Roger's Garden During the Holiday Season - Things to Do in Orange County 74

One of my favorite places to go in Orange County during the holiday season is Roger's Garden. This place becomes pretty magical during this time of year.

Located near Fashion Island in Newport Beach/Corona Del Mar, Roger's Garden is a very classy nursery. It's a place I like to frequent, but during the holiday season is when it becomes spectacular.

You'll see all kinds of cool plants here, and the Christmas decorations that they have on display are very very cool. It's a place where you're suppose to do some shopping, but I like to just go and walk around sometimes because its so beautiful.

It might be a good idea to go at around sunset so that you can enjoy both their nursery when there's some light, and all the lights on their Christmas trees when it gets dark.

As you can see, their Christmas ornaments are very special. You don't find ornaments this special very often.

This one above is a cute little cookie jar that they had.

And you'll see all kinds of Christmas trees decorated differently. This one was one of our favorites.

Roger's Garden is definitely a great place to go when looking for special gifts for your family and friends. Be sure to check it out this Holiday Season.

Hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays!

Roger's Garden

2301 San Joaquin Hills Rd

Corona del Mar, California 92625

949-640-5800

Toll Free @ 1.800.647.2356

http://www.rogersgardens.com/

Open Daily 9am-8pm

Visit a Brand New Whole Foods Market - Things to Do in Orange County 69

There's something about a new market that you love. Everything is in order. Fully stocked. Clean. They're willing to give you a lot of free samples. And its just fun seeing a new grocery store.

There's a brand new Whole Foods Market in Huntington Beach. Just opened this week on October 13th, 2010. It is inside the Bella Terra Mall in Huntington Beach. This will be the third Whole Foods Market in Orange County. The other two are in Irvine and Laguna Beach.

I took some photos there since I like to see fully stock stores with aisles of products neatly stacked.

So here are some pictures that I took. I'm testing out a Flickr feature. New to Flickr still... I hope you like it.

I'm so glad to see the Bella Terra Mall in Huntington Beach is doing well these days. I've been a Huntington Beach resident for almost 28 years, and the old Huntington Beach Mall was one of my favorite spots to go when I was a kid.

Whole Foods Market, Huntington Beach

Inside the Bella Terra Mall

7881 Edinger Ave Suite 150
Huntington Beach, CA 92647 USA

Phone 657.200.4200

Store hours:
7am – 10pm Everyday

The CAMP - Things to Do in Orange County 30

Yoga, Vegan, & Zen: Health Conscious and Trendy – The CAMP

Right across from The LAB in Orange County is a trendy, health conscious shopping mall, The CAMP.

You know this place is all about health, fitness, and eco-friendliness when you first park your car. There is a health related quote on each of the parking spots at The CAMP. Makes you think about your own health and fitness when you read each one.

All of the stores at The CAMP are health or fitness conscious, with an emphasis on active lifestyle. It includes stores like:

・Patagonia
・Native Foods
・Old Vine Café
・Cycle Works
・Liburdi's Scuba
・Bikram Yoga

The architecture here is very unique, and it looks like it was designed after a desert oasis. There are benches throughout the mall to sit and listen to the frogs. It does make you feel as though you stepped into nature when you come here.

Some of my favorite stores here are Patagonia and the Old Vine Café. There is also a bicycle shop, a sporting goods store, and other trendy clothing stores. And if you are a vegan or want to try vegan food Native Foods is a good place to go.

The Bikram Yoga studio here at The CAMP is a special kind of yoga that’s difficult to experience elsewhere. It’s also called “hot yoga” and they perform yoga in a room that is 105°F (40.5°C) with a humidity of 40%. This yoga has been made popular by movie stars who claim to practice it.

Other than yoga, you can even take scuba diving classes here as well!

There are quite a lot of things to do and places to eat at The CAMP. If you are a health conscious individual or want to experience something hip and trendy in OC, this is definitely a place you should visit! Located right next to The LAB in Costa Mesa, CA!

