Dive Life in Hawaii

View of Waikiki from Diamond Head

We chose Oahu for our first trip to Hawaii and it was absolutely beautiful. We stayed in Waikiki, which is crowded and touristy, but took amazing day trips to the Dole Plantation, North Shore, Pearl Harbor, went on a rain forest hike, and snorkeled in the crystal clear waters at Hanauma Bay! After 6 wonderful days on the island of Oahu we learned one important fact: Waikiki is VERY expensive. However, after lots of walking, we did manage to find some great dive-budget friendly spots.

Dive Life Returns!

We are settling back into reality here after two incredible vacations in Italy and Hawaii. I have many posts to catch up on including both vacations, L.A.'s Brew at the Zoo 2012, and a couple local spots we tried out before our travels. However, since I am still gathering my thoughts and working on putting together coherent sentences about all those fantastic adventures, I thought I would just do a quick update about some upcoming events in the area...

Upcoming Adventures...

We are looking forward to sampling some great beer and checking out the wildlife at the Brew at the L.A. Zoo tonight! If you haven't already you can check the info out here. The event is from 6-10 pm and tickets are $40 pre-sale or $45 at the door.

Also, Dive Life is going to be doing some traveling for the next few weeks. This Sunday we take off for 9 days in Italy and then, as if that isn't awesome enough, we are heading to the island of Oahu for 6 more days of adventure! We are very excited to explore these beautiful places, as well as check out the local bar scenes. Stay tuned in a few weeks for the special Italian and Hawaiian editions of Dive Life!

Cheers!

Brew at the Zoo

This Friday (8/10) from 6-10 p.m., the Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens will be holding the Brew at the L.A. Zoo 2012. The evening will feature beer samples from over 20 breweries, live comedians from the Laugh Factory, a DJ, live music, food, and more. Tickets are $40 pre-sale, $45 at the door, and $20 for designated drivers. According to the website guests will also have a chance to see live animals including elephants, koalas, apes, crocodiles, and other cool critters. Sounds like a great way to spend a Friday night!

Oh Happy Day!

Happy IPA Day! Yes friends today is the 2nd annual IPA day, created in 2011 by "beer evangelists" Ashley Routson and Ryan Ross as a way to unite beer lovers and brewers through social media. According to the official website IPA Day "is an opportunity for the entire craft beer culture to combine forces and advocate craft beer through increased education and global awareness".

So grab your favorite IPA and celebrate the day!

Cheers!!

El Cholo

El Cholo Restaurant in La Habra is definitely not a dive, but we love it. I have read some mixed reviews about El Cholo, most of which I disagree with or don't see as a reason for a bad review. Yes sometimes you will have to wait for a table (they get busy) and no it is not super cheap Mexican food (it is a nice sit down restaurant). However, El Cholo does the 2 most important things very well- food and drink. I have never ordered a dish here that I did not enjoy. My go to favorites are the Enchilada Suiza or the Enchilada/Tamale combo plate- both delicious! I have also heard that the seasonal green corn tamales are amazing, but I have yet to try one for myself. Of course, you can't go wrong with a simple plate of sizzling fajitas...

CA Beer Festivals

There are going to be some fantastic beer festivals coming up in the Fall and Dive Life is looking forward to getting out and drinking with the masses. We are definitely planning on attending the California Beer Festival in either Ventura or San Dimas, or both! The festival will be in Ventura September 15-16 or in San Dimas October 6 and a general admission ticket is around $45 ($25 for designated drivers).  In addition to all the craft breweries, the festival will also feature good food and live music!

If you can't make it out to the CA Beer Festival, there is also The O.C. Brew Ha Ha on September 8 in Silverado. General admission is $40 ($15 for designated drivers).
Check back for updates to our listing of local beer festivals!
Know of any good festivals? Let us know!

Cheers!

One Stop Liquor

Okay so I hadn't planned on reviewing any liquor stores for Dive Life, but this one is worth it. I have been driving past this liquor store on the corner of Whittier Blvd. and Hillside in La Habra for some time, noticing the sign boasting "the biggest selection of craft beers" and wondering if there was any truth to that claim. Honestly I never noticed a name for the place but according to my Google search it is called One Stop Liquor, even though I believe the sign in the parking lot says different...

