If Christmas gets 12 days, then Halloween is entitled to, at least, seven. Just because it’s 80 degrees out and there’s no sign that it’s fall, it’s no excuse for us not to get into the Halloween spirit. So here’s a little guide to help you find something festive to do everyday of the week leading up to Halloween. 

1. DISNEYLAND: If anyone knows how to capture the festive spirit of Halloween, it’s Disneyland! From September 25th- November 1st all of Disneyland is transformed for Halloweentime. From a Main Street Pumpkin Round Up to a special Fireworks show, nothing is overlooked. Other holiday makeovers include characters in Halloween costumes and, of course, plenty of holiday merchandise. There are even special foods for the event such as cookies, pumpkin pie and apple cider. Onto the important part though- the rides! The returning favorites include Tower of Terror and The Haunted Mansion a la Nightmare Before Christmas. New this year is Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy. The best way to experience all of these plus Thunder Mountain is with the daily Haunted Tour. This adventure includes story telling and behind the scenes facts as you visit each of the rides. And for the little ones, on select nights, there’s Mickey’s Trick or Treat party. Tickets to this event are sold separately but allow kids to get dressed up, trick or treat throughout the California Adventure Park and mingle with plenty of their favorite Disney characters who will also be dressed up. 

2. Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood: This one is definitely not for the kiddies. Be prepared for constant scares when you go to this event. On select nights from October 2nd- 31st, Universal Studios becomes, what you would swear, is your own personal horror movie. This event includes a bunch of scare zones with different themes and fright-filled mazes based on ”Saw,” “Halloween” “Chucky” and “My Bloody Valentine.” The main event is the Terror Tram with a Saw theme this year. In addition, all your favorite rides will also be open during this event. General admission tickets range from $36-$56 or you could go all out with the R.I.P Package which gets you to the front of the lines. 

3. Haunted Hayride: If you’re looking for a traditional Halloween event- this one is for you! Step aboard this hayride and you’ll feel like your on the East Coast as you make your way through a forest filled with asylum inmates, zombies and monsters. Once your hayride journey ends you are dropped off at a Halloween carnival area with rides, scary story telling and goodies like cocoa, smores and candy apples. Daily through Halloween. Prices vary. 

4. Knott’s Scary Farm: Just like the other Southern California theme parks, Knott’s Berry Farm will transform for Halloween. With the cute name change- Knott’s Scary Farm- comes numerous mazes, scare zones and shows. Encouraging people to make a “staycation” out of their visit, Knott’s is offering packages with pre-scare dinners and even post-scare breakfasts for those who stay overnight. This event runs on certain nights September 24th- November 1st and prices range from  $39.99-$53.99.

5. Nightmare at Scareview Farms: A new addition to the annual Halloween events lineup. There’s no telling how cool or lame is going to be since it’s the first year. But if you have the time, it might be worth checking out. It promises scary mazes, deep-sea themed haunted and a vampire vault. Saturday, October 31st 6pm-11pm at the Fairplex in Pomona. $11- $19.99 

6. Watson Adventures Haunted Hollywood Scavenger Hunt for Halloween: Um, a Halloween Scavenger Hunt?!? Yes please!!! Spend your Halloween night on a hunt as you visit ghost-infested buildings, get an education in some of Hollywood’s most famous ghost stories, and have a truly haunting evening. 

7. Shipwreck at the Queen Mary: Taking the haunted maze idea to the next level, the famously haunted Queen Mary hosts 15 nights of 5 terrifying mazes. Mazes include a Vampire Village and a Pirate Maze. The fact that the ship is actually haunted helps up the scare factor. This event is well done and terrifying. Tickets are $29- $40

It’s a pretty commonly agreed upon notion that the British don’t have the best food. But, they did get one thing right- Tea! Soon, h.wood will be unveiling their Tea Room (t.room?) which will be a small and private area for about 50 people. Celebrities and regulars will have their own teas and it will only be open a couple of nights a week. Sounds like it will be worth checking out- if you can get in. To tide you over until then, I put together a list of the best and most unique teas experiences LA has to offer.

Tea Rose Garden: Located in Pasadena and featuring flower from their gardens, this is one of the most traditional teas you’ll find in LA. http://www.tearosegarden.com/

Royal/T Cafe: Not your grandma’s tea! This is a must do if you like unique experiences. This tea room in located in a shared art, retail and cafe space in Culver City and invokes contemporary Japanese art culture. The tea menu is a French, Californian, and Asian fusion and your servers are dressed as they would be in the Maid Cafes in Tokyo. http://www.royal-t.org/cafe/

Gordon Ramsay: Honestly, not the most inspired food but the decor of the restaurant and the overall experience are worth checking it out. http://www.thelondonwesthollywood.com/gordon_ramsay/

American Girl Store: Who says afternoon tea is just for adults? If you have kids or can borrow some, this is an experience that they’ll love. The menu is similar to your typical tea menu but far more kid friendly. Plus, their dolls can dine at the table too! http://www.americangirl.com/stores/location_la.php

Fete Du Thé: A private tea catering company started by the people behind the retail space Algabar. They help you throw your own tea party by creating “modern tea parties with an exotic twist” They have both daytime and nighttime themed menus and can help you put together the most decadent of events. http://www.feteduthe.com/home%20.html