The CAMP
2937 Bristol Street
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 444-4267
http://www.thecampsite.com/

Old Towne Orange - Things to Do in Orange County 28

Spend an Entire Day to Look for your Favorite Antique – Old Towne Orange

When you enter Old Towne Orange, you’ll get the feeling that you went back in time.

There is a circular intersection on the corner of Glassell Street and Chapman Ave, and that is the heart of the Old Town Orange. On the four streets that cross the circular intersection are antique shops, restaurants, and cafes, all of which are extremely cute!

Old Towne Orange is known for its antique shops in Orange County. There are so many antique stores here, that it’ll usually take an entire day if you want to see it all. There are locals and people from around the globe that actually come here to purchase antiques!

In order for you to shop till you drop, I recommend getting to Old Towne Orange early in the morning since most of the stores close at 5-6PM.

Other than the antiques available at the Old Towne Orange, there are also stores that carry products that are actually new, but with a retro design. So if antiques aren’t your cup of tea, this maybe a good way to go. And even if you aren’t looking to buy anything, simply window shopping at the Old Towne Orange is fun because it feels like you are walking through a museum!

There were a lot of cute little items here that tickled my shop-a-holic heart. Although I’m not much of an antique person, when I saw the Fire King glassware here, I just couldn’t resist it. They are just so cute!

For lunch we ate at the Blue Frog Bakery. The bakery is a casual café, and they have great sandwiches and desserts. There are also other famous OC restaurants at the Old Towne, one notable being the PJ’s Abbey. This restaurant is truly unique as they renovated a Gothic style Victorian Baptist Church built in 1891, and turned it into a fine dining restaurant. The unique atmosphere makes it a great place for a date or as a formal get together. The Sunday Brunch is excellent here as well!

There is also a Cuban food restaurant that I love to go to.

Old Towne Orange is filled with cute stores including a retro barber and a children’s clothing store. You can spend your entire day seeing all of the antiques here at the Old Towne Orange. Highly recommended place in Orange County!

Old Towne Orange
http://www.otpa.org/

Parking: Free 2 Hour Street Parking

The Block at Orange - Things to Do in Orange County 21

Skateboard Park, Movies, Shopping: A Hot Spot for the Orange County Youth – The Block at Orange!

The Block at Orange or simply the “Block” is a shopping mall and entertainment center near Disneyland and Anaheim Stadium. Many of OC’s youth like to come and visit the Block because of its emphasis on youth culture.

The retail shops and entertainment is geared toward the youth market, where you’ll see stores like the Virgin Megastore, Hollister, and American Eagle here.

Inside The Block, there is also Van’s Skateboard Park. One of the few public skateboard parks in Orange County. You can challenge yourself to a tough skateboard or roller blade ride here, or bring your kids for them to enjoy. The Van’s Skateboard Park does rent out helmets and other gear to keep you safe. Of course, you are free to visit and just watch some of the crazy skateboarder go at it inside the skate park. Some of them are really good.

Aside from shopping and the skateboard park, there is also a bowling center, a Borders, and a Dave & Buster’s to spend a night of entertainment. There is also a huge movie theater here, the AMC 30, so you’ll always expect to see a crowd at The Block.

The Block is great for all occasions whether it be families, friends, and casual dates.
Some of the stores I love at The Block are the Hawaiian, Hilo Hattie where you can buy all sorts of Hawaiian clothes and gifts. And I also like the Saks Fifth Avenue Outlet store here as well.

A bit outside the mall, you’ll find a TGIF and Krispy Kreme Doughnuts. And how can anyone forgo a fresh glazed doughnut from Krispy Kreme on any given day? They are to die for! :)

The Block at Orange is a youth oriented mega-entertainment and shopping center in Orange County! I hope you have the chance to visit soon!

