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.

CANNES, France - Walter Salles carefully raises the fingers of his right hand and gently strokes the back of his left. "These are characters," he says, explaining the gesture, "who experience things not vicariously but on the flesh. Men and women in a quest for something they couldn't define yet, who are trying to amplify their knowledge of the world. " More than half a century after "On the Road" was published, 30-plus years since Francis Ford Coppola bought the rights in 1978, and nearly a decade after Salles began working on the film, Jack Kerouac's peerless anthem to the romance of youthful freedom and experience has finally made it to the screen with its virtues and spirit intact.

For travel into Paris, consider the Paris Shuttle. It's similar to SuperShuttle here and offers shared rides from either Orly or Charles de Gaulle airports to your hotel. Currently, the one-way price for two is $27 each. Depending on the location of your hotel, you may not be dropped off first, but it is a chance to see other parts of the city (even if you're bone-tired). We book online in advance and have used them several times with no problems. Paris Shuttle, http://www.parishuttle.com Jeannine Christensen Orange

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Jerry Brown defends his soak-the-rich tax proposal as just. And besides, he says, it's popular with the non-rich. Never mind that it's the opposite of reform, that it would make California's roller-coaster tax system even more volatile. But maybe things do have to get worse before they get better. The state treasury is starved for more revenue. The governor is trying to avoid massive cuts to K-12 schools and more swats at the universities. It's probably not practical to wait for reform.

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....

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.

Dino Land theme park in China recently unveiled the $20-million Dinoconda , a thrilling fourth-dimension roller coaster with independently rotating seats. PHOTOS: Dinoconda 4-D coaster at China's Dino Land Located in Changzhou about two hours west of Shanghai, the Chinese park known as the "Jurassic Park of the East" features roller coasters, thrill rides and attractions themed to dinosaurs and mythical creatures. The mechanically complex coaster boasts wing-shaped vehicles with seats that rotate head over heels, both forward and backward.

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.

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.

The concrete Indian on the forklift struck a precarious pose as he moved through a crowd of rummagers scouting the remains of Bud Hurlbut's workshop in Buena Park . From behind the wheel, Lonnie Lloyd waved everyone aside as he guided the 6-foot, 6-inch statue into a U-Haul van. Its new owners shimmied it against a wall. Toys, props, tools and memorabilia at Hurlbut Amusement Co. moved fast during the recent three-day sale, and Lloyd tried not to be sentimental.

Sylvain Georges rode alone for almost 114 of the 116 miles from Palmdale to Big Bear Lake during Stage 6 of the Amgen Tour of California on Friday. Then he had to hold the trophy. For that Georges needed help. The 28-year-old Frenchman on the AG2R La Mondiale team did his lonely journey at the front of the field and for his reward he got not only the fifth stage win of his career but a trophy that was three feet tall, two and a half feet wide and 39 pounds, according to the creator, Kirby Craig of Kirby's Carving's of Big Bear Lake.

Forget the 200-foot-tall observation wheel. Venice Beach expects to get a zip line this summer. The Venice Neighborhood Council this week approved the installation of a 720-foot zip-line ride to run for a three-month trial period, clearing the way for consideration by the California Coastal Commission. Under the proposal, riders will take off from a 44-foot tower near the skate park and ride to a 24-foot tower at Windward Plaza by the basketball courts. The metal towers will be decorated with local art, and the attraction will bring in much-needed revenue to clean up the boardwalk, said Linda Lucks, president of the council.

It seemed a star-studded marriage: James Stewart, a three-time champion of off-road motorcycle racing, signed a multiyear contract with the Yamaha motorcycle team of Joe Gibbs Racing of NASCAR fame. The plan also was for Gibbs to provide a path for Stewart to pursue his goal of becoming a NASCAR stock car driver when his motorcycle days were over. But only seven months after announcing their union, Stewart and Gibbs recently parted ways and Stewart has signed with a new team, Yoshimura Suzuki, for both motocross and supercross.

Just before 10:45 a.m., Keith Marks called 911 and the Los Angeles County emergency response system sprang into action. A fire engine, a paramedic squad and a private ambulance - eight men in total - rushed to the Martin Luther King Jr. urgent-care center in Willowbrook. When they arrived, Marks, 56, was sitting calmly in a wheelchair just outside the entrance. His complaint: he was having joint pain from gout and wanted his medication refilled. "I can't walk," he said.

Dino Land theme park in China recently unveiled the $20-million Dinoconda , a thrilling fourth-dimension roller coaster with independently rotating seats. PHOTOS: Dinoconda 4-D coaster at China's Dino Land Located in Changzhou about two hours west of Shanghai, the Chinese park known as the "Jurassic Park of the East" features roller coasters, thrill rides and attractions themed to dinosaurs and mythical creatures. The mechanically complex coaster boasts wing-shaped vehicles with seats that rotate head over heels, both forward and backward.

MINNEAPOLIS — Peter Bourjos' game-changing speed and Gold Glove-caliber defense don't do the Angels any good on the bench, but that's where those tools were again Wednesday night. The center fielder was not in the lineup for the ninth time in 11 games, his playing time greatly reduced by the April 27 promotion of Mike Trout from triple A, but his attitude remaining upbeat and optimistic. "It will all work out one way or another," said Bourjos, who is batting .192 with a .259 on-base percentage.

Dreamland Margate in England plans to reopen in 2013 as the world's first amusement park dedicated to last-of-a-kind historic thrill rides, including one of the world's oldest roller coasters. Located about 75 miles east of London, the waterfront amusement park hopes to attract 350,000 visitors annually with a collection of vintage rides that include a whip, caterpillar, haunted swing, fun house and shoot-the-chute water ride. PHOTOS: Dreamland Margate heritage amusement park in England Dating to 1863 as a dance hall, the seaside location that would become Dreamland Margate eventually added a circus menagerie, pleasure gardens and amusement rides.

Even though Robi Boscarino lives a world away, the 17-year-old Australian still manages to tune into CBS' "NCIS" seven nights a week. Earlier this month, the Perth resident visited the hit crime procedural's sound stages in Valencia and caught his favorite character, DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly), in action. "Back home, everybody likes him," said Boscarino, who has Hodgkin's lymphoma and whose big dream to visit the set was made possible by the Make-A-Wish Foundation. "He's one of the most popular TV actors, for sure.

I'm such a sucker for anything having to do with mountains -- hiking up them, watching climbers ascend  them, snapping pictures of them -- that even phony peaks give me a thrill. Disneyland announced Tuesday that the Matterhorn Bobsleds, the iconic roller-coaster-type ride that's been closed since January for a redo, will have mountaineers once again scaling its slopes when the ride reopens June 15. "Having real mountain climbers on the mountain is a tradition started by Walt Disney in 1959 when the attraction opened," communications manager Shawn Slater writes on the DisneyParks Blog . Fans seem pretty happy with the news: "I remember during the 50th Anniversary they had Mickey scaling the peak!