A holiday tourist in my own city Tree farms, Nativity scene, gondola and trolley rides, Christmas movies by the pool. By Siobhan Braun Why not a holiday bar crawl? Bike ride, Messiah sing-along, Santacon bar …
December 6, 2017
News & Stories
San Diego Reader 2017 guide to holiday fun
You swan dive into a spoonful of Drāno
Spilling the Kool-Aid You can count your blessings if you have any or shut down in the neon haze that invades the parking lot and changes the way you think about moonlight knocking around at …
December 6, 2017
So it goes in the jazz desert
“In some cities, like New York, if you bring the goods they appreciate you for your art,” says homegrown jazz chanteuse Sacha Boutros, who just returned after spending a month in Paris (where she’ll move …
December 6, 2017
Airport advertising overload
Get ready for a proliferation of paid plugs at San Diego’s International Airport. “Over the past decade, the Airport’s advertising has been confined to the interior of the passenger terminals and has consisted mainly of …
December 6, 2017
Reindeer Monologues at OB Playhouse
We get the conceit of Santa’s eight reindeer from the reindeer husbandry practiced by the indigenous people of Fennoscandia. In Siberia, the locals shave curlicues of meat from frozen reindeer steaks, which they eat raw …
December 6, 2017
Aki Kaurismäki’s wise and gentle comedy, The Other Side of Hope
We open inside the dank hull of a coal freighter — only these lumps have eyes. Khaled Ali’s (Sherwan Haji) peepers blink awake as the stowaway sits up in the lumpy bed of black that’s …
December 6, 2017
Satellite Amps shop rock
When Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson and his buddy Chip Roberts announced their “Cowboys in the Campfire” tour, the idea was that they would play unusual venues — rooms that don’t usually host rock shows. Andrew …
December 6, 2017
Oily money
A combination of two of the world’s biggest oil companies has kicked in $50,000 to the California Latino Legislative Caucus Foundation at the behest of Democratic assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher. State disclosure records show that …
December 6, 2017
Slow season but "we’re smoking 560 pounds”
Hail to the chef! That’s what I’m thinking as Danny lowers two whole racks of pork ribs into the maws of his Smokaroma Bar-B-Q Boss. He says it’s a wood-fired pressure-cooker. No more fuming black …
Saw suffering Christians in Thailand
Membership: 400 Pastor: Tim Spivey Age: 41 Born: Long Beach Formation: Pepperdine University, Malibu; Abilene Christian University, Abilene, TX Years in ministry: 20 San Diego Reader: What is your main concern as a member of …
December 6, 2017
Santa sightings in San Diego
“You better watch out You better not cry Better not pout I’m telling you why Santa Claus is coming to town…” I’m ashamed to admit it, but I did pout a little bit for the …
December 6, 2017
Why not a holiday bar crawl?
