In late May 2008, I woke up in my sister’s house in Indianapolis. I was getting ready to leave for the airport, and I saw a commercial on TV about visiting San Diego. The commercial …
July 29, 2009
Blog Entries
- Who would want to replace this?
- Octomom Nadya Suleman Stopped
7 comments
- The sign Sun Cafe
- To John the real estate lawyer
- To one of our regulars at the Sun Cafe
- Friends of the Sun Cafe move on
- Fleas
2 comments
- Time Wasted at a Sub-par Bar
- Schooled off Orchard Ave.
2 comments
Podcasts
News & Stories
I was a safety ambassador in downtown San Diego
Driving Drunk Is Not Easy
Brian Campbell, 50, will spend the next couple of years in prison for a July 12 hit-and-run accident in Carlsbad, at which time authorities said he had a blood alcohol level nearly two times the …
July 29, 2009
Down the Tubes
Residents of Imperial Beach dig that laid-back Southern California beach vibe of the ’50s and ’60s. So much so, the town's logo has "Classic Southern California" written under an image of a "Woody" station wagon …
July 29, 2009
Comic-Conned
On Saturday afternoon, July 25, San Diego Police helped quell an unruly crowd on the main floor of the San Diego Convention Center. During an appearance of the cast of FX channel's It’s Always Sunny …
July 29, 2009
Essential Bangkok, Thailand
Bangkok is a bustling, balmy city that stretches along both sides of the Chao Phraya River. Thailand’s capital has much to offer; here are some recommendations on what not to miss (and what to avoid): …
July 29, 2009
From the Gut
Sitting in the mixing room of Archival Studios in North Park, the four members of Rats Eyes listen to two of the ten raw tracks they recorded the day before. There’s a discernible SoCal skate-punk …
July 29, 2009
St. Therese Roman Catholic Church
“Good morning,” said the woman at the marble lectern before the beginning of Sunday Mass at St. Therese. “Today and for the next four weeks, we will hear about Jesus Christ as our bread of …
July 29, 2009
Tomato, Basil, and Ginger Jam
Recipe by Jay Payne, executive chef, Café Japengo. What really started me cooking was that both my parents worked, so my job was to start dinner. Many times I just ended up cooking dinner. My …
July 29, 2009
Camping Supplies
As the night dragged on, the four-year-old wailed with growing pains. The pregnant mama made her third trip to the bathroom across the campsite. Exhausted dad wrestled to find a comfortable position in the tent.... …
July 29, 2009
Mice at Play
The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt. — Bertrand Russell The stars were bright in Chula Vista — not desert-brilliant but dazzling enough when …
July 29, 2009
Unforgettable: A Walk on the Stingaree Side, Part 5
THE MOST HATED MAN IN SAN DIEGO. From 1910 to 1912, Walter Bellon inspected San Diego’s waterfront, Chinatown, and the Stingaree district for the health department. If an owner failed to make basic improvements, the …
Retro Electro
Rise of the Speedmen began as Gene Padigos’s one-man stage show, featuring electronic prerecorded music accompanied live by various instruments, from guitar to synth, bass, and drums. “I got most of my gear with insurance …
July 29, 2009
Separate Check
Thirty Years AgoMy personal critique of Hob Nob Hill: dinners are unimaginative and overpriced; an overkill of watercress (during the lettuce shortage) in their chef’s salads; no optional nonsmoker’s section; Dorothy’s forced, ingratiating greetings, alas, …
July 29, 2009
Tacos for Life
“Juanita’s Carnitas of Encinitas! Juanita’s Carnitas Encinitas!” This is Ted’s kid, chanting. Best way to get the carnitas tacos he loves. “Juanita’s Carnitas of Encinitas…!” “Ah, you mean ‘Little Jane’s Little Meats of Little Oaks,’ …
The Pretend Wife
What are you currently reading? “As usual, I’m reading too many books at once. I’m reading Lost by Jacqueline Davies — it’s a new YA [young adult] novel about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. I …
July 29, 2009
College Pigskin Preview