The Block at Orange
20 City Boulevard West
Orange, CA 92868
http://www.simon.com/mall/default.aspx?ID=1236

Hi-Time Wine Cellars - Things to Do in Orange County 18

Never Seen So Many Wine Bottles in One Place! A Huge Wine Cellar in Orange County – Hi-Time

If you like to drink, and drink especially wine, I’ve found an awesome store in Orange County that you cannot afford to miss. This store offers a one-of-a-kind experience. Once you enter the store, you’ll walk down the stairs, and into their huge walk-in wine cellar. There, you will be delighted to see thousands and thousands, and rows and rows of wines from all over the world!!

I have never seen this many bottles of wine at a single place.

Inside the wine cellar, wines are organized by region and types. Prices ranged from $7 a bottle to over $500 a bottle! Even if you are a wine enthusiast, you will likely find the wine you love here at Hi-Time.

I am not very knowledgeable about wine, so I picked up a few bottles of staff picks. They were reasonably priced and many of them were French wines. All of them were very good, I must also add.

In addition to wine, there is also a huge beer section. There’s another big walk-in refrigerator in the beer section where you can choose from a huge variety of beer as well. I personally enjoyed this section very much!

Basically at Hi-Time, you can find anything from all kinds of hard liquor and liqueur, cheeses, chocolates, and glassware. You can also walk into a huge humidor where you can pick out some of your most favorite cigars or pipe tobacco as well. It’s a great place to buy a gift for anybody, including yourself!

Hi-Time also has a wine tasting area to sample some of the store favorites at the time. If you love wine, this is definitely a place you must visit. And be sure to let me know if you find any great wines here!

Hi-Time, OC’s largest liquor store!

Hi-Time Wine Cellars
250 Ogle Street
Costa Mesa, CA 92627
http://www.hitimewine.net/

Store Hours: Sunday 10am -7pm
Mon-Wed 9am-8pm
Thurs-Sat 9am-9pm

Golden West College Swap Meet - Things to Do in Orange County 16

Find Anything from Junk to Vegetable to Treasure Here at the Golden West College Swap Meet!

As mentioned previously, Orange County frequently uses the parking lots of its Community Colleges to conduct swap meets over the weekend. The swap meet that is held every Saturday and Sunday at Golden West College is one of the largest ones out here in OC.

I personally like to come to the Golden West College Swap Meet to buy some fresh vegetables here. You’ll be delighted to see super fresh vegetables here that taste very good! They are priced so low that it becomes hard to go into Ralph’s to buy your vegetable once you get used to buying here. Aside from the vegetables, the cut flowers here are very economical here as well. And if you’re looking for an experience, you can usually find a vendor that sells coconuts for you to enjoy the coconut milk from. Only a $1 each!

The characteristic that I notice when I come to the Golden West College Swap Meet compared to others is that it feels like there are a lot of, for the lack of better words, junk items here. You tend to see a lot of vendors out here selling used household goods, and I always wonder to myself, “hmm… I wonder who buys them…” :) But this is what makes this swap meet a very interesting one to come to.

I’m sure you’d be amazed at some of the items for sale here, and if you have the eye for it, you can probably dig up some treasure or antique for pennies on the dollar here as well!

At the swap meet, you can also find brand new toys, clothes, shoes, and perfumes. You can also fin used furniture, electronics, tools, and clothes, as you can practically find anything you need at this swap meet.

Many of the vendors and patrons at the Golden West College Swap Meet tend to be Latinos, so you’ll be delighted to see the energy that they bring. And because little Saigon and Korea Town is close enough, the swap meet always has an international twist to it.
Enjoy the international flavored Orange County Swap Meet every Saturday and Sunday at the Golden West College! It’s an experience you can’t miss!

Golden West College Swap Meet
15744 Golden West Street
Huntington Beach CA 92646
http://www.goldenwestswapmeet.com/

Admission: Free

Open Saturdays & Sundays 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., rain or shine.

Irvine Spectrum Center - Things to Do in Orange County 10

Dining, Shopping, Movies – The Entertainment Mecca of OC, Irvine Spectrum!

Massive Entertainment Center – That is the best description for the Irvine Spectrum, located on the south east edge of the city of Irvine.

