Are you brave enough to visit the Whaley House on Friday the 13th?

Okay scaredy cats – It may be Friday the 13th, but that doesn’t mean you need to hide out at home. Grab your lucky four-leaf clover and check out our list of 5 to try on Friday the 13th in San Diego:

La Jolla Gravity Hill – Bring your car to this hidden San Diego landmark and disprove Newton’s laws of gravity.  Story goes that if you drive to West Muirlands in La Jolla (between Fay and Nautilus St.) and line up your right rear tire with the telephone pole on the side of the street with the fairway while your car is in neutral it will actually roll uphill.

Note: Please try this with a friend who is able to witness and take photos for you. Do not ”ghost ride the whip” to see if this is working. If dozens of cars start rolling backwards down the hill I don’t want to be held accountable.

The Whaley House – One of America’s most haunted houses, the Whaley House is a San Diego beacon for paranormal activity. Reports of ghostly figures, strange occurrences and even ghost dogs make up potential spooks that roam the grounds. Special Friday the 13th tours are offered from 5 p.m. to midnight tonight complete with oil lamps, scary stories and more.

Escondido Muffler Man – If you happen to be driving along and see a mile-high man while driving in Escondido don’t be afraid – unless he happens to be chasing your car. San Diego is home to one of 17 Muffler Men scattered around the state, made of fiberclass and standing 18 to 25 feet tall.

Hotel del Coronado – Are you brave enough to spend an entire night in a haunted hotel room? The Hotel del Coronado’s room #3327 is reportedly haunted by a past guest who may be overstaying her welcome in a ghostly form.

Haunted San Diego Tours – Haunted San Diego Tours brings you to the most haunted places in San Diego by the bus-full. Learn about San Diego’s spooky history during this interactive tour that promises to prove ghosts exist as they tour through the county’s oldest graveyard and other hair-raising attractions.

Tags: hotel del, unique tour, whaley house

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I took this picture. Isn't it gorgeous?

Or at least re-touched. 

Star of India, the world’s oldest active sailing ship, spent three weeks in dry dock this summer for its decennial maintenance and came back looking better than ever in time to celebrate her 146^th birthday this Saturday, November 14.  The Maritime Museum of San Diego will give her a proper birthday party that day, complete with cake — and everyone is invited!

Built in 1863, Star of India sailed around the world 21 times before retiring when steam ships began to rule the seas.  After three decades of dilapidation, she was restored to her former glory through the efforts of San Diegans who donated their nickles and dimes as well as shipbuilding skills and man-hours.  Such a history of goodwill makes this landmark all the richer.

This ship is another reason why I love this town.  San Diego has such an impressive pantheon of cultural symbols for a west coast city, as well as a history of saving them from returning to dust.

And now we’re throwing them birthday parties!  Along with birthday cake to celebrate the Star’s 146^th. . .

• It’s Family Days at the Maritime Museum on both Saturday the 14^th and Sunday the 15^th.  Kids 12 and under will be admitted free.
  

  Insider Tip: Cover your ears!

• Making the Star’s birthday celebration even wilder, the Maritime Museum will stage more of its famous cannon battles on Saturday and Sunday.  You’ll get your chance to climb aboard our official state ship the Californian, or the Privateer Lynx and witness realistic cannon fights up close.  (Don’t worry, they forget to load the cannon balls every time!)

• If you prefer to have a bit more involvement in your ship battles, how about getting into one of the museum’s two decommissioned naval submarines for a life-size game of Battleship?  Would I make that up?  Sink or be sunk as you call your shots using radio communication.  And may the best sub commander win!

Star of India lives out her retirement alongside other historic beauties of the sea such as the steam yacht Medea and the steam ferryboat Berkeley, which houses most of the museum’s exhibits and displays, and you can go aboard and explore every one of them.  For an extra $3 you’ll be able to take a historic harbor tour aboard the 95-year-old Pilot.  What a party!

Be sure to hit up the International Visitor Information Center across the street (corner of Broadway & Harbor) for your discounted museum tickets.  For prices and details on the special programs and charters (which happen all year round) contact the Maritime Museum at (619) 234-9153 or visit www.sdmaritime.org.

