Discovering New Worlds at the 2014 @LACountyFair

Discovering New Worlds at the 2014 LA County Fair

By Erin

*Disclosure: I was invited out to attend the media night for purposes of this post. All thoughts and opinions remain my own as I’ve had a lifelong love for the LA County Fair!* 2014_LACF_4color It’s that time again everyone! Time for Southern California’s biggest end-of-summer bash, the L.A. County Fair, which starts TODAY! This year the fair is back, with so much to explore from Aug. 29-Sept. 28, the fair is bigger and better than ever! Besides all the yummy food I will show you in a bit, the fair lights up the night with Luminasia A larger-than-life Chinese lantern display, that takes the ancient art form of lantern making to a whole new level. Luminasia takes fair-goers through a whole new world filled with colorful replicas of iconic landmarks such as the Great Wall of China, the Hollywood Sign, and the Eiffel Tower. Giant dragons, flowers and a pagoda also roam the land. These lanterns were handmade by nearly 50 artisans who traveled more than 7,000 miles from Zigong, China to transform the hillside into an evening attraction that is bound to take your breath away. This is Luminasia’s first-ever appearance in California and is the jewel of the evening attractions at the fair this year. (*There is an extra charge to enter into the world of Luminasia*) Liminasia LACF

The Eiffel Tower at Luminasia

What Else is New at LACF?

There are so many new and wonderful additions to the fair this year, visitors will be delighted with their new discoveries and treasure their tried and true traditional fair favorites. Kicking off its 92nd anniversary by opening its doors to new worlds of discovery, lighting up the night with oversized custom-built lanterns; where zonkeys and kangaroos roam the land, award-winning beer and wine can be sampled, and world-class entertainment takes the stage again.

Hall of HEROES

See your favorite Super Heroes at the Hall of Heroes in the Cityscape, a thriving metropolis of skyscrapers and super heroes. Celebrate the science behind beloved superheroes of comic books and real-life heroes. Enter the Metropolis and come face to face with Spiderman and Superman or meet one of our local home-town heroes: law enforcement officers who risk their lives every day to protect and serve us to keep us safe.

Mojo’s Wild & Crazy Lagoon

The animals are one of my favorite things about the fair, and you will see many special critters roaming about. I’m most looking forward to the zonkeys, being that they are a part of the equine family. 😉 Then mosey on over to Mojo’s Wild & Crazy Lagoon where you will meet Mojo, a Weeper Capuchin monkey and her friends. They have a new home on the water and are sure to be involved in some monkey business. Other animal friends reside at the Peacock Paradise, Fiona’s Perch, Kangaroo Cove and the Enchanted Village. Take a peak at the sea lions at Beneath the Sea and then read your way through an adventure in America’s Kids, where we are celebrating the exciting worlds of children’s literature. LA County Fair Critters

Just a couple of the interesting and unique critters I met at last years fair. 😉

The FOOD!

My most favorite part of the fair though, has to be the FOOD! 😉 You will be able to satisfy all your favorite food cravings here at the fair – deep-fried, on-a-stick, BBQ, dipped in chocolate and anything else you care to imagine. You could eat here for days at the fair and not once eat the same thing twice. With over 300 choices (including Mexican, Italian, Asian and Greek flavors, along with L.A.’s best food trucks) you will need to come back more than once to try everything! What’s new this year? New this year is: Ramen burgers, Sriracha corndogs, funnel cake corndogs, Tequila-infused pickle poppers, and a complete gluten-free menu.

Chicken Charlie’s New at Chicken Charlie’s this year is the Triple-decker Krispy Kreme Cheeseburger and the Bacon-wrapped Zucchini! LACF Krispy Kreme Hamburger

The Krispy Kreme Triple Decker Cheeseburger! Yikes!!

LACF Chicken Charlie

Bacon Wrapped Zucchini

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Last Chance for the @OCFair! Ends Sunday, August 10th!

Last Chance for the OC Fair! Ends Sunday, August 10th!

By Erin

*I received complimentary tickets for review purposes for this post. Anything else purchased at the fair was on my own. All opinions are my own.*

The fair is always something I look forward to every summer and this summer is going by so fast! I’d hate for anyone to miss out on all the fun! Luckily I was able to attend the fair this past weekend. Good thing too since this is the last week to attend the Orange County Fair which ends on Sunday, August 10th. The fair is located at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa, California, which makes for a perfect location and not is too far away for anyone in the Southern California area. This year the fair is running from July 11th-August 10th.

Here are some of the highlights from this years fair.

CENTENNIAL FARM– No trip to the fair is complete without a stop here! Upon entering the fair gates, this was the first thing to greet us, so we had to take a look and say hello to all the animals. Being the huge animal lover that I am, it should come as no surprise that I like to spend some time in this area. 🙂

Centennial Farm

It’s always a trip down memory lane coming here!

OC Fair Cow

One of the Dairy Cows just hanging out.

Big Bull OC Fair

Wow! Look at the horns on this guy!! I wouldn’t want to mess with him!

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Guardians of the Galaxy Review and Ramblings

Guardians of the Galaxy Review and Ramblings

By Erin

Today is the big day! Guardians of the Galaxy has blasted off into the galaxy for all to see. I’ll have to forewarn you though. I’m no expert by any means when it comes to comics and I have never read any of the comics for Guardians of the Galaxy. Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” first appeared in comic books in Marvel Super-Heroes, Issue #18 (Jan. 1969) and was created by Arnold Drake and Gene Colan. I came into this movie completely blind and not knowing what to expect. That said, if you are coming in it blindly like I am sure you will be just as blown away by it as I was. Even if you are a huge comic book buff, I hope you enjoy it just as  much. It has the perfect mix riding the lines between an epic action packed space adventure, silliness, super bad-bad guys with just a tad of romance, and an excellent sound track to boot! It is a very fun movie, bound to be the blockbuster hit of the summer. It’s exactly what a comic book movie should be, or what I would think it should be.

In a nutshell, Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” starts out with our hero, a brash adventurer named Peter Quill (aka Star-Lord) who finds himself in the middle of an unrelenting bounty hunt after he stole a mysterious orb that the evil villain, Ronan, so desperately wants as he has ambitions that threaten the well being of the entire universe. Peter ends up in a unusual group of misfits that he has to learn to trust if they want to help save the universe. Joining him is Rocket, a gun-toting raccoon, Groot, a tree-like figure with a very limited vocabulary, the very deadly Gamora, and Drax the Destroyer who is out for revenge.  When the power of the orb is revealed to them, they must do their best to rally together with the galaxy’s fate in their hands.

Highlights to like about the film:

1) The Cast

guardiansofthegalaxy53d81e4909e01-1

With an all-star cast that is extremely likable and funny, what is there not to like about this film? Chris Pratt as Peter Quill is an amazing fit, as Chris makes for one really fun, comedic and engaging character as Peter.  Zoe Saldana as Gamora makes for one beautiful and powerful villain fighting machine. Dave Batista as Drax who may be a large and scary looking being, but he sure had the comic timing down to a T. Vin Diesel as Groot, a large lifelike tree figure doesn’t say much, but his lines are timed perfectly at just the right moments. Then you have Bradley Cooper as Rocket the Racoon who also fits into the storyline perfectly with his bad self and sarcastic and witty remarks. You will find yourself laughing throughout the film at this dream team.

2) The Soundtrack

Awesome Mix 1

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