#99: Sprinkles

Most cupcake aficionados have heard of Sprinkles Cupcakes.  Originally located in Beverly Hills, CA, Sprinkles has since opened nine additional bakeries located all over the country.  Fortunately for Orange County dwellers, Sprinkles made a wise decision and opened a store in Newport Beach!

I absolutely adore cupcakes, as does my friend Lauren.  (Check out her amazing cupcakes at www.booradleyscupcakes.com)  When she made a weekend visit to the OC, I knew we had to hit up this delicious eatery.  After a full day of fun and sun at the beach, we drove over to the Corona Del Mar Plaza to treat ourselves to a snack. While waiting in the 15 minute line, we drooled a little and contemplated which flavor to get.  Lauren chose the Peanut Butter Chocolate, Fran picked the Carrot, and I decided on the Black and White.  We were all very happy with our choices.  We also enjoyed how cute our cupcakes looked together! 

At $3.25 a cupcake, Sprinkles is a splurge. But once you bite into that sweet piece of heaven, you could care less about the price.   

For more information, visit www.sprinkles.com. 

#100: Santa Ana Zoo

"There is a zoo in Santa Ana?" is the response you will most likely hear when telling comrades about your prior/future excursion to this hidden gem. But yes, there is a zoo, located about a mile off the 5 in Santa Ana! Although this zoo can in no way compare to the LA or San Diego Zoo, it did provide for a couple of hours of perusal and entertainment. Known as the "Home of the 50 Monkeys," the Santa Ana Zoo can definitely boast about the diverse and immense population of monkeys in this animal haven.  My favorites were the Pygmy Marmoset (so cute and tiny!), the Golden Tamarin (like a lion!) and Silver Langur (totally hamming it up for the crowd!) Some other enjoyable attractions were the Amazon Aviary (very rain foresty) and the bald eagle (huge! except we felt kind of bad for it).

All in all, I would recommend that you visit this zoo, just for the experience. If you go after 2 P.M., Monday through Friday, admission is only $4.00! During this time, they do not run the Zoofari Express Train Ride (which I totally wanted to ride on), but I was able to survive without it.

For more information, visit http://www.santaanazoo.org/.