Some people choose a career path, and spend their life pursuing it. But for others, the career chooses you. Take the case of 46-year-old Blaine Eastcott, owner of Rockreation Climbing Gym, off Logan Avenue in Costa Mesa. “For me, Rockreation was the summer job that never ended,” laughed Eastcott…
Read More
Historically, performing arts had a reputation for out-pricing the cost-conscious. But here in the City of the Arts, a new cultural hub is inviting everyone from ‘hoity toity’ to ‘hoi polloi’ in on the act. Thanks to a generous donation from the family for whom the hub in named, Costa Mesa’s Julianne and George Argyros Plaza at Segerstrom Center for the Arts exists to wed free events with locals (like you!) At the forefront of this plaza-performance push is SCFTA’s VP of Community Engagement, Jason Holland – an affable and intelligent overseer with clear aspirations of “art for all.”
Read More
Every community has its share of seminal moments. Here in Costa Mesa, 1986 was a biggie. That was the year the Segerstrom Center for the Arts – a sprawling, performing-arts campus located at Bristol and Town Center Drive – first opened its doors to theatergoers, dance groups, theater troupes and more. The debut was pivotal, encouraging our city to slowly dogleg away from its ‘goat hill’ moniker, and grow more fully into a “City of the Arts” future…
Read More
It’s 2019, and the “food as medicine” movement is fast becoming mainstream. We all know someone eating – or avoiding – certain foods in pursuit of better health. For many, the rise, and rising awareness, of food allergies and sensitivities has upgraded the issue of food choice from ‘optional’ to ‘critical.’ With so much focus on what to give up, it can be hard to know where to safely turn for a treat. One that can satisfy that sweet tooth without derailing diet directives. Luckily, at the crossroads of healthy and indulgent, lies a new, local sweet spot: Lavender Lane Baking Co.
Read More
I’ve decided Bradley Zint is our fairy godfather. A former Daily Pilot reporter, Zint has been a contributing writer at I Heart Costa Mesa for about a year – but his influence on our publication extends well beyond that! Over the course of these past four years, Zint has a way of showing up at just the right time, with just the right stuff, to make a big difference in our little project. Like all good stories – wishes, bears, billy goats gruff – his magic comes in threes…
Read More
On this episode of the I Heart Costa Mesa podcast, co-hosts Erin and Brandy wrap-up with a rundown of all the Season 3 guests. What lessons will the I Heart Costa Mesa team take away from this season’s guests? Find out on this season finale episode!
Read More
On this episode of the I Heart Costa Mesa podcast, we’ve got local chandler (that’s ‘candle-maker’ to some) Jeffrey Smith, founder of Wickid Candle. Wickid Candle is a Costa Mesa-based purveyor of organic handmade candles in masculine scents, like tobacco, musk, ozone, teakwood, tonka and more. Listen in to learn more about candle-making than you ever thought possible, then go check out Smith’s full line of organic candles…
Read More
Costa Mesa is a foodie mecca. There are so many good restaurants around town. We could easily ‘dine out’ for every breakfast, lunch, dinner – plus happy hours, Taco Tuesdays, brunches, suppers and tea times – and still not make a dent in all the eateries our mouthwatering Mesa has to offer. (Although, forks up! We’re sure gonna try.) So when we heard that Season 11 Top Chef Alumnus, Brian Huskey, was serving top-shelf burgers, sandwiches, salads and seafood – in a casual, pub-like, ‘grub shack’ environment – we knew we had to tackle that, stat…
Read More
On this week’s podcast, we’ve got dynamic radio duo – Chef Annie Morgan and Horticulturalist Jack Carlisle – of the ‘Pots and Pans with Jack and Annie’ show, which airs Sundays from 9:30-10:30am on local station KOCI 101.5 FM. Jack and Annie are an integral part of our local community… and no topic is off the table. We laugh! We cry. We discuss the value of partnership and debate the benefits of chatting up random strangers at the mall. It’s a fun episode you won’t want to miss. Check it out, Costa Mesa!
Read More
On this week’s episode of the I Heart Costa Mesa Show podcast, we’re chatting with Orleda Azevedo, Director of Volunteers at Girls Inc. of Orange County – now celebrating its 65th year! Few organizations have such a storied history, locally. Listen in to learn more about the amazing work they are doing for local girls and young women…
Read More
This week on the podcast, we’ve got founder and owner of Neat Coffee, Ally Garvin, who...
Read More
Costa Mesa High School 9th grader, Rebekah Robeck, is cultivating kindness here in our community. Check out our interview with this inspiring, local teen – a girl on a personal mission to bring more kindness and connection into the lives of Costa Mesa kids – then be sure to follow her on Instagram @letsbekindday to keep up with all she’s doing!