Everybody’s got their own small rituals to enact this time of year. Holiday traditions vary by country, culture, region, and household, and in every instance they’re what make the season special. I’m a nontraditional kind …
December 6, 2017
Florida blues behind her
Although there are some decent surf breaks back home, pro surfer Lindsay Perry says Central Florida is nothing like San Diego. “My dad used to catch alligators with his hands,” she says about her upbringing …
December 6, 2017
Spanglish Christmas
During the holiday season, thousands of Californians head south of the border to join their families for a Mexican Navidad mixed with customary American Christmas traditions. In the Spanglish world, as with the languages, the …
December 6, 2017
Stay on the Anderson Canyon trail
Del Mar Canyon Preserve, sometimes alternatively known as Anderson Canyon, has two of the best elements of San Diego County hikes: stunning views and unique biodiversity. The trail is short and easy, but take time …
December 6, 2017
Winter is God's cocktail hour
Winter. It’s the five o’clock of the annum. God’s own cocktail hour. A time to rejoice and be merry and say things you’ll later frown about at family gatherings. New year, new you. This is …
December 6, 2017
Decision made on Mission Bay wetlands plan
A conflicted, somewhat confused Mission Bay Park Committee voted 5-3 to go forward with a plan for the DeAnza Cove Tuesday night (December 5th) after hours of passionate testimony from people who want different things …
December 6, 2017
Slings, arrows, and naming names
Dear Hipster: Your list of great albums sucks. You suffer from a lack of taste. Go back to making jokes about mustaches and Cap’n Crunch. — Ethan Hipster: Nice work leaving out Paul’s Boutique, hipster. …
December 6, 2017
Keep those holiday dollars in town
Traditionally, December is a month of buying stuff — whether for yourself, family, friends, coworkers, or whomever else is on that list you’re checking twice. So why not flex your spending power and use those …
December 6, 2017
A holiday tourist in my own city
When Christmas season rolls around I like to become a tourist in my own city. My kids are out of school, my husband takes a week or two off of work, and the family and …
December 6, 2017
My holiday wish for you
For so many of us, favorite holiday memories take root with family and friends, and that certainly holds true for San Diegans. Whether it’s cutting down a tree in the local mountains, dancing the night …
December 6, 2017
Broke San Diego musicians
With paying gigs becoming scarcer, and the economic outlook not too bright, we asked several current and former locals to share their best “I was so broke...” stories. Marcia Claire (Coyote Problem): “In 1986, I …
December 6, 2017
Holidays at the big attractions
San Diego’s mild winter climate makes it an attractive spot for people who don’t want a white Christmas. So that means there is a good chance you’re hosting out-of-towners over the holidays. That means that …
December 6, 2017
270 degrees of unobstructed views with no neighbor in sight
“Welcome to the ‘King of the Hill,’” beckons the listing pitch for 5160 Rancho Del Mar Trail, a five-bedroom, six-and-a-half-bath home boasting more than 9500 square feet of living space situated “within the prestigious, private …
December 6, 2017
Make holiday friends of enemies
This year, the Lickona family is keeping to its Christmas traditions at home: the ancient carols, the crèche, the Christmas lights wrapped around the cactus in the front yard, the works. But also this year, …
December 6, 2017
San Diego less vulnerable to, but not free of, fracking
Fracking is hydraulic fracturing, or horizontal shooting of water, sand, and chemicals into shale to bring up oil and gas. However, people complain of loud equipment, stealing of water, and widespread pollution through use of …
December 6, 2017
Trout Derby drama at Dixon Lake
The City of Escondido’s 39th annual Trout Derby at Dixon Lake attracted hundreds of anglers from around Southern California on December 1–3. Even without the planting of huge Nebraska tailwalkers at this year’s opener, stringers …
December 6, 2017
Certain activities that mean Christmas
This New England girl has finally adjusted to the warm weather Christmas season. It only took 20 years. During those years, I felt patronized by fake snow painted on windows, manmade snow hills, and ice …
December 6, 2017
Hard times for the United Auto Workers
The once-mighty United Auto Workers union has faced hard times of late. The most recent sign of the labor organization’s ebbing influence came last month when workers at the Fuyao Glass America plant in Dayton, …
December 6, 2017
A reader invites the Reader to Scripps Ranch
Scripps Ranch was a real ranch Re: “Once upon a time: Scripps Ranch,” cover story. Your article is a collection of sarcastic comments that only slash and burn. God forbid you write something positive that …
December 6, 2017
Make it a point to spread the love
Holiday lights make the early darkness of winter a beautiful thing. One of my favorite displays in San Diego is the simple strings of colorful lights that wind around the railings on the streets above …
December 6, 2017
Coco Montoya, the last guy you should copy
Some years ago I was invited to sit in on a masterclass taught by blues guitarist Coco Montoya. I play blues sax. Possibly the organizer thought I’d gain some new insights. “I bet each of …
December 6, 2017
Surfboard Santa
Growing up in the Chicago area, the holidays meant snowy hills and hushed landscapes, warm, woolly scarves and mittens, puffy down coats and sturdy boots. It also meant shoveling two feet of snow off the …
December 6, 2017