Remember when Peter Brady made two dates for the school dance with two different girls and tried to keep them both without either one finding out?  His solution was simple: find a kid at school who looks identical to him for some reason and set him up with one of the unwitting young ladies.

I’m facing a similar double-booking problem this weekend — two huge, 2-day events that I look forward to each year: Adams Avenue Street Fair and the Pacific Islander Festival – both taking place September 26 and 27.  Unfortunately, without the wits and resources of a Brady, there’s no way for me to enjoy both days of programming.  Yes, these are my troubles.

Adams Avenue Street Fair

 

Adams Avenue Street Fair is the outdoor event I most look forward to every year.  With six musical stages, carnival rides, and a food and arts & crafts bazaar, it’s San Diego’s most happening block party as well as Southern California’s largest free music festival.  I never miss it, and every year I come away with some great, new local discoveries, as well as chili-lime kettle corn breath.

It’s hard enough choosing which stage to go to at any particular time during Adams Avenue Street Fair, let alone deciding which day to cut entirely.  This year, the music I’m most looking forward to, or curious about, will come from Red Pony Clock, Akayaa & Bolga Zohdoomah, and Jack “Mr. Bongo” Costanzo & his Latin Orchestra.  And I can personally vouch for The Styletones and Gregory Page.

Find a complete schedule of performers and their websites here.

Adams Avenue Street Fair runs from 10:00 A.M. to 9 P.M. on Saturday, and from 10:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M.

Street Fair Report 9/28/09: One thing this year’s Adams Avenue Street Fair had in common with those from most previous years is that it was the best one yet.  I became so swept up in the music on Saturday that I found myself returning for more on Sunday and, in the end, I stood up the Pacific Islander Festival (and my pulled pork and mac salad).  So much for multitasking.  Peter Brady — 1, me — 0.  But boy, did I dance this weekend!

Charlie Konopka busks some San Diego blues on Adams Ave.

Yes, even the buskers brought the goods this year.  It reminded me of an embryonic South by Southwest.  If next year’s Street Fair is to top this year’s, I think these three acts will have to put something together.

 

Pacific Islander Festival

The other event I look forward to every year is the Pacific Islander Festival, also going on September 26 and 27.  This one takes place at Ski Beach on Mission Bay, and it celebrates the rich folkways of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia with ethnic food, arts & crafts, cultural exhibits, and a stage with a steady schedule of musical and cultural performances.  It’s the place to go to sit on the grass with your plate lunch and shave ice and take in some ukulele combos and a poi ball dance performance.  That’s my kind of dinner theater.

 

The Pacific Islander Festival opens on Saturday at 9:00 A.M. and is pau at 4:00 P.M.  On Sunday, it’ s 8:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M.

Limited parking is available for $10 in the lot on the west side of Ski Beach, but you should get there early to catch that worm.  A good alternative would be to park at one of the three remote parking lots and catch a free shuttle into the festival.  And wear sunscreen, bruddah!

Tags: festival, food, free, live music, outdoors, things to do, what to do

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For those of us who didn’t score tickets to see Kathy Griffin at the San Diego Civic Center this weekend (tear), here’s a list of other weekend happenings to keep us occupied:

• Yes!! This Saturday and Sunday is the Adams Avenue Street Fair, California’s largest free music festival and one of my
  

  Adams Avenue here I come...

  favorite annual events. Set along Adams Avenue (between 35th Avenue and Bancroft Street) in Normal Heights, the event features 70 musical acts on six different stages, carnival rides, over 300 arts and craft vendors, beer gardens and yummy food galore! The fun goes down from 10 a.m. – 9 p.m. on Saturday and from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Sunday.  Insider Tip: I suggest pulling out some mullah because a lot of the vendors are “cash only.”

