The Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon returns to San Diego this Sunday, May 31st, for the 12th year.  More than 20,000 people will participate in the 26.2-mile footrace through San Diego’s streets and highways as live bands perform for them on 26 stages along the course.

The race begins at 6:30 A.M. on the Sixth Avenue side of Balboa Park and ends at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot.  Whether you have peeps in the race or not, you can participate by cheering on your fellow human beings from anywhere along the course as they reach for an extraordinary goal.

See the guy giving the thumbs up? Ryan Pascual: 427th place in '04 AND a winner.

While you’re out there cheering the runners on, look for the Running Elvi – a group of Elvis Presleys who turn up to run their blue suede shoes off each year.  And who knows what other spectacles may be running past this year?

See? I wasn't joking. Running Elvi!

The Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon benefits The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team In Training program, and in the past eleven years, participants in this event have raised $134 million (net).

One more thing: you’d better believe the marathon will tie up certain roads and freeways on Sunday, so expect detours if you’re traveling in the area.  (Or just bring your running shoes; what the heck?)  Check the official website for a complete list of road closures, alternate routes and anything else you want to know.

Tags: marathon, outdoors, San Diego Events, sports, summer

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Well, its Friday.  Today, after work, I think I’m going to treat myself and hit up Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar.

How can I afford to sip and nosh at a ritzy steakhouse when it’s not a birthday, anniversary or other big-time occasion?

"Cheers!" to Happy Hour Deals at Fleming's.

I’m hip to their ”5 for 6 ’til 7” deal and you should be too. 

From 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. nightly, Fleming’s offers five appetizers, five wines and five awesome cocktails all for just $6 each. 

So, order up some tenderloin carpaccio, a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon and a basil lemon drop.  Or splurge on jumbo lump crab cakes, a buttery Chardonnay and a Ketel One white cosmo. 

Mmm...Crab Cakes Make Me Happy.

With locations in the Gaslamp Quarter and in La Jolla, Fleming’s is convenient no matter where you’ve spent your day in San Diego.  And, since the “5 for 6 ’til 7″ deals are good every day of the week, you don’t have to even wait until Friday to celebrate. 

So, go ahead.  Get happy.  Celebrate Tuesday. Or Wednesday.  You might just see me there!

Tags: deals, downtown, drinks, food, happy hour, la jolla

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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A Little Italy sign hanging on a lamppost

Despite being California’s second largest city, San Diego really is just a collection of some fantastic neighborhoods.  I’m not sure that I’ll ever be able to get to every neighborhood in San Diego, but I’m going to try!

One of the more popular neighborhoods – and a favorite of mine – is Little Italy.  Situated just south/west of the 5 freeway and above Downtown, the neighborhood is a foodie’s delight!  Every time I stroll through the area, my mouth just starts watering with all the great smells of garlic and spiced meats – not to mention the sight of gelato shops!

While a big focus of the neighborhood is understandably the food, it also has some great history.  I took a Little Italy Walking Tour with a company called Little Italy Tourism and was thrilled to get walked through time as we heard the story of Italian immigrants, fisheries and prohibition era speakeasies!  We also got a chance to visit one of the historic Catholic Churches in the neighborhood and some of their fantastic murals, stained glassed windows, etc.

Mural at Little Italy Church

Stained Glass Window at Little Italy Church

Tags: dining, little italy, Neighborhoods

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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This Panda Ate My Sailboat!

I love reading the in-flight magazines produced by the airlines.  Face it, they’re experts on travel.  Even better, those magazines know they better be fun to read or the natives (in-flight) will get mighty restless. 

So, it’s really exciting to see the editors at Hemispheres, the in-flight magazine for United Airlines, are featuring San Diego for their “3 Perfect Days” story in the June 2009 issue (the article is on page 86).   And, we made the cover! 

(Well, to be precise, that’s a King Kong-sized panda playing in San Diego Bay.  We can’t promise you’ll actually see that when you’re here.)

But, when you visit, you can see the awesome things they covered in the article.  It includes insider suggestions from San Diegans like pro-surfer Rob Machado plus loads of tips on fun things to do and great places to stay.  They even dish on the best fish tacos around town. 

Pick up a copy on your next flight with United or read it online today!

Tags: in the news

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Find "This is a Good Day" Deals on San Diego Bay this summer.

