North Park Stories
“There’s a divinity that shapes our ends, rough-hew them how we will.” — Hamlet, Act 5, Scene 2When a man reaches a certain age, he’s liable to have favorite Simpsons …
“I wonder why my phone isn’t recognizing me,” says All Monster Revue guitarist Richard “Richie” Bonnin with counterfeit astonishment. The reason is pretty obvious: the facial recognition software can’t penetrate …
On September 27, a mysterious van crept through the PetSmart parking lot on Main Street in Chula Vista. Suddenly, it accelerated, and without warning, a man in the passenger seat …
It's been decades since El Cajon banished new bars from its downtown — now it wants to bring them back. Faced with a night life that's been nodding off for …
North Park Stories
When The Beatles were first finding their sound, they played eight-hour long sets at a Hamburg, Germany club called The Indra. Because of the sets’ length, John Lennon said they had to put their hearts …
“We originally brewed our Helles two years ago to have a crisp, refreshing lager that paired well with German fare for our Oktoberfest celebration,” says Pure Project Head Brewer, Demetra Hamill. “Brewed with all German …
This summer has been tumultuous for Caltrans and MTS vehicles. On the afternoon of August 25, chaos erupted on University Avenue and 30th Street when an MTS bus traveling eastbound was forced to pull over for …
Video:FEAST!: The irregularly delicious Parlor DoughnutsMost donut shops are independent operators, even individual operators. For example: with no employees on the payroll, the owner of my favorite neighborhood donuterry closes shop when he goes on …
“I don’t often notice my surroundings, but I like wood,” says my daughter as we take a seat at the bar inside Part Time Lover. “It makes it feel like a place where people actually …
I’ve never been one to effect change in my life; I’ve always let opportunity arise organically. And 30th Street has provided many of those opportunities. The first came in 2000, when I found my apartment. …
Collaborations are common among many of San Diego’s best breweries, but The Original 40 Brewing Company and TapRoom Beer Company have found a way to incorporate a little friendly competition into a cross-promotional tactic. Soo …
Video:DRINK RECIPE: Black Radish’s Clarified Margarita: sophisticated with a bit of science<inline type="photothumb" id="157610" href="" align="right" />I’ve been on this beat long enough to be confident in my declaration that clarified cocktails are damn delicious. …
Hundreds of threatened animal species live in neighborhoods where the city wants to build more housing and trails for humans.Where will the non-humans go?Blueprint SD, an update to San Diego's general plan, is supposed to …
It's bad enough that bike lanes take up parking spots near San Diego mom-and-pop businesses, discouraging shoppers from driving in and shopping. Now, locals say the massive bike groups—sometimes in the hundreds—are blocking access to …
Every morning I wake up — still tired, because I never sleep well — pull back my bedroom curtains, and see the house.The paint, white once upon a time, is cracked and peeling all over. …
“Partnering with the Seals was a natural fit for us, as their commitment to the local community echoes our own mission statement and ties to our San Diego roots,” explains Marc Truex, VP of Sales …
Plymouth ChurchContact: 2717 University Ave., San Diego www.plymouthsd.com/homeMembership: 105 Pastor: Michael GonzalesAge: 45 Born: SangerFormation: University of San Diego; Fordham University, NY Years Ordained: 11 San Diego Reader: What’s the mission of your church?Pastor Michael Gonzales: Plymouth is a place …
Video:NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS: Motorcyclist on 30th passing on the right in North ParkThere's love and there's hate toward the hundreds of million dollars spent on the 1,700 miles of bikeways laid out throughout San Diego County.And …
“The Bistro’s competition is the oldest and one of the most respected IPA competitions in California,” says Derek Gallanosa, head brewer at GOAL. Brewing. “I first learned about it when another San Diego brewer medaled …
San Diego was proclaimed the worst city in the U.S. for parking in November by a Finn.com study..How does that play out for ordinary people?"My wife has a condition that makes it difficult to walk …
The battle continues over a plan to build 19,000 new homes in Hillcrest, which hasn't seen any boost in residential densities in more than three decades.It has, however, seen such an increase in homelessness, a …
I thought I bought tickets to see Citizen Cope. Instead, my scattered head bought tickets to see a band called Citizen. A blunder of this magnitude told me I needed to meditate and turn away …
As diners in North Park are just beginning to learn: bunny chow is not something to feed your pet rabbit. In fact, it doesn’t have anything to do with bunnies at all. According to a …
I often ask musicians about their best, worst, and weirdest experiences while performing in and around San Diego. In the case of classically-trained soprano and mezzo-soprano <a href="http://www.sandiegoreader.com/bands/victoria-robertson/">Victoria Robertson</a>, these three categories melded in one …
On October 5, when news broke of Target deciding to discontinue opening a 36,000-square-foot store in the Radian Apartment complex at 9th and G downtown, most San Diegans online agreed with the decision."I think it …