• Beat the heat and catch a flick during the annual San Diego Film Festival this weekend at the Gaslamp Theater. Showcasing a number of American and international full-length films, documentaries and short films, you can also catch Q & A sessions with directors and maybe even a star sighting or two. Individual passes are available, but day passes are recommended. Plus, with the purchase of a day pass you can get into the special workshops, panels and fabulous after parties. Click here for a complete list of showings.
• Long before there was a sponge that lived in a pineapple under the sea, there was a famous explorer that sailed the sea; in fact, that explorer, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, discovered San Diego in 1542. In honor of his discovery, we’re celebrating the annual Cabrillo Festival this Saturday and Sunday. This free event includes cultural festivities, educational activities, music, food, dancing and a wonderful reenactment of the famous explorer landing on the shores of San Diego Bay.
• This Saturday, Smithsonian Magazine presents national Museum Day, which means a number of museums all over the country are providing free general admission. More than a dozen of San Diego’s museums are participating in this event, including San Diego Botanic Garden, Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, Birch Aquarium at Scripps and California Center for Arts, Escondido Museum. To take advantage of this offer, you must click here to register for and print out a Smithsonian Museum Day Card. I just registered for mine and it takes less than a minute!
• Enjoy the cultures and customs of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia during the 15th Annual Pacific Islander Festival this Saturday and Sunday at Mission Bay’s Ski Beach. This free event will have continuous entertainment, food, music and unique crafts.

Tags: 5 to try, cabrillo national monument, festival, film, free, live music, mission bay, museum, normal heights

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1. This weekend is the 4th annual ArtWalk on the Bay, as in San Diego Bay along the downtown waterfront embarcadero. The event will feature live music, wine tastings, kids activities and of course, some of the region’s finest art.  The free event takes place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday at the Embarcadero Marina Park North (behind Seaport Village).
2. San Diego’s culinary community joins forces for the 5th annual San Diego Restaurant Week, kicking-off this Sunday. More than one-hundred of the city’s top restaurants will offer prix-fixe, three-course dinner menus for just $20, $30 or $40 per person. Hungry? What a great excuse to eat, bon appétit!
3. This Sunday, the spirit of Brazil comes to San Diego during the Brazilian Independence Day Street Fair & Parade in Pacific Beach. This family-friendly event will feature an amazing display of Brazilian culture with samba dancers, a capoeirea show (the super cool martial arts dance form), costumes, live music, food and a Carnival parade down Garnet Avenue; this free event takes place noon to 6 p.m. and I can’t wait! I’ve always wanted to visit Brazil, now I can get a taste without the expensive plane ride.
4. The 18th Annual Paddle For Clean Water Festival takes place this Sunday at the Ocean Beach Pier from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. In an effort to raise awareness about the need for clean water, the San Diego Surfrider Foundation will host this free event with a non-competitive paddle out in Ocean Beach, live music, vendors, a huge raffle, kid zone, beer garden and food.  Special shout out to San Diego’s own Tribal Seeds who will be performing at the event.
5. Did you know that Sunday is National Grandparent’s Day? Well, my grandparents are my two most favorite people in the world, so in their honor, here are some special deals being offered this Sunday:
   

   love my fantastic grandparents!

   Visit the Ruben H. Fleet Science Center where all grandparents accompanied by a paying child will receive free admission; enjoy a Grandparent’s Day brunch or dinner cruise with Hornblower Cruises & Events; experience Grandparent’s Day on the Bay with an introductory kayaking lesson across San Diego Bay to Coronado; or, at the very least just call your grandparents to say hi.

Tags: 5 to try, art, free, live music, ocean beach, pacific beach, san diego bay, san diego restaurant week, things to do, what to do

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Tags: downtown, east village, live music, street scene

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Want to check Street Scene set times on the go?  Or need help remembering the name of that Wavves song?

Well, now there’s an app for that. 

Last night, Street Scene launched their exclusive event app for iPhone/iPod Touch users. 

The free download has event info, directions, parking details, a soon-to-be interactive map and detailed links for all the artists on the lineup. 

