Del Mar Stories
As Chargers special counsel Mark Fabiani ups the ante on Kevin Faulconer and San Diego's clubby political and media establishment by challenging the integrity of the mayor's stadium task force, fresh attention has been drawn …
Like most San Diegans I'm familiar with the touristy parts of Del Mar (Del Mar Fairground/Racetrack and the beaches) – the scenic coastal village between Soledad Valley and the San Dieguito River – but didn't …
Despite protests from a psychiatrist, Del Mar will be allowed to proceed with an online poll of local registered voters, an act city officials say does not constitute an election and thus is exempt from …
Current Owner: Genevieve (Jenny) Craig Bedrooms: 5 Baths: 6.5 Price: $39,500,000 This week we visit an 8925-square-foot mansion sitting on a nearly three-quarter-acre lot on a small spit of sand lying just across the San …
With gas prices falling every day in San Diego, averaging $2.63 a gallon on January 9 (according to gasbuddy.com), motorists may wonder why nine stations in the county seem to be bucking the declining-price trend. …
Admission prices for next year’s Del Mar fair are going up. “We anticipate a $1 increase in adult admission prices in this proposed budget,” says a staff report to the board of the 22nd Agricultural …
An elegant solution for those who enjoy entertaining formally.
The business of betting on California horseflesh has been on the decline, plagued by the rise of Indian casinos, a dearth of high rollers, and a rash of well-publicized equine deaths at Del Mar over …
I’d only ever been to Pacifica Del Mar around sunset, most often with reservations so I could be sure to sit at one of the primo tables that are cleverly arranged so diners are half-facing …
Pinus torreyana (aka Torrey pines) are among the rarest pine trees in the world. They occur naturally only on Santa Rosa Island (west of Ventura) and here in San Diego at Torrey Pines State Natural …
From a weather standpoint, the November 7 opener of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Cub’s “Bing Crosby Season" was better than its regular late-July opener. But even with temperatures in the 80s, missing were the throngs …
On October 24, the Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo Rail Corridor Agency (known as LOSSAN) made available to the public new information on the plans affecting its 7.6 million annual passengers and the residents in …
Current Owner: Robert Driver Family Trust Beds: 4 Baths: 4 Price $20,000,000 This luxury waterfront resort is located in a small gated community along the northern beaches of Del Mar, just across San Dieguito Lagoon …
In January 2013, Douglas Manchester cut a deal with the City of San Diego to remedy years of permit violations at his Grand Del Mar resort, which included illegal grading and destroying natural habitat. In …
Fair Organizer Farley McFerrin: "It took weeks of research and debate, but ultimately, we decided to go with the title of a 1957 romantic weeper. It just fit with our desire to commemorate the 100th …
“If one vice doesn't work, try another” appears to be the motto of the Del Mar fair board, the gubernatorially appointed body that runs the state's 22nd District Agricultural Association. After years of dismal financial …
Every so often in life, paperback utility ought to give over to leather-bound editions; the joy of a Swisher Sweet to the experience of a Romeo y Julieta; the usual Manhattan cocktail to nothing less …
Someone else, having overheard our conversation, piped in, “Most of these horses have stylists, massage therapists, and veterinarians constantly catering to their every need.”
A week before horses started dying more often than normal at Del Mar, on July 18 a California Horse Racing Board member expressed his concern about the racing surfaces at another California race track — …
A special guest editorial from Del Mar Racing VP of Marketing Greg Dodo: In 2001, I was tasked with beating a dead horse back to life. The glory days of the Del Mar Racetrack seemed …
When you say "berto's", I think burrito. Adalberto's or Filibertos? Burrito. Aliberto's, Humberto's, or Rigoberto's? Burrito. Or if there's no drive-thru, maybe some rolled tacos. It's just a fact of living here: at some time …
The tenth horse died at Del Mar on Saturday, August 2. This one was Chattering Gambler, a three-year-old colt who collapsed during the third race as he drove toward the finish line. This makes 10 …
Current Owners: David and Lori Sykes Listing Price: $17,500,000 Beds: 3 Baths: 5 Listing materials for this week’s home invite would-be buyers to “take your front row seat to the spectacular Pacific Ocean and California’s …
Doug Manchester, who intends to build a long-delayed hotel in Austin, is putting on a glitzy fundraiser for Greg Abbott, the Republican who is running for Texas governor against Democrat Wendy Davis. Manchester and his …
The Del Mar Law Group is suing blue-jeans companies over "Made in America" labels. In one suit that the firm hopes will be certified as a class action, the plaintiff states that "fabric, thread, buttons, …
There’s nothing quite like a day spent at the track, picking the ponies and, hopefully, taking home some cash. For the longest time, doing so meant settling for Del Margaritas. I know, I know…first-world problems. …
