San Diego, CA

If you haven’t heard San Diego has an IMAX theater that now plays feature films. We’ve always had an IMAX theater in Balboa Park that plays documentaries not feature full length films. I have never been to the Edwards in Mira Mesa but after hearing that I was able to watch Beowulf in IMAX 3D I had to watch it. So it takes me thirty minutes to get there as I live in the South Bay and I already know that Mira Mesa Boulevard is a busy place. Not only is it a busy place but it was Black Friday so it was even more packed. As soon as you exit I-15 you’re greeted with traffic upon traffic. It doesn’t help that the theater and a dozen other stores are right near the exit. In that little section there is Edwards Cinema, Barnes & Noble, Home Depot, Albertson’s, Panera and many more stores. It adds to the traffic and it’s definitely some place you don’t want to be unless you need to be there. But I had to watch Beowulf in IMAX 3D so we went extra early to make sure we got tickets for the show. To kill time, I ventured over to a very nice and very big Barnes & Noble. There I read some books and remembered that this is a place that many authors go to do book signings, for instance Nicole Richie was there to sign her book. After we ate at Panera to kill more time until the movie started. Once they started letting people into the theater we lined up and got good seats. The staff was very corteous and on their game being that they had to usher many people in and sold every seat in the house. The IMAX experience, especially in 3D, is very loud and interesting. Now that San Diego has their own IMAX and we won’t ever have to travel to Irvine to catch IMAX, you should go there and give it a try.

First off, forgot to wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving. I enjoyed mine and the turkey is settling in just right. Hope everyone that braved Black Friday came out alive and with what they wanted. I went to Kohl’s on Black Friday but at 10am which in my book is still early to be shopping. The lines wrapped around the store and if it wasn’t for the people I was with I would’ve been out after seeing that line. Instead, we stood in line for over 45 minutes to get checked out.

Other than that, I watched a lot of football. The Charger’s did well this Sunday taking on the Baltimore Ravens. It seemed as if Philip Rivers felt the heat from the booing fans and finally got his groove back. I just hope that he’ll be able to keep it up for the rest of the season and take us to the playoffs. Next up will be the Kansas City Chiefs and if they lose this game they’ll be out of the running because of that upset loss to Oakland. Listening to the radio, I heard a lot of good things about the Charger’s that make me hopeful that they will make it to the playoffs at least. If they can take us to the playoffs then I’ll start thinking about the Super Bowl but let’s get to one place before the other. The Charger’s are constantly being referred to as the most talented team in the NFL right now but they just haven’t been able to produce that talent on the field. With what we saw on Sunday let’s hope that they’ll just get better with time.

In a recent release by Forbes.com, they recently named America’s Fattest Cities and San Diego didn’t do too well being that they scored amongst the top 10. Other cities who landed amongst the fattest cities are Memphis, Tennessee who has an obesity level of 34% landing them in the top spot. The second spot belongs to Birmingham, Alabama with an obesity level of 31.3%. The third spot belongs to San Antonio, Texas who has an obesity level of 31.3%. So where is San Diego on this list? We earned ourselves the tenth spot on the list with an obesity level of 26.7%. Forbes has come up with reasons as to why we have such a high obesity level. One reason they claim is that our city is a heavy commuter’s city being that we don’t walk around plus being that there are a lot of Hispanics in San Diego they tend to have a higher chance of obesity. What do they say San Diego is doing to stop the trend? They are targeting obesity in kids by changing the things offered in San Diego public and private schools plus introducing more physical fitness.

I just wanted to see how the response would be if I did a contest or some sort of sweepstakes to win possibly some San Diego gift certificate to a restaurant or theme park. Would anyone be interested in that? Leave a comment so I can so how the response would be and tell me what you think would be a great giveaway to thank you for reading and coming back to this San Diego blog.

The South Bay expressway located in the South-east area of San Diego County is now open. This services the Chula Vista communities of Otay Ranch, Rolling Hills Ranch, Eastlake and San Miguel Ranch as well as Bonita, Spring Valley and Otay Mesa plus the border off the 905. It’s a much needed toll road that will lessen the amount of time it takes to get out the gridlocked area of Eastern Chula Vista. The only downside is that it is a toll road and toll prices are rather steep. Especially in San Diego, where many residents aren’t used to a toll road. Unlike New York and New Jersey where I hear there are a lot of toll roads, this is probably San Diego’s only toll road and it will remain a toll road for 35 years. But I’ve driven on it and have been using it to get around since I do live in the former gridlocked area of Chula Vista and I must say, it is a relief to get from point A to point B much quicker than before. If you open up a FasTrak account you will also save money and time on tolls because it’s a prepaid account that you just zoom by and it automatically deducts from your account plus FasTrak account holders pay less than if you were to pay upfront.

