In Search of Fun on Tustin Street

Postal alert! Despite how local merchants refer to it, Tustin Avenue in fact becomes Tustin Street when it hits the city of Orange. Either way, with or without kids, the west side of the street provides a great way to spend a day.

MORNING 1 2

Bookman offers 8,000 square feet of used, rare and out-of-print books; unlike many such shops, the books are carefully categorized and alphabetized. Most are inexpensive, but there are some treasures: A first edition of John Berendt’s recent “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” sells for $250.

One sign notes that “the best books are ones that have been read.” Says another, “Reading books is fun! Anyone can read! It’s so simple even a child can do it!!”

Children and their parents might want to check out the Bookman Basement a few doors down (806 N. Tustin St.), where all books sell for under $5; that’s where the kids’ books and comic books are, too. Keeping the Berendt book in mind, I picked up a first edition of one of my favorite books for $3.

A few more doors down is Mothers Secret, which specializes in the resale of children’s and maternity items. A poem in the window says, “Consignment wasn’t forbidden, but until I was a mother, it was definitely hidden.”

In the other direction, Altair-4 Books (870 N. Tustin St.) carries science fiction, fantasy and “unusual” books.

LUNCH 3

Two great choices for lunch are Darya (for Persian cuisine, 1840 N. Tustin St.) and Raffaello (for Italian, 1998 N. Tustin St.)

But with kids in tow, I’d sooner go to Tulsa Rib Co. (Get it? Sooner . . . Oklahoma?)

Get messy! Order ribs. Don’t worry, they come with a gaggle of napkins and moist towelettes. You can order baby back ribs ($8.95) in versions including hickory-smoked, spicy or Cajun. All include tabbouleh or coleslaw, a pile of “Tulsa” potatoes dripping in garlic butter, baked beans and corn bread. On the takeout menu are complete rib meals for two ($24.50), including “Baby, Baby, Baby,” with three sauces, and “Ribs, Ribs, Ribs,” with four types of ribs.

On the walls are posters for movies including “The Tulsa Kid,” “Oklahoma Frontier,” “Oklahoma Justice,” “Oklahoma Raiders,” “Oklahoma Annie,” “Oklahoma Crude,” “Home in Oklahoma,” “The Doolins of Oklahoma” and “The Oklahoman”--not to mention “Tulsa” and “Oklahoma!”

AFTERNOON 4 5

When it comes to movies, you can’t beat a matinee; it’s usually less crowded, less noisy and less expensive than nighttime shows. At Captain Blood’s Village Theatre (1140 N. Tustin St.), admission is $3.50 until 6 p.m.

An out-of-the-world option may be Planet Kids, an indoor recreational and educational center.

Kids can create cosmic music in the Lunar Tunes room (there’s even a real organ!); play galactic video games; participate in Kids Karaoke or imprint their own shadows in the spacey room called Eclipse. Tot Spot is for smaller earthlings. Adventure Crater, which features faux rocks and craters as well as tunnels and a ball pit, is designed for older earthlings.

How old? The center stipulates 13 tops, but as “scout” Anna Tancic testifies, “I’m 17, and on my day off, I just spent three hours here.”

Bring those new used books, by the way: While children play, parents can read in a soundproof room.

Planet Kids admission is $5.95 for ages 1 to 3, $7.95 for ages 4 to 13; 18 and older get in free when accompanied by a paying child. Sorry, no ‘droids allowed.

LATE AFTERNOON 5

Save those corn-bread crumbs and feed the ducks at Eisenhower Park. You also can visit deer at the park’s animal farm. A lakeside plaque designates the 1877 Santa Ana Valley Irrigation Co. project a county Historical Civil Engineering Landmark.

While kids recently frolicked near the creek, one man played accordion beneath a shady tree while another practiced guitar at a picnic table some distance away.

Idyllic.

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1) The Bookman 840 N. Tustin St., (714) 538-0166.

10 a.m.-8 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sat. and noon-5 p.m. Sun.

2) Mother’s Secret

726 N. Tustin St., (714) 289-7688.

10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Tue.-Sat. and 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Sun.

3) Tulsa Rib Company

954 N. Tustin St., (714) 633-3760.

11 a.m.-10 p.m. Mon.-Thur., 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m. Fri., 3-10:30 p.m. Sat. and 3-9 p.m. Sun.

4) Planet Kids

1536 E. Katella St., (714) 288-4090.

10 a.m.-9 p.m. daily.

5) Eisenhower Park

2894 N. Tustin St., (714) 744-7272.

Dawn-10 p.m. daily.

Parking: There is ample free parking in lots at each location.

Buses: OCTA Bus No. 69 runs north and south along Tustin with stops at Collins, Katella and Lincoln avenues.