'The Scripps Park Project proposes to enhance this postcard-perfect place. I think they have some political agenda," says Jaruska Solyova. "This city is quite bankrupt and quite corrupt. With improvements done by the architect, [the …
June 8, 2006
La Jolla Stories
La Jolla Cove and Environs
Cowboy Caviar
I hit two parties in one day. The first was an afternoon affair in PB. A guy named Bruce wanted to get rid of a bunch of Rocky Mountain oysters, or as he called them, …
May 11, 2006
Purge and Rally
March was an active month for parties -- St. Patrick's Day, March Madness, National Corn Dog Day. You didn't know there was a Corn Dog Day? Neither did I. A group of UCSD students did, …
La Jolla Taco Shop Cited for Gaud
In early October a woman phoned Ryan Hill at Don Carlos Taco Shop on La Jolla's Pearl Street to complain about his signs. They're illegal, and besides that, she ranted, "They are ugly, gaudy, and …
January 19, 2006
The Green Fairy
My day got off to a bad start. As a volunteer for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, I was asked to help set up a play set for a child in Santee. I'm useless at things like …
Antiochian Orthodox gives ancestors a vote
"Most people have no idea what the Orthodox Church is. When I joined the church, my [Protestant] family was perplexed. They thought I had joined the Catholic Church, and Protestants are Rome-a-phobic," said David Hunt. …
November 17, 2005
Opera House
I met Sarah at a party last year. She sings with the Small Opera of San Diego. The voice that comes out of her petite frame sounds as if it should come from a 400-pound …
No Jewel in La Jolla
'The thing that convinced me that I should write the book on San Diego place names was the discovery of errors in earlier books on the subject," writes Leland Fetzer in the preface of his …
August 18, 2005
Beach Blanket Bocci
I mentioned that songwriters make big bucks if a song of theirs is covered, I asked if that made him a millionaire. He laughed and said, "I'm not a millionaire. Not even close. I still have a day job."
July 7, 2005
The Kabbalah Centre
"We all are looking for something in life. What are you looking for?" asked Joseph Shvili. Shvili led a free Kabbbalah introductory class inside a La Jolla strip-mall. Twelve people sat in the Kabbalah Centre's …
April 21, 2005
North, South, And Sideways
I got a couple of phone calls about parties on a Saturday. The first was from a guy in Mexico who had seen my story about the party I attended in Tijuana. He said, "I'm …
The Thrill of the Hill
Well, it's appropriate that I crashed an event where there can actually be crashing. It was the Soap Box Derby Races in La Mesa.The Soap Box Derby is a youth racing program that has been …
Ocean waves, sea caves, and cliff-hugging Torrey Pines -- find these along La Jolla's Coast Walk trail.
Summer days and early evenings are perfectly suited for what could be the finest short walk along San Diego County's 60-mile-long Pacific Ocean coastline. Many but not all San Diegans and tourists are familiar with …
June 17, 2004
What San Diego's restaurant workers eat off the menu
Food = joy…guilt…anger…pain…nurturing… friendship…hatred…the way you look and feel.… Food = everything you can imagine. — Susan Powter Tim Klepeis, the chef at Adams Avenue Grill, spoke hesitatingly at first. “I think the greatest reward …
January 22, 2004
Hike past tidepools to the La Jolla Caves during the lowest of low tides.
South of the broad, gently shelving beach at La Jolla Shores, the shoreline quickly changes character, becoming rocky tidepools, a fringe of wave-tossed boulders and cobbles, and steep cliffs. Just offshore, the deep, submarine La …
January 15, 2004
Best of 2003: Best Half-Marathon
La Jolla Half-Marathon www.lajollahalfmarathon.com The La Jolla Half-Marathon, a 13-mile race held each April, traces San Diego's coastline from the Del Mar Racetrack, through Del Mar, up into Torrey Pines, past UCSD, through La Jolla …
December 25, 2003
Best of 2003: Best Free Animal Show
Harbor Seals The Children's Pool, La Jolla www.lajollaseals.org They don't balance balls on their noses. They never stand up on their flippers and wave their tails at the crowd. What they do is wriggle their …
December 25, 2003
Best of 2003: Best Place To Ogle Straight Men
Café Japengo 8960 University Center Lane, UTC www.cafejapengo.com 858-450-3355 On Thursdays from 7 to 10 p.m., you'll find handsome, well-educated, career-minded men, late 20s to mid 40s, packing this place. Maybe they come for the …
December 25, 2003
Best of 2003: Best Film Festival
San Diego International Film Festival UCSD Price Theater, La Jolla www.sdiff.com 858-534-4559 This is San Diego's version of Sundance or Telluride -- without the celebrity hoopla. Entering its 19th year, the San Diego International Film …
December 25, 2003
Best of 2003: Best Caffeinated Melting Pot
The Living Room 1010 Prospect Avenue, La Jolla 858-459-1187 Centrally located in La Jolla's village, this is a popular locale for foreign singles. Men and women from Brazil, Lebanon, Syria, Croatia, Bulgaria, Iran, Iraq, and …
December 25, 2003