September, 2018 - Horsing Around In LA

The Ultimate Guide to the Catalina Wine Mixer

By Monica

We were invited as media to attend this amazing event. All thoughts and opinions remain our own!

Of all the Southern California places I’ve visited, I have to say Catalina Island is one of the most relaxed and most welcoming. I love the serenity of the island. The island of Catalina is an hour-long ferry ride from Los Angeles. When you arrive to Avalon, which is a resort community on Catalina, you will find a very cute town surrounded by tourist shops and restaurants. The Island has an Italian Coast feel to it, which makes it a staycation dream destination.

Last weekend we took advantage of the insanely beautiful 90-degree weather and boarded the Catalina Express from Long Beach towards Catalina Island to enjoy the famous Catalina Wine Mixer.

Inspired by the hilarious “It’s the %$#&*@ Catalina Wine Mixer” scene from Will Ferrell’s comedy classic Step Brothers, the real-life Catalina Wine Mixer at Descanso Beach Club started back in 2015 and since then it has evolved into a 3 day event, featuring wine-tasting, live bands, DJs, fun cocktails, delicious food, crafts, and dancing.

Here’s a useful guide that will help you plan the perfect Catalina Wine Mixer experience:

1. Get there early: If you can go on Friday night for a viewing of Step Brothers and other fun activities, do it. If you are only going for Saturday, then make sure you board the first ferry towards the Island so you can enjoy a variety of land tours, boat tours, or even adventure tours such as zip lining.

2. Wear cute but comfortable clothes and shoes: The live entertainment takes place on a sunny beach and on soft grass. Casual is recommended. If you want to wear your Step Brothers inspired clothes that is fine as well. If you are planning to enjoy the water at Descanso Cove, you are going to need a swimsuit. Don’t forget the sunscreen.

3. Eat, Drink and be Merry: The Catalina Wine Mixer is not a fancy wine-tasting event, it is more like a fun beach party, and however, I can assure you will find good wines! You can sample a variety of offerings from notable West Coast wineries.

4. Get the VIP pass: Besides entrance to the party area at Descanso Beach Club you get access to Saturday Wine Lunch at Descanso Beach Club and Saturday Evening Lounge (includes snacks, dinner, house wine and no host bar) at Descanso Beach Club plus 5 Wine/Micro Beer Tastings

5. Take advantage of the other activities available at Descanso Beach Club: For an additional fee you can enjoy some cool activities such as Paint & Sip workshop, Outrigger Canoe Races, Paint your own rock and even charms making.

6. Book a hotel and stay for the weekend: If you want to make the most of your trip to Catalina Island you can make it a weekend getaway with your friends. Book a hotel; you can normally find amazing specials at the Catalina Island Company website.

To see more highlights from the Catalina Wine Mixer Click Here!

This is an event you do not want to miss. If you want to find out about next year’s dates then visit: Catalina Wine Mixer!

An Afternoon at The Del Amo Fashion Center

By Kirsten

How do you end an awesome Summer and get your family ready for the start of a new year of crazy schedules? The other week we said goodbye to Summer by heading over to the brand new Dave and Busters at the Del Amo Fashion Center for a little last minute fun before school started.

Fun isn’t limited to to the kids though! While Dave and Busters sounds like a place for kids, it’s actually a great family fun area with great food and drinks, yes, I said drinks, as in alcohol!

My husband and I have made Dave and Busters a favorite date spot. On this latest trip, we were invited to attend a family media event, a Scavenger Hunt at Dave and Busters! As we were treated to cool refreshments and appetizers, we were given more information of what the Scavenger Hunt entailed. We were given 15 minutes to locate about 30 items that are found on our persons, around Dave and Busters and the immediate area. We were literally running through Dave and Busters from the restaurant, prize area and various games. We received a lot of odd looks but made the best of memories as we split up to maximize the items.