Best of all, it already includes all the bands’ set times so you can download now and plan your attack. 

After all, the fun starts in just 8 days. 

Still don’t have tickets?  It’s not too late to get them!

And, if you’re coming from out of town, we’ve got special hotel rates too.

Tags: downtown, live music, street scene

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There’s fun stuff happening this weekend, especially on Sunday. So if you’re in the mood for great music, good food and whales and mimosas too, check out these weekend activities and events:

1. Get your groove thang on this Saturday and Sunday at the North Park Music Thing, a two-day concert event. On Saturday
   

   doin her thing at North Park Music Thing

   night around 7 p.m., a number of North Park’s most happening bars and clubs will transform into a concert hallapalooza during the Saturday Night Music Fest where over 100 bands will perform on 20 stages at venues like True North Tavern, Bar Pink and The Office Bar. Saturday night admission tickets will be sold at each venue for $20 and provide entry into all 20 venues. Then on Sunday, the North Park Music Thing festivities continue from noon to 7 p.m. with the Sunday Street Fest, which will feature 3 stages of live music, a live art show, international food and street vendors.  Street Fest tickets will be $20.

   *** This just in: Tin Can Alehouse will be selling one-cent beers on Saturday night during the Music Fest. Buy one beer and get the second one for a penny! ***

2. On Sunday, Hillcrest’s main drag, Fifth Avenue, will come alive during the annual Hillcrest Cityfest Street Fair. Taking place from noon to 9:30 p.m., this free event will have music, arts and crafts, food, entertainment stages, children’s rides and more. Take part in the Lantern Parade at 8:30 p.m. and stay for the countdown to the relighting of the famous Hillcrest city sign at 9 p.m.
3. This Sunday is a chance of a lifetime…a chance to see the largest mammas on the planet, Blue Whales! They’re here in San Diego for the summer and you can check them out with H&M Landing’s Blue Whale Cruises. The 8 hour cruise departs this Sunday at 9 a.m. from H&M Landing’s home base in Point Loma. The cost of the cruise is $80 for kids and $100 for adults.
4. Carlsbad’s annual Art in the Village event goes down this Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with live jazz performances and over 200 arts vendors selling sculptures, photography, ceramics, handmade jewelry, furniture and more.
5. I think Sunday’s are the perfect days for brunch and mimosas. There are a number of places in town to kick back and let the bubbly orange juice elevate your mood, but I’m quite fond of the summertime Sunday brunch at The Pearl Hotel. Every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., The Pearl serves up a delicious brunch selection at very reasonable prices. The best part? For just $20 you can enjoy your choice of entrée and bottomless mimosas.

Tags: art, Carlsbad, festival, food, free, Hillcrest, live music, North Park, Point Loma, summer, things to do, whale watching, what to do

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*UPDATE: 7/20 – Really sad news, MCA’s cancer diagnosis .  Hope he recovers completely and soon.  Naturally, this health crisis has forced the cancellation of the Beastie Boys’ Street Scene appearance as well as the rest of their tour and new album.*

Namely the Beastie Boys, MIA, Conor Oberst, Of Montreal, Band of Horses, Girl Talk, Chromeo, Ted Leo, Devendra Banhart, San Diego’s own Wavves and The Dead Weather…Jack White’s new band.  Plus a whole passel of other live acts, on 5 stages over two nights in downtown San Diego.

On August 28th and 29th from 4 p.m. to midnight, the East Village will be alive with the sound of indie (…for the most part) music.  I went last year and had an amazing time.  All the crazy kids with their goofy get-ups (neon sunglasses, short shorts) and great music, too.

This year, they’re celebrating 25 years of  Street Scene and they don’t want the recession to dampen your party spirits so, they’re offering a “Layaway Ticket” that lets you to pay for your two-day pass in two installments – half now and the rest on August 6.  Two-day passes are $122 (plus service fees, of course) and are on sale now.  One-day passes aren’t available yet but sale prices and dates will be announced a bit closer to the show date.

