San Diego is My Home

13
May

Taste of Little Italy

Author: HelenKay, Category: Food, Neighborhoods, Restaurants

Is there anything better than walking around a thriving neighborhood on a lovely night while you stuff your face with food?  I think not.  About twenty-six restaurants in Little Italy agree with me.  On Wednesday (that’s tomorrow) you can sample some goodies from the following restaurants:

Anthology, Buon Appetito, Caffe Italia, Cefalu’s Pizza, Filippi’s Pizza Grotto, Illume Bistro, Indigo Grill, Just Burgers and Lounge, Mimmo’s Italian Village, Pappalecco, Petrini’s, Rice at the W San Diego, Zagarella Italian Restaurant and others

The event goes from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in…where else?…Little Italy.  You’ll need a ticket.  Go to the intersection of India and Date Streets and check it out.

24
Apr

Saturday Spring Events

Author: HelenKay, Category: All For Charity, Arts, Events & Happenings, Festivals, Food, Neighborhoods

Clearly spring has arrived in San Diego.  There are quite a few celebrate-spring type events to choose from this weekend.  Here is a sampling:

-The 5th Annual Spring Garden Festival - This one takes place at Cuyamaca College and is sponsored by the San Diego Watercolor Society. You, basically, go to the The Water Conservation Garden and paint. It’s free and outside…that’s a pretty big draw. The event is on Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

-The 7th Annual Point Loma Garden Walk & Home Tour - This is exactly what it sounds like. You pay to go on guided tours of private gardens and homes in Point Loma. The proceeds benefit the Craniofacial Services at Rady Children’s Hospital. Good cause. Lots of fun. Check it out. this Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

-The Linda Vista Multicultural Fair and Parade - Music, food, floats, artisans showing their skills…what’s not to like. The event is Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Linda Vista Road, just north of USD.

Enjoy the festivities.

18
Apr

Day At The Docks

Author: HelenKay, Category: Beaches, Events & Happenings, Neighborhoods, Sports

Know anything about sportsfishing?  Me either.  But here’s your chance.  This Sunday (April 20th) is the 29th annual Day At The Docks event.  Eat, learn to fish, take a boat ride and attend seminars.  There’s a little bit of everything for everyone.

The event goes from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at  San Diego Sportfishing Landings in Point Loma. Check here for more details.

17
Apr

Taste Of Hillcrest

Author: HelenKay, Category: Food, Neighborhoods

Who doesn’t love Hillcrest?  If you love Hillcrest and love food, I’ve got an idea for you this weekend.  Taste of Uptown/Hillcrest takes place this Saturday from noon to 4:00 p.m.  Forty restaurants open their doors and you get to take a little taste from the menus…thus the name of the event.

Now, you don’t get to wander around and sample the goodies for free.  Of course not.  Don’t be silly.  You have to buy a ticket.  Those cost $30 and you can get them at participating restaurants or here.

16
Apr

Shaky Ground

Author: HelenKay, Category: Emergency Situations, Neighborhoods, Weather

New reports this week say there’s a 99.7% of a major earthquake (magnitude 6.7 of higher) hitting California by 2037.  The odds are 93% for Northern California and 97% for Southern California. 

This sounds kind of awful but…uh, is this really a big surprise?  Isn’t it kind of like saying there’s a 99% chance of wildfires and mudslides in California?  These strike me as the obvious downsides of living here.  I’m thinking the scary part here is that the percentages are high enough to be considered a guarantee.  Suspecting an earthquake will hit and knowing it will are two different things.

Here’s the good news according to ABC News:

Knowing the likelihood of a strong earthquake is the first step in allowing scientists to draw up hazard maps that show the potential severity of ground shaking in an area. The information can also help with updating building codes and emergency plans and setting earthquake insurance rates.

I say we all start working on these projects.