Tags: downtown, fun, kids, maritime museum, museum, outdoors, san diego bay, things to do, what to do

(4 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Veterans Day falls on November 11, the anniversary of the Armistice of World War I — not a great battle but an achievement of peace.  Each year, San Diego honors United States veterans with the San Diego County Veterans Day Parade taking place downtown on Pacific Highway beginning at 11:00 A.M.  Everyone is invited to come and see one of San Diego’s most spectacular parades.

After the parade, you can visit the U.S.S. Midway Museum and watch as its newest addition — a restored World War II Corsair fighter plane — is lifted onto the fight deck.  Veterans will receive free admission to the museum and $1 from every ticket sold that day will be donated to the Veterans Village of San Diego.

While you’re there, check out the collection of military memorials along the bay, between the U.S.S. Midway and Seaport Village.

Building on the spirit of the occasion, LEGOLAND California has recreated the Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial in miniature.  The mini-memorial is situated in the park’s  Miniland, between the mini Lincoln Memorial and the mini Washington Memorial, just like the real thing in Washington, D.C.

Also in honor of Veterans Day, Old Town Trolley Tours of San Diego will treat all veterans — active duty, retired, and honorably discharged — to an entertaining and enlightening city sightseeing tour on Wednesday, November 11.  Just bring your valid ID card showing active duty or retirement, or a DD214 (proof of release from the military), to any Old Town Trolley booth for your complimentary boarding pass.

And just so you know, the world-famous San Diego Zoo offers free admission all year round to active duty military personnel (U.S. and foreign) with valid military ID. Spouses and dependents receive 10% discount on the Best Value Admission, which includes bus tour and Skyfari aerial tram.

Here’s to making a happy Veterans Day happen in San Diego!

Tags: free, holiday, legoland, military, sightseeing, tour, zoo

(4 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Our tails are wagging!

The puppy gurus at Dog Fancy magazine have released the results of their fifth annual Dog Town USA contest and guess where tops the list? 

Yep, for the second time, San Diego was rated the best big city in the country for dogs and the people who love them.  Editors and readers loved San Diego’s dog beaches and parks and our wide array of pet-friendly hotels, restaurants and more.

Tags: dog, in the news

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Forget zombies.  Craft beer is about to take over San Diego. 

Friday, Nov. 6 through Nov. 15, breweries, bars, restaurants and hotels will celebrate the first-ever San Diego Beer Week with tons of awesome events all around town.

From beer dinners, cask nights and barrel-aged tastings, to learn-to-brew classes and beer education seminars local brewers plan to show off the goods that recently earned San Diego the honor of being named the top beer city in the country by Men’s Journal.

The kickoff event is the San Diego Brewers Guild Festival on Friday at the World Beat Center in Balboa Park.  The festival will feature 80 beers brewed in San Diego – admission includes 10 samples, complimentary food, live music and a souvenir tasting glass.  

Festivities wrap up on Nov. 15 with a Chef Celebration of San Diego Beers in La Jolla.  The event will feature 16 local chefs and eight San Diego breweries. Admission includes a souvenir tasting glass, live music, all you can eat pairings and beer seminars presented by local brewers and chefs. 

During the 10 days in between, there are more than 200 fun San Diego Beer Week events. 

You heard me right, that’s two full weekends of pints, pours and parties. 

Plus, if you’re considering a last-minute trip, hotel packages and special rates are still available.  Come and raise a glass with us!