Tags: downtown, east village, live music, street scene

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• One of San Diego’s most classic restaurants has moved to a new location and you’re invited to the grand opening
  

  how many Bumpits do you think she used to get that hair?

  party! Corvette Diner, now located in Liberty Station in Point Loma celebrates its grand opening  this Saturday and Sunday with more than 100 Corvettes on display, family-friendly activities and live music from a number of bands, including a Beatles tribute band.  This free event will shake, rattle and roll from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. both days.

• This Sunday, at 5:30 p.m. Spreckels Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park takes you to infinity and beyond with an out of this world symphony under the stars.  Conductor Mat Garbutt and the San Diego Symphony will play a series of outer space music, including popular scores from Star Trek and Star Wars.  This concert event is free; however, spaceship parking is limited.
• If you love creepies and crawlies, check out the Annual Insect Festival at Quail Botanical Gardens this Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Bring your hand sanitizer and head on over for bug collecting, insect arts and crafts and even cooked mealworm larva tastings in flavors like mesquite, teriyaki and barbeque… uh… I think I’ll stick to chicken.  Entomologists and other bug experts will be available for questions and answers.  Children 12 and under will be admitted free, everyone else gets in for just $12.
• Ever dreamed of cozying up to watch a movie with Brad Pitt, Catherine Zeta-Jones or Michelle Pfeiffer?  Well you can this Saturday because the Maritime Museum presents Movies Before the Mast.  Come aboard the Star of India and watch Sinbad:Legend of the Seven Seas (featuring the animated voices of Brad Pitt, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michelle Pfeiffer) projected onto the ships massive sail.  Bring blankets, family and friends and prepared to be entertained.  Boarding begins at 6:30 p.m. and admission is $8 for kids, $13 for adults. 
• There’s no crying in baseball, but there is drinking in softball!  The 56th Annual World Championship Over-the-Line Tournament takes place this Saturday and Sunday on Mission Bay’s Fiesta Island from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. each day.  This boisterous, fast-paced beach softball event is free to the public and features 1,200 teams competing to be the ultimate Over-the-Line Champions. 

Tags: 5 to try, balboa park, dining, encinitas, festival, free, live music, maritime museum, mission bay, Point Loma, things to do

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Let’s talk live music.  Plenty of big name acts play the big venues in San Diego, but I believe certain forms of music were meant to be played and heard up close.  I’m talkin’ about jazz and blues.  Now I don’t consider myself an authority on the local jazz and blues scene, but I’ve been seen ’round midnight up in the supper club now and then.  Does that sound like where you’d like to be, too?  Good.  Keep reading.  I did some legwork for you.

I have to start with Anthology.  You could always find jazz and blues in San Diego, but when Anthology opened, the spirit of the music seemed to find a home here.  Anthology is a three-level music venue with fine dining, two bars, private boxes, and not one bad seat in the house.  The first time I set foot in this venue, it was clear that the intention was to create an exceptional supper club experience with emphasis on the music, which does happen there every night of the week.  In its opening weeks, Anthology hosted masters such as Arturo Sandoval and Chuchito Valdez, and the hits just kept comin’.  If those names mean anything to you, then the value of an Anthology in our midst is clear.  It provides us with an elegant and intimate landing pad for touring greats of jazz, blues, Latin and R&B; not to mention that Anthology has a house band that has gained a prestige of its own.

I’m a believer in letting the music speak for itself, so I’ll try not to go on too long.  Let me just point you in the right direction.  Here are some other swingin’ venues I’ve tried.

• The Gaslamp Quarter’s famous Croce’s whose jazz bar jumps five nights a week — Wednesday through Sunday — is about as intimate as they come.  Sit at the end of the bar and you could end up as part of the band.  Entry is complimentary to diners (21 and up).  And how does a Sunday Jazz Brunch sound?  Delicious?  Drop in from 11:30 A.M. to 2:00 P.M.

