Great effort by the staff and vendors for OC Cupcake Showdown…read more I've been to the venue before for a private birthday party so I knew the situation. It was a decent size venue but wow, I didn't think that many people would show on a week night. We got there at 7 (but someone i was with knew the coordinator) so we didn't have to wait. Thank god, that line was krraaazzzy. I heard a lot of haters shouting at us saying "hey how come they aren't waiting in line..that's not fair." Look bitch..life ain't fair..get the eff over it. Photos everywhere..even got interviewed by fellow yelper Marian the foodie B. **Amanda Cupcakes. - She is a freaking doll. A modern age Betty Crocker, her cupcakes were plentiful - by far the most out of all the vendors it seemed. Her cupcakes were just so cute to eat. Sprinkles, sparkles, hello kitty! She definitely won for decor hands down. Just so good to look at! **Oh Sue Sweet - This vendor took the cake. I LOVED her UBE cupcake. I wanted to come back for seconds, but I think she was one of the first vendors to run out. **Miss. Sweetcakes - Peanut Butter & Jelly was fabulous! The smores were a good idea, nice and warm with a blowtorch on the spot. **B Sweet Catering - Umm what happened to your red velvet, it was crazy dry.. like CRAZY dry... =( **California cupcakes - the girl behind the table was an absolute doll, the cupcakes were lot bigger than the other vendors. Their coconut was sweet but not too sweet. **My Delightful Cupcakery - OMG "pancake" cupcake. You effing genius. Pancake batter with bits of bacon.. oh what a good reason to be fat. Too bad y'all ran out when I tried to go back for more. I will say the food truck was VERY disappointing. Got to Shrimp Pmip at 7pm and he was already out of 2 items...WTH!!! =*( Frysmith.. oh let's start with you..if you run out of something.. you need to tell the customer.. not substitute it with something else and hope they don't mind... thank god one of us wasn't too chocolate'd out to notice our Sweet Potato Fries and Chicken didn't have SPF..it came with fries.

I saw the 'first-come, first-served' on the event notice so my friends and I made a point of…read moregetting there at 6:45 and were in the room tasting away by like 7:15ish. I did notice quite the large line behind us and even saw people arriving as we were leaving at 9pm but c'mon folks..it's a FREE event involving cupcakes so you should've known there'd be a lot of people there and planned to come early. As for the tasting, we were able to taste at all the stations and I have to say I tasted some darn good cucpcakes! My favorite was definitely the chocolate raspberry at My Delight Cupcakery. I also LOVED the coconut cupcake from California Cupcake soo much that I had to buy a big one to take home! All in all we thought it was a great event -- a few glitches here and there but for a first-time event I though it was a lot of fun and ran really smoothly! BIG kudos to having the food trucks there too.. helped kill the sweetness a tad and loved that they were facing indoors so you could order from 'em while you had your cupckes. Can't wait for next year! :-)

Awwww, Mission Viejo!!! So proud to be a local! Lots going on, and lots to do! I LOVE living…read morehere!!! But getting building permits and other business dealings can be a challenge to obtain. This beautiful city is in their very own pocket of well-maintained trees, roads, and businesses worth visiting. Mission Viejo is one of my favorite cities in the South OC! Mostly a clean and safe environment, I love mostly everything about Mission Viejo! Highly recommended!

I came to city hall for a free romance book event put on by the library and it was fantastic. It…read morewas so well organized and I can't believe the whole thing was free! Libraries are awesome! City hall had lots of seating in the event room, and you were never too far from the "stage" so it was easy to see everyone. At the end when people were queuing up for the authors, it never got too out of hand. My only gripe is the parking, it's so dumb. I wish they didn't have a cute plant that basically blocks off every third spot. Seems like such a waste. I had to park farther away. The venue itself was very nice and easy to navigate. And as a plus, the library is right across the street!

My second favorite city in Orange County. There is so much that is offered here. Great parks, great…read moreshopping, some great trails, and lots of great eateries. Definitely a must visit city!

