Whaling Bar’s failingsA lot of people who loved the old Whaling Bar (“The Whale’s Return”, Golden Dreams, April 4, 2024) for its storied history and decor of dark booths, subdued lighting, and wonderful service will …

With More Sunshine And Warmer Temperatures Lately, sycamore, liquidambar, and other decorative deciduous trees around San Diego have responded with tender bright-green foliage. Cruise down 163 through Balboa Park to appreciate the vernal splendor of …

Sunday | 21Earth Day CelebrationThis year, the Earth Day theme is “Together As One”. Join for a free, family friendly event with live music by Sister Carol, Rob Symeonn, Empress Akua, Mono Verde, and Josh …

Friday | 19Blue Whales: Return of the GiantsThe film follows two scientific expeditions: one, a high-risk mission to find a missing population of blue whales not seen in 50 years; and the other, to join …

Sunday | 14Beach & Bay Half MarathonRun through beaches, bays, resorts, and destinations: Sea World, Belmont Park, Mission Beach, Pacific Beach, Sail Bay, and Crown Point. After you cross the finish line, there will be …

Thursday | 11The Brothers ComatoseFive-piece San Francisco bluegrass band The Brothers Comatose are fronted by brothers Ben Morrison (guitar) and Alex Morrison (banjo). They’re touring in support of two full-lengths released over the past year, …

The joy your article brought meLiterary masterpiece! Thank you Georgeanne for writing such a moving and thought- provoking article. As a long time resident and walker of North Park and surrounding neighborhoods, I totally connected …

Wild Lilac (Ceanothus) Has Been Springing Its Way Eastward, reaching all the way to the Palomar, Cuyamaca, and Laguna mountains. This season’s staggered rains have led to hills painted blue and purple. Blooming lilac also …

Happy with HotchkissThank you to Georgeanne Hotchkiss for a beautiful essay (“Mama and Me”, Cover Story, March 21), and to the Reader for being a venue for voices like hers.Jarrett HaleyRancho PenasquitosMemories stirred by “Mama …

March Is the Proverbial Windy Month here in San Diego, as in most places. From midday to late afternoon, sun-warmed air expands and rises over the county’s interior, drawing in an influx of cool air …

Prunes are okayThanks to Ken Leighton, we now have the perfect description of traffic and how it should flow (“Unintended results of five roundabouts in Oceanside”, Neighborhood News, Feb. 26). He is complaining that five …

India Hawthorn (Rhaphiolepsis indica) is one of the most common flowering shrubs used in landscaping as hedges and dividers in San Diego. It is blooming best right now, with blossoms ranging in hue from pinkish …

Reader seeker’s lamentWe’re long-time residents in San Diego, and one of the highlights of Wednesday has always been a walk to the local market to get our copy of the Reader in order to plan our …

Ornamental Peach Trees, with radiant white and pink blossoms, are lighting up the manicured landscape in Balboa Park’s west side. These and other “stone-fruit” trees, with and without edible fruits, belong to the genus Prunus. …

School-stopping squawksGreat, fun article on birding in San Diego (“Parrots, Godwits, and Bushtits”, Cover Story, February 28). So nice to see an article that doesn’t involve guns or politics. I taught with Janis when PB …

Irregular haiku, inappropriate bioDear San Diego Reader, I often read your Events section, the Outdoors column, and I also occasionally read the Rhyme & Verse poetry of the week. This week in the (“Seventeen Haiku”, …

The Pleasantly Pungent Odor Of Sage is filling the air wherever native vegetation grows on the county’s coastal and lower-foothill slopes. Most common are the black sage, with its tight clusters of small, white flowers; the …

Old Surfer Dude recommends respectI feel I have the cred to comment on this article (“Kooks and Chaos”, Cover Story, February 8), since I have the experience, expertise, and age. What it comes down to …

Lupines, Whose Spiky, Purple (Sometimes Yellow) Flower Clusters adorn grassy areas and disturbed patches of soil, are beginning to pop up all over San Diego County. If desert rainfall continