Last week I returned to San Diego for vacation. It has been nine years since I left America’s finest city for my hometown in New Jersey. Every winter my husband and I ask ourselves, “What …

I just returned from a marathon flight halfway around the world, where I was faced with a layover of almost seven hours in Singapore. By my calculations, that translated to almost a day before I …

Ten minutes late (on time if you’re on “hippie time,” I suppose), a woman wearing sparkly orange tennis shoes and a long velvet coat walks up to the street corner, shouting to us in a …

Like many school districts in California, Sweetwater Union High School District has been hit hard, financially. In anticipation of a $20 million shortfall, in March the district sent out over 200 pink slips to teachers, …

If you want to totally immerse yourself in rock music and the rock star lifestyle, Cleveland is the place to do it. I recently got to attend the 2012 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame …

The first Thursday of each month has the residents of North Encanto gathering at a neighbors' house. For over twenty years, this diverse, fun, quirky group has advocated for their neighborhood while socializing surrounded by …

Be not conformed to this world, but be you reformed by the renewing of your mind; that you may prove what is that good will of God, well-pleasing and perfect (Romans 12:2). This the Apostle …

In what looks like a fairly effective way of discouraging public comment, the California Coastal Commission recently sent notices to Shelter Island-area residents, informing them that the next hearing on the proposed Point Loma Townhomes …

My spouse and I just returned from our trip to Prague. We made our must-see list on the plane ride in: 6,200 miles gives you plenty of time to jot down (and agree on) all …

Miguel Herrero, a Oaxacan native, has deep roots and profound trust in both places.

“We’re going to put out teasers on the internet,” Scottie Blinn says, “and hope the show goes viral and possibly lands sponsors.” He is not particular who. “Taco stands, guitar-repair shops, car-parts stores, record stores.” …

After being cited by party-pooping cops, Sunny Rude may have to pay almost $7000 to play about 35 minutes of music.

Katherine Humphus started as a restaurant hostess; now she gives you her almond-crusted Portobello mushroom recipe.

Judy the Beauty on Duty’s Big Kitchen serves a big breakfast in South Park.

In Control I applaud you, Barb, for having the courage to take back control of your life (“Diary of a Diva,” April 18). I have been on Lexapro as well as a dozen other drugs. …

Do you not see this light blinking?” David squealed, in the same voice he uses when impersonating Vizzini from The Princess Bride, a character best known for the line, “Inconceivable!” “No,” I shrugged. “Phone’s behind …

Santee Lakes Regional Park, a waterfowl haven that started out as a wastewater treatment facility.

“I have the habit of making seemingly insurmountable goals for myself,” says Joe Mousey, an art student, musician, and promoter who will be constructing a 20-foot-tall pyramid and six 4-foot pyramids for an upcoming outdoor …

Very little honor among certain sportsmen – looking at you (again), Tiger.

San Diego State University’s $400,000 man, president Elliot Hirshman, is looking for a $45,000- to $50,000-a-year ghostwriter to be his “presidential communications manager,” according to a recent post by the university on the career networking …

Residential property owners throughout San Diego might be finding an additional charge on their annual property-tax bills if a local businessman gets his way. The extra assessment would pay for enhanced services such as trash …

A California Public Utilities commissioner has his unimpressive/brow-raising track record laid out.

The release party for Dawn Mitschele’s EP Love Remains happens Friday, April 27, at Mueller College in University Heights. “I chose this venue because I got my start at Twiggs across the street before they …

Ex–San Diego State University athletic director Jeff Schemmel exited Aztec Mesa back in November 2009, ejected by then–president Stephen Weber after it came to light in a divorce case that Schemmel had spent state funds …

Attention all spies: San Diego county sheriff Bill Gore, himself an ex–FBI special agent, is in the market for those schooled in the dark arts of espionage. “The Sheriff’s Department is seeking proposals from qualified …

Well over 200 Ocean Beach residents showed up between the veterans’ memorial and main lifeguard tower at the foot of Santa Monica Avenue on the afternoon of April 24. They were there for an event …