Read More
This week, on the podcast, we’ve got Ian Stevenson, Executive Director of Trellis and part of the team spearheading “Love Costa Mesa Day 2019.” Love Costa Mesa Day is an annual day of volunteering and service, happening on Saturday, May 18th, 2019. We get all the details on where to sign up, how to participate, what it means and why it’s happening – plus lots more about our beloved Costa Mesa. Check it out!
Read More
Last week, our friends at the Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce invited me to meet them for lunch at the Hilton Costa Mesa. I’m embarrassed to admit that I have literally never stepped foot in our hometown Hilton, not once. So out of touch am I, that when I plugged the address into my GPS, I assumed it would lead me over to Segerstrom Center For The Arts. How wrong I was! Instead, my phone took me to a large hotel directly across the street from Ra Yoga, a block from The LAB and The Camp, within stumbling distance from Barley Forge and Gunwhale Ales…
Read More
Spring has sprung! The sun is out! Flowers bloom, as thoughts turn toward long, lazy, California beach days. Here in Costa Mesa, we enjoy the coastal life. We can bicycle to sandy vistas and crashing waves from anywhere in the city. But sometimes – especially after a full day of bodysurfing and sunbathing – the bike ride home can feel like the punishing slog of a chain-gang, slowly grinding back up the Mesa. It’s moments like this an exuberant, electric cyclist will inevitably zoom past. That zippy, motorized bike that seemed so much like “cheating” on the ride downhill, now feels positively essential…
Read More
Journalist, author and music aficionado, Jim Washburn, has a lot to say about Costa Mesa – and he’s been saying it for years, writing for the OC Weekly, OC Register and LA Times (to name a few.) It’s always fun talking to longtime Costa Mesans – they have the very best stories! Washburn does not disappoint. Check out our podcast interview, then follow him on Facebook to get more “Washburnisms” flowing through your feed…
Read More
The I Heart Costa Mesa team will never stop “hearting” the utter delight of unearthing local finds. Just when we think we know it all, have seen it all, have covered all Costa Mesa has to offer – then something as simple as a trip down Superior Ave. yanks us right back into the arms of wonder and discovery. We were recently flung into amazement’s embrace by a larger-than-life, window-cling portrait of a Shepherd-Chihuahua mix; the sweet, sincere face of a beautiful dog, known to her family as ‘Roxy.’
Read More
Leah Stewart wants you to move…. your body, that is! This Westside Costa Mesan is going all-in on wellness, movement, and getting people (especially women, especially moms,) into alignment at every level of their lives. In this episode, we go deep on the topic of Pilates. We also talk about juggling business with motherhood, her backyard chickens, and why “nobody wants to pee in their pants.” Stewart is the kind of bright, knowledgeable neighbor that makes the very best podcast guest…
Read More
Ain’t that just the way of it? You decide to invest a little money and time – fixing up some things around the house – and the moment you do? Everything else breaks! Grrrrrr. Such was the case, recently, with my daughter’s bedroom ceiling fan. Like Murphy’s Law – or the movie, Up – no sooner had we filled our money jar for upgrades, then we’re cracking into it for repairs…
Read More
On Thursday, I was meeting up with some friends at Balearic Park, here in Costa Mesa. As I rounded the corner leading up to the Community Center I noticed a giant, temporary wall – along with a big tent and a small crowd of people. Whoa. What’s up at Balearic? The park is normally pretty dead on a Thursday afternoon, what with most community events making more sense on the weekends. The biggest crowds tend to be the “after-work, throwing tennis balls to their dogs” people. I parked and went to check out what the wall was all about…
Read More
Erik Hale is an interesting guy. Founder and Publisher of Locale Magazine – started right here, in Costa Mesa – he’s taken his premiere lifestyle publication from xeroxes in a binder to multi-city trendsetter! He’s got a great story – including his own “Jerry Maguire moment” – and so many local connections. It’s been a wild ride full of courage, bootstrapping, and community support. Check out the podcast, then check out the latest Orange County issue of his beautiful Locale Magazine… still based here in Costa Mesa!
Read More
On this episode of the I Heart Costa Mesa Show: We talk to fellow podcaster, and Costa Mesa-loving digital marketer, Mikhail Alfon. He – and business partner Nelson Dale – co-founded Blue Light Media, a Costa Mesa-based digital marketing company, specializing in natural products, consumer packaged goods, and startup brands. Check it out!
Read More
Living in the City of the Arts – parent to a couple of theater-loving kids – has made #costamesa365 a lot more entertaining than it might otherwise have been. This past week, we caught the live-theater production of Emily Brown and the Thing at Samueli Theater. If you have kids in Costa Mesa, you’ve got to give one of the Samueli Theater children’s productions a try…
Read More
I’d heard from a few friends that I should give CAVA a go. It’s a fast-casual chain with lots of locations, and there’s one on 17th Street in Eastside Costa Mesa. Described as the “Mediterranean Chipotle” – CAVA specializes in “build your own” bowls, salads, and pita wraps. Sounds promising!
Read More