Tags: craft beer, dining, drinks, festival, food

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• Shamu and the gang will get into the “spirit” of Halloween with a new, not-too-scary celebration, SeaWorld’s Halloween Spooktacular, featuring festive family fun tonight, tomorrow and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.  SeaWorld’s walrus, sea lion and otter comedy team will star in a Halloween show called Clyde and Seamore’s Trick or Treat, and Sesame Street’s Countdown to Halloween musical will entertain the littlest guests. Other festive fun will include cookie decorating and photo opportunities with Halloween-costumed characters. 
• LEGOLAND California in Carlsbad is calling all monsters, mermaids, witches, robots and pirates to its Brick-or-Treat Party.  Tomorrow from 5-9 p.m., the family theme park will be a not-too-spooky Halloween haven featuring costume contests, nighttime trick-or-treating on the Brick-or-Treat Trail, live music and entertainment. Little ghosts and goblins can also enjoy activities like building glow-in-the-dark treats, a dance-off with special prizes for the best dancer and the Howler of the Hour contest for young guests who really want to scream. Families can also climb aboard a giant jack-o-lantern that is more than 7 feet wide, made of 22,000 DUPLO bricks and weighs 850 pounds.  
• Tonight at 8 p.m., Fiesta de Reyes in Old Town State Historic Park will kick off a fun, freaky evening with a Beetlejuice movie night under the stars.  Tim Burton’s famous “bio-exorcist” film will be projected on a big outdoor screen, and visitors are invited to bring a warm blanket and enjoy the movie with friends and family.  Admission is free. 
• Tonight and tomorrow Old Town State Historic Park will host hilarious ghost tours through the park at 6:30 and 7 p.m.  Lead by an unfortunately clueless ghost hunter, the tours will highlight plenty of ghosts, many of them real San Diegans who experienced tragic deaths in Old Town during the 1800s.  Tours meet at the Old Town Visitor Center on Twiggs Street, located at the entrance to the park.  Tickets are available at the Visitor Center for $10 or online for $8 plus a service fee. 
• Trick-or-treaters are also invited to visit the park from 4-6:30 p.m. on Saturday to collect goodies from the park’s participating shops and museums where resident shopkeepers are always dressed in period costume.  The haunting evening continues at 8 p.m. with a live story telling of Old Town’s Legend of Sleepy Hollow, occurring in the spooky yard behind the Seeley Stables on Old Town’s main plaza.  Both events are free. 
• From 5-8 p.m. today and Saturday, ghosts, goblins, pirates and princesses will gather at the San Diego Maritime Museum aboard the Star of India for ghostly lantern-led tours of the historic ship and hear eerie legends from the ship’s past. During the tours, costumed docents will share tales of how young John Campbell fell to his death from the rigging, how an Army Captain on the ship slit his throat and more creepy events that occurred aboard the historic vessel.  The museum will also host a carnival 11 a.m.-4 p.m. tomorrow with games, prizes, food and costume contests for parents and kids of all ages.  Lantern-led tours are included with the general museum admission; admission to the carnival is an additional $5 per person.

Tags: family, Halloween, legoland, maritime museum, old town, seaworld

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The Trickster from Kooza

Every two years San Diego gets a little more exciting as the creative wizards from Cirque du Soleil set up the Gran Chapiteau (French for Big Top) at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. In 2010 they are bringing the traveling show Kooza from February 25 to March 14.

Click Here to get your tickets before they are available to the general public and you receive $10 off.

Act fast, as the presale ends on November 7.

Kooza gives you a great reason to make it a long weekend and come on down to San Diego to enjoy the show and the city.

Kooza has all the amazing acrobatics and theatrics you would expect from Cirque, but I am really interested in seeing an act called the “Wheel of Death.”

Tags: San Diego Events, theater

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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shopping in OB

One of my favorite things about San Diego is all the diverse neighborhoods located within the county.  All in all, there are more than 100 neighborhoods and one each offers its own unique experience, personality and charm.  While I could go on and on about each, my hands-down favorite is Ocean Beach…well “OB” as us locals like to call it.

With each visit, this town’s laid-back, hippie beach vibe is contagious.  I find myself truly relaxed as I sip mimosas in the sun, in awe with my latest fashion finds and entertained by the diversity of people and personalities that flock to this area. 

To sum it all up, here are my OB highlights, hot spots and favs:

Food

• Whenever friends or family come to visit, I make sure to take them to Tower Two Café.  While the food is just average, it’s the casual beach setting that draws me here…. Ok, and the mimosa beach buckets. (True story: the bottle of champagne comes in a colorful beach pale filled with ice, and it even has a cute little shovel attached!) Here, you can sit in the sun on the outdoor deck and look out into the ocean.  It’s dog- friendly too, so your pup can enjoy the sun, socializing and table scraps.

burgerlicious

Runner ups:

• Hodad’s has been around for over 40 years and serves some of the best burgers in San Diego, even CNN thinks so.  The catch, it’s so popular that there is almost always a line out the door but the burgers are definitely worth the wait. 
• If you like fish tacos you must go to South Beach Bar & Grill.  This little beach bar has won numerous awards and recognition and in my opinion, serves the best fish tacos I’ve ever tasted…try the Mahi taco, you won’t be disappointed, I promise!!

Shopping

• My go-to for cute shoes or accessories is Lola Luna on OB’s main drag, Newport Avenue.  They always have the best shoes that you don’t see in department stores, which means most people won’t have them.  Also, they always have a sale table outside with $10 shoes… what could be better than that??