As a gift to the good people of San Diego, the reunited fIREHOSE crammed a Belly Up set between their two Coachella weekend appearances. The band walked onstage with little fanfare to set up some …

Blues-rock icon Bonnie Raitt's first studio album in seven years was worth the wait. In the album-cover photo of Raitt ascending stairs, she looks much younger than her senior-citizen status, and her voice and guitar …

In Thinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman writes brilliantly about how the mind works and how we make decisions. He calls one of our most consistent errors “WYSIATI,” the assumption that “what you see is …

Where do ants go when it rains? Can man and woman live on milk and potatoes alone? Why is Antarctica a continent, but the Arctic isn’t?

Short Eyes claims to play “dirt pop” because “grunge” is dead.

Tease. Prude. The Virgin. Whore. Naive. Heart-breaker. Serial Dater. Bible Thumper. Megan Looney has been called all these things.

When talking about San Diego’s Little Hurricane, it’s best to get the White Stripes comparison out of the way first. Little Hurricane is a duo with a guy singing and playing guitar and a woman …

What I remember most about Muhammad Ali Are not the fast hands and loose, graceful footwork, Or Manila or Zaire. Or even what came after­ — The slurred speech, the sad slow shuffle. No, what …

Last week a writer posed this question to online magazine Slate: “Is Madonna too old to make Madonna music?” Sonny Vincent would have a laugh. He’s just turned 59 and has no trouble still being …

Undeniably one of the most picturesque roads you’ll ever traverse, California’s Route 1 north of Santa Barbara is a largely contiguous strip of undeveloped coastline with endless, arresting views. (“Undeveloped,” as in not much there …

Bullfight protesters in Tijuana used the internet to organize a demonstration on April 22, gathering in the Plaza del Zapato, wearing T-shirts, and holding signs and placards emblazoned with slogans denouncing the notoriously Spanish spectator …

Signs of a native spring can be found in the vacant lot on the corner of Kenyon and Kemper streets in the Midway District. According to a sign posted at the site, the San Diego …

(continued from a March 29 travel story) Mada’in Saleh: Desert Tombs On my fourth day in Saudi Arabia, our group took a military plane to visit Mada’in Saleh, a pre-Islamic archaeological site of an ancient …

William Setterlund, president and director of the Accounting Academy, puts you on the road to becoming an accounting professional. First, please give me some information about your background. I’ve been in accounting for my entire …

A recent poll revealed that Californians are in favor of the idea of raising their taxes in order to pay for Sacramento's massive spending problem. Among other tax hike measures on the ballot the big …

The San Marcos Lions Club hosted their fifth annual Canine Capers Talent Show at Woodland Park on April 21, and a pair of newcomers took away the coveted Most Look-Alike trophy this year. When asked …

Early in the morning on April 17, gang members reputedly from the Eden Gardens area of Solana Beach, using black spray-paint, tagged several walls in their rival gang's territory of Encinitas. By the time the …

If you had an essential bill that more than doubled in cost since 2001, you probably wouldn’t want to pay it. Now you know how employers feel about the cost of health insurance for their …

Although it’s still debated which country invented karaoke (an abbreviated compound word meaning “empty orchestra” in Japanese), a Filipino was definitely the first to patent it in 1975. And in my brief Filipino travels, Cebu …

The board of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System avoided a controversial public vote April 19 on a $20,000 benefits increase for CEO Paul Jablonski. At the board meeting, copies of a letter from Jablonski …

Car: 2006 BMW 530i Previous cars: 1996 Ford Escort, 1986 Plymouth Voyager, 1986 Honda Civic Wagon, 1993 Honda Civic Del Sol How’s your commute? About 18 minutes from El Cajon to Kearny Mesa. Cheapest gas? …

Despite the fact that traditional, conventional farming is on a slight decline, there are still plenty of opportunities for you to grow your bank account with a career as a farmer. San Diego County has …

If we know where we are going, we are more likely to get there. A job search is the same. If one has a written goal, a direction, the possibility of achieving that goal is …

What’s it like to live in what passes for “the wilds" of San Diego County? Bill Manson finds out.

