Rides

Auto leasing deals abound these days, with offers that often seem too good to be true. How about a well-equipped Honda Accord for $250 a month with no down payment or any other drive-off fees? Or better yet, $199 a month for a Chevrolet Malibu? So, what's the catch? There isn't any if you know what you're getting into. There are always details. You need top-tier credit to qualify. You pay a penalty if you turn that Honda in with more than 36,000 miles. And the payment is not $250 a month because of that little matter of tax. It is more like $275, depending on where you live.

The first four innings of Friday night's game were much like the Angels' late-night flight from Houston to Chicago, a white-knuckle ride through thunderstorms in which the team's charter was "rocking and dropping, the roughest flight I've ever been on," center fielder Mike Trout said. One minute the Angels were up by four and looking as if they might blow out the Chicago White Sox on a chilly 40-degree evening, the next they gave up four in the fourth inning and the score was tied.

Disneyland's Space Mountain remains closed for safety repair work, two weeks after state regulators cited the park for hazards to workers who maintain and repair the attraction. Disney officials, who said they have no estimate on when the ride will reopen, closed Space Mountain and two other rides April 13, after receiving the state citations. The other rides, Soarin' Over California at Disney's California Adventure Park and the Matterhorn Bobsleds at Disneyland, have reopened. State safety inspectors scrutinized the rides after a maintenance worker was injured in November from a fall he suffered while cleaning the outside of the Space Mountain building.

"How do I make this old bike go faster?" That refrain, heard frequently among the teeming masses riding from downtown to the beach in last month's CicLAvia and sure to be repeated again at the next one on June 23, has one obvious answer (work out more, dude) and three not-so-obvious ones: Oil the chain, adjust the seat to the proper height (so there's a slight bend in your knee at the bottom of the pedal stroke) and get some "clip-in" cycling shoes and pedals. Snapped into matching pedals via a step-in cleat you attach to a port on the bottom, clip-in shoes include a stiff sole and the ability to pull up as well as push down, thereby providing a huge mechanical advantage that transfers more of your energy into the crank.

SeaWorld San Diego will add a manta ray-themed family roller coaster on May 26 that marks the U.S. debut of a highly anticipated prototype ride. PHOTOS: Manta roller coaster at SeaWorld San Diego Paired with a 100,000-gallon aquarium and outdoor ray pool, the Manta coaster will twist and turn over low terrain in the relatively unused back corner of the marine park near the Skyride and Flamingo Cove, SeaWorld officials said....

In compiling my top 10 list for Legoland California , I tried to combine must-see attractions with  one-of-a-kind rides you can’t find anywhere else. Photo Gallery : View the Top 10 Legoland California rides and attractions Legoland perfectly hits its demographic of minivan-driving soccer moms and their stroller-bound charges and 'tween siblings. The pink-knuckle rides offer a tiny dose of mild thrills for the littlest kids, who are often underserved at typical theme parks . That said, the Carlsbad kiddie park features a disappointingly high number of attractions that parents can't ride with their kids.

As a 16-year veteran of a California police department who's worked various patrol, investigative and undercover assignments, I feel the need to respond to the June 30 story about the death of Sasha Rodriguez at the recent Electric Daisy Carnival so the citizens of Los Angeles as well as the rest of California know. I cannot believe that public officials approved the use of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for this event. Have we not learned yet what a rave is? Since the 1980s, "rave" has denoted a specific type of party that includes the use of psychedelic drugs.

With 14 rides, including eight roller coasters, the proposed Orlando Thrill Park hopes to cater to enthusiasts underserved by Florida's theme parks. Photo gallery : View the 14 proposed Orlando Thrill Park rides Scheduled to open in summer 2013, the proposed amusement park would include rides from several manufacturers, including Intamin , Vekoma , Chance Morgan , Mack , S&S Power , U.S. ThrillRides and Mondial , according to Chuck Bell, spokesman for the Orlando Thrill Park.

Note to Miami Heat fans who are paying hundreds of dollars to see superstar LeBron James in action: Check out the bike lane for free. James, who is making $17.5 million this season, apparently enjoys riding a bike to games. Yes, you read that right. The man who can afford any car in the world prefers to sit on a teeny tiny seat and pedal himself around. James has pedaled from his Coconut Grove home to AmericanAirlines Arena three times this season, according to the Sun Sentinel . It typically takes him about 30 to 45 minutes by bike depending on how hard he's going.

Holiday World in Santa Claus, Ind., may be the only place on Earth where you can celebrate Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween and the Fourth of July all in a single day. Photos: Top 10 Holiday World rides and attractions The family-owned theme park prides itself on its collection of record-setting rides and an award-winning water park that's included with the price of admission. In 1946, park founder Louis Koch opened Santa Claus Land in this small Indiana town to pay tribute to the town's namesake elf. The self-proclaimed “world's first theme park” featured a train, a toy shop, a few kiddie rides and, of course, daily visits by Santa Claus.