These are all extravagant, relaxing and indulgent traditional afternoon teas:

The Peninsula, Beverly Hills:

http://www.peninsula.com/Peninsula_Hotels/en/default.aspx#/Beverly_Hills/en/Dining/The_Living_Room/

The Four Seasons, Beverly Hills: http://www.fourseasons.com/losangeles/dining.html

The Montage, Beverly Hills: http://www.montagebeverlyhills.com/beverly-hills-entertainment.phphttp:

It’s amazing how much the ability to send 140 characters to hundreds, thousands or millions of people at once can change the world. Everyone has their own reasons for using Twitter. Some fancy it for following friends. Many use it as a news source and others have an account even though they’re still not sure what Twitter is but just like being trendy. Media, news, gossip, our social lives and everything else has sped up, been facilitated and become more accessible since Twitter has become as common as facebook. The pluses and minuses of this can be argued, but there’s one thing that can’t- it’s changed the way we eat in LA. And this is a good thing. A very good thing. You’d have to be living under a rock to not have noticed the explosion of food trucks hitting the roads daily. And we’re not talking your typical taco trucks either. This new breed of meals on wheels features some of the most unique and yummiest food in LA - and it’s all thanks to Twitter. Because Twitter gives burgeoning chefs/food trucks free advertising and ability to reach costumers instantly. It’s made starting a new business a lot cheaper than opening a store front. Not just that- but the novelty of finding these trucks in different places is also exciting. There’s nothing like coming out of a bar at the end of the night and finding your favorite burger truck or strolling through Malibu and grabbing an ice cream sandwich from another. Our stomaches thank you, Twitter.

Food trucks you should be following:

@COOLHAUS :All natural ice cream sandwiches designed and imagined by Architects. 

@Marked5 :Asian style burgers with their signature rice buns

@locali :Conscious convenience

@sprinklesmobile :Sprinkles cupcakes!

@Green_Truck :”We are 100% green - from our packaging to our produce to our solar-powered commissary.”

@BarbiesQ :A Rollin’ BBQ Joint

@Kogibbq :Korean BBQ Taco Truck that started it all

@letsbefrank :”Dogs Gone Good, Grass Fed Beef Hot Dogs from our trailer”

@Fishlips_sushi :Sushi!

@bordergrill :Gourmet tacos, quesadillas, ceviches, and more

@frysmith :Fries that serve as a meal

@getshaved :Shaved ice in amazing flavors

No, it’s not Tila Tequila’s birthday! Today, July 24th, is National Tequila Day and how does one celebrate? By consuming tequila, of course! We Angelinos have no shortage of places to grab a margarita in this city so it might be a little overwhelming. To help you narrow it down, here’s a list of the best places to enjoy a margarita or other form of tequila on this wonderful, completely relevant holiday.

Best off-the-menu margarita: The Cadillac Margarita ($8) at Casita del Campo in Silver Lake.http://www.carolineoncrack.com/2006/08/10/casita-del-campo-the-cadillac-of-margaritas/

Best margarita named after a celebrity: The Jessica Simpson ($8.40) at Mexicali in Studio City.It’s made with Patron Silver and has no carbs or sugar.http://mexicalicocinacantina.com/

Best cheap margarita: Chipotle margarita for $3.75. Need I say more? http://www.chipotle.com/

Best break-the-bank margarita: La Reina “B” ($39) made with Patron Platinum at Asia de Cuba at the Mondrian, West Hollywood. http://www.mondrianhotel.com

Best non-margarita tequila drink: The Ruby Sleeper Martini ($13) from Copa d’ Oro in Santa Monica. Partida Blanco, Lychee Liqueur, organic agave nectar, fresh lemon juice, fresh ruby grapefruit juice. http://www.copadoro.com/

Best way to learn about tequila: Tequila School at The Spanish Kitchen every Wednesday night at 7pm. http://www.thespanishkitchen.com/

Best edible tequila: Tequila Peach Bundt Cake with Tequila Syrup and Tequila Glaze from Kiss My Bundt on 3^rd St. Made especially today for National Tequila Day!http://www.kissmybundt.typepad.com/

Best tequila bar: El Carmen on 3^rd St. with hundreds of different kinds of tequila.http://www.worldsbestbars.com/age_check.jsp?refer=/public/venue_listing.jsp?categoryId=29&currentVenueId=358

Best place to go for a margarita when you care more about the party than the drink: Cabo Cantina with 2 for 1 drink specials.http://losangeles.citysearch.com/profile/41506832/los_angeles_ca/cabo_cantina.html

Best uniquely flavored margarita: The Tijuana Brass ($13) made by some of the best bartenders in LA at the Roger Room. It’s a cucumber margarita made with Tres Reyes Blanco, lime juice, agave syrup and cucumber foam on the rocks.http://tastingtable.com/entry_detail/la/385/Tend_bar_like_the_Roger_Rooms_Damian_Windsor.htm

Best place to celebrate National Tequila Day because they’re actually celebrating the holiday: Mexico Restaurante y Barra in West Hollywood. They have a pretty extensive margarita menu and $5 drink specials. http://www.gogomexico.com/

Best upscale margarita: The Prickly Pear margarita ($14) from Bar Nineteen12 at the Beverly Hills Hotel. http://barnineteen12.com/welcome.html