Halloween may be on Saturday, but that won’t stop the Gaslamp Quarter from “dressing up” in period costume the next day, Sunday, November 1, during the 9th annual Fall Back Festival.

The street fair includes “wild west” entertainment such as staged shootouts and rope tricks as three stages showing folk dancing, live bluegrass music and more.  Kids can participate in crafts and contests, pan for real gold, and learn about Caliornia history through puppet shows and live demonstrations of lost skills.

And, of course, there will be all the fun stuff you’d expect to find at any good street fair – food, face painting, caricature art, inflatable jumps and carnival games.

Fall Back Festival takes place on Island Avenue — between 4th and 5th Avenues — Sunday, November 1, from 11:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M.  (Remember, our clocks fall back one hour that day, too.)  Admission is $5 for ages 3 and older.  For more information, visit www.gaslampquarter.org or call (619) 233-4692.

Tags: downtown, fair, family, festival, Gaslamp Quarter, history, kids

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Vizit Tours

For those of you that want to get out and see San Diego without having to worry about navigating the city streets, Vizit Tours offers four new sightseeing opportunities aboard a vintage Double Decker open top bus. 

Every tour is narrated by a local tour guide that will tell you the history, facts and insider tips about each location throughout the tour. You can even hop-on or -off at any stop and get back on at a later time to complete the tour.  Busses run every hour from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Or, you can catch the one-hour nighttime tour at 6 p.m. 

Tour highlights and stops include:

• The Balboa Park Loop: Seaport Village, Horton Plaza mall, Gaslamp Quarter, Balboa Park, San Diego Zoo.
• The Old Town and Harbor Loop: Horton Plaza mall, Little Italy, Old Town, Maritime Museum/USS Midway Museum.
• The La Jolla and Beaches Loop: Old Town, SeaWorld, Ocean Beach, Pacific Beach, Belmont Park, La Jolla. **This is the ONLY regularly scheduled sightseeing tour in San Diego that will take you to these beaches.**
• The Night Loop: Seaport Village, San Diego Bay, Little Italy, Gaslamp Quarter. This one-hour tour is perfect for a date or a fun outing with friends and family; adult beverages welcome so B.Y.O.D. (bring your own drinks).

A couple of weeks ago, I tried out and La Jolla Loop and had a great time! The views of La Jolla are truly breathtaking and I highly recommend an afternoon tour so you can see the ocean glisten in the sun. (I know that sounds corny but it is sooo pretty!)

Prices: Tickets are good for two days and cost $15 per person, per loop or $35 per person for all four loops.

Note: For those of you that want gorgeous views and prime photo opps., I recommend sitting on the top level.  (The views are unbeatable.) But, for those that are interested in learning about the history, facts and insider tips, I recommend sitting inside on the bottom level. (Due to the open top up there, it’s difficult to hear the tour guide on over the wind.)

Tags: balboa park, Gaslamp Quarter, la jolla, little italy, mission beach, ocean beach, old town, pacific beach, san diego bay, seaport village, seaworld, zoo

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Side Bar sets the bar.

Last night, my friend and I went to check out the new Side Bar in Gaslamp Quarter, which reopened in May after a multi-million dollar renovation. 

Upon entering, this bar/lounge/club was unlike anything I had ever seen. The black, red and silver décor was over-the-top in the most fabulous way –  I swear, I spent a couple of minutes actually considering how I could attempt to steal all the lights, mirrors and rugs – and the ambiance exuded a sense of mischief, intimacy and dare I say… sexuality.

Aside from all the amazing décor there are a lot of neat design details that many may not notice. For example, the VIP booths have secret compartments for girls to hide their purses, and the bench cushions you sit on?? Yeah, they come off to reveal your very own personal dance floor underneath. How cool is that?!

After making our usual lap, (you know, the one where you walk around and scope out the scene) we sat down at a table to taste some of the menu selections. While everything was fantastic, I highly recommend the Toasted Raviolis and the White Spinach Pizza, they were delish! For drinks, we tried the Watermelon Mojito (fabulous, but strong) and the Absolute Side Bar (mmm, the fresh strawberries were a nice touch, except for when they clogged my straw, sad face).

After dinner, we hung out for a bit as the DJ revved up for the evening, but as responsible girls with work the next day, we called it an early night and left before the mass crowds came to let loose.

Side Bar is open Tuesdays – Sundays from 5 p.m. until 2 a.m. for dinner, drinks and dancing. The owner told me that the place gets packed on Fridays and Saturdays, so come early to avoid the lines… I know I’ll be there, with my Toasted Raviolis in one hand and my Absolute Side Bar in the other. Cheers!

Tags: drinks, food, Gaslamp Quarter, night club

(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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The undead don't need tickets!

The biggest pop culture extravaganza in the nation is upon us once again. 

Last year, I had tickets.  So, in addition to walking the floor, some incredible celeb-sightings and crazy people-watching, I took in a panel honoring Ralph Bakshi, genius writer/director of the revolutionary Fritz the Cat, and a spirited session on all things steampunk. (Best. Costumes. Ever.)

This year, tickets sold out fast.  But, that’s okay.  The wookies, stormtroopers and celebs are out walking the streets, no need to get in to see them.  Plus there’s plenty of 0ff-con fun- that doesn’t require tickets to the main event – like:

Thursday, July 23

• Holy George Romero!  The streets of the Gaslamp Quarter will be crawling with the undead during Zombie Walk beginning at 7:30 p.m.  Put on your most ghoulish reanimated corpse costume and join the walk or just line the streets and take it all in, at your own risk…
• They’re back!!! Killer Tomatoes are taking over PETCO Park’s Park at the Park at 7:30 p.m. for a free outdoor double feature of Attack of the Killer Tomatoes and Return of the Killer Tomatoes – the ultimate cult movie series, famously filmed in here San Diego. The sequel marks George Clooney’s first action role. Seriously.

