The arrival of Fall means plenty of things for people across the country, including changing weather and football and leaves falling off trees. Here in Anaheim, however, we get excited about the arrival of Fall for another reason. It might be a bit of surprise given that this is California we’re talking about, but now that October is in full swing that means pro hockey is getting started!

What that means is it’s time to gather up your hockey buddies and head over to the Honda Center to see the Anaheim Ducks take on the best teams in the NHL. Our Anaheim Ducks are already off to a great start, climbing right to the top of the standings in the Western Division, and they’re only going to fly higher from there, right? But they can’t do it without you! Everyone in Anaheim needs to be coming out to the game to cheer on the team, and that includes all of our favorite residents at The Crossing.

Heading out to a hockey game with your friends or family is a great, affordable night of entertainment that anyone can enjoy. Hockey really is an exciting sport to see live an in person (it’s much better live than on TV, trust us), so pick up your tickets soon and get into the hockey spirit!

Photo Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

Wanting to explore a little more of your creative side? Looking for a great activity to get your kids involved with after school? You should try painting! It might sound a little uncommon, sure, but even Picasso had to start somewhere! Besides being incredibly fun and interactive, fine art painting can be very therapeutic and calming once you get the feel for it.

In Orange County and the surround areas, the best and easiest place to go for beginning painting lessons is Mission: Renaissance. They have facilities all over Southern California, but you can easily stop by their classrooms in Anaheim Hills to see what they’re all about. They have classes for both children and adults, so it’s easy to turn this idea into a worthwhile family activity that everyone can enjoy. Free introductory classes are available as well if you want to test it out and see if painting could be your thing.

So see what your artistic side is all about and give some painting classes a try at Mission: Renaissance. You never know, maybe there’s a talented artist inside you just waiting to be let out!

Photo Courtesy: stock.xchng

Well even though Summer is winding down fast and soon Autumn will be here, that doesn’t mean that the fun has to stop. Here in California we never want the party to end, and luckily someone’s doing a good job of keeping the good times rolling. What’re we talking about? The Orange Street Fair that’s coming up in a couple of weeks.

Slated for the perfect holiday weekend for fun, Labor Day weekend, The Orange Street Fair is going to be a festival like no other with tons of great events and sights to see. For one thing, there’s going to be lots of great bands and other entertainment acts performing throughout the weekend for you to watch. But there’s a lot more than that, including games, events for the kids, plus lots and lots of great food and cold beer for you to enjoy.

The fun gets started on Friday, September 2nd at 5 pm and lasts all weekend. The best news of all is it’s completely free to attend, so get the family together and head out to The Orange Street Fair next week and have a great time!

Photo Courtesy: Orange Street Fair Online

Twitter is growing in popularity. We’ve got one here at The Crossing Anahiem. Do you?

Some people use the service to connect with others, some people use it to network or to find out about the current news while others use it to learn new things or as a combination of all these uses.

If you’d like to know a little more about L.A., the city you likely go to often, one Twitter handle you should follow is @LAHistory.

Los Angeles is a fascinating city…surely this is one of the reasons you chose to live so close to it in Anaheim.

The Awl points out that the great thing about this feed is that it tells stories, and I completely agree. You’ll get information packed tidbits that are intriguing and may inspire you to learn more about the history of L.A.

What Twitter accounts are your must-follows? Let us know on Facebook, or you can tweet us of course.

Valentine’s Day is soon arriving. This holiday is a great day to celebrate the people you love. If you and your significant other, or maybe you and a group of friends, are planning to go out to eat for the occasion, several restaurants would be good choices in Anahiem.

1. Fire + Ice Bar + Grill offers American cuisine. They’re running this deal from Saturday to Monday, 2/12-14 in 2011: dinner for two, bottle of wine or Fire+Ice shared libation and dessert for $50. Call 714-808-9757 if you want to reserve your spot now.
2. McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood in Anaheim. Oysters on the half shell is one romantic option at this restaurant. When you make reservations, ask about ordering flowers, custom menu messages and whatever else special requests you may have. 714-535-9000.
3. Morton’s The Steakhouse. You can choose from their  full dinner menu or opt for a special three-course menu for two. 714-621-0101.
4. Buca di Beppo is an Italian cuisine restaurant. 714-740-2822.

The Crossing Anaheim is an apartment community in Anahiem. If you’d like to reach us about renting or talking about our community, call 888-884-1294.