Beautiful beach city. Lots to do here. Exotic eats, fun shopping, fresh air. In this city II've…read moreenjoyed Haute Dawgz (a sausage boutique), the Harper (a banquet venue), and trail running Fairview Park. Due to the good climate and bustling commerce, the streets can get pretty crowded. Beware drivers who stop at green light and cause you to miss it too. Took this one 10sec of green light to finally go. Too slow, we got stopped by the next red. Ignored my honk too. (9 Purportedly Parked Vehicle 616)

The Costa Mesa rock show is the best one in California. It's held twice annually, in the spring…read moreand fall. At least seventy dealers fill two levels of the Costa Mesa Holiday Inn. You can buy such things as tiny $25,000 pieces of rare native silver, $5000 four-foot tall matched amethyst cathedral pairs, smaller display pieces of every conceivable mineral at a range of prices, minerals carved and fashioned into a million different things, and a huge variety of mineral and gemstone jewelry. One of the highlights was a completely new method of mounting pioneered by Stephen T. Cameron under the name WindWalker West. He had three different minerals, including a piece of adventurine at least 20 inches tall, all suspended from chains hung from heavy metal stands. They looked sort of like a giant version of those crystal necklaces some people wear. My description doesn't do it justice. The appearance of this mounting blew me away. It was like nothing I've ever seen. I really hope this technique catches on. My other favorite vendor was called Zeolites India. They had hundreds, if not thousands of necklaces in dozens of different styles. All the necklaces were made of gemstone and mineral chips, pieces left over when larger pieces are carved. Some of the chips were left rough, others were shaped into various beads. Because these chips are made from what would otherwise be wasted, they are very cheap. The small hotel room was filled with a gaggle of excited women maniacally selecting necklaces, so I didn't take the time to ask the names of the stones in the ones I got. I'm angry at myself for that. But the most expensive one I bought was made of clear aqua gems and cost $20. I also got four other necklaces ranging in price from $10 to a mere $3.25. Most of the women there were buying dozens of necklaces. I would go to the show again solely for this vendor.

I went to the show today for my first time and my experience was terrible the vendors are rude to…read moreyou if you pick up a crystal there they give you the evil eye and they tell you to put it down or it's gonna break and I'm sorry if I can't touch a crystal to feel the energy for myself I will not purchase it . Another vibe I picked up was that there was a lot of racist some thing very strange for a gem show I mean it's supposed to be a chill and knowledgeable experience not a rude and disgustingly awkward. Gem show vendors get it together!

It's been a while I didn't go to the downtown Fullerton. My hubby and I got there for Italian…read morebrunch in the Soco district today and we both really fell in love there. Lots of beer bars on the street including vintage shops. Looks very different compared to old downtown Fullerton. We only tried Mamma Mia Italian pasta pizza restaurant. After brunch, we walked around the District. Found 2 popular beer bars, Pete's and Heroes, busy during lunch time. People were drinking beers a lot due to the hot weather. Mixed vintage shops, crepe store, many bars, Mexican restaurant, Italian restaurant, etc. The parking is free for 2 hous right behind the Mamma Mia. And also, parking garage is available across from this restaurant. I am not sure about the parking fee there. If you are beer lover, definitely this Soco district is great place for you.

Love this area! My…read morehusband come here often, for select restaurants. One of our favorite Italian places is located here. Mamma Mia. Check it out if you haven't already. It's great Italian food. There's also Heroes right in SOCO also. That one is great for a drink or some burgers. They have a huge menu. There is a Mexican Restaurant located in this area too. I haven't been able to try that one out. It is on my to-try list though!! Great little area. It offers some additional parking too. The parking does fill up fast. Nice area to walk around and check out. The coffee spot looks cool here too. Relatively quiet area in downtown Fullerton!

Needed to get out of our house and spend a day where it's marginally cooler in late August. We…read morearrived and parked at Huntington State Beach(fixed rate parking during summer is $20) around 11a.m. Our two main goals were walking along the boardwalk to the end of the pier and then having brunch somewhere on Main St. The boardwalk is pavement here and wide enough for pedestrians and bikes. Ended up walking 4.5 miles total, beach view the whole way, people watching whether they were flying kites, playing volleyball, surfing, or fishing off the pier. Twice I rescued a stray hat that flew off a passing biker's head and got it back to the owner so they didn't have to backtrack too far. Beautiful clear day with a steady breeze of warm air, cooler than inland where we live. Appreciate this beach for its breadth of sand that can accommodate lots of summer crowds without feeling too cramped.. Highly recommend!

One of the things I love most about this beautiful world we live in are Beaches…read more Really any beach will do. Tiny private spits of sand or huge crowded monstrosities. I've never met one I didn't like. One I really loved but didn't get nearly enough time to enjoy was the beach in Huntington Beach. It's been on my list to get back to and will no doubt be included in my endless California beach trip. The city of Huntington isn't too shabby either. Go!

