Beverly Hills: Sprinkles Cupcakes - 24-Hour Cupcake ATM

What do you do when you get a craving for cupcakes in the middle of the night? If you’re in the Los Angeles area, you stop by the Sprinkles Cupcakes ATM and withdraw a freshly baked, thick-frosted indulgence. Open for nearly two months now, the vending machine is attached to the Sprinkles Cupcakes flagship bakery in Beverly Hills and dispenses the famed cupcakes 24 hours a day.

Cupcakes 24-hours a day at Sprinkles Cupcakes ATM

The Sprinkles Cupcakes ATM has an interactive touchscreen that makes ordering easy. Simply scroll through the flavor options, make a selection, insert a credit card for payment and then watch as a robotic arm grabs your boxed cupcake and positions it in the pick-up area. Remove your cupcake and you’re good to go. The machine can hold up to 600 cupcakes and is restocked throughout the day with a variety of flavors including chocolate marshmallow, dark chocolate and the luscious red velvet. Each cupcake from the ATM costs $4 (un-boxed cupcakes inside the store cost $3.50). The ATM even offers a sugar-free Doggie cupcake for your favorite pooch for $2.50.

Boxed cupcake from Sprinkles Cupcakes ATM

Sprinkles Cupcakes has 10 locations nationwide, including three in California - Beverly Hills, Newport Beach and La Jolla. It plans to have ATMs installed at all 10 locations by the end of the summer. Founder and owner, Candace Nelson started the bakery with her husband 10 years ago. Now you can see her as a judge on Food Network’s “Cupcake Wars” TV show.

More Information: Sprinkles Cupcakes ATM

9635 S Santa Monica Blvd.

Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Phone: 310-274-8765

Priority Club Rewards: Get 2,000 Free Points

Priority Club Rewards members can receive up to 2,000 Priority Club Points for free. Just complete your online profiles, sign up for special emails and register your credit or debit card. Offers end May 31, 2012. Here’s how it breaks down:

• Sign up to receive special offer emails and register a credit/debit card: Earn 1000 bonus points.
• Complete your online Priority Club Dining profile: Earn 500 bonus points.
• Register to receive Deal Emails from Priority Club Cruises: Earn 500 bonus points.

Priority Club Rewards is the hotel loyalty program of InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG). With nearly 4,500 hotels worldwide, it’s the world’s largest hotel loyalty program. Brands include Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Crowne Plaza, Candlewood Suites, Staybridge Suites, Hotel Indigo and Intercontinental Hotels.

San Francisco: Bay Area Flash Mob – Dance to Lady Gaga

If you’ve ever watched a flash mob break into dance before surprised onlookers and yearned to be part of the action, now you can. Bay Area Flash Mob is holding free classes in preparation for a spectacular flash mob in San Francisco on June 23rd celebrating Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Ball Tour 2012.

The dance classes take place on Wednesdays and repeat on Sundays from April 25th to June 20 at Studio Gracia in the SoMa district. Choreography will be taught to a medley of five Gaga hits including Bad Romance, Judas, Telephone, Poker Face and Born This Way.  You can attend as many classes as desired and then perfect your moves with their online tutorial videos. 

A complete schedule of class dates and times can be found at the Lady Gaga Flash Mob Dance Class facebook page. Although classes are free, Bay Area Flash Mob welcomes small donations.

Earth Day 2012: Interesting Facts To Know

 

More than one billion people around the world will participate in Earth Day today. First organized in San Francisco in 1970, it’s a day designated to promote awareness and appreciation for the Earth’s environment. How well do you treat this planet? Here are some interesting facts to increase your knowledge and inspire you to conserve, recycle and reduce.

 

14 billion pounds of trash is dumped into the ocean every year.

 

80% of what consumers throw away is recyclable; however the recycling rate is only 28%.

 

The amount of wood and paper we throw away is enough to heat 50 million homes for 20 years.

 

If every American household switched to compact florescent light bulbs, the energy saved could power an entire city.

 

Every ton of paper that is recycled saves 17 trees. Recycled paper requires 64% less energy to produce than making paper from virgin wood.

 

Only 30% of all newspapers are recycled. If every newspaper was recycled, 250,000,000 trees could be saved each year.

 

5 billion aluminum cans are used each year. It takes 90% less energy to recycle aluminum cans than to make new ones. Recycling one aluminum can will save enough energy to run a computer for 3 hours or a TV for 2 hours.

 

The average American consumes 167 bottles of water a year. 80% of plastic bottles are not recycled.

 

An average of 2 gallons of fuel per day is burned by the world’s 500 million automobiles. 

 

One gallon of motor oil can contaminate up to 2 million gallons of water.

 

Cigarette butts are the #1 source of litter on our beaches. Every cigarette butt that’s thrown out a car window takes one to five years to decompose.

 

Half the world’s tropical and temperate forests are now gone.