Irvine Spectrum is the landmark entertainment center for the local South Orange County residents. The architecture of the mall is based on the Alhambra in Granada, Spain, and it is very inspiring to walk around because of it. Inside the Irvine Spectrum, you will find movie theaters, retail shops, restaurants, arcade, and department stores amongst other things. The Irvine Spectrum is great for those who is tired of the regular malls because it has a different feel from others due to its massiveness and choices of retailers at the location.

The 21-Screen Movie Theater was the largest in the United States when it was first built in 1995, and includes the 3D IMAX theaters as well. There are also four huge screen theaters where you can watch movies on a gigantic theater. I recommend you watch your next action movie here on the giant theater screens to get all of your money’s worth!

The dining experience here is also great where you can pick anything from fast food, sushi, or a yard of beer. It’s always difficult to decide what to eat here with so many choices. After dinner, or even for dinner, you can visit Dave & Buster’s to enjoy the food and the games here. Hang out with your friends or with your family at D&B for a night of fun!

The Irvine Spectrum seems to expand each year with different stores and concepts. Be sure to visit this Entertainment Mecca of Orange County soon!

Irvine Spectrum Center
71 Fortune Drive
Irvine, CA 92618
http://www.shopirvinespectrumcenter.com/

Retail
Sun-Thur: 10am-9pm
Fri & Sat: 10am-10pm

Restaurant & Entertainment
Sun-Thur: 11am-9pm
Fri & Sat: 11am-11pm

South Coast Plaza - Things to Do in Orange County 7

The Ultimate Shopping Resort – South Coast Plaza

With over 300 retail shops, South Coast Plaza is the largest shopping mall in Orange County. High end luxury brand, department stores, kitchen supplies, bookstore, etc…. They are all here at the South Coast Plaza. With annual sales of over $1 billion and growing each year, this is the premier shopping center in Orange County.

Whenever I need to buy anything, the first place I go to look is at the South Coast Plaza. And whenever I am bored, the best place to window shop is at South Coast Plaza. With its numerous shops and restaurants, it’s very entertaining to come and visit the mall at anytime.

At South Coast Plaza, you’ll find luxury brands like Gucci, Fendi, Tiffany, Burberry, Chanel, and a lot more. You’ll also find your casual apparel companies like the GAP, Banana Republic, American Eagle, Abercrombie & Fitch, and GUESS. There are just too many stores to list here, so I recommend you go and visit their site for the latest store information.

My personal favorites are Zara, Bath & Body Works, Sephora, and American Eagle, so I visit them every time I go to South Coast Plaza. The recent move of H&M to the West Coast can be experienced here as they have built a huge store inside the mall.

There are three different malls at the South Coast Plaza so it’s a lot of work to try and see everything all at once. Other than the main shopping area, they have the Crystal Court and the Metro Pointe with different kinds of shopping experiences. The Bridge of Gardens connects the main shopping area with Crystal Court. It’s a very romantic setting at night or during Christmas where they light up the bridge with lights and decoration.

Be sure to visit South Coast Plaza to satisfy all of your shopping needs in Orange County!

South Coast Plaza
3333 Bristol St.,
Costa Mesa CA 92626
http://www.southcoastplaza.com/
Monday-Friday: 10AM-9PM
Saturday: 10AM-8PM
Sunday: 10AM-6:30PM

Fashion Island - Things to Do in Orange County 5

The Best Open Air Mall in Orange County - Fashion Island

Amongst some of the most expensive pieces of real estate in the United States, there is an open air mall called Fashion Island in the city of Newport Beach. The mall is one of the most beautiful open air malls around and it's great to just walk around to window shop here. Along with their glamour shops, Fashion Island also have very nice gardens and flowers to make your shopping experience simply wonderful!

Since the mall is located inside one of the most expensive neighborhoods in the United States, you will find many high end retail stores here. Example: Bloomingdales. You'd be surprised to see that there's no GAP inside the mall. And they don't have Banana Republic either.