• Speaking of Sunday Jazz Brunch, Chateau Orleans in Pacific Beach serves one of those, too.  The menu here is of the Cajun persuasion, and the cornbread alone is worth the #30 bus ride to PB.  Thursdays through Saturdays, expect to hear some live blues.

• Stay on the #30 a while longer, and you can hit Clay’s La Jolla for a very nice night out at the supper club.  Thursday through Sunday, you’ll hear live jazz; but if you’re looking for music of the Big Band variety, try Sunday night.  Clay’s sits atop Hotel La Jolla, and the menu is primarily seafood — of the fine dining variety.  I do suggest you make reservations here.

• Dizzy’s showcases traveling acts as well as homegrown artists.  The music is sometimes jazz, sometimes blues, and sometimes a surprise, but always worth the trip downtown.  (For you locals, Dizzy’s is no longer at its East Village location on 7th Avenue.  Visit the new digs at the San Diego Wine & Culinary Center on 2nd & J St.  Don’t worry, kids — all ages are still welcome.)

Finally, I can’t let you go without giving up one of my favorite local secrets:

• Jazz Live is a monthly concert which broadcasts live from San Diego City College’s Saville Theatre on yours truly’s jazz station of choice, Jazz88. So far, they have had no trouble delivering heavy hitters to the stage, month after month.  I’ve been up close and personal with the likes of Bobby Hutcherson, Red Holloway and Joey DeFrancesco.  Again, if those names swing any bells for you, you know what’s up.  San Diego might be a little hipper than you thought, huh?
  

  Benny Golson at Jazz Live

Jazz Live does tend to fill up quickly since Jazz88 members get to reserve free tickets — and the Saville Theatre ain’t exactly the Hollywood Bowl — but as long as I’m giving up my secrets, here’s one more: if you get there before 7:30 the night of the show, you could score some unclaimed member tickets.  (And there are always a few unclaimed member tickets.)

What did I miss?  Any music venues near and dear to you that I should know about?

IMPORTANT UPDATE: The Temecula Valley International Jazz Festival will take place this weekend, July 10 to 12, 2009!  The festival will feature 22 performances over three days in Temecula’s wine country.  Eight local wineries, two breweries, and three jazz stations will be represented and the festivities will include extracurricular activities such as musician workshops, percussion clinics, and an art fair.  Check the website for ticket information and schedule.

Tags: dining, downtown, fun, la jolla, live music, pacific beach, things to do, what to do

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So much to see, so much to eat and so much to sip this weekend!

1. This Friday and Saturday check out the 3rd Annual San Diego International Beer Festival at the San Diego County Fair where beer lovers can sample more than 300 brews from 17 countries and 20 states.  Of course, some of San Diego’s finest craft brews will be there too; (see Kate’s Get Hoppy post below).  The event takes place in the fair’s Chevrolet Del Mar Arena from 4 -8 p.m. on Friday and noon-7 p.m. on Saturday. Ticket prices range from $20-$43 and include fair admission, a souvenir tasting cup and best of all, a wristband that provides unlimited one-ounce samplings of beer. (And you thought the fair food was something to talk about!)


chili here we come

 

2. The 30th Annual Ocean Beach Street Fair & Chili Cook-off kicks-off this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on OB’s main drag, Newport Avenue.  Here, you’ll find  live musical performances on 5 stages, 2 beer gardens, a skateboard exhibition, carnival rides, more than 200 vendors and so much more… oh yeah, and delicious chili!  I don’t know about you, but this is where I’ll be on Saturday.

 

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Tags: 5 to try, beach, birch aquarium, craft beer, cruise, festival, food, la jolla, live music, North Park, ocean beach, san diego bay, san diego county fair, snorkel, things to do

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