We don’t seem to care very much about old buildings here in San Diego. I spent some time looking for a nice old home to write about here, as I tend to do every couple …
March 1, 2023
La Jolla Stories
La Jolla house touted as part of the Green Dragon Colony established by Anna Held
January near misses in Tourmaline, Windansea, Sunset Cliffs surf
Last month, San Diego's gnarly surf kept lifeguards busy towards the tail end of January. The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department lifeguards even helped rescue folks from a plane that landed on the surf. On January …
February 7, 2023
La Jolla Institute for Immunology studies the affects of Alzheimer’s in women
Dr. Sonia Sharma makes no bones about it: when she’s studying immune diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, she concentrates on women, not men. She is also one of those vital, loquacious academics who actually likes …
February 3, 2023
Salk and pepper
“How to find the Salk Cafe?” replies this kindly professor type to my query. “And you’re walking? Ha! Head west on Gilman Drive. Turn right onto Mandeville Lane. Turn right onto Muir Lane. Turn left …
December 15, 2022
Returning to the opulence of La Jolla’s Chelsea Street
Let’s talk about what makes real estate unreal, and therefore worthy of consideration by our esteemed selection committee (members: me) for inclusion in our annals. For years, it was all about the dollar signs. Show …
December 8, 2022
Gaslamp ugly sweater pub crawl, Coronado ice skating, Nutcracker tea party, Del Mar Red Nose Run
December Nights Balboa Park Join your fellow citizens on December 2 and 3 for the City of San Diego’s largest free holiday festival in beautiful Balboa Park. The family friendly event brings San Diegans together …
Bassist from Bad Plus kicks amp in frustration
I’m officially a concert junkie. Since attending my first one (Led Zeppelin in August 1970 at the Sports Arena), I’ve witnessed more than 1000 shows. Once I started writing about music 13 years ago, this …
November 17, 2022
Kayakers lifted out of La Jolla Cove
On September 24, before 2 pm, Erica was eating lunch at Eddie Vs on Prospect Street in La Jolla; she noticed a fire truck crane extended over La Jolla Cove across the street. So she …
September 27, 2022
UCSD’s prep school Covid testing doesn't pay the bills
UCSD’s costly EXCITE tests It was supposed to be a genius move: take advantage of the Covid-19 pandemic by offering virus testing to well-heeled private schools by the region’s biggest name in medicine. But now …
September 14, 2022
La Jolla on the western slope of Mt. Soledad
Sometimes, the houses become a blur. Over the years at Unreal Estate, we’ve had the chance to look at some interesting, unique properties, such as the hospital-turned-into-condos last week, a Queen Anne in Carlsbad once …
August 31, 2022
Eppig’s new digs
“As soon as we saw the space,” recalls Eppig Brewing co-founder Todd Warshaw, “we knew it was ideal for a new Eppig tasting room: proximity to La Jolla Cove, neighboring some of the best restaurants …
August 25, 2022
The evolution of Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla
In 1922, noted newspaper mogul and philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps, then 85 years old, spent some time recuperating from a broken hip at the La Jolla Sanitarium, a small, 10-bed hospital she’d paid to build …
August 17, 2022
When you mess up, just say sorry.
Local? Yes, from La Mesa How long have you been surfing? I first started surfing when I was like 11. I really started getting into it when I was 16 and I finally had a …
August 11, 2022
La Jolla local gets nausea releasing animals off coast
The whale As we pass the furthermost finger of Hospitality Point, where the cobbled jetties are populated with pelicans and cormorants, a gray whale erupts from the waters and draws sudden breath. That’s when Yippers, …
August 10, 2022
The only inequality I experience is that I am an extreme amateur.
Local? Yes How often do you surf? During the summer, a couple of days a week, at least. Who taught you how to surf? As a kid growing up in San Diego, I went to …
August 4, 2022
It is hard, so when you do catch a wave, it’s really incredible.
Local? No, I am from Minnesota What brought you to San Diego? Mainly the weather When did you learn how to surf? I learned when I first moved here. I am still learning every time …
July 28, 2022
Sandpiper Wood Fired Grill & Oysters redefines casual
Despite a partly fishy name, Sandpiper Wood Fired Grill & Oysters is not strictly a seafood restaurant. Items cooked on its wood fired grill most prominently include pork chops, steak, and fowl. But the menu …
July 22, 2022
Gonzo Report: Artemis attracts all ages to the Alexandria
The latest jazz concerts produced by the ever-resourceful local promoter and musician Daniel Atkinson took place over two days during the first week of June. The Women in Jazz Mini-Fest highlighted the historic and ongoing …
July 21, 2022
Watch your step today on San Diego beaches
Today, July 5, marks the dirtiest day of the year for beaches. By noon, volunteers from OB Pier to Oceanside will have collected the evidence for next year's annual beach cleanup report. And they can …
July 5, 2022
Tour La Jolla’s “Villa Paradiso” mansion
Anyone who’s tried to buy or refinance a house lately will tell you that these are the toughest of times for such an endeavor. Interest rates have nearly doubled since the beginning of the year, …
June 22, 2022