On a gray day in May, a group of San Marcos Middle School girls and other visitors gathered in the Birch Aquarium galleria to try something that had not been done at the aquarium before: …
August 31, 2016
La Jolla Stories
Seagoing action
Glide control to Torrey Pines
The 6.74-acre Torrey Pines Gliderport, a longtime hotspot for confrontations between videographer Bob Kuczewski and gliderport leaseholder Robin Marien over what Kuczewski has alleged are unsafe practices at the city-owned facility, is up for a …
August 31, 2016
Booze denied for La Jolla block party
For three years, families living on Belloc Court, a cul-de-sac with 16 houses east of Mt. Soledad, held an August block party with the city's blessing. But this year, the neighbors' attempt to get a …
August 9, 2016
Eat your torta
"Where are we?” I really want to know. Lord knows I’ve bounced by here often enough in the #30 bus. Mike and his lady Rachel and me and a dozen other people are sitting on …
August 3, 2016
Mo and Jo coast-walk from Oregon to Mexico
A 1972 state proposition mandated a public walking path spanning the California coast, but to this day the trail has not been finished. To raise awareness of the need for improvements, marine scientists and trail …
August 3, 2016
Rage against Trans-Pacific Partnership and Scott Peters
A handful of activists gathered outside the La Jolla offices of Representative Scott Peters on Monday morning (August 1), flying a 25-foot inflatable blimp and demonstrating their disapproval of Peters's stance in support of the …
August 2, 2016
Trolley line to roll through La Jolla condo complex
La Jolla Colony residents and owners are upset over the looming loss of land, serenity, and the old-growth trees that shelter them from the I-5 freeway — up the hill on the western edge of …
July 28, 2016
Among the rarest of pines and heaviest of hummingbirds on Razor Point Trail
The Razor Point Trail in Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve meanders through high-quality southern maritime chaparral habitat, offering stunning glimpses of the Pacific Ocean before ending at an outlook. The Razor Point Trail offers many …
July 20, 2016
104 feet of direct ocean frontage
Beds: 5 Baths: 6 Current Owner: Tami Okuma/301 Sea Ridge Drive Trust List Price: $10,800,000 How about an “oceanfront paradise boasting 104 feet of direct ocean frontage” on a “premium” La Jolla bluff-top lot? The …
July 20, 2016
Strollers, botanizers, and runners on Broken Hill Trail
The Broken Hill Trail is the longest and one of the most scenic trails at Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve, winding through a thicket of chaparral until the trail opens up to reveal spectacular ocean …
July 13, 2016
These leopards don't bite
Someone hollering “Shark!” at the beach is akin to a person yelling “Fire!” in a theater. Folks react whether or not they see a fin rising out of the water or smoke filling the room. …
July 13, 2016
Real estate bubble still popping
Once high-flying hard-money lender Jeffrey Lubin has filed for Chapter 7 liquidation bankruptcy. His wife Barbara joined in the filing. Her given address was on Hidden Valley Road in La Jolla, in a home worth …
July 3, 2016
Encinitas before yuppies, the proposal to divide Fairbanks Ranch
The Most ideal of Provinces Rancho Santa Fe proposed an alternative plan, which called for preserving Del Dios as a two-lane road and, instead, extending and expanding San Dieguito Road (Route 728) such that it …
June 27, 2016
He who would steal from a dog
On June 24 at 2:47 p.m., a Caucasian male walked into My Sister’s Closet resale and consignment clothing store in La Jolla and stole the cash donation box earmarked for the Rancho Coastal Humane Society. …
June 25, 2016
If this place vanished off the face of the Earth…
In the past, I’ve relied upon summing up any restaurant’s worth with a single question: Would I eat here again? I’ve considered that a foolproof barometer, an easy either/or situation for whether I could recommend …
June 19, 2016
The ruby sea dragon
It washed up on a Perth beach nearly a hundred years ago and had been stashed away in Western Australia Museum’s collection from 1919 until recently, when scientists at Scripps Institute of Oceanography obtained and …
June 1, 2016
Live life in a modern sculpture
Current Owner: Stefan Lemperle Beds: 4 Baths: 4 List Price: $8,795,000 La Jolla’s Lemperle Glass House, a 2007-built modern contemporary home is described in listing materials as “warm modern luxury redefined” and named after owner …
May 25, 2016
Real estate fraudsters stole more than $30 million
Coronado businessman Courtland Gettel and Arizona lawyer Jeffrey Greenberg pleaded guilty this week to pulling off a real estate scam that took in $30 million. They took out big loans against expensive homes in La …
May 19, 2016
Sharks rampage in La Jolla
May the Fourth. International Star Wars day to some, but to La Jolla kayak fishermen, it will forever be the beginning of the Wide Open Thresher Bite of 2016. The gray, windless day — with …
May 18, 2016
Where to take the cousin
Living in San Diego, I get a lot of out-of-town visitors, so there’s a need for places that are nice but casual with decent food and an atmosphere that pushes the San Diego dream. Some …
May 6, 2016