Swaths of rough white stucco surrounded the stained-glass windows at St. James by the Sea. The windows -- saints above and the life of Christ below -- were tastefully small, yet rendered dramatic through their …
February 22, 2007
La Jolla Stories
St. James by the Sea Episcopal Church, La Jolla
Around Town New Year's Day
On the first day of the year, the roads are empty and most televisions are tuned to the Rose Parade — some for the flowers, others in anticipation of the Rose Bowl (USC against Michigan …
December 28, 2006
Congregation Beth Israel, La Jolla
"I'm not Jewish," I said to a man near the basket of skullcaps just outside the sanctuary. "Should I wear one anyway?" "Either way. Don't worry about it," he shrugged, a little amused by my …
December 21, 2006
A guide to San Diego's guided tours
I had taken eight or nine guided tours of San Diego in two weeks when a friend asked if I was tired of sightseeing. I had to say no. Being out on buses and boats …
October 26, 2006
Two Mondays
When Melissa invited me to a Fourth of July party, she said we'd be able to see fireworks shot from four different locations. She failed to mention, however, that her fiancé would be shooting some …
La Jolla Cove and Environs
'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
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