As of right now until December 2 it is free to the public to use to give it a try so go to Chula Vista’s newest shopping center, the Otay Ranch Town Center, visit the new communities of Chula Vista, or cross the border using the Otay Mesa entrance. It will become a toll road after December 2 but if you sign up for a FasTrak account you will be able to use it free of charge until January 13.

So use the opportunity to come check out the newest toll road of San Diego and the community it services.

The Charger’s past two weeks have been really up and down. Their most recent game against Jacksonville’s Jaguars was a complete let down. I was unable to watch it but the score says everything. Although I did catch the last few minutes and I was praying for a miracle but then Rivers got picked off giving Jacksonville the win. While I was listening on the radio, I heard that terrible call of pass interference on Chris Chambers which was totally uncalled for and the commentator said to him that was the worst call of this season. That aside, there are no excuses for the Charger’s poor performance.

Now if we zoom back to two weeks ago when they miraculously beat the Indianapolis Colts that also was a very disappointing and scary game. Charger’s came on strong and made Peyton Manning a very unhappy camper. But, in what seems to be a trend for the Bolts, they gave up their tremendous lead in the second half. Darren Sproles and Antonio Cromartie really helped the team out as well as other defensive players who picked off Peyton Manning. Although I love the Charger’s, that game wasn’t a great win as the Colts should’ve won if Vinatieri, probably a hall of fame kicker, didn’t miss his two field goal attempts. What adds insult to injury is hearing the Mr. Norv Turner gave a speech in the locker room saying that this win was all them and it didn’t have anything to do with luck. The Charger’s weren’t buying it and weren’t particularly happy about this miracle win. Let’s hope the boys can pick it up. Only good news is that AFC West Division is a good place to be for our team being that the four teams in it aren’t doing so well but we’re doing the best out of them. All we can do is let out a big sigh and cry about the depression that ensues when your beloved team doesn’t do so well. (and hope that they send the Baltimore Raven’s home crying next week)

Oh this leaves me with a big question. If they fire a guy who lead the Charger’s to a near perfect season, what do they do to someone like Norv Turner?? Can someone answer that for me? Please?

San Diego’s famous Wild Animal Park in North County is having their annual Festival of Lights which starts on December 7 and ends on December 30. If you’ve never been it’s a great time to see the animals at night. There are plenty of winter wonderland things to do which isn’t the norm for Southern California. The majority of the park has holiday lights hung up just like the rhino in the picture. There is a Journey into Africa tour that you can take a night and experience being up close to many exotic animals. When I went I was an arms reach away from a cheetah with no protection. This cheetah they have is very interesting in that when it was born there was a dog there and since that dog was present the cheetah recognized the dog as the dominant animal in the relationship and therefore copies and abides by the dog. Since the dog is obedient to humans, the cheetah is also. Other than animals, you can experience a balloon ride and be able to see the park in it’s entirety which is vast stretches of land so the animals are able to roam free in their natural habitat. There are also stations set up for various holiday activities such as making hats and gingerbread men. This is a really festive way to spend your night and it won’t be forgotten. We definitely need to appreciate what a wonder the Wild Animal Park is and be thankful it wasn’t directly affected by the fires.

Gwen Stefani had her second San Diego concert on October 30, 2007 at SDSU’s Cox Arena just days after the wildfires have devastated the San Diego County. There was word that she was debating as to whether or not she should just cancel the concert all together in respects as to what happened or if she should just go on as if the fires didn’t happen but she came up with the class act idea that she will donate all of the proceeds that were made on that concert to San Diego fire relief. What a great idea and I now have so much more respect for Gwen Stefani. Another person who is donating their proceeds for their own stand up gig here in San Diego is the comedian Joe Rogan. He performed last Friday and is also doing the good deed. It’s good to know that there is a helping hand that will make this process of healing our city much easier and quicker than without their help. Kudos to them and the many other who have donated money, time and effort.

