Here we are; the end of 2009! Yippee! And tear. Happy New Year, crackheads! May you have an awesome holiday and an even better 2010. You all be safe out there!
Wednesday, December 30
Champagne Cupcakes at SusieCakes
This cupcakery is so smart! It has created cupcakes with which to toast the New Year and to accompany a hangover brunch the following day. Real champagne spikes its pink champagne (brut rose pink cake with white frosting) and Morning-After Mimosa cupcakes. These holiday beauties are only available today and tomorrow so get ’em while you can. $3 each.
- All SusieCakes locations.
Friday, January 1
New Year’s Day Detox Cocktails at RH at the Andaz
Ow your pounding head? Why not grab some detox cocktails at the Sunset Strip’s airy hotel dining room? Don’t forget your sunglasses though cuz it’s bright in there with those huge windows looking out at Sunset Boulevard. There will be Bloody Marys as well as hangover relief in the form of fresh limonatta, organic multivitamin juice and green smoothie (avocado, pear, arugula lettuce, lemon and ginger). See Food GPS’s post for the brunch food details.
- 10am-5pm. RH at the Andaz, 8401 W. Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood (map).
50th Annual Venice Penguin Swim
No doubt you’ve heard about the Polar Bear Plunge where crazy folk back east dive into icy waters during the winter donning nothing but skivvies and a swim cap. In L.A. our version is the Penguin Swim. OK, it’s not as cold here as it is, say, in Coney Island, but it’s still an insane, albeit invigorating ritual…so I imagine. This event has been going on for 50 years and last year 80 participants did it. Will this year bring more? Sidewalk Cafe will provide snacks and hot drinks to the shivering masses.
- 11am-1pm. Free. The breakwater at the end of Windward Boulevard in Venice Beach (map).
Give a Day, Get a Disney Day
For a change, a good deed goes rewarded! Starting January 1, when you sign up to volunteer for a day at a participating organization (and your service is completed and verified) you’ll get free one day admission to Disneyland! Get your family involved, too, as the offer allows for a maximum of eight members of your household to sign up.
Post-Parade Showcase of Tournament of Roses Parade Floats
I always found the Tournament of Roses Parade painful-boring-depressing to watch because it’s always right after that raucous NYE and who can stand people that cheery so early in the AM? But if you still want to see the beautiful flowery floats in person, you can as they will all be parked along Sierra Madre and Washington Boulevards in Pasadena for public perusal after the parade. You can even download a Tournament of Roses-produced audio tour of the floats off iTunes to listen to as you view them! Allow for two hours to enjoy the display and don’t forget comfortable walking shoes, bottled water and your camera.
- 1-5pm. $7. Sierra Madre and Washington Boulevards, Pasadena (map).
Saturday, January 2
Get $10 Groupon Bucks When You Buy Two Deals
When you purchase two separate deals on Groupon, the daily deal Web site, before midnight of January 3 you get back $10 Groupon bucks to apply to your next deal! The site already offers deep discounts on events, shopping, and venues so it could mean that you get $40 worth of food at a place like Ciudad for $10 or a $188 spa treatment for $40!