I was expecting long lines, a hot day and small portions of beer. What I got was virtually no…read morelines, a cool breezy day (even more breezy with my Yelp fan) and full 5oz tasters. So 5 hours later, I'm pretty sure I'm still hammered, but my friends and I had so much fun. We hung out in the VIP area for a little while, and tried to add up in ounces how much beer we had drank and I think we were at a 40 and a tall boy....this is after 1 hour at the event. So it was time to slow down a tad and we did that at the Yelp booth. We played Yelp corn hole (best game ever) and chatted with some of our favorite Yelpers. All in all I think we will do this again should the Taste of Brews come back to the LBC.

I confess I used to hate beer. I'm still usually a wine drinker when given a choice, but my…read moreappreciation for beer has continued to grow. This festival provided numerous opportunities to learn about and taste a variety of the brown and tan colored rainbow that is beer. It was a beer lover's dream! Lagers and ales, ciders and stouts, this festival had them all. A four ounce mini beer mug gave drinkers the chance to have a decent taste while leaving room for the many other varieties available. They gave us tickets for the tastes upon arrival, but none of the breweries really collected them. Even if they had, there were still more tickets than I could have used in one afternoon. The breweries and brews present change from one year to the next, so I won't bother listing them here (although they are available on the website). It was nice to taste a different brew from a trusted brand, and then try a brewery I had only heard of (or maybe never heard of)! This year's festival was held on a warm day, but the ocean breezes made the festival very pleasant. So pleasant that groups of people laid out in the grass all afternoon. Well, maybe it was the alcohol that did that; I can't say for sure. :P But hey, the more people "relaxing", the shorter the lines (which were usually relatively short to begin with). The Yelp booth had some games and prizes (that Yelpstick came in handy on a sunny day!). I think there's an opportunity here; it would be cool if there were more non-drinking activities throughout the festival to give people a break from drinking. All in all, it was a very pleasant festival full of friendly people. Considering the free flowing alcohol, I was pleasantly surprised that I did not witness anything really bad. I was lucky enough to win tickets to Taste of Brews (thanks,Ryan!), but if I hadn't, the price is pretty decent for a real drinker, especially considering the variety available. They had lots of small bottles of water, which is a necessity when alcohol is unlimited. Security was very present, but I didn't see anything unpleasant. They made people laying down on the grass get up and keep moving (toward the end of the festival), but everyone seemed nice. After drinking on an empty stomach, I learned two lessons- eat before coming, and take a tip from the pros- wear a pretzel necklace to absorb the booze. Pretty simple yet clever! My little suggestions to make the festival better- a map of the breweries to help you find the ones you want to try most, better line organization (more room), and more seating areas for those buying food from the food trucks. Overall, there was a lot of time to enjoy a lot of craft brews, so I'm a fan.

Thank you. An entity…read morebold enough to continually bring something different to "The OC". It's like having the bands/artists that you would normally have to drive out to LA to catch, at a venue like The Smell, brought right into our own backyard. The first time I came across an Acrobatics Everyday event, my response was a pure and resounding, "Thank you." I've only personally been able to make it out to a couple events but they've both been well more than worth the always reasonable entry fee. It's refreshing to see that someone is actively sticking their neck out to bring this stuff inward to us, regardless of how niche of a market it might conveniently cater to. It's hard not to respect the fact, that instead of doing as most do, and migrating to an existing and already flourishing "scene" found in a larger metropolitan city and setting up shop there, you've chosen to keep it local. Keep up the good work.

These guys are responsible for getting Chicago based found VHS tape collage artist collective…read more"Everything Is Terrible!" to perform a live show and viewing for their newest feature "Doggie Woggiez! Poochie Woochiez!"...and for that I am eternally grateful. After visiting their website, it appears they are one of the only DIY non-profit groups promoting the independent arts in Southern Orange County. The fact remains that this part of Orange County (especially Irvine), needs organizations like AE to encourage the masses to experience non-mainstream audio and visual arts. Being someone who grew up in a town that had very little for young people and young adults to do as far as experiencing the arts, I know how important it is to have an outlet like this. I applaud AE for existing, so people can experience something real for a change...not the mundane manufactured and fake corporate gobbly-goop that litters our radios and our TVs.