Tensions within the Sweetwater Union High School District continue to escalate. The April 16 board meeting had an overflow audience of unhappy people, but an odd conflict between boardmember John McCann and recall activist Stewart …

About 60 protesters gathered early Wednesday morning in front of the Farmers Market Building, a historic Sherman Heights structure, dating to the 1920s, whose tower and grain silo are visible to drivers on Interstate 5. …

A drive down El Cajon Boulevard leads to Alforon, the said-to-be “amazing” Lebanese restaurant. No disappointments there.

Most San Diegans need good soil for backyard gardens. Where to get it, how much, and for how much?

Singer/guitarist Kris Towne describes the music of A Scribe Amidst the Lions as “an adventure. You never know where we’re going to go next. Oftentimes we don’t even know. Think Fugazi and Pink Floyd writing …

Matthew Alice answers the question of an enthroned gent wondering if pharaohs were buried with toilets.

“A pretty much world famous dive,” the Hole is a bar in its full glory on Thursdays — $4 Stoli and Bacardi all night. And on Mondays — $2 wells and the weekly wet underwear contest. And...

When the San Diego County Fair paid $80,000 to Gym Class Heroes to be a Grandstand headliner in 2007, one talent buyer said the New York hip-hop quartet was paid $45,000 more than they would …

San Diego folk music archivist/godfather steps back into the committee to organize the Adams Avenue Roots Festival.

Phil Golden of Chula Vista Community Church says he likes to preach on John 3:16. And he won’t skip over John 3:17.

Ex–San Diegan alt-rockers Uncle Joe’s Big Ol’ Driver are returning to the studio for the first time since 1995. The new recordings will feature frontman Andrew McKeag, guitarist Dave Jass, bassist George Viduarri, and original …

In the glory days of rock ’n’ roll, artists changed all the time: Dylan went electric, became a Christian, and went back to his irascible, inscrutable self; Bowie became a different character every couple of …

Sweet, unbroken rhythm at the San Diego Museum of Art.

Last year, Inspector Bellamy. This year, Monsieur Lazhar. Both spiritually French, with an excellent central performance: Gerárd Depardieu as Bellamy, Mohamed Fellag as Lazhar. Philippe Falardeau’s French-Canadian movie dramatizes a teacher and students with exemplary …

Brendan O’Rourke must have liked helping customers over the phone for NTN Buzztime and planned to return to his job after his attack. He phoned his boss every day for a week to explain that …

Now that the Republican presidential race has been pretty much decided in Mitt Romney’s favor, staffers for the long roster of losing candidates are once again back on the job market. Those who might have …

It was two years ago this month that I sought pharmaceutical assistance for my chronic anxiety. It took awhile to get the dosage right — it was four or five visits before I could talk …

Jimmie Dale Gilmore is a singer/songwriter from Lubbock, Texas. In the early 1970s he started a band called the Flatlanders with Joe Ely and Butch Hancock. They made the first alt-country record ever, but it …

Sixty-two miles away from downtown San Diego, a strenuous three-mile hike on Five Oaks Trail. No. Dogs. Allowed.

The Irish Bären they make over at Hooley’s could just as well be called an “O’Jito.” According to Hooley’s bartender Austin Bell, his creation has all the properties of the traditional mojito but with a …

The newspaper business, not to mention the art world, has come to this: a former reporter and editor with the San Francisco Chronicle and copy editor with the New York Times turned performance artist has …

Ed Bedford digs into some Filipino soul food at Villa Manila in National City.

Woe to you of earth and sea, for this time the devil sends the beast from Oakland with mitigated wraith! And the problem is Jesus’ twin, who perished at birth, is reincarnated into a time …

For the first time in four years, the Berkley-based psychobilly band Tiger Army added a San Diego date to their tour. The show was apparently much anticipated, as there was cheering between every recorded song …

Locked in a tight battle to save his congressional seat in a newly redrawn district, San Diego Republican congressman Brian Bilbray was featured in a fundraising invitation last month that reminisced about the good old …

Excerpts from the blog of Janice Bowles, a woman unafraid to ask, “Did you knowingly marry Mr. Wrong?

