I am in Old Town at midnight. I am not surprised. While it is a place, without question, built for tourists, I balk at the suggestion that ‘locals don’t go there’ and such ‘traps’ should be avoided by those looking for an ‘authentic’ experience.

For me, there is nothing more authentic and alluring than the post-structuralist break-down of real and pretend. Old Town is a piece of living theater staged on the actual blood, sweat and bones of San Diego’s history. The lines between reality and mythology blur amongst historical landmarks and themed restaurants, dusty graveyards and costumed guides.