It’s been an interesting week for San Diego. A week after the fires have happened the city is still in repair and will be for a while. But in times of hardship, San Diegans have really stepped up. The San Diego Super Chargers were able to devastate Houston in their lovely hometown. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger started off the ceremony as the person who flipped the coin and there was a tribute to the great firefighters who conquered the wind and fire to keep many San Diegans safe. It was a touching open ceremony. It was a great win for the Chargers and especially for San Diegans who have so many great things to be proud about. It was pronounced the Antonio show as the majority of the points were made by Antonio Gates and Antonio Cromarti. Cornerback Antonio Cromartie scored his first two career touchdowns in one game. San Diego’s defense was amazing and it didn’t hurt to have the best tight end, Antonio Gates, score also. Another touchdown was scored by the team’s newest addition, Chris Chambers, formerly of the Miami Dolphins. This will be Chamber’s, number 89, first win of the season and first touchdown as a Charger. The Bolts have really turned things around and proven that they are the team we thought they were. The big question is are they good enough to beat the New England Patriots who are having an amazing season and have a big game ahead of them as Super Bowl 42 1/2. I think the Patriots are an amazing team but there’s only one reason I dislike them. That reason is Junior Seau, former star of the Charger’s. I dislike how he “retired”, did the most awkward and uncomfortable retirement speech, then went on to come out of retirement to play for the Patriots which is an obvious move to get another chance at that coveted ring. But I digress. We can only hope that we get to meet them again in the playoffs. But for now, let’s take it a week at a time and see how they handle the Minnesota Vikings.

As the world can imagine, San Diego and many part of Southern California haven’t been a pretty sight for the last few days. Fires have ravaged many homes and business all over San Diego and have put Southern California on national news as a headlining story for all to see. I was one of the many, almost one million, who were forced to evacuated their homes in fear for their lives or at the very least losing their home. At one point in time, the first was several hundred feet from my house which is when we were told by police that our suburb was taken out of the voluntary evacuation warning and is now a mandatory evacuation zone. Many San Diegans, fled to nearby evacuation centers such as local high schools and the biggest evacuation center, Qualcomm, others found refuge from the smoke and ash floating in the air at friends and family lucky enough to still have their homes as shelter. Many were lucky to have their homes saved by the very brave fire fighters from all over saving people’s houses although they did their best, in the end many houses were just pieces of rubble. Although the fires are almost being contained they still continue to carry on but once these fires have died down there’s still the grueling process of rebuilding. So San Diego and many part of Southern California have a very long way to go. I would like to thank you for all the comments left on this site and to let you know that my house still stands, my family is in tact and we’re fine. I’ll be blogging more about this fire and it’s aftermath in later blogs. But don’t think it will be all bad news. Part of putting this in the past is picking up where we left off and that’s writing about one of America’s finest cities.

http://www.sdcountyemergency.com

If you get a reverse 911, hear the fire department knock on your door or know you’re in a necessary evacuation area don’t waste any time to get out. If you wait till you have to be rescued you’ll be wasting precious firemen labor on yourself when they could’ve been help putting out this fire. Don’t be foolish, get out.

The picture above is one that I took exactly four years ago during the cedar fire. It has been said that this may be worse than the Cedar Fire of 2003. It has been a sleepless night listening to the strong winds that are going on. There are currently eight fires burning at the moment. Keep your radios tuned in and TV kept on to know if your area needs to be evacuated. There has only been one fatality and we all need to keep it like that.

They have evacuated a huge chunk of North County which is east of I-5, south of 76 and north of 56 have been evacuated. The city is saying if you do not work for the county than do not go to work, it is not business as usual so if you’re boss says you need to come to work tell them this is more important than your job. Keep the roadways clear so the firefighters and people who need to evacuate can use them. Last do not use your cell phones. This will help the fire fighters by not jamming their frequency. Good luck and stay safe. Let’s hope that the next time I write it’s of better news.

Oh, that link up there is the San Diego County emergency update site but it, obviously, is being bombarded and is hard to access. Keep your eyes glued on the TV or listen to the radio to know what’s up.

