I enjoyed the whole experience (9:00 am - 3:30 pm) but it was pretty intense too. Debra was assigned to a smaller shuttle. Mine was a tram train; it had two coaches and I was in the first with Jon in the back/second coach. Jose was the driver's name. Our shuttle ferried people between the Great Park Neighborhoods (a.k.a. Hangar 10) and the Great Park (a.k.a. Balloon). Thanks to Melissa who did a live shuttle presentation as a demo for me! Each presentation lasted about the time it took the shuttle to go from one point to the other. My script, after I had a chance to deliver it many times, was as follows:
Good morning everybody! Welcome to the Great Park! I'm Anita, a Great Park Ambassador. This shuttle is going to the Great Park Balloon. How much does everybody know about the Great Park? [Most people said they knew little or nothing although there were a few who said they knew a lot. I usually made small talk around their comments before I resumed.]As we rode, I tried to point in the general direction of the various features of the Great Park. Time certainly flew by and it was very hectic in the afternoon; there were long lines and lots of people waiting at each stop. To bring people from the parking lot into the events area more quickly, our shuttle route was changed. At first, we began to go between the Great Park Neighborhoods and the Bike Lot (the parking lot on Trabuco, near Cal State-Fullerton, Irvine campus). Later, we began to come back to the Great Park and go to the Balloon Overflow Parking Lot too. I modified the presentation accordingly. E.g. I'd point to the Tree House at the Neighborhoods (en route to Bike Lot) when we passed it.
The Orange County Great Park is the first great metropolitan park of the 21st century. It is about 1,347 acres large, almost twice the size of Central Park, NY. There will be a wildlife corridor that will connect the national forest in the east with the coastal communities in the west and give wildlife in these areas safe passage, thereby increasing our regional bio-diversity. The natural waterway that was in these lands before the base, and was boxed and channeled underground by ETMCAS will be revealed. A 2.5 mile canyon, 60 feet high, will terraform the flatland we see today. There will be hiking trails, bosques, a lake, cultural terrace, sports complex, botanical garden and community farm. Our park is being developed in phases starting with the western end. Today, you will see about 17 acres of the Preview Park and this is the area around the Great Park Balloon. How many of you have been in the Balloon? [Not many people had and there were also quite a few who weren't interested in riding the Balloon.]
The Balloon is a tethered helium balloon. The gondola (where the passengers stand) goes up to a height of 400 feet; the top of the balloon will be at 500 feet. The viewing distance is about 20-25 miles. I've heard that on a clear day the Hollywood sign can be seen but I haven't seen it yet! You do get a fabulous aerial view of the Great Park land and the developed Preview Park. Today's events include birds of prey, kite flying, a vintage aircraft flyover at noon, radio controlled airplane flybys at 11:30, 1:30 and 2:30. There are also many activities for children: kite making, origami, and mosaic birdseed. Balloon night flights start this summer and also, our cultural programming on friday and saturdays nights. You can find out more about all this by picking up a Welcome Bag at the Welcome & Information booths located just across from where you get off this shuttle. The bags have maps and brochures that give details about today's program, park hours, and summer events. Do you have any questions? [In the morning I usually mentioned the visitor's center registration for the balloon raffle ride. Questions from visitors included: How long do we get to stay in the balloon when it is up? I get airsick, is it safe for me to go up in the balloon? When will the park be completed? What are those RVs doing there? What are the Great Park neighborhoods? What are the park hours? Where are the bike trails? Is there a map of bike/hiking trails? How can I be a volunteer like you? When will the homes be built? Is the wildlife corridor safe for park visitors and will there be a fence between it and the park? Are animals being imported for the corridor? When will the trees be planted? When will runway demolition be completed?]
If you have any questions or comments, please don't hesitate to talk to me or any park staff who are wearing a blue park t-shirt like mine. Thank you for visiting the Great Park and enjoy your time with us!
I feel very satisfied about what I did as an Ambassador today; a lot of people who didn't know about the Great Park now know a lot more. I too learned a lot. One, I was surprised by how many people didn't know about the Great Park or the difference between the Park and the Neighborhoods. Even when I explained the difference (the one is a park, the other is homes/other buildings to be built on land that is adjacent to the park) they had a great deal of difficulty getting it. Since the two entities (OCGP & Great Park Neighborhoods) are partners in this endeavor and very clearly collaborating it would have been nice to have one map that showed both spaces and the walkway between the two. Such an overall map might have lessened the confusion and helped folks visualize more clearly. Two, the reaction of the folks who'd said they already knew a lot about the park or were returning visitors was very positive. Most said they were happy the balloon rides were being resumed. They were looking forward to the night flights and cultural programming. One person, however, was disappointed by the lemonade line. A few expressed similar feelings about the long lines; the programs, they said, were excellent but the long lines gave the experience an "amusement park" feel. I encouraged all these folks to come back another time this summer, for day or night flights, friday dance parties and saturday concerts. Three, military stories are clearly not my forte nor are engineering details! I shared the Col. Craddick FA-18 air crash and his miraculous survival story with the wrong date (97/98 when it was actually 87/88)! Later, I was corrected, most discreetly and politely, by a gentleman who said he'd actually been in the audience when it happened. I should have paid more attention to technical details and marked the various "sustainability" features of the Preview park on my map such as the trash receptacles (e.g. photovoltaic only or flat-plate solar panel powered too). The "El Toro stone" which is the runway reused at the berm around the Balloon was easy to describe as were the lily pads, but I didn't know where the "semi-permeable concrete" was being used :(. Is there a specific reason the Neighborhoods are using bikes as their icon? Is it because of the guiding principle of 'sustainability' or more specifically, because Irvine, and most parts of the Great Park, when done, will be accessible by biking trails from these homes? I guess I'll find out in days to come. Today was a blast and the few pictures I shot are available as part of the OCGP Ambassador Summer 2008 Photo Album. I'm glad to be a Great Park Ambassador!
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I was a shuttle/guide greeter on the rear coach & Anitia had the front coach of our two coach shuttle from the bike lot to the GP neighborhoods. Initially it also went to the balloon site and when the crowds increased it also went to the balloon lot after the neighborhoods stop. Finally it was dedicated to serving the bike lot. This created some confusion as the neighborhoods stop did not have a traffic director or dispatcher who knew where any of the shuttles were going. Usually, when I went to ask the driver (or Anita) where we were going, the back coach would start to fill with people trying to go to the balloon site - they were very frustrated about having to change to yet another shuttle.
After picking up passengers at the bike lot, I'd also explain how they could get to the balloon site since our shuttle usually didn't go there. Frequently the reaction was "But we didn't come to see model homes" so then I'd explain it was a "neigborhood vision" with no preview homes but with many other attractions - which seemed to be acceptable.
My impression is that people preferred riding the shuttle and seeing more of the old base (rather than standing in line or walking between sites) so I think a single-loop shuttle going to all the stops in sequence would have worked best - although I imagine that would require more buses and consequently be more expensive.
On returning to the bike lot, I always asked people what they liked or disliked. They frequently commented favorably on the trees being saved and the green or environmentally positive plans for the GP. The one negative comment was that "we didn't have any real airplanes" for a festival of flight (the biplane flyover & glider didn't impress them).
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