The United States of Good Beer

Check out this great graphic from GOOD (see the full size image here). It shows the best, independent, craft breweries in each state as voted by the GOOD community. I know I have enjoyed Lagunitas from California, but I don't think I have tried any of the other states' beers. Have you tried any of the brews shown on the map?

Cheers!

p.s. I came across this image using stumbleupon.com, a very cool site for exploring the web if you haven't already tried it!

Newport Landing

The Newport Landing Restaurant and Oyster Bar is one of our favorite spots to eat when we are visiting the area. The regular menu can be a little pricey and this is definitely not a dive, but it is well worth a try. We have actually never eaten in the restaurant section of Newport Landing because we prefer eating in the upstairs bar area where you get a great view of Balboa Bay. Our favorite items off the regular menu are the fish and chips (some of the best!), the clam chowder, and the oyster shooters appetizer.

The Village Inn

Dive Life is back from a fantastic week long vacation on Balboa Island! I have been spending summers vacationing in Balboa since before I can remember, but I had never been to the island's only bar until now...

Happy 4th of July!

Hope everyone is having a fantastic holiday!

Dive Life will be spending next week on vacation on Balboa Island and we hope to explore the local bar scene. We intend to check out the The Village Inn, which I believe is the only full bar on the island... can't wait!

Cheers!

13th Frame Lounge

Our dive adventure this past weekend was a happy accident. Saturday night we were driving past the La Habra 300 Bowl on our way to dinner at El Cholo (review coming soon) and noticed the marquee advertising live music and Hangar 24 craft beer on tap at the 13th Frame Lounge... how could we resist? We couldn't.

The Best Dives

Check out OC Hotlist's Best Dive Bar Winners for 2011! The winner is Pierce St. Annex in Costa Mesa and the runner-up is The Continental Room in Fullerton. The Continental Room is Fullerton's oldest drinking establishment and looks amazing! We will definitely need to try it out!

The Continental Room-Fullerton

You can view the winners and the complete list of all 24 nominees here. You can also explore OC Hotlist's "Best Of" winners in other categories- I am hoping to try their winner for Best Burrito, Pepe's in Fullerton.
Cheers!

The Happiest Happy Hours

Our "Happy Hour" page has been updated with our first post on the list! Don't forget to check the page for all our happy hour tips!

No Nonsense at Duffy's Bar

Dive Life spent last Saturday at Duffy's in La Habra, and it was the perfect spot to start the adventure. Enter through the round, barrel door and inside is everything you hope for in a dive. Duffy's is dark and smokey, as if you've gone back in time to when smoking in bars was still legal. We grabbed a seat at the bar and Mr. Jim, our bartender for the night, came to take our order.

Pick your Poison

Don't miss the chance to vote in our "Pick Your Poison" poll! Located at the bottom of the section to the right. We can use the results to focus our bar reviews on what interests our readers!

Vote now!

The Best Little Cafe

Dive Life is happily looking forward to this Saturday night, as we will be having our first dive bar adventure to report on for the blog. However, as I am anxious to keep the posts going, I decided to write up a quick review about a little place where we love to eat at least once a week. The La Habra Heights Cafe in La Habra has been our go to breakfast/lunch joint since we moved to La Habra 2 years ago. We love this place and it is a sad week that we don't make it in for a bite to eat. The staff is amazing, the kind who remember every face and an order to match, the type of place where you could go in and ask for "the usual".

Where Ghosts go to Drink

Jack Nicholson in "The Shining"

Check out this list of haunted bars! Too bad none of them are in our neck of the woods, but now we can add "find haunted bar" to our mission list.

Know any supposed haunted bars in our area? I'm dying (pun intended) to find one to explore!

Welcome to Dive Life!

We here at Dive Life are on a mission and our mission is simple: to explore all the dive (and not so dive) bars and eateries around the La Habra area. Our goal is to try all the places that we drive past everyday and never notice. Have suggestions for places you think we should try? Send us your comments and ideas!

Cheers!

P.S. Stay tuned for our first review....