Earlier this fall, Dan Schroeder and his wife Lisa gave Union-Tribune real estate writer Roger Showley a VIP tour of their extravagant new La Jolla abode. Showley’s October 30 story described “a marvel in concrete, …
December 17, 2008
La Jolla Stories
Crash and burn
Bones, 1960
Anthropologists study ancient skeletal remains found at La Jolla Cove, 1960. No indexed information pertaining to this discovery is available at the downtown library, but prehistoric bones have been found “in the Cliffs at La …
December 17, 2008
The Light Is Elusive
“Plein air,” says Daryl Millard, owner of the Daryl Millard Gallery Solana Beach, “means painting a scene outdoors in the elements” where one can see, smell, hear, and feel what one is painting. It is …
October 29, 2008
Bauder recommends to go short in San Diego real estate
In San Diego’s hemorrhaging real estate industry, it’s better to be upside-down and rich than upside-down and poor. That may sound axiomatic — it’s always nicer to be rich than poor — but carriage-trade folks …
Longboards on Asphalt
“Anybody who is first learning how to ride should get a longboard,” says skateboarder Brad Harvey. “It’s definitely more stable, like a longer snowboard or surfboard would be. Bicyclists think we’re nuts when they realize …
September 10, 2008
Anything for a buck
One of La Jolla’s most august and well-heeled institutions is throwing a fund-raising party inspired by the classic 1970s porno movie, Debbie Does Dallas. A flyer for the September 6 bash, “Debbie Does Disco,” put …
September 3, 2008
Help for the Kelp
“One of the most important predators in the kelp forest is the California sheephead, a fish that changes sex during its lifetime,” says marine ecologist Edward Parnell. All California sheephead begin life as females and …
September 3, 2008
Infinite Abyss
Welcome to La Jolla, home to champagne riches and caviar dreams, where you can shop for anything from Manolo Blahnik boots to 2009 beemers. Just be sure to stay far away from Via Capri and …
August 31, 2008
Meet Christopher Ashley, artistic director of the La Jolla Playhouse.
“Theater matters because it’s the only place where one can find hope. Films are manufactured for us, but in the theater, the actors and the audience are getting together to manufacture a narrative, and to …
August 27, 2008
La Jolla to Soledad Park
For a unique look at La Jolla — from the edge of the village’s commercial center to 811 feet of elevation — try this obscure walking or bicycling route. Cyclists beware: there are some tough …
August 6, 2008
Armadillo for Dinner
“Once I ran out of dry underwear I started hitchhiking, which is something you can do easily on a bike,” says author Jim Malusa. “A bike evokes a certain amount of sympathy. And everyone knows …
June 25, 2008
A Strip Mall Feel
Some members of the La Jolla town council say the multiple signs on the Vons storefront, located at 7545 Girard Avenue in La Jolla, makes the grocery store look like a strip mall. The grocery …
June 13, 2008
The Counter of Monte Cristo
‘The problem with La Jolla,” says Siamak, “is that its people are not experienced in sociability. It is a wonderful town, but it is very conservative. The locals don’t socialize.” Derissi strokes his beard and …
We Know We're Not White
“Scientifically, there is nothing meaningfully different about people in different racial groups,” says Laura E. Gómez, professor of law at the University of New Mexico. “Race is socially constructed; it’s not rooted in biology. Race …
March 12, 2008
Juiced old boys
Old politicos never die, they just become consultants and fade onto the advisory boards of taxpayer-funded organizations, where they make wealthy new friends, line up clients, and peddle their influence in ever-widening circles. Take the …
February 27, 2008
Newcomer’s reaction to the gentle riot
A pedestal stood in the vestibule of the Wyle Chapel at Torrey Pines Christian Church, its sandy surface studded with candles. Another pedestal stood at the entrance to the church proper, this one bearing two …
February 13, 2008
Torrey Pines Christian Church
“The term ‘emergent worship’ doesn’t really provide a good definition,” said Pastor Michael Spitters when we spoke before Sunday’s service. “We don’t know what we’re emerging to become. We just know that we’re getting out …
February 6, 2008
Greedy
With recession looming and tax revenues falling at an unprecedented rate, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and the legislature are threatening draconian reductions in state spending, including closing state parks and releasing “low risk” prisoners. So far, …
February 6, 2008
Hot, Miserable, Amazing
“The first thing I learned was that the man who has water on the mountain is king,” says hiking enthusiast Dana Law. “Water is absolutely the most important thing you’ll have in Southern California, because …
February 6, 2008
Preppy Head-Hunt
La Jolla’s Bishop’s School, tony alma mater of the late Andrew Cunanan, the gay serial killer who murdered fashion icon Gianni Versace before killing himself in 1997, is on the prowl for a new “Head …
January 30, 2008