to clarify that I'm reviewing the ballpark and not the Padres. We all know that this year they are the stinker of So Cal, but thankful they have a glorious stadium to be proud of. I just recently visited the ballpark less than a month ago, and here's my review of the place:

A-

This place has got to be the most beautiful ballpark in southern California! No doubt about it, Petco Park was made for the fans, and the park itself creates an amazing atmosphere.

In left field, they have the historic Western Metal Company building that was retrofitted to hold seats, a gift shop, and a sit-down buffet style restaurant. It blends right into the field, and in fact, some of the seats overhand in field a little. The corner of the building acts like a foul pole too!

In center field, that's where you can find the $5 seats. Basically there are benches, and at the lower benches there is sand for all the kiddies to enjoy. While there is no game being played, this place is open to the public. It's the only ballpark in MLB to be open to the public while no games are being played. Behind right field is another historic building that used to be a candy factory. It is the largest building ever to be picked up and relocated. Currently it's under renovation, but I would love to get some candy from that place!

In fact, this entire area was a dump at one point in San Diego. That's why they built the stadium here, because it was the cheapest land in downtown. However, an apartment here can run you upward of two grand, and that's just for the lower level suites!

The stadium itself is designed so that whenever you're walking around, you can always get a good look at the game. It's big open walkways allows you to see the game practically wherever you are in the park. With clearly designated areas for food, you don't have to wander around the entire park looking for your favorite place to eat. In fact, I found a Rubio's that made their famous shrimp burritos quite easily. It taste just as good as any regular Rubio's I've been too.

About the only complaint I have is that the seats are tilted in towards the home plate. So your legs get kind of tangled with your neighbor and can give you a sore back afterwards, but nothing to complain about.

So if you're ever in San Diego looking for something to do, definitely check out Petco Park. If there's a game, you can walk-up to the ticket window and get a couple of $5 tickets, or if no game is being played, just go ahead and walk right in. Also there's a beautiful view of the bay right behind home plate, so that's why I'm giving Petco Park the award for:

MOST BEAUTIFUL PARK IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA!

Sonic Reviewed!

Sorry kids, but I'm not talking about everyone's favorite blue hedgehog here. I'm talking about the greatest drive-in restaurant on the face of the planet: Sonic! Okay it wasn't that great, but here's my review:

B+

A nostalgic place to eat, but the quality of its eats could be a little better.

First off, if you've never been, it's basically a traditional drive-in restaurant where diners pull up their cars to one of several menu boards and speak directly into the microphone the food that they want. Most Sonic joints (except this one) deliver your food while on roller skates and then attach the tray of food on the side of your car. I guess due to liability reasons in California, they no longer do that. Then everyone enjoys their meals and has a great time. That last part is not really included in the cost.

The drinks and dessert selection was quite nice and plentiful. During certain hours of the day is happy hour where drinks are half off. Personally I had the ice cream cone on one occasion for a buck and it was delicious. My comrades that I went with had various other drinks such as cherry limeade which they were certainly addicted to. Almost to the point of scary. Just kidding. It was good though as they put in a real cherry and green lemon to give it the right amount of flavor.

Now when we came on another day to try some of their fast food, I must say I was a bit disappointed by the taste alone. For a place that is suppose to highlight its unique flavors and nostalgia, they sure missed the ball when it came down to food quality. The fries were bland and looked like they came out of a tube. C'mon Sonic, its the 21st century, even Carl's Jr uses fresher fries than these! The popcorn chicken was good but nothing special about it. Even the pictures of other food options looked rather bland. It was almost as if they stole the menu from a Boomers! mini golf snack bar. For some strange reason, you could also upgrade your meal for no added cost. What's the deal with that?! Trying to make people feel good about themselves for eating even more bland food.

Oh well, for all its worth, its a great nostalgic place to eat. If you enjoy eating in your car or dining in their outdoor patio, then Sonic is your place to go. Don't forget to order that famous Cherry Limeade!

VG Review: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

Alright So Cal fans, you're in for another treat as tonight we review last years most talked about video game for the Xbox 360:

B

What?! "Star Wars games are suppose to be awesome!" Yeah, I hear you bro, but once again it seems like Lucas Arts fails to deliver on this hyped up game. (I know what you're thinking, "Why is Mr. SC reviewing a game that is millions of years old!" Well, basically I was waiting until this game became a little more affordable$$$). Judging by this review, you'll agree with me that this game should have gone to the bargain bin a lot quicker.

First off the graphics are spot on. On the current gen systems, the graphics are simply phenomenal! There's no denying that. It's also fun to play in alternative scenes from the movie and to be the villain for once. Also if you're a hard-core Star Wars, it's great to just listen to the side-story of Rebellion and how episode IV came to fruition. That is also why in the second level of the game, I changed the difficulty from medium to easy. I just wanted to play through to see the entire story.

With the force powers, they are cool, but basically they are just used for stormtrooper fodder. For other characters in the game, they are rather useless and you use your lightsaber to fight through them. Force lightning is the only force power that would actually stun an opponent but others like grapple have no effect whatsoever. Also when you're using your powers, it tends to focus on objects that you aren't even looking at! It became very hard to adjust too.

Speaking of the camera, it tends to focus on objects in the game other than the enemies that you're fighting. There's no auto lock-on for the camera, so unless you change the view manually, you can be staring in the one direction the entire game while your character can be walking in the other way.

For all the negatives, I must say I'm very excited about the new Jedi Temple that recently was introduced online as well as several new levels that are coming for the game later this fall. It basically provides an alternative to the Star Wars universe (think of a mirror universe where the dark side wins all the battles).

If you're looking for a great Star Wars game with subpar game mechanics, than this game is definitely for you!