Did you ride your bike to work today? If so, you’re part of the vaunted 1 percent. If, instead, you took the trolley or the bus, you’re still among the elite — the small minority …
August 24, 2016
News & Stories
Civic San Diego and city council are so wrong about cars and bikes
Stacks of September records
On Friday, August 26, the Fremonts will debut their new blues-roots record, Alligator, at Tio Leo’s, while reunited punk rockers New Addiction premieres their Filters CD at Soda Bar, for a bill that includes One …
August 24, 2016
The Earth Dragon
Then the earth dragon, with its great, long horns, got up and walked down from the north. It traveled underground and the god Nagaicho rode on its head. As it walked along through the ocean …
August 24, 2016
Tijuana speakeasy Nortico’s drink should be outlawed
“This is an homage to Tijuana’s golden era, which was Prohibition time in the States,” says Nórtico owner and chef Ruffo Ibarra, who unveiled the West Coast–style speakeasy hidden within his restaurant Oryx Capital last …
August 24, 2016
Tolan's travels
Some artists use special effects in their videos, others convince a celebrity to make a cameo, and still others don costumes...or no clothes at all. Last week Tolan Shaw released the video for his new …
August 24, 2016
Tear off and eat the blanket covering Bosnian street food
"Dobro vecé!” This is me, greeting Ismet Sahic beside his truck. It’s 8 p.m., and Quartyard, here at Park and Market, is Sunday-night mellow. A floodlit rack of people sits drinking and chatting at the …
August 24, 2016
Dirty football
San Diego’s ex-mayor Jerry Sanders is so far batting .500 in the new city council political business this year, but not because he hasn’t been laying out a lot of cash. The Greater San Diego …
August 24, 2016
Beer's essence — without the beer
As inexplicable as it sounds, some folks in this world have no taste for beer. But thanks to the Quad Ale House, even for these poor souls, there’s hope. Nicknamed “Beer Study Hall,” this new …
August 24, 2016
Should I wear a leash?
Because all beginners should be wearing a leash, going leashless gives a surfer more credibility in the line-up. It is a statement that says, “I am a good surfer, so don’t drop in on me.” …
August 24, 2016
I.B. Strong
“We recorded our first EP in May at King’s Ransom Studios in Lakeside with Jeff Sers, who’s been fighting cancer for the past couple years,” says Adam Baez, one-third of the grungy goth rock trio …
August 24, 2016
Gary Wilson's flour power
Still catchy, still creepy, still obsessive, still (mostly) masked, still rocking the white-framed cat’s-eye sunglasses he’s favored for decades, longtime San Diego resident Gary Wilson has a new album out, Friday Night with Gary Wilson, …
August 24, 2016
Mayor’s office not so transparent
San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer proclaimed a new era in transparency when he recently rolled out a new automated way for the public to request records previously hidden away in the dark warrens of city …
August 24, 2016
Get a Costco foam board
Name: Nick Manverg Age: 23 Occupation: Bartender/Student at the University of St. Augustine Location: Crystal Pier Board: Firewire 5’6 Nick Manverg grew up in Temecula, an excruciating 40-minute drive to the beach. As a kid …
August 24, 2016
Massive glass doors and tidal elements everywhere
Beds: 5 Baths: 8 Current Owner: Christopher and Melanie Huber List Price: $18,000,000 “Welcome to one of the premier oceanfront estates in the world, where no expense was spared,” promise the opening lines of promotion …
August 24, 2016
Literature for the white-socks-and-orange-slippers set
At first glance, Unit 800’s classroom looks like any ordinary high-school classroom. It has all the usual stuff: bookshelves, white board, map of the world, and around a dozen student desks. Pinned near the ceiling …
August 24, 2016
Exitos del Cine Latino
Last week brought news of Exitos del Cine Latino, a brand-new week-long film festival, running August 26 to September 1 at AMC Plaza Bonita, that boasts 14 San Diego premieres. Be on the lookout for …
August 24, 2016
Mother offers grape-soda lupine and wine cup clarkia
Prior the 2003 Cedar Fire, the Cuyamaca Mountains in general, and this area in particular, had a beautiful forest of mature shady oaks and tall pines, with occasional openings of grassy meadows. The area is …
August 24, 2016
Here's to you, crabby old bitches
There’s a scene in the first act of Avenue Q (playing through August 28 at the O.B. Playhouse) where Kate Monster (Catie Marron) argues with her boss, the ancient Lavinia Thistletwat, voiced and performed by …
August 24, 2016
Hipsters are thrifty with their tips
Dear Hipster: I met a seemingly nice guy. We have gone out twice. At first, I thought he had great prospects, because he is polite, funny, and not too hard on the eyes. Now, I’m …
August 24, 2016
Billy Bacon rides again
When Billy Bacon launched the Forbidden Pigs in 1984 he was as happy as a pig in a roots-rock poke. His Tex-Mex trio was buoyed by a flourishing San Diego roots scene that included the …
August 24, 2016
The Hanged Man
I have kept every message I’ve ever received, the most poignant and rewarding being the responses to my stories about my struggles with anxiety and depression.
August 24, 2016
Voice of rock Glenn Hughes
Who does Deep Purple, Stevie Wonder, and Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi all have in common? That would be Glenn Hughes, the singing bassist from Los Angeles by way of England. One loses track of how …
August 24, 2016
Discount textbook shop forced out at San Diego State
Taxpayer-subsidized Aztec Shops buys the land under their book-selling competitor.
August 24, 2016
Ben hurts...but these ten remakes don’t
If the Chuck Heston interpretation of Ben-Hur is comparable to a Classics Illustrated comic book, MGM’s new digital facelift should never have left Turner Network Television. The third (and hopefully final) theatrical reboot, this Ben …
August 24, 2016
SDPD would like permission to access your cameras
A low-profile, high-tech plan by San Diego police to tap into the feeds of private video surveillance cameras across the city has so far managed to corral five participants, according to documents released following a …
August 24, 2016
Exclamation points and question marks
Doesn’t Take a Genius I think I can solve two issues raised in the last Reader. First, Mr. Rynearson of La Jolla is upset that he can’t obtain a liquor permit for their annual block …
August 24, 2016
Yes: now the boiling ball is gone
An August Midnight I A shaded lamp and a waving blind, And the beat of a clock from a distant floor: On this scene enter — winged, horned, and spined — A longlegs, a moth, …
August 24, 2016
August 18 Crossword Contenders
Evelyn Bowser, Hillcrest, 6. Dennis Butterworth, San Diego, 6. Joseph Ciprian, Little Italy, 6. Allan Dorfman, Del Mar, 6. Gian Ghio, Chula Vista, 6. Sue Janisch, Valley Center, 6. Elaine Marume, Oceanside, 6. Robert Mc …
August 24, 2016
August 18 Sudoku Contenders
Evil Joseph Ciprian, Little Italy, 6. Alford Claibone, San Diego, 6. Rafael Gaceta, San Diego, 6. Ralph Levy, La Jolla, 6. Hiroshi Miyazaki, Normal Heights, 6. Randy Paddock, San Diego, 6. Doug Woody, Escondido, 6. …
August 24, 2016