As any long time San Diegan can tell you, when we hear the word fire we tend to be a bit worried. This will definitely be a night with little sleep for me as I was close to being evacuated during the cedar fire of 2003 and am a bit worried. I heard on the news that the fire is currently 5% contained so I hope by tomorrow morning that that number will be increased and the acres burned will not. I hope everyone in San Diego is doing fine and remember, if you’re in an area that has been issued an evacuation notice, waste no time to leave. Let’s hope these fires are contained and the last we see for a long while.

Walking towards the restaurant you already get the feeling you’re in for something different as you’re greeted by a giant tiki man and it almost makes you feel as if you’re in Hawaii. As if the name doesn’t already tell you this place is fun, then wait till you visit it. The lights are turned down low and there’s tiki decor everywhere. In the heart of downtown, The Cohn Restaurant Group, has yet another restaurant to add to their collection. I recently dined here with a group of friends and it is much more than just a place with food, it’s an experience. We started the night off right with a “Killa Kilauea.” It comes to you as sort of a spectacle with over the top extra long straws and a fire going off in the middle of the drink. The food is a bit different and may surprise you at first. They take ordinary dishes and shake them up a bit which can go both ways in the taste department. If you’re an adventurous eater then go for the more bizarre choices but if you’re not stick to what you know. A friend of mine had mashed potatoes with a hint of wasabi in them and was turned off after taking one bite. After our meal of mixed feelings, we went straight to desserts and they brought out what looked like a holder for shot glasses but instead of liquor they were filled with tiny desserts in shot glasses. I decided to have key lime pie and felt as if I didn’t get enough but settled to just finish the “Killa Kilauea.”

The prices are slightly higher than average but the experience of it all is definitely worth it. At the very least go here and just chill with friends getting their interesting twists on favorite drinks such as a Lilikoi Mojito!

San Diego Charger’s have acquired a new wide receiver from Miami, former Pro-Bowler Chris Chambers. Although this acquisition loses our chance to get first and second round draft picks, people are saying this is a good thing for the Chargers. Currently, we don’t have a superb wide receiver. What I’m hoping is that Chris Chambers will be the Randy Moss to the San Diego Chargers and will be a great fit with the rest of the team. It finally seems that the Chargers are getting more of a feel for each other and will be the team we expected them to be. They, fortunately, came into the bye week with a win under another win under their belt defeating the Oakland Raiders. After the bye week, they’ll be facing the Houston Texans and should get another win under their belt.

The weekend is upon us but what to do. As I said in my previous post, Dashboard Confessional among other artists are performing in various venues. Above is Dashboard Confessional’s music video fro Stolen which was filmed at Hotel Del Coronado. Also Halloween is just around the corner and there are a lot of scary haunted houses and parks all around San Diego. There’s the Haunted Hotel located in Downtown, Haunted Trail located in Balboa Park and the Screamzone at the Del Mar fairgrounds. Each equally scary and only around for the month of October, so get into the spirit of Halloween and get spooked if this is your thing. Plus of course on Sunday, the Raiders will be coming to town to take on our San Diego Chargers. They have a rivalry going on so it’s always commotion when these two teams play. Another event going on is San Diego’s own Oktoberfest which is happening at Ocean Beach. There’ll be plenty of sausage and beer to go around.

A really big event that happens every year in San Diego is the Miramar Air Show. This is a huge event and they project to have over 700,000 people in the span of the weekend. The Thunderbirds are going to put on a great air show and there’ll be plenty to do and watch as it marks the end of Fleet Week here in San Diego which honors the military and Miramar Air Show is the last of the many events that happen during fleet week.

So with so much to do and many I haven’t listed. It’s a great weekend in San Diego to kick back and have some fun. What events are San Diegan’s going to that I haven’t listed? Let me know.

TGIF!

Coronado Island is yet another very distinct area of San Diego. It isn’t really an island but a peninsula but the bridge that leads to Coronado Island is a very iconic symbol of San Diego. Another way of getting to San Diego is the very scenic Silver Strand which is the small peninsula that connects South Bay to Coronado Island. You can also take a ferry to Coronado Island. These three options makes getting to the island very interesting. Upon arriving there, there is plenty to do. As you could imagine there are great beaches and great food. There is also the very iconic Hotel Del Coronado which is a gorgeous Hotel that has a rich history behind it. So there’s plenty to do on the island and a lot of sight-seeing.