Runner ups:

• Dream Girls is one of my newer discoveries and also one of the more expensive places in OB.  It’s located on Newport Ave and they have an amazing selection of
  

  heaven on earth

  good-quality clothes, shoes and accessories so you defiantly get what you pay for.  So far, it’s proven impossible for me to leave this place empty handed.

• Also on Newport Ave. is the Closet.  I like this place for cheap clothes and shoes for nights out or special events.  Since the clothes are always changing to keep up with the latest trends I find that most visits here are either hit or miss.

Activities

• Of course a visit to OB would not be complete without stopping at the beach.  True beach lovers can surf, swim and tan, while those who just  want to take in the view can perch themselves on the boardwalk or walk across the OB Pier for amazing ocean views.  There’s also Dog Beach, a leash free beach area where dogs and their owners can splash through the waves and play fetch on the beach.

these antiques are very shabby chic

Runner ups:

• Every Wednesday from 4-8 pm, (and 4-7pm in winter) OB hosts a fantastic farmer’s market along Newport Ave. Here you can find fresh, locally grown produce and flowers, but there are also delicious food stands with all types of ethnic cuisine (mmm…sambusa) and live music, handmade jewelry and, drum roll please…… llama rides!
• Antiquing… not really my thing but if I was going to take up the hobby, I’d definitely shop in OB where they have the largest concentration of antiques and collectable in all of San Diego. In OB’s Antique District, on Newport Ave. you will find an eclectic array of one-of-a-kind antiques, mid-century modern furniture, fine estate sale items, vintage jewelry and so much more.

Tags: antique, beach, dining, dog, food, ocean beach, Shopping

(3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Looking for something to do this weekend?  Consider:

1. Look to the sky this weekend during the MCAS Miramar Air Show at the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. The event showcases several types of aircraft, including vintage biplanes
   

   sunset at the air show, but the fun is just beginning...

   and stealth fighter jets, as well as simulated combat demonstrations, amazing areal performances and a nighttime show with the Great Wall of Fire and a firework grand finale.  I’ve heard that the wall of fire is AMAZING so I’ll be there to check it out this weekend.

2. Bratwurst, beer gardens and oompapa bands can only mean one thing—Oktoberfest! This weekend, check out celebrations of this German holiday during Oktoberfest in La Mesa, the largest festival the U.S. West Coast and Octoberfest in El Cajon. As the German’s would say, “Prost!”
3. Head to Julian this Saturday and Sunday for the 100th Apple Day celebration at the Menghini Winery from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. The event includes apple displays, music and dancing, children’s games and activities, gold panning demonstrations, a beer and wine garden, food and merchandise vendors and of course, Julian’s famous apple pie.  The event costs $5 for adults and children ages 12 and under are free.
4. SeaWorld gets a little spooky this Saturday with the unveiling of the park’s Halloween Spooktacular featuring new shows and festive entertainment. Come see Clyde and Seamore’s Trick or Treat, Sesame Street’s Countdown to Halloween musical and enjoy special Halloween activities and photo opportunities with characters in costume.
5. Get your grub on this Saturday during Taste of North Park from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Enjoy yummy food samples and refreshing microbrew tastings at restaurants, galleries and boutiques throughout the neighborhood.  Tickets for the event are $30 with advanced purchase or $35 day of.

Tags: 5 to try, craft beer, food, Halloween, Julian, San Diego Events, seaworld, things to do, what to do

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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He's eagerly awaiting your visit to the Zoo

Today is October 1, which means for the next 30 days kids and families can enjoy:

Free admission into the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park during Kid Free Days. All children ages 3 – 11 will receive complimentary admission into both parks for the entire month.

Free admission on any one- or two-hour Harbor Cruise of San Diego Bay with Hornblower Cruises & Events. Complimentary tickets will be provided for up to two children, ages 12 and under, per each paying adult for the entire month.

Half-priced admission into four museums in Balboa Park: the Mingei International Museum, the Museum of Man, the Museum of San Diego History and the Museum of Photographic Arts (MoPA) will offer half-priced admission every Saturday and Sunday morning from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.  Note: this offer is actually valid through May 31, 2010 with some blackout days effective after October 31; please check museums to verify for half-priced admission days.

Tags: balboa park, cruise, deals, free, harbor, museum, san diego bay, wild animal park, zoo

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