Given the rise in Covid-19 hospitalizations, local mask-wearing criminals have again taken advantage of the normalcy of wearing masks outdoors.On September 18, a ziadalyadago on TikTok posted a clip of a man wearing a mask …
It was about a year ago that the notification arrived. It was from the city, giving notice that work was to begin installing traffic signal lights at the confluence of North Park Way, 33rd St, Boundary …
“I’m struggling to remember what it looked like before.”We’ve come to see what’s been made of the space formerly known as the Red Fox Room. Before it moved into a standalone location across the street, …
When Ed Finn opened his San Diego Gas & Electric bill last month – he was shocked at the nearly $4,000 statement. "Most of the May-June bill was for the gas portion – like $3,400 …
“Some guy jumped from the top balcony onto the speakers and then down onto the floor. And then some other guy dove off the stage onto his face on the floor and had to go …
Shooting marbles nowadays is not the same as when we'd flick them at our opponents' marbles in the 1980s. Nowadays, glass-marble play is for more than keeps. Throughout June, local vandals shot marbles at car …
Inside the Self-Realization Fellowship The temple sits on the bluffs at the southern edge of Encinitas, perched beside the ocean and the community like a kind of 25-acre transplant from India, uprooted halfway around the …
“This year’s Beatles Fair will be a special pop-up in collaboration with The Cavern Club in Liverpool for their 66th anniversary,” says Creative Director Christopher Leyva, regarding the event happening June 3 at Queen Bee’s …
Hoxton Manor’s theme of Southeast Asian inspired food with a California flair might seem a bit heady: the influences lean on Thailand and Vietnam, but there are no rules when it comes to flavor combinations, …
Spring has finally sprung — some might say it’s sprung a leak — so it feels seasonally appropriate to start with a lighter shade of cocktail before enjoying dinner at North Park’s RustiCucina. Bartender Vincent …
"One unique part about our cocktail program,” says Dallas Juanes, General Manager for Verbena Kitchen, “is that we’re changing what it is to be a low-ABV cocktail bar. We have only a beer and wine …
On the night in question, The Air Conditioned Lounge in North Park is offering “Bootydew feat. Booty Selectors,” an electronic dance night featuring genres described on the venue’s website as “Electronic, Latin, Ass Shakers.” Which, …
“I’m doing this guerrilla-style!” shouts Antonio Ley, also known as El Tony Tee, as I approach his taco truck. “We got kicked out because of the stupid bike lane last week, and I have to …
Everything was going my way, including a cancer-free pathology report that finally came just hours before this event: the inaugural concert at the newly constructed Park & Market. It felt like I’d been waiting forever …
Since the 2.25-mile bike lane replaced over 460 parking spots on 30th Street from Normal Heights down to North Park last year — 34 businesses shut down, and some are boarded up, said Pat Sexton …
The orange cat jumps into an older man’s lap like they’re best friends. I never catch the animal’s name, or at least I don’t retain it, because there are at least ten more of her …
When Full Contact Rock-N-Roll owner Davit Buck tells me that KISS guitarist Ace Frehley once came into the store and asked if they carried any albums by his former band, I could feel my inner …
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 …
Oh yes. THIS is how to start your day. Fire-roasted Arabica coffee beans sending their smoky aroma up my nostrils, right beside a blue pylon of incense smoke. We’re talking coffee beans that have come …
Bassist Sean Hicke didn’t always play the upright. In fact, the San Diego native got his musical start on its electric cousin. “I was playing in punk bands and whatnot in middle school,” says the …
There was never any doubt I would try the place. Whether restaurateurs Cinzia Zolfanelli and Kuniko Holmes intended to be provocative when they mashed their names together to open CinKuni, it’s impossible to ignore the …
I made it nearly nine years and a thousand Feast stories without ever having to reference the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. But that all ended the moment I walked into Gnarly Girl Pizza. The New …
There was good beer in San Diego near the turn of the millennium, back when I was a newly legal drinker, just returned to San Diego from my years at college. But it took some …
Tyler Ward is sitting behind a drum kit in a moderately sized band rehearsal space at the San Diego branch of the School of Rock in Liberty Station’s arts district. He’s attempting to break down …
Guitarist/singer/songwriter Hugh Noble came to San Diego from the UK in 2014. Over the past eight years of gigging with his band Slum Summer (new album Living in Milk out now), he’s delineated the highs, …
Just days before UFC Fight Night at the Pechanga Arena last month, Nathaniel Fox, who lives in North Park, had his own bouts — online. "I fell victim to a scam from a Craigslist listing," …
Harpist Tasha Smith Godinez took advantage of her pandemic downtime to begin writing original music. “Before, I never really felt I had enough time,” she explains. “So I started writing these ideas down, and I …