MAE WANG, Thailand - As we sat together on a long, narrow raft of bamboo, Alexa Pham dipped her hand into the quickly moving river. "It's the really simple things," she said with a long breath, "that make it beautiful here in Mae Wang. " Two wiry boatmen, steering with long poles, navigated the raft beneath the branches of overhanging trees, around boulders and through bars of late-afternoon sunlight. The men are part of Pham's staff, hired from the hill tribes and Burmese refugee communities of northern Thailand.

After a three-week closure to complete safety work, the popular Space Mountain attraction at Disneyland in Anaheim is expected to reopen this weekend. Disneyland voluntarily closed the 36-year-old ride April 13 after state regulators, investigating the injury of a contract worker, found violations related to safety procedures and equipment for maintenance staff. Disney officials said Friday that they could not give an exact date for the reopening of the ride but hope to have it operating this weekend.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Contrary to popular perception, this will not be the first Kentucky Derby ride for jockey Kevin Krigger. Maybe his fifth or sixth. Of course, when he got his first saddle as a teenager in the Virgin Islands, he didn't have the likes of racehorse Goldencents under that saddle, as he will Saturday, in the 139th Derby. "I think I got my first saddle when I was 13," Krigger says. "So, when it was time for the Kentucky Derby, I'd put it up on the couch at home, in front of the TV set, and I'd ride the race.

Grief-stricken classmates of a 13-year-old boy who was struck and killed by a school bus on Thursday returned to Roosevelt Middle School in Glendale on Friday, some of them seeking solace at a memorial that was set up at the collision site. The Los Angeles County coroner on Friday identified the boy as Jonathan Hernandez, who died shortly after being struck and trapped underneath a school bus Thursday afternoon at Columbus Avenue and Riverdale Drive. Grief counselors were at the campus for friends and teachers who knew Jonathan, who was described as well-liked and a student who excelled academically.

The jockey colony at Hollywood Park might want to break out a bottle of champagne to celebrate the absence of Rafael Bejarano next week when he leaves town to ride Midnight Lucky in the Kentucky Oaks and Overanalyze in the Kentucky Derby. That means somebody else will get a chance to ride a winner. The red-hot Bejarano won four races in four mounts Friday. Then, on California Gold Rush Day on Saturday, he won three of the four richest stakes, including the $300,000 Snow Chief Stakes aboard Surfcup for trainer Bob Baffert.

UCLA's spring game Saturday was going to cost UCLA students $7 for the bus ride to the Rose Bowl. Then Bruins Coach Jim Mora stepped in. And then athletic department officials rethought the matter. Mora had volunteered to pay for students' bus fare to the game, Josh Rebholz , UCLA associate athletic director of development, said on his Twitter account Wednesday night. On Thursday afternoon, athletic department officials decided to pick up the tab for the trip to the Rose Bowl.

WASHINGTON STATE Magical trail ride We just returned from Orcas Island, Wash., and discovered a magical private trail horseback ride. Trails wind through lush forest and down to the beach. Rides are tailored to groups. Turtlehead Farm, 231 Lime Quarry Road, Eastsound 98245; (360) 376-3649, www.turtleheadfarm.com. Rides from $55/hour. Debbie Fawcett Seal Beach

Bicyclists who love to pedal along a stretch of scenic Highway 1 between Cambria and the San Luis Obispo/Monterey county line have encountered a very bumpy -- and dangerous -- ride ever since a resurfacing project left behind chunky aggregate on the road's shoulder. It's a popular cycling route that runs along the Central Coast past San Simeon and Hearst Castle to points north. Now relief might be on the way. Caltrans on Monday will begin working on a test section of the shoulder with heavy equipment to try and smooth out the roadway for cyclists.

Disneyland's Space Mountain remains closed for safety repair work, two weeks after state regulators cited the park for hazards to workers who maintain and repair the attraction. Disney officials, who said they have no estimate on when the ride will reopen, closed Space Mountain and two other rides April 13, after receiving the state citations. The other rides, Soarin' Over California at Disney's California Adventure Park and the Matterhorn Bobsleds at Disneyland, have reopened. State safety inspectors scrutinized the rides after a maintenance worker was injured in November from a fall he suffered while cleaning the outside of the Space Mountain building.

During a honeymoon trip to Los Angeles, Chris Hansen and his new wife, Shoni, decided not to skimp on their visit to Universal Studios Hollywood. They booked a pricey tour for the theme park that included a buffet lunch, an escort to the front of the line of every ride and a behind-the-scene visit to the property and wardrobe departments on the studio's television and movie lot. The experience set the couple back $299 each, compared with the regular $80 admission price. But they didn't complain.