Wives come and go, fantasy baseball endures.

There was a time when the San Diego Union-Tribune prophesized that an NFL player would fill this city with super sports boosters. Didn’t happen.

A narrow fellow in the grass Occasionally rides; You may have met him,—did you not, His notice sudden is. The grass divides as with a comb, A spotted shaft is seen; And then it closes …

Deal Me In, Lord In response to the article by Siobhan Braun (“Christian Card Counters,” Cover Story, April 12). Great article, Siobhan!!!! First of all, I am appalled by the attitudes of the so-called Christians …

Weathered from a 75-million-year-old sandstone cliff in La Jolla are seven sister caves. Like many other seaside caverns, these, too, have been used by pirates. Only the cargo they smuggled was human. California’s eight-year-gold rush …

The first signatories of a petition to recall Sweetwater Union High School District trustees Jim Cartmill, John McCann, and Arlie Ricasa gathered at a press conference in front of the district office on the evening …

Just north of the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego at America Plaza is an abandoned construction site that was originally going to be a high-rise office building called Two America Plaza; then the site …

Living in Italy was refreshing compared to living in Prague. After two summers of work in Rimini as a club promoter (or professional partier), I moved to Rome. I was eager to experience one of …

San Diego is known as "America's Finest City." Tijuana is often thought of as one of the world's most dangerous destinations. What do you think happens when the walls come down? I've spent a lot …

A petition drive for a revised bayfront plan has been launched in Chula Vista by a coalition of individuals, community groups, and a local business, Marine Group Boatworks. The “Better Bayfront Plan” proposes a 35-acre …

A high-speed chase that started in Oceanside on Thursday night, April 12, ended in a three-car collision on La Costa Avenue at the I-5 off ramp in Leucadia. Oceanside police observed a stolen vehicle at …

Last rainy season, after a few days touring the temples of Ankgor, I decided to visit the former French capital of northwestern Cambodia – Battambang. My guidebook explained that traveling to Battambang by speedboat was …

The U.S. State Department has been running a series of small ads in Spanish-language border newspapers’ employment sections, warning would-be job-seekers about accepting work as choferes — jobs involving the driving of vehicles across the …

A noble widow sometime lady of this town Called Richeldis, living full virtuous, Desired of Our Lady a petition, Her to honour with some work bounteous. This Blessed Virgin and Lady most gracious Granted her …

San Diego police arrived at the Santa Fe Depot on Kettner Boulevard at about 12:40 a.m. on April 11, after an Amtrak employee called 911 to report a man sitting on the rails underneath a …

Tarangire National Park is probably the least visited of the northern Tanzanian game parks and retains a real air of undiscovered Africa. The park is famous for its huge number of elephants, baobab trees and …

Nate is unassuming. He has brown hair and an average build. He wears khakis and collared three-button shirts. He isn’t flashy. He makes Christian jokes. For instance: “We should just have barcodes tattooed on our …

Last November, I wandered into the Ruby Room in Hillcrest on a Tuesday evening and had an instant oh-shit moment. Oh shit, I remember thinking when I heard the free-jazz trio onstage shift seamlessly between …

In March 2005, Darnell Johnson bought a one-bedroom condominium on a quiet, dead-end street in City Heights. He never imagined he’d be forced to fork out $50,000 to keep his home from falling into the …

When Ezequiel “Ziggy” Pelayo says, “We started Yeah Buddy Fest because we really just wanted to barbecue and party and hang out all day,” you believe him. When the 30-year-old musical renaissance buddy isn’t pouring …

Address: janicebowles.wordpress.com Author: Janice Bowles From: Carmel Valley Blogging since: February 2010 Post Title: Sandra Bullock and Jesse…Now What? Post Date: April 6, 2010 Every relationship is a dance with both people whirling around the …

Even if you haven’t heard of Mario Quintero’s bands Sleep Lady (whose bassist is his wife, Sarah Quintero) and Hialeah, if you’re a San Diego music fan, you probably own something produced at his Black …