National Parks – Free Apps from Chimani

It's FREE - Chimani's Yosemite park app for iPhone, iPad, iTouch, Android

Just in time for National Park Week (April 21-29), Chimani is offering all of its iOS and Android national park apps for free. These informative guides are busting with information such as park hours and services, location of picnic and camp sites, hiking descriptions, ranger-led activities, lodging choices, and more. The app’s photo gallery gives you a glimpse into sights you’ll encounter and narratives describe almost everything you can see or touch in the park. Countless maps are included, none of which require Wi-Fi or cell service – important when traveling to parks out of cell range. These apps are consistently top-rated and normally sell for $4.99 to $9.99 each.

The selection of free Chimani national park apps includes: Acadia National Park, Cape Cod National Seashore, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park, Zion National Park. Also free is The National Parks app which includes information on 383 National Park Service units.

The Chimani national park apps will be free until April 29, 2012. Download them at the Apple iTunes App Store or Google Play (keyword “chimani”).

Vallejo: Six Flags Discovery Kingdom – Save $20

SUPERMAN Ultimate Flight launch coaster at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom

Now that Six Flags Discovery Kingdom is open for the 2012 season, you’ll be rewarded with significant savings if you purchase tickets online. Save up to 37% off regular daily ticket prices with these current deals.

- Save $20 when you purchase tickets online at least three days in advance and visit the park by May 20, 2012. Discount tickets: $34.99.

- Save $15 when you purchase tickets online, print at home and go straight to the gate. Valid through September 30, 2012. Discount tickets: $39.99.

- Use your Discover Card and save and extra 5% off your entire order.

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom is America’s only combined marine life, wildlife and wild rides theme park. It’s located approximately 30 miles from San Francisco and 55 miles from Sacramento.

More Information: Six Flags Discovery Kingdom

1001 Fairgrounds Drive, Vallejo, CA 94589

Phone: 707-643-6722

Open Friday – Sunday, April 20 - May 20, 2012.

Open daily starting May 25, 2012.

General Admission: $54.99; Kids under 48” $36.99; Ages 2 and under free.

Parking: $15

Los Angeles: Beverly Hills Hotel – Celebrating 100 Years

Beverly Hills Hotel and Bungalows

A shining star of Hollywood – the Beverly Hills Hotel - turns 100 this year. Affectionately known as the “Pink Palace,” it opened its doors on May 12, 1912 and has been welcoming Hollywood royalty ever since. Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, John Lennon - they’ve all slept here. Marlene Dietrich was a one-time resident. Movies such as “The Way We Were” and “American Gigolo” were filmed here. The hotel’s famed Polo Lounge restaurant has been a watering hole for Hollywood deal-makers for generations and is still a popular spot for the in-crowd.

Poolside at the Beverly Hills Hotel 

To honor the hotel’s memorable moments, a life-size photo gallery is on exhibit in the lobby, showcasing its glamorous history. The book, “The Beverly Hills Hotel and Bungalows – The First 100 Years,” written by Robert S. Anderson, the great grandson on the hotel’s original owner, has exclusive photos of the hotel and its famous guests and will debut at the hotel in May. Luxury accommodation packages, dining specials and specially priced spa treatments are also part of the milestone celebration.

The Beverly Hills Hotel is a five-star, five-diamond property, located 35 minutes from the Los Angeles Airport.

More Information: Beverly Hills Hotel and Bungalows

9641 Sunset Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Phone: 310-276-2251

National Park Week: April 21-29, 2012 – Free Entrance

Yosemite's Half Dome

Mark your calendars for National Park Week: April 21-29, 2012. Admission to all 397 parks nationwide will be free the entire week. What better time to experience the great outdoors! This year’s theme, “Picture Yourself in a Park,” encourages folks to create memories while exploring the 84 million acres of spectacular scenery, historic landmarks and cultural treasures that make up our national parks. There will be ranger talks, nature hikes, guided tours, and family-friendly activities throughout the week.

The following parks in California will waive entrance fees (normally costing $3 to $20) for National Park Week.

• Cabrillo National Monument
• Death Valley National Park
• Joshua Tree National Park
• Lassen Volcanic National Park  
• Lava Beds National Monument
• Muir Woods National Monument
• Pinnacles National Monument
• Sequoia National Park
• Whiskeytown Unit National Recreation Area
• Yosemite National Park

If you’re unable to visit a park during National Park Week, additional free dates in 2012 are June 8 (Get Outdoors Day), September 29 (National Public Lands Day), and November 10-11 (Veteran’s Day weekend). Remember, there are many national parks which never charge an entrance fee.

Which national park will you visit?

Southwest Airlines: 24-Hour Deals To/From California

Southwest Airlines is having a one-day sale that will net you discounted airfares to/from cities in California. Purchase tickets by 11:59pm Pacific Time today for travel April 24 – May 23, 2012. Reservations require at least 14-days advance booking and are valid for travel on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Fares include all government taxes and fees.

Sample one-way airfares:
Austin to San Jose: $135
Chicago to Los Angeles: $191
Denver to Burbank: $98
Pittsburg to Oakland: $207
Orange County to San Francisco: $49
Seattle to Los Angeles: $114
San Diego to Oakland: $49
St. Louis to Ontario: $205
Tucson to Sacramento: $164

More Information: Southwest Airlines
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