Photo Credit: brooklyn

A world class cultural event will soon be held right here in the vicinity of The Crossing. The Anaheim International Film Festival will be held at the Anaheim Garden Walk, which is only about seven miles away from our apartment community.

Approximately 100 of the latest and best contemporary narrative feature films, documentaries, live action and animated shorts will be shown during this five-day event. Also, attendees can take advantage of industry panels, workshops, tributes, retrospectives and star-studded gala events.

Opening night films include:

• Wild Target, an action comedy about a middle-aged, solitary assassin.
• Monica & David, a documentary exploring the marriage of two adults with Down Syndrome.
• A special presentation of Sixteen Candles.

Purchase your tickets for the festival, including the opening night, individual screenings, workshops and more. This is one of Orange County’s most important cultural events. Will you be in attendance?

Free dessert in Anaheim? Oh yes. This is a freebie everyone at The Crossing Anaheim can appreciate. Even the salty snack lovers among us will enjoy this deal since it doesn’t cost you a thing–although you’ll want to purchase a meal before indulging.

September 15 is Free Dessert Day in several big cities across the country. Many restaurants in and around L.A. are participating. Right here in the vicinity of The Crossing only about eight miles away, you’ll find a restaurant that is taking part in this promotion.

It’s called K’ya Street Fare – Anaheim. This restaurant serves true Californian cuisine. Go ahead and make your reservation online now, since I bet a lot of people will want to taste their free dessert. According to posters on Yelp, they serve up some yummy churros, while their vanilla bean cream brulee isn’t as good as expected. Also, the Berry Bread Pudding is apparently divine. Have you tried the dessert at K’ya? What would you suggest to your apartment community neighbors?

This sweet occasion is here in order to celebrate the premiere of Top Chef Just Desserts. This show will have its first episode tonight on Bravo.

Photo Credit: avlxyz

Hello to all our sports-loving apartment residents out there. The Anaheim Ducks hockey team will soon be back in action. Their training camp starts this weekend. Who else is excited?

When can you see them?

• first on-ice practice at 9:15 a.m. on Saturday
• a scrimmage at 10:30 a.m. after the practice
• Sunday and Monday the schedule is the same

This is a very popular event for hockey fans. Also, free merchandise will be given away.

Pre-season begins Sept. 21–the day before fall officially begins.

To see the chilly action this weekend, head to Anaheim Ice, which is located in the vicinity of The Crossing about five miles away.

Photo Credit: Elliot

It’s going to be a long Labor Day weekend here in Anaheim. This means it’s time to celebrate. I don’t know about you, but some good wine is exactly what I need right now.

If you haven’t been to OC Custom Wine yet, it’s time you take a short drive over there. On second thought, perhaps you should get a good friend to drive you. Or if all else fails, it would take you about 30 to 40 minutes to walk from our apartment.

The main reason you should go this weekend is because right now they have a Fingerlakes International Wine Competition Gold Medal winning wine ready for you to taste. Their 2007 Sonoma Cabernet Franc will be available until its sold out. They will also have the following wines:

• A multiple award winner: 2007 Central Coast Muscat
• A multiple award winner: 2009 Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc
• A multiple award winner: 2007 Central Coast Petite Sirah
• 2007 Napa Valley Merlot
• 2007 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

OC Custom Wine allows you to blend their wines and will make custom wine labels for you. Check out their new tasting menu, as seen on their Facebook page.

Have you been to OC Custom Wine right here in the vicinity of The Crossing.

Photo Credit: OC Custom Wine

Comprehending the actual size of dinosaurs can be hard. An experience coming soon (Sept. 1-5 2010) to the Honda Center right here in Anaheim and in the vicinity of The Crossing will give you the chance to experience what it would be like to walk among dinosaurs.

Walking With Dinosaurs – The Arena Spectacular is a theatrical experience created by internationally renowned designers using 17 life-sized dinosaurs.

Performance times are the following:

• Wednesday – 7 p.m.
• Thursday – 7 p.m.
• Friday – 7 p.m.
• Saturday – 11 a.m. / 3 p.m. / 7 p.m.
• Sunday – 1 p.m. / 5 p.m.

Tickets to to Walking With Dinosaurs in Anaheim, California

Visit the Honda Center Box Office, call 800.745.3000 or online at ticketmaster.com.

For fun, you can create your own dinosaur name. If you do, tell us what it is on Facebook.