Two hours before the 2:00 p.m. post time, traffic for opening day at the Del Mar racetrack was jammed in every direction; southbound I-5 crept down from La Costa Avenue. Northbound I-5 was very slow. …
The San Diego County Fair may not be known for its adventuresome booking of bands, but few can claim that the annual expo underpays the acts. It was reported in 2007 that one of its …
How transparent is Organizing for Action, the big-money "issue advocacy" committee closely associated with Barack Obama's White House? Not enough, suggests the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonprofit based in Washington DC that runs OpenSecrets.org, …
By Wednesday, June 11, the third day of its four-week run, the San Diego County Fair was in full swing. Traffic was backing up on northbound I-5 by 10:30 a.m. As a regular fair fanatic, …
For the 29th consecutive year, Escondido’s Margaret Austin, known as the “Pink Pig Lady” for her rolling collection of pink pig memorabilia, was the first to walk through the front gates on June 7 — …
I am perfectly happy eating every meal at a taco shop with some variation of “bertos” on it, but yellow-and-red-striped huts with Formica tables and vending machines for 50-cent tattoos are only going to appeal …
The San Diego County Fair officially opens June 7, but members of the media were able to get an early taste. Here is a rundown of some of the goodies that “carnie-vores” can gobble during …
If you want to sniff an Encinitas-grown rose or pet a Ramona-bred goat, come on down to the San Diego County Fair. But if you yearn to grab an earful from the county’s best musicians, …
Cardiff-by-the Sea was named for Cardiff, Wales; Del Mar was originally built to resemble an old English Village. But is the British connection where the similarity ends for these two North County beach towns? Realtors …
Current Owner: Gary & Carol Arnold Listing Price: $6,795,000 Beds: 4 Baths: 4 “This entire home from the front curb to the rear fence was completely renovated” since it last sold in 1999, boast the …
A ceremonial ribbon-cutting on Tuesday morning, April 15, marked the completion of the lengthy restoration process for a historic bridge between San Diego and Del Mar. The North Torrey Pines Bridge, named in 1996 at …
While hiking in the Torrey Pines state reserve a few days ago, I saw a volunteer "guarding" the entrance to the southernmost trail (which was taped off). She said she was there to physically prevent …
All over the country, brick-and-mortar bookstores are closing because the industry is increasingly getting its sales online. But this July, a very successful Barnes & Noble store will close in the Del Mar Highlands Town …
The entrance of the Los Peñasquitos Lagoon has silted shut again. The recent high winter surf along with high spring tides moved in a large sand bar and the lagoon is no longer emptying into …
Kumeyaays’ “valley of the eagles” still worthy of the name.
Texas media are wondering what's holding up the beginning of Papa Doug Manchester's 1035-room hotel in downtown Austin, to be named the Fairmont. A headline in the Austin Business Journal this week asked, "Hotels abound …
Pesticides kill bugs — how can they not be killing people? San Diego — indeed, California — is a leader in the production of organic vegetables and fruit.
Though my man and I dine out frequently, we tend to save the super-high-end foodie adventures for special occasions, such as David’s birthday. Last year, we splurged for what ultimately turned out to be a …
Members of the board that runs the Del Mar Fair were, as usual, generous with their free ticket handouts to this year’s July 17 opening day at the track. Board president Adam Day, assistant tribal …
It’s time to tally up the annual take of Del Mar’s so-called charity race days, representing the net proceeds required by law to be turned over for worthy causes during certain designated days of each …
“The open-source movement and creative-commons licensing have been central to my ongoing learning and creative practice,” says computer-music grad student, educator, and do-it-yourself instrument designer Brendan Gaffney. Open-source software and creative-commons licenses offer alternative approaches …
420 Avenida Primavera | Del Mar, 92014 Current Owner: Douglas O. Allred Listing Price: $22,900,000 Beds: 6 Baths: 10 The Canfield-Wright House, a 101-year-old mansion named after its first owner, oil tycoon Charles Canfield, sits …
The largest custom-car show in Southern California, the Good Guys Fall Nationals, attracted thousands of car enthusiasts to the Del Mar Fairgrounds November 22–24. More than 1500 cars and trucks were on display, and the …
12 Brewers, 12 Casks, 12 Mallets: Drop in on a simultaneous tapping of a dozen specialty casks of familiar Stone Brewing Co. beers augmented by myriad ingredients including blueberries, heather, elderflowers, Thai chilies, milk sugar, …
San Diego spear fishermen of today come from a lineage that began in the ’30s, with the Bottom Scratchers of La Jolla. Today there are less fish but the equipment is superior. Nevertheless, it’s easy to drown when a big sea bass takes you for a ride through a kelp ball.
I am a strong believer that disasters come in threes. On Friday night my first disaster came in the form of a robbery--the self-pay parking machine ate my $5 bill. The injustice left me $10 …