Some of my personal favorites to shop are, Bath & Body Works for all my bathroom goodies, Forever 21 for trendy but very reasonably priced clothes, and Anthropologie for inspiring home decor and accessories. There's also a pet shop here where you can pet puppies and watch the kittens nap. And when you get tired of walking, there is a movie theater for you to catch the latest flicks or a Barnes and Noble to pick up a copy of the lastest novel by Stephen King.

For dining, there is a big food court or you can dine in one of several prestigious restaurants available. There's a McDonald's and a Wahoo's next to the movie theater, along with the Cheescake Factory, Red Robin, and California Pizza Kitchen here too. The Sunday Brunch at El Torito is one of the best in town as well.

And finally, Christmas is one of the most special time here where you will be able to see one of the highest Christmas tree in Southern California here. Its an amazing specticle, and I will be posting an article later just about the tree!

All in all, this is the best open air shopping malls in Orange County!

Fashion Island　
401 Newport Center Drive Newport Beach, CA 92660

http://www.shopfashionisland.com/

Swap Meet at Orange Coast College - Things to Do in Orange County 3

The OCC Swap Meet - Latino Power!

In Orange County, you tend to see a lot of community colleges use its parking lot to conduct swap meet during the weekend. Here we are reporting on the swap meet at Orange Coast College today!

This swap meet is a very close neighbor to the Orange County Market Place. Its being conducted in a very close proximity, but you'll be surprised to see the differences between the two!

This swap meet is free to get in with plenty of free parking. Once you're in, you may be surprised by the number of Latino people coming to this swap meet. Latino power to its fullest here! You'd be surprised to see any Asians or Caucasian people here!

You'll be greeted by all of the Latino vendors here with their great attitudes. At this swap meet you can find a variety of goods, ranging from TV, toys, shoes, bags, watches, produce, CDs, snacks, and everything else in between. You can find everything here, new or used!

I personally love to get the authentic Mexican food when I go to this swap meet. Taco Bell? No way, you'll get the real stuff here! Last time we were here, we got some fish & scallop tacos, ceviche like thing, and a horchata. For good reason, the ceviches are very popular here, so be sure you grab one for yourself to try. Its super hot, but you can enjoy the nice fresh seafood in it.

The tacos are authentic, and they are like the ones you find in Mexico. Get some horchata to go with your food, and you are set. To finish off, you can get a churro for a buck. What a deal!

Be sure to check it out this swap meet on your next free weekend!

Orange Coast College Swap Meet

Orange Coast College (Adams Avenue, Parking Lot)

Saturday & Sunday 8 AM to 3 PM

http://www.orangecoastcollege.edu/about_occ/communityprog/swap_meet.htm

The Orange County Marketplace - Things to Do in Orange County 2

Want to Have Fun this Weekend? Go to The Orange County Marketplace!

Wondering what to do this weekend?

For those of you without any plans, I would like to recommend you to the Orange County Marketplace! This is an amazing place where you'll be able to find anything from a pair of shades, some vegetables, or even your next car. With hundreds of vendors, you'll be sure to find something you want here.

The adult admission here is $2, and children under 12 are free to get in. If your admission ticket ends in "00," well, you're in for some luck. You've just won yourself a free hotdog at the food stands. I've been going to the OC Market Place for many, many years, and have won the hot dog....... once!!

The Market Place is HUGE, and you'll need a good 2 hours to just walk through it all. If you spend some time shopping, you'll need to budget your whole morning or afternoon browsing this place.

One of my really close friend has worked at the OC Market Place for over 10 years selling surf clothes. You can find anything from clothes, shoes, accessory, furniture, crafts, to cars here. You'll also find fresh produce and bread here as well.

Personally, I love to shop for my veggies here because they are such a good deal. And fresh too! I've also purchased shoes, shirts, and socks here at the marketplace. You can shop around to find your bargain as well.


There's also another swap meet right across the street going on every Saturday and Sunday at Orange Coast College. If you have enough energy, I dare you to go and check that one out after you finished with the Marketplace. :)



Orange County Market Place
88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa - Orange County Fairgrounds
Open Saturday & Sunday: 7AM-4PM
http://www.ocmarketplace.com/