15
Apr

Homes Facts

Author: HelenKay, Category: Housing, Neighborhoods, News

It’s a fabulous day to be a San Diego resident.  The sun is out.  Then weather is lovely, as usual.  It’s spring.  And…your house is worth almost nothing.  Well, that’s not true.  It’s worth a lot less than it was at this time last year.  There’s that’s better.  Uh-huh.

A new report says the County’s median home price has dropped below $400,000 for the first time since 2003.  That’s great news for buyers.  Really bad news for anyone who purchased a home in the County since 2003.   Yeah, that would be me.  The culprit is the foreclosure crisis. 

There are a whole bunch of horrifying statistics about how the median was $517,000 in November 2005.    In case you’re mathematically challenged, that’s a decrease of more than $100,000 in two years.  I will refrain from passing on any additional bad news.  But is anyone else feeling queasy?

04
Apr

Rep. Issa’s Big Goof

Author: HelenKay, Category: Emergency Situations, Neighborhoods, Politics

U.S. Representative Darrell Issa (Republican from Northern San Diego County) got himself in a bit of trouble this week.  During congressional hearings regarding additional benefits for the 9/11 victims, Rep. Issa described the World Trade Center attacks as:

“…a fire that had no dirty bomb in it, it had no chemical munitions in it. It simply was an aircraft, residue of two aircraft and residue of the material used to build this building.”

Yeah, that did not go over all that well.  Many viewed his comments as being dissmissive of the attacks.  He argues that he was merely questioning whether benefits should be extended to people who were not physically injured and who did not work at Ground Zero.   Some fellow Congressional folk did not accept the explanantion.  Rep. Issa has been called stupid, unpatriotic and insensitive.

Admittedly, his delivery needs work.  But questioning a blank check and wondering if the federal government is going to compensate anyone involved in similar terrorist attacks in the future is legitimate.   A reasoned discussion without namecalling might be the best way to come up with a solution to this difficult issue.  Have members of Congress forgotten how to do that?

For Rep. Issa’s part, talking about 9/11 in terms of ariplane residue is about as smart as setting his desk up in the middle of the 805 and trying to do work.  We’re talking about people killed in a terrorist attack.  Show some smarts when trying to raise a point that needs to be raised.

Politicians…

26
Mar

Flower Fields

Author: HelenKay, Category: Events & Happenings, Festivals, Neighborhoods

The hills are alive with flowers once again.  The Flower Fields® at Carlsbad Ranch are open. The season runs through approximately May 10th. For a fee, you get to wander through rows and rows of flowers. Walk or pay a bit extra and ride the tractor - it’s your choice. Fifty acres are yours to explore.

The Flower Fields are located about halfway between Orange County and San Diego off Interstate 5 (exit on Palomar Airport Road in Carlsbad). The flowers won’t last forever and appromately 150,000 visitors are expected, so get going.

26
Feb

March Madness Run

Author: HelenKay, Category: Events & Happenings, Exercise, Neighborhoods, Sports

For most people, the term March Madness relates to college basketball where the closest thing to exercise is making a beer run.  But it can also mean real exercise.  Thanks to the Rancho Bernardo Kiwanis club, March Madness means the March Madness Trail Run.  So, on Sunday (March 2nd) you can exercise instead of just watching people on television exercise. 

The run/walk starts at 7:45 a.m.  Meet at the Rancho Bernardo  Community Park and run/walk along the San Dieguito River Park southeast of Lake Hodges. 

Not bad…and there’s a pancake breakfast after.  Check here for more information.

19
Feb

Carnival

Author: HelenKay, Category: Amusement Parks, Events & Happenings, Neighborhoods

Thursday (February 21st)  is the first of four days of the Montgomery Waller Community Park Carnival.  Food, rides, fun - you name it, you’ll find it here.   Where, you may ask, is Montomgery Waller Community Park?  Answer:  Coronado Avenue. 

I can’t drive you there.  You’ll have to figure that part out yourself.  There are some details you will need.  They go like this:  The event goes from 5:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. each day.  There is a nominal fee, but who cares.  This is a carnival with carnival rides.  It may not be Disney, but it is a whole lot cheaper.