Friday, July 24

• Kids are comic fans, too. Those with little ones can head up to Balboa Park at 8 p.m. and settle in on the lawn adjacent to The San Diego Museum of Art for a special family-friendly Comic-Con edition of their free Screen on the Green outdoor film series featuring animated and live action short films for kids of all ages.
• Unleash your inner artist at 8 p.m. at the Ruby Room in Hillcrest.  Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School, a regular San Diego event, is celebrating two years of doodles and drinks with burlesque beauty Lady Borgia posing and award-winning local artist (and Dr. Sketchy founder) Molly Crabapple putting pen to paper – to sketch and sign copies of her graphic novel. 

Saturday, July 25

• At noon, Tim & Eric’s Awesome Con returns to the Embarcadero Marina Park North.  If you don’t know these two, there are no words…  But, there will be songs, costume and trivia contests, three-legged races and, for one lucky fan, a wave runner ride with Tim & Eric.  Shrimp & White Wine!
• At 8 p.m., Adult Swim is hosting a free roller skating jam at Skate San Diego in National City.  At Robot Chicken on Wheels  you can shoot the duck with stop-motion parody geniuses Seth Green, Breckin Meyer and Matthew Senrich – plus enjoy a live performance by Gym Class Heroes. 

Tags: balboa park, comic-con, downtown, Gaslamp Quarter, museum of art

(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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On this week’s edition of Travel Like A Local - our online radio show - Darlynne tackles a fun threesome of San Diego offerings. 

Dig those Victorians!

First up, hear all about the new exhibit by the Gaslamp Quarter Historical Foundation at the William Heath Davis House Museum.  Called “Gaslamp Quarter, Then and Now: Redevelopment Reconsidered”, the exhibit runs through Sept. 30 and explores the amazing transformation downtown has made and the gorgeous buildings that have been saved along the way.

Next, get a preview of Mission Nights! a new open-house in the Mission Hills shopping district that kicked off in June and is scheduled for the third Wednesday of each month.  With area shops and restaurants serving up  live music, free food, dinner and drink specials, it’s a great excuse to truly travel like a local and explore one of San Diego’s most charming neighborhoods.

Finally, listen up for next month’s Tiki Oasis and all the surf city fun coming our way Aug. 13-16.  A post on that is in the works but, in the meantime, maybe Mister Tiki’s Mai Tai’s happy hour will hold you over until next week’s Travel Like A Local.

Tags: Gaslamp Quarter, mission hills, tiki, travel like a local

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Downtown’s Gaslamp Quarter is well known as a nightlife destination as well as home to many of San Diego’s signature restaurants and boutiques, but those 16 square blocks south of Broadway also hold the key to the city’s fascinating history.

Like any Wild West town, the story of San Diego is rich with sensational stories of heroism and infamy – from its origins as “New Town” to its era as the red light district, through its time of decay into its renaissance – and you can relive it all through these unique and entertaining sightseeing tours.

• The Gaslamp Quarter Historical Foundation’s historical walking tour leaves every Saturday at 11:00 A.M. from the William Heath Davis House on 4th & Island Ave.  The house itself is the oldest surviving structure in downtown San Diego – each of its rooms showcasing a unique period in San Diego’s history – and it only gets more interesting from there.  On this tour, you’ll get to see the Gaslamp Quarter with new eyes as you retrace the steps of many colorful residents (including former San Diego “capitalist” Wyatt Earp), visit historic Victorian-style buildings, and walk the streets of the former red light district.
  The tour costs $10.00 for adults, and $8.00 for seniors, students and military.  Kids’ tours and private group tours are also available.

• Back Alley Tours focuses on the Gaslamp Quarter’s risqué history as our original red light district.  Here you will travel back in time to the more lawless days and nights of the ”Stingaree,” as it was known then.  Owner and tour guide Melanie Young prepared this unique and unusual tour by spending a year digging through the archives at the Museum of San Diego History reading periodicals and journals, studying historic photographs and absorbing every bit of historical information she could get her hands on.  The result is a unique and thoroughly entertaining look at old San Diego.
  Back Alley Tours take place in the evenings Wednesdays through Saturdays.  Tickets cost $20 each, or $35 for a pair. Seniors, students and military tickets are $18.
• Haunted San Diego Ghost Tours and Ghostly Tours In History provide a different kind of thrill after dark.  Hear macabre tales of San Diego’s history, explore its mysteries, and walk in the footsteps of some historical figures who met untimely or unjust demises in the streets of “New Town.”  Yup, they’re still hanging around, waiting for some resolution or perhaps just enjoying the San Diego weather.  Both tours also visit other historic districts of San Diego such as Old Town and Coronado. The tours are billed as “PG-13″ but don’t worry – it’s an Edgar Allen Poe spooky, not a Rosemary’s Baby spooky.
  Tour pricing varies by type of tour.  Check out their websites for details.

Will you ever look at downtown San Diego the same way again?  I quote the raven: “Nevermore!”

Tags: downtown, fun, Gaslamp Quarter, ghosts, history, museum, outdoors, things to do, tour, what to do

(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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