Did you see the 2009 Mountain West Conference preseason media poll? TCU is picked to win the conference (a reasonable choice), BYU second, Utah third, and so on down the list — Air Force, UNLV, …
July 29, 2009
The Curse of Heart
One of the enduring questions about William Shakespeare, which might have surprised him: where did he stand? In Coriolanus, for example, did he side with the Roman poor, who threaten to rebel over shortages of …
July 29, 2009
Half a Glass
Everything about Glass Door makes it a delightful, entertaining restaurant — except the food. On the fourth floor of a new hotel in Little Italy, it’s a long, narrow room with a bar on one …
July 29, 2009
Water Weather, Child Labor
Dear Matthew Alice: I learned in school that the air moves like water. We were studying airplanes and how they stay up in the air and how the air moves over the wing like a …
July 29, 2009
Beckett No, Hendrix Yes
A handful of the people who post on the Reader website planned a get-together. I think it stemmed from one of them being in town from Washington state. They agreed to meet downtown at The …
July 29, 2009
Trash Talk
A longtime business associate of South Bay developer Roque de la Fuente is circulating a petition that would put before county voters a measure to allow construction of a large landfill and recycling center on …
July 29, 2009
Here Today, Gone Tomorrow
For Rob Hagey, founder and promoter of Street Scene, San Diego’s largest music festival, adding the Beastie Boys to the lineup on July 10 was an unexpected coup. “It was a nice surprise. They fell …
July 29, 2009
Underage Dance Jams Not in the Starz
Orange County–based promotion company Club Starz organizes weekly teenage dance parties. The event is booked into nightclubs on slow nights. The booze is put away but security is on duty, and the kids have a …
July 29, 2009
Good Asian Drivers
Best not to go to the Good Asian Drivers expecting to hear the sassy pop in their YouTube video “I Kissed a Girl — The Real Gay Version,” because it’s not them. That’s not even …
July 29, 2009
Bad Luck
An Irishman who last December made the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s “Most Wanted List” of 23 environmental crime fugitives for illegal dumping in San Diego Bay, has been apprehended on the island of Malta. Fifty-eight-year-old …
July 29, 2009
One Badfinger Standing
When Badfinger appears at Humphrey’s HippieFest on Sunday, August 2, the band (discovered and launched by the Beatles in the late ’60s) will be fronted by the sole surviving member from its glory days, singer-guitarist …
July 29, 2009
Joey Harris and the Mentals
San Diego perennial Joey Harris comes from a no-frills school of rock with a strict curriculum of guitar-bass-drum, life-lesson lyricism, and a ’67 Caddy for a school bus. For this summer’s s/t Double Barrel release, …
July 29, 2009
Juiced
As many insiders expected, San Diego mayor Jerry Sanders appointed a reliable campaign contributor to the regional airport authority seat that was vacated earlier this year by another faithful giver, Alan Bersin, who left to …
July 29, 2009
Golden Boots
Golden Boots describe their music as “alt-alt-country.” They do have a vaguely country-ish vibe to their vocal harmonies, and some of their older material is no weirder than Wilco at their weirdest. But never mind …
July 29, 2009
Toxicana, You Feel Like Rain, and Dead as Dillinger
Artist: ToxicanaSong: Vicious Cycle (from the CD Pandemia)Heard by: Rafael Gonzalez, San DiegoBasically, the music was pretty good, the lyrics made sense, and there was a good coordination between the music and lyrics — everything …
July 29, 2009
Andrew Cunanan's mom – from one who knows
May 10 must be the year’s hardest day for Mary Ann. In 1997, her son, Andrew Cunanan, went on a killing spree that ended with the death of fashion designer Gianni Versace, on a sparkling …
July 29, 2009
Air conditioner, adjustable bed scams
Recessions always bring out the vultures, and these days they are a step ahead of technological trends, as scam haven San Diego is learning once again. Con artists claim they can fix your credit, rescue …
July 29, 2009