Did you know San Diego Bay has 34 miles of scenic coastline dotted with restaurants, shops, hotels, attractions, parks and marinas?  That’s a whole lotta waterfront fun, right downtown. 

What’s even more amazing?  This urban playground is serving up the savings this summer!

These “This is a Good Day” deals include:

• up to 30% off room rates (based upon availability and restrictions) at the 15 San Diego Bay hotels
• more than 100 entrees under $18 at participating San Diego Bay restaurants
• free admission for kids under age 12 with paid adult admission for San Diego Bay attractions like the USS Midway Museum, Hornblower Cruises and Events, San Diego Harbor Excursion and the Maritime Museum of San Diego
• other special offers like a VIP Shopping Pass at Seaport Village and a two-for-one night stay for boaters at Sun Harbor Marina in America’s Cup Harbor.

So, this summer, get out there and make it a great day on San Diego Bay!

Tags: deals, dining, downtown, free, hotels, san diego bay, Shopping, summer

(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Paraglider over Torrey Pines

OK, honestly, I’m not sure that I will ever be brave enough to do it, but I really enjoy going and watching the gliders at the Torrey Pines Gliderport!  I mean, are you kidding me?  Just this thin little sheet of fabric is all that is keeping you from plumetting to the ground?  Yeah, yeah, I know tons of people do it, but it is just going to take me a little while to work up the courage.  I really would actually like to try it out, because the views must be absolutely amazing (I wonder if they’d let me take my camera with me?).  I’ll just have to make it a 2010 New Years Resolution.

With amazing views up and down the coast, this is a fantastic location for those seeking the thrill of hangliding, paragliding, etc. as well as those of us who are just fine keeping our 2 feet planted on the ground.  The natural air currents shooting off the Torrey Pines cliffs make this a perfect location for gliders to cruise up and down the coast.  I think I counted as many as 10 parachutes/gliders up at once on my last visit.

Glider with La Jolla in the background

Got a significant other who loves adventure?  Non-pros can pay to go tandem with a professional.  Would this not make a memorable birthday, anniversary, or “just because” present?

Going tandem

The Gliderport is a little tricky to find.  It is just west of the UCSD campus in the La Jolla/Torrey Pines area.  You need to snake your way between some science buildings in order to get to the dirt parking lot.  So keep an eye out for the signs on N. Torrey Pines Blvd and you should be fine.

Tags: adventure, la jolla, Torrey Pines

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They’re on a 10-game winning streak, yes!  Go Padres!  If you haven’t been to a game at Petco Park, you definitely need to check one out.  The stadium is super convenient to public transportation, is surrounded by lots of restaurants, bars and hotels, and has it’s own great food selections.  They’re even doing a $5 Combo this season – hot dog, soda, cookie, peanuts and popcorn!  (All that for $5?  Are you kidding me?!)   The days of paying $8 for a single hot dog are gone and all I can say is “why aren’t other ballparks doing this?!”.

Oh..being the photographer that I am, I always have to take a picture of the field from my seat whenever I go to a game.  Here’s a few from last season:

Seats on top of the Western Metal Building

Great seats for the 2008 Season Opener!

One last suggestion and then I’ll shut up…Want to see some of the game, but don’t want to actually go into the stadium?  With the stadium’s unique location and layout, you actually have a few options:

1)  Buy out the Diamondview Towers rooftop party area and enjoy this view

View from the Diamondview Towers rooftop

-or-

2)  Visit Gaslamp Marriott’s rooftop bar, Altitude, for direct views into the ballpark.  (It gets busy on game nights, so get there early!)

But honestly, there are lots of great seating options in the stadium, so treat yourself to a game.  You won’t be disappointed.

Go Pads!

Tags: baseball, Petco Park, sports

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A relatively short drive out of downtown San Diego finds you at one of my very favorite spots to bring family and friends.  Affectionally called the WAP by locals, the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park is located in North County San Diego (Escondido) and encompasses nearly 1700 acres!

Taking a nap at the Lion Camp exhibit

Being further inland than the Zoo, the climate makes it perfect for African and Asian animals.  And with so much land available, the WAP is able to create a more natural area for the animals to live in.

The Journey into Africa tour included in their Best Value ticket gives you a great overall perspective of lower enclosures of the Park in just 30 minutes.  Animals of different species mix freely in large “exhibit” areas – much in the way I would imagine them to do in nature.