What I like to cook are the questions people can’t answer for me. For example, if I asked how to make mashed potatoes, there would be several answers. But when I asked how to make …

Whenever I hear the word ‘tots,’ I think of Napoleon — Dynamite, that is, not Bonaparte. Bully kid: “Napoleon, give me some of your tots.” Napoleon Dynamite: “No! Go find your own!” Napoleon understood that …

Palo Verde Canyon is aptly named for the many green-stemmed palo verde trees found in this desert canyon that leads down from the Santa Rosa Mountains. A hike up this canyon leads to an old …

“The cool thing about performing funny songs is that you know immediately if the audience is enjoying the tune based on their laughter,” says rapper/rocker Rob Deez. “They’ll be laughing so hard at one line …

When asked, the Hives will say that they are the best rock band in all of Sweden, maybe even the planet. For sure, they are the biggest smartasses. “First, you will clap,” singer Howlin’ Pelle …

While some artists choosing to open a tour in San Diego might do so for the scenery or weather, Squeeze cofounder Glenn Tilbrook’s reasoning for his band coming to town on April 10 at the …

"Come sit here!" Southern hospitality hits San Diego. Darlene and Steven have just about finished their food, but as soon as they see me come into the courtyard, they toss out the invite. “We always …

"That’s nuts." I’m on the phone with an old friend in Phoenix. We’ve been talking about her son who’s playing junior varsity baseball at a suburban high school. He wants to get (have Mom buy), …

For most of us, death is not a daily affair. Our brains have difficulty processing the idea of our own nonexistence, and our hearts can’t stand considering the possibility of losing a loved one. Unless …

Hey Matt: I had a dream that we had a giant earthquake and the entire coast was under tsunami warning. I had to drive to Point Loma and rescue my dog. We lived on Sunset …

Peter Wolf Crier is a duo consisting of singer-guitarist Peter Pisano and drummer Brian Moen, and you might guess they sound like the Black Keys, the White Stripes, or other retro-minded guitar-drums duos. But Peter …

My most surreal preview was in December, 1997. I sat alone in San Diego’s single-screen Cinema 21 in Mission Valley, surrounded by what seemed like 10,000 empty seats. The vast Titanic rolled over me, on …

Sam Chammas, owner, The Whistle Stop, whistlestopbar.com The U.S. vs. John Lennon: Some may say they know enough about John Lennon already through his songs, but this documentary will blow you away with how much …

The San Diego City Council on April 10 approved (on their consent agenda) $51,000 for Family Health Centers of San Diego, to be used for their Safe Point San Diego program. Funds will be allocated …

Tomorrow is Friday the 13th, and the date marks an anniversary that some political insiders say may signify bad news for transparency at San Diego’s city hall. It was one year ago tomorrow that the …

The truism goes back centuries: “Hee that lies with the dogs, riseth with fleas.” But ten years ago, Utility Consumers’ Action Network (UCAN), the watchdog nonprofit attempting to dissolve while it is being investigated by …

Less than six months since their inaugural visit to San Diego, Rubblebucket returned as seasoned road warriors with a new album, Live in Chicago, and accompanying DVD. Appearing relaxed and joyous, the septet shredded the …

The Morning Benders recently decided to change their name to POP ETC; yes, caps lock on. As detailed in a lengthy post on the band’s old website, the cause of the change centered on their …

The true source of the bulk of a $15,000 contribution given to the 2014 reelection bid of Democratic governor Jerry Brown by the Thoroughbred Owners of California PAC has finally been revealed. As we reported …

During intermission at New Village Arts’ opening night of Buried Child, a patron said, “I’m confused.” Another replied, “Don’t worry. You’ve been paying attention.” Asked to describe what some have called a masterpiece, Sam Shepard …

Since October of last year, the Hard Rock Hotel has hosted a once-a-month concert featuring headliners that would normally play Casbah or Belly Up. And the shows are free. The Soundcheck concert series is held …

After class Thursday nights the students meet at the Philosopher’s Club. It’s right around the corner from the streetcar tracks at the West Portal tunnel. No one bothers to check I.D.s. Five or six of …

