logo


tagline Mooning of the Amtrak Photos Party Guide Mug's Away Laguna Nigel, CA

olives
Hermosa Beach Newsletter Contact Us Advertise Here

Google
Web PubClub.com

L.A. GUIDE:
° An Introduction

° Party Bus
° Best In L.A.
° The Bartender.
° PreParty
° Post Party
° Dining in L.A.

CITIES IN THE CITY:
- Hollywood
- Long Beach
- Santa Monica
- South Bay
- Sunset Strip/Beverly Hills
- Venice Beach/MDR
- Orange County

NO LAST CALL!
° Home Page
° Sign up to be a "PubClubber

How, where ­ but not why ­ about this unusual event held each July.

The Mooningof the Amtrak!
Give a Cheer When People Show Their Rear


Fun and buns – bend over, peel down the pants and laugh!

[MAP of the Mooning]

Orange County Guide
Newport Beach Bars & Nightlife

Whomever can be credited with creating crazy spectacles such as the Mooning of the Amtrak – is this even its formal name? – is to be commended. Celebrated. Cheered.

At the very least, be given some type of Party Plaque. (Legend has it a man by the name of K.T. Smith deserves the honors.)

Mooning Tips

• The event is at the Mug's Away Saloon, 27324 Camino Capistrano in Laguna Nigel, CA. (949) 582-9716.
ª  Parking is along Camino Capistrano; find a spot and take it (but observe the no-parking areas). Part of the fun is the walk to the event.
• Better yet, have a taxi or limo drop you off about a quarter-mile away.
• Coolers are okay to bring, but are not allowed in the bar.
• Mooners line up along the fence across the 2-lane from the Mug's Away and train times are posted at the bar.
• Turn the rear as the train approaches and peel down the pants. Feel free to wave, too.
• Bring cash; though drinks are reasonably priced, tents and the bar are cash only.
• The next mooning will take place July 14, 2007
• For more detials, visit the unoffical event's unofficial website.

For the Mooning of the Amtrak, an annual event in which hundreds of people drop their drawers to passing trains, is one unusual adventure.

Held on the second Saturday of July in Laguna Nigel, CA, it's an all-day and evening adventure that attracts thousands of modern-day moonies.

Moonies line the sides of a two-lane street, fill the parking lot of the adjacent business park and go in and out of a host bar – of course, a bar has to be involved in the mix somewhere – then race out to line up against a fence when one of the Amtrak or Metrolink trains comes down the line.

"Here comes a train" someone calls out and people turn their rears to the well, rear. As the train passes, the shorts go down and the riders are mooned. And don't think those riders and even train workers don't enjoy it; some take the train specifically on that day to take their crack at the show. This even continues past dark where flashlights and lanterns provide light. Talk about a full moon!


Outside and in at the suspected culprit, the dive bar at the heart of the action.

The suspected culprit of this affair is the Mug's Away Saloon, though it pretends merely to be an innocent bystander. The Mugs Away – a dive bar if ever there was one – is the centerpiece of activity. Dark, sweaty and stained, it looks misplaced in otherwise pristine Orange County. Until one considers the crowd.

Newport Beach it isn't. The Mug's Away – and the entire event, as well – looks more like the infield of a NASCAR race rather than something near the Southern California coast. Or Bike Week in Daytona. People fly flags from large poles from their motorhomes. They arrive on Harleys, wear black leather jackets and jeans, sport tattoos and beer bellies and enthusiastically gather around girls – not all of whom are exactly fit and fantastic – in hopes they will see some skin.


Between trains, there's a party along the side of the road and fence.

It's a rough 'em-and-cuff-'em looking group but realizing what a great thing they have going, they are as well-behaved as grade school nerds. They're all smiling, swilling their drinks and, of course, mooning. Only occasionally does a sheriff cruise by, and then only to monitor the cars parking on the side of the road.

Mooners wander in and out of the Mug's Away and crowd its tiny balcony (imported beers are $5, same as two Jell-O shots, cash only, ATM inside) But the real action is outside, in the small business park's parking lot. Tents sell burgers, beer, booze and souvenir t-shirts. A band plays in the doorway of one of the park's businesses. Several hundred people are here, occasionally venturing across the street to join another party or catch the next train for more mooning. The Mug's Away posts mooning – er, train – times on a board on a wall above its patio.

While you can't take a drink out of the bar, you can indeed drink outside. In fact, many people arrive pulling coolers filled with their own cocktails.

Since this is not an actual official event, rather more of an annual gathering, there is no official start or finish time. The bar opens in the morning and people do arrive early. Others come late and stay until the last train at about 11 p.m. The peak is between noon-3; afterward the crowd seems to get a bit younger and are a bit more SUV than Hog.

Next stop on the Party Bus: Orange County