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My New Favorite Place For Tea!

December 8, 2023 By Leave a Comment
Racer Tea Bar in the South Bay (Redondo Beach)

I’ve always been a big fan of tea but thought I preferred coffee until I found out about the Racer Tea Bar. Someone I met on a dating app actually told me about the place. That definitely didn’t work out (the date) but I checked out the place a couple of months ago and have been hooked ever since! I’ve tried a few of the tea lattes and prefer The Rocker and The Greaser. My new favorite is the Peppermint Greaser! Oh my! It tastes like an Andes Mint in a cup! I don’t even know how that is possible but they also have a Bananrama that tastes like a banana nut muffin in a cup.

This is sooooo good!

I also found the story of how this place all started quite intriguing! It all started with a 1975 Dodge Van that the owner (Chad Webber) was serving tea from during the pandemic, the middle of 2020. He had a passion for making tea after a trip to Southeast Asia and wanted to share that experience with others! For 2 years he drove all over LA serving his creative tea lattes and on December 23, 2021 they opened their first brick-and-mortar! So far it’s going great and they have uncovered so many tea lovers and have even made those who thought they disliked tea, love it! It’s a tea revolution! Here is a video made prior to their opening of the store in Redondo Beach.

I also recently learned that they have live music there on Saturday evenings (which I will be checking out soon and will report back!)

The Racer Tea Bar will be having live Jazz this Saturday night and will be introducing Mock Tails!
These do sound delicious!

This is a place you will have to check out this holiday season! If you love Tea…..it’s a must-try! If you don’t love Tea….this place definitely could change your mind! They also have the best protein balls and scones and yes, I’ve tried them both. Actually, I can’t go in there without buying the protein balls. The crew there are super friendly and I have to give a shout-out to Drew & Leila!

Now, if I can only find a dating app that rocks like this place! 😉

Happy Holidays!

Filed Under: Featured Content, Featured Events

Shop from 20+ Small Businesses, Enjoy Live Music, Kids Crafts and More at STC GardenWalk’s Christmas Market, Dec 1-3 and Dec 8-10

December 8, 2023 By Leave a Comment

Heading to The GardenWalk in Anaheim off of Disney Way?  You don’t want to miss this!

You can check out over 20 small businesses, visits with Santa, live music performances, dancers, food, crafts, and more.  What a fun way to spend the weekend this holiday season!

Credit: Primrose Marjet.

Filed Under: Archived Content

Stanley, Dec. 8th Pet of the Week

December 8, 2023 By Leave a Comment
Awwww such a sweetie!

“Sweet Stanley! He’s so cute!” You can tell that Stanley’s a volunteer favorite at Long Beach Animal Care Services! This adorable 7-year-old Dogo Argentino mix takes treats gently and then thanks his human buddy with a big kiss! You’d never believe what he was like when he entered the shelter in September—he was found as a stray, depressed, miserable and sick. Now, he’s all well and ready to roll. Wanna help him get everything he wants for Christmas? Adopt or foster Stanley! You can speed the process to do just that for Stanley and any of our other pets by emailing PetAdopt@longbeach.gov or petfoster@longbeach.gov. You can also call (562) 570-4925. Even better, stop by during our new open walk-in hours every Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m.–3 p.m. Our shelter is located at 7700 E. Spring St. Ask for ID#A707658 to meet Stanley. We’re at capacity, and everyone needs homes!

Filed Under: Pet Corner

Candy Cane Lane * The Perfect Christmas Movie To Watch With Your Family And Friends In 2023

December 8, 2023 By Leave a Comment

Eddie Murphy stars in this holiday comedy adventure about a man on a mission to win his neighborhood’s annual Christmas home decoration contest. After Chris (Eddie Murphy) inadvertently makes a deal with a mischievous elf named Pepper (Jillian Bell) to better his chances of winning, she casts a magic spell that brings the 12 Days of Christmas to life and wreaks havoc on the whole town. At the risk of ruining the holidays for his family, Chris, his wife Carol (Tracee Ellis Ross), and their three children must race against the clock to break Pepper’s spell, battle deviously magical characters and save Christmas for everyone.

KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Keila V. comments, “Candy Cane Lane is the perfect Christmas movie to watch with your family and friends in 2023. Candy Cane Lane is filled with adventures, magic and laughter. It definitely brings the Christmas spirits to life!” Tia O. adds, “The humor in Candy Cane Lane is one of its biggest highlights. Eddie Murphy’s comedic timing and quick-witted performance make for some laugh-out-loud moments. He also brings charm, joy, and relatability to his character through his distinctive comedic style, making him one of my personal favorite characters.” See their full review and Connor’s interview below.

Candy Cane Lane

By Keila V., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 11

Candy Cane Lane is the perfect Christmas movie to watch with your family and friends in 2023. Candy Cane Lane is filled with adventures, magic and laughter. It definitely brings the Christmas spirits to life!

The story follows a family from El Segundo, California who live on a street called Candy Cane Lane, where every year there is a contest for the best house lit up for Christmas. During this year’s contest the competition between all the neighbors is way more intense than in previous years. To win this competition families must have the best and brightest lighting, the biggest Santas, the most colorful elves, the loudest music and the most incredible angels on their front yard. The dad, Chris Carver (Eddie Murphy) finds out about this huge contest on TV and goes crazy. He tries everything to win first place, even making a deal with a lunatic elf, Pepper (Jillian Bell), without even realizing that what he is doing would create a big problem for his family and the whole town.


The film is hilarious, has a twist on classic songs, and a family we can all relate to. Mom, Carol Carver (Tracee Ellis Ross), is a super hard-working woman who is trying to get a promotion at work during the busiest time of the year. The oldest daughter, Joy Carver (Genneya Walton), has a dream to go to college and be part of the track team. The middle son, Nick Carver (Thaddeus J. Mixxon), is not a big math student, but has a passion for music and the youngest daughter, Holly Carver (Madison Thomas), loves Christmas as much as her dad. One of my favorite scenes is when Chris and Holly Carver are looking for Christmas decorations and find a store in the middle of nowhere. The special effects in that store are super fun and magical. Another great scene is when the contest starts at Candy Cane Lane and Santa shows up in his sleigh, points his finger at every house on the street, and viewers erupt with excitement as each house brings a Christmas theme to life. You must watch and see the seasonal magic happening at Carver’s house. I know you will just love it as much as I did. 

The film’s message is that family comes first and they will always be there for you. It doesn’t matter what challenges you are facing, when you have your family by your side, you will always figure out a way to find solutions. 

I give Candy Cane Lane 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 5 to 18, plus adults. It is available on Prime Video beginning December 1, 2023

Candy Cane Lane  

By Tia O., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, Age 14 

I thoroughly enjoyed the movie Candy Cane Lane, directed by Reginald Hudlin. The witty humor and stunning set design make this one of my new favorite holiday movies.


This adventurous comedy follows Christmas lover Chris Carver (Eddie Murphy) and his family as they compete in the annual neighborhood house decorating Christmas contest. However this year the stakes are higher; the winner of the contest will receive a $100,000 cash prize. After unintentionally making a deal with mischievous elf Pepper (Jillian Bell), she casts a spell that brings the 12 Days of Christmas to life. To prevent disaster before Christmas, Chris and his family must break Pepper’s spell before it’s too late. 

The humor in Candy Cane Lane is one of its biggest highlights. Eddie Murphy’s comedic timing and quick-witted performance make for some laugh-out-loud moments. He also brings charm, joy, and relatability to his character through his distinctive comedic style, making him one of my personal favorite characters. Chris Carver is the type of dad every kid would love to spend time with during the holidays. The set design in this film is jaw-droppingly beautiful. Set designer Adam Mull absolutely captures the wonder of the Christmas Spirit in every set design. My favorite scene is when Chris and his daughter Holly (Madison Thomas) first meet Pepper at her Christmas Shop. As soon as they both walk through the door the scene explodes with Christmas magic; each Christmas tree is decorated with beautiful unique ornaments and the environment made me feel like I was right there in the scene.  Adam Mull transformed this movie into an onscreen winter wonderland; in every scene you can see how much time and effort went into this film’s creation. 

The film’s message is that, through thick and thin, families should stick together and use teamwork when tackling a problem. This message is important for families to hear year round but especially during the holidays; a time where many families come together and spend quality time with one another. 

I give Candy Cane Lane 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 5 to 18, plus adults. Candy Cane Lane premieres on Amazon Prime Video December 1, 2023. Make sure to check it out!


Trailer:

Filed Under: Media Reviews