Independent Blood-Suckers Joe Deegan’s article (“Paul People,” Cover Story, April 5) on Ron Paul’s popularity with people discovering the Libertarian point of view as presented by Dr./Rep. Paul shows the tunnel vision I think most …

I am in love with the deserts of Southern California. There is no greater joy than leaving the ’burbs on a sunny Saturday, stocked up with water and sunscreen, and driving off into the beyond. …

The dissolution of Chula Vista’s Redevelopment Agency began in earnest April 9 when the newly appointed oversight board met for the first time. The board is charged with, among other things, paying off the defunct …

Sometimes life’s lessons can spring from the most unlikely places. In a book entitled “Why Smart Executives Fail,” Dartmouth College business professor Sydney Finkelstein researched 50 major corporate failures in an attempt to find common …

Avon Representative, Harold Cooks, wants you on his team. First, please tell me how you came to be an Avon salesman. Actually, I grew up with my mother using Avon products. So, I’ve always known …

If you’ve been spending more time on the golf course than looking for a new career it might be time for you to take a Mulligan and try to score a golf gig. But not …

In these tough economic times, one needs to expand the thinking; one needs to become flexible to changes in the ways in which a job search is conducted, and to open one’s mind to new …

A North County icon disappeared for a short time on Saturday, April 7. Named after the Loch Ness Monster, Nessy Burger has been around since 1989, contained in a little roadside trailer on the west …

In order to describe Iowa, you have to start with the land. Its freshly overturned sod is as black as a starless night, and a handful of dirt is richer than any potting soil you …

I’d like to invite you to a tropical paradise, one of the finest vacation destinations that I have had the pleasure of visiting. Recently my girlfriend and I set off on a two-week open-ended adventure …

Vandals attempted to break into the Starbucks at the northeast corner of Adams Avenue and Felton Street in Normal Heights early Friday morning, April 6. According to a Starbucks employee named Tray, he and fellow …

Ron Paul, a 12-term congressman from Texas, is attracting an intense and dedicated cadre of voters in the 2012 primary election season. But, to date, at least, their numbers suggest he is not a viable …

I fished my Evil Hello Kitty bejeweled phone out of my purse, saw my sister’s face on the display, and answered, “Yo, we’re standing outside of Long Island Mike’s waiting for Dad, what are you …

Chula Vista’s Design Review Committee will soon consider a six-story apartment complex on the city’s west side. The “Urbana” proposal includes 266 apartments and is situated on H Street between Third and Fourth Avenue. Last …

DJ Mark E. Quark recalls Len Paul, owner of Soma, telling him things such as “Play more industrial,” and “You’re playing too much of that techno shit.” Quark admits he pretty much ignored the suggestions, …

Between Interstate 15 and the town of Ramona lies a new gem for San Diego outdoor enthusiasts. Only recently opened to the public, the Ramona Grasslands Preserve allows hikers, joggers, and horseback riders to explore …

“Local artists,” says Ofek Hayon, “can come onto Rockcityclub.com, upload content, and [potentially] be heard by millions of listeners on Slacker.” Hayon is the chief business development officer at Las Vegas–based Rockrena, owners of Rockcityclub.com. …

Let’s face it, line dancing is about as exciting as singing “Who Let the Dogs Out?” in American Sign Language, which is to say, not terrible, provided there is drink. Luckily, In Cahoots dancehall and …

Here it is, Thursday, D-Day for the 2012 Masters. And here is Tiger Woods stepping up to the tee for his first drive. The man does have a hold on us. Only Tiger Woods could …

The first time I try to meet up with Makeda “Dread” Cheatom, she doesn’t show. I leave her a note. An hour later, she calls to apologize, and we arrange a new time for later …

"The usual,” she says. Kellie’s ahead of me in line. We’re standing between a bank of Canadian coffee dispensers and a Parisian street. Okay, a pretty darned convincing Parisian scene — on the wall. “I …

Sempra Energy, the San Diego–based utility, is wealthy by comparison with other utilities. It is obsessed with handing out its riches to its shareholders (particularly its own top executives) at the expense of its customers. …

