PhotosA tour of San Diego alleysJack Whalen hands me a beer. “I’m king of this alley,” Whalen says, then points west. “Down there, the king of that next alley is Tom Sweet. He’s 97.” Whalen …
October 16, 2023
Barbarella was discovered in 2004 when Reader elves happened along her blog, Barbarella’s Pillow Talk. She has been writing her column, Diary of a Diva ever since.
Why the name diva? It’s the best thing we could come up with for a dominant woman, control-freak, and socialite who loves to tell it like it is, even though we all know she’s overcompensating for her inherent nerdiness. Barb continues to blog and posts pics on her personal web site, divabarbarella.com.
Order from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or get a personalized copy directly from the Reader.
Now available! Barbarella's first book: Diary of a Diva: Behind the Lipstick
Order from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or get a personalized copy directly from the Reader.
Articles by Barbarella Fokos
Alleys are San Diego's last frontier
Tom Deméré takes us to Mission Valley of 50 million years ago
More or less sudden mountainsThe rocks in and around San Diego have composed amazing, fiery stories for a very long time. An ancient ocean once covered this county; volcanoes used to spew here; and more …
October 1, 2023
The most important woman
The woman we never forgetBy Abe Opincar, Amy Gerstler, Barbarella Fokos, Deirdre Lickona, Ernie Grimm, Geoff Bouvier, Jeannette DeWyze, Jeff Smith, Jennifer Ball, Jim Morris, Laura McNeal, Mary Grimm, Matthew Lickona, Patrick Daugherty, RF Jurjevics, …
September 30, 2023
Cinema insights from Kensington Video owners
Movie lover's paradise Meanwhile, Blockbuster and Hollywood Video have shuttered their local outlets. Owner and buyer Guy Hanford understands why. “When you went into a Blockbuster or Hollywood to rent a film, you never engaged …
July 2, 2023
Guitarist Rob Logic transforms the neighborhood
Spring Valley is the new North Park About three months ago, the bar donned a large sign reading “The Bancroft” next to Fannie’s old marquee, which now entreats — perhaps tongue-in-cheek — “I assure you …
February 6, 2023
Tijuana country club kidnapping, shootout near school, nostalgia for Jai Alai, casino, racetrack
Don't look now Abduction and murder at T.J.’s Camp Campestre Under normal circumstances, it would be difficult not to stare at ten men dressed in black who brandished submachine guns. Under normal circumstances, ten men …
November 9, 2020
Of special concern to North San Diego County
Grassy Heaven Broad, open grasslands in the topography of San Diego County are the exception to the norm, which is chaparral-covered mesas and barrancas. And most of the natural grasslands, Mission Valley for example, have …
August 24, 2020
The glamour and crime of Tijuana
Don't look now Under normal circumstances, it would be difficult not to stare at ten men dressed in black who brandished submachine guns. Under normal circumstances, ten men dressed in black who brandished submachine guns …
August 8, 2020
Spring Valley – land of contrasts
Dictionary Hill in Spring Valley got its name from encyclopedia salesman One of the oddest things about the Dictionary Hill area, also known as La Presa, is the way the streets were laid out on …
July 1, 2019