Can you spare some wrinkle cream?

Part of the really cool element of the Wild Animal Park is their “premium features”.  Take a Photo Caravan tour through either the African or Asian enclosures, and you will truly be up close and personal with these animals.  You’ll even get a chance to feed giraffes or rhinos!  If you don’t plan on going on a true African Safari in the next say 30 or 40 years, this is absolutely a once-in-a-lifetime experience!  The WAP’s new Flightline experience looks totally cool as well.  I haven’t had the chance to experience it myself yet, but am looking forward to it.  And in a truly imaginative way of mixing technology and nature, the Park’s Rolling Safari tour has you touring around the outside of enclosures on a Segway!  Too bad our caveman ancestors didn’t have these babies…hunting would have been much easier!

On the Rolling Safari Segway Tour at the Wild Animal Park

Another experience at the WAP that I have been wanting to do for YEARS is their Roar & Snore sleepover program.  They’ve got nice, canvas tents set up on a hill overlooking the African enclosure where you get to camp overnight!  Campers are treated to the growls of lions and the calls of various animals all night.  (You thought your husband snored loudly!)  The experience includes behind-the-scenes tours of the Park, your meals, and special animal presentations – this ain’t your typical camping experience!  They’ve got Family nights, Adults Only nights and even nights just for Girl Scout troops.  These experiences are so popular that they book up fast, so I’d recommend booking plenty in advance if you’re interested.

Tags: animals, camping, photography, segway, wild animal park, zoo

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San Diego Zoo’s Elephant Odyssey is officially open and it is epic!  Seven elephants – six Asian and one African – now call the 2.4 acre habitat home.  The huge, new exhibition puts you right in their world, along with the variety of neighbors that surround them, including horses, rattlesnakes and some surprisingly interesting dung beetles.

"And over here is where we're putting in the jacuzzi."

On your way in, you’ll visit a simulated tar pit to get you in the mood, and explore the evolutionary past of elephants and other species through fossil dig sites as well as life-size models of their ancestors – mammoths, saber-toothed cats and other beasts now extinct.

"Take me with you!"

Elephant Odyssey is another great reason to visit the San Diego Zoo, as if you needed one.

Tags: animals, balboa park, fun, zoo

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I’ll admit it: I’ve never regarded the Japanese Friendship Garden as a “main event” at Balboa Park.  I have visited it once or twice in the 15 years I’ve been acquainted with Balboa Park, but since it has no historic flying machines, no eye-popping scientific experiments, no state-of-the-art dome theater, I have viewed the garden as a quaint landmark more than an actual attraction - kind of like the carousel at Disneyland.  But like Disney’s carousel, it has a profound charm and appeal which can be lost among the sensations that surround it.

The same can be said for ourselves, which is why the Japanese Friendship Garden is such a treasure.  It provides a place of peace and contemplation, a kind of oasis in our familiar environment.  Why would we need such an “oasis?”  As Tiki, a guide at the Freindship Garden, tried to explain, our thoughts are constantly being pulled and stretched this way and that by the manmade sensations and obligations of the world.  It isn’t too difficult to be pulled away from our centers and forget ourselves.

With its traditional Japanese art and koi pond, “strolling gardens” like this one serve as a venue for those who seek their own centers.  The path in the garden is meant to subtly guide visitors through while their conscious thought is allowed to turn inward.

A turtle-shaped island sits in the Friendship Garden's koi pond. The turtle symbolizes long life.

There is a tremendous amount of thought behind creating and maintaining a venue of such simplicity.  It is a deceptively secluded area of Balboa Park, with very little outside noise allowed in.  In fact, it wasn’t until I left the garden that I was reminded of outside noises such as children and passing cars.  There was a real feeling of back-to-the-real-world.

After your stroll through the garden, you can enjoy some traditional Japanese tea, sushi, noodles and rice bowls, as well as more great views of the park, at the Tea Pavillion, just outside the garden.

The Japanese Friendship Garden is open daily.  Admission is $4 for adults and $2.50 for seniors (65+), students, and active military (with ID).  Children under 6 are free.

Docent-led tours are available, and I highly recommend one.  Sometimes, you need a little guidance to reach your center.

Tags: balboa park, garden, Japanese, what to do, zoo

(4 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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