Gregory Page’s music may not have troubled the charts just yet, but the same doesn’t hold true for his acoustic guitar, a 1953 Guild M-20. Long his favorite instrument, Page recently learned that the guitar …

Post Title: The Water Tower — Digging Up the Past Post Date: September 16, 2011 Hello from Washtenaw County, home of The University of Michigan and Eastern Michigan University. I am in Michigan doing research …

Don’t ask Scott Lewis about the layoffs at Voice of San Diego. It’s not something the chief executive cares to discuss. Back in early December, the nonprofit news organization let go reporters Emily Alpert and …

The 2012 election season is quickly shaping up as one of the busiest in recent years, and by all indications, San Diego political consultants have just begun to rake in big bucks from a variety …

“You know what a drummer once told me? That I’m a drummer’s pianist,” says Mikan Zlatkovich. “Meaning that I’m percussive. The piano has to keep the time as well.” We meet in a café in …

The Downtown San Diego Partnership, a pro-redevelopment lobbying group run by Kris Michell, ex–chief of staff to GOP mayors Susan Golding and Jerry Sanders, quietly settled up with the City’s Ethics Commission last month. Seems …

It’s easy to imagine some Hollywood exec seeing certain scenes from Tarsem Singh’s The Fall and thinking, “Holy Tentpole, boys, here’s a director who has rediscovered the art of the breathtaking vista! And look what …

Today’s folk-rock is typically made to sound like a product of the predigital age, but the success of bands such as Fleet Foxes, Mumford & Sons, and the Avett Brothers proves that the early 21st …

This is a new Shins, not the band that gave us the delicious acoustic-pop of Chutes to Narrow and Oh Inverted World. Nor the band that released Wincing the Night Away five years ago. The …

Following a compelling backstory as long as the song itself, Floridian emcee Bleubird launched into “Giehe 1977,” which chronicles a small Italian village and the home in which his great uncle was shot by Nazis. …

I wasn’t sure what to think when I first heard about Gaijin Noodle + Sake House. Taken literally, the word “gaijin” means “foreigner.” In actual usage, it means “non-Japanese.” But growing up in Hawaii, “gaijin,” …

I snagged an invitation to Easter in La Jolla this year, so I decided to bring the host some fancy Easter baskets for her two lovely daughters. I started with the basket. Joe at World …

I first became intrigued with the beaches and islands of Thailand while reading an account about a family selling their home in those halcyon days when the real estate market was skyrocketing. They intended to …

It’s Alex Toth, the trumpet-playing founder of Rubblebucket on the phone. He’s just finishing breakfast in Columbus, Missouri, a long way from home in Brooklyn. His band is touring in support of their latest, Live …

I think you’re wonderful. I’m driving my car and your name is on every mailbox. I’m kissing you and my shoes crawl away in darkness, sweet gadgets sing in my wrists, the life I dumped …

“Frisco”? Yikes! Re “Two Toronados” (Restaurants, March 22). Imagine the scene. A tourist from San Diego visits Toronado, a venerable San Francisco institution, insults the hosts by calling the city “Frisco,” revealing himself as a …

Membership: 120 Rabbi: Baruch Shalom Ezagui Age: 34 Born: Montreal, Canada Formation: Rabbinical College of Montreal, Canada; Yeshiva Geloda Lubavitch, London, England; Educational Institute Oholei Torah, Brooklyn, NY; Yeshiva Gedola of New Haven, Conn., Rabbinical …

Just after 5:00 p.m. on Monday, April 2, the electricity went haywire in the 2100 block of South El Camino Real in Oceanside, affecting 200–500 customers. Tenants in the Villa Office building at 2103 first …

A spate of baby murders has shocked the city of Tijuana with three grim discoveries around the city over the past ten days. The first infanticide was discovered on Friday, March 23, when police followed …

Another Pacific Beach day was coming to an end on the scenic sidewalk that hugged the bay. People were walking their dogs. On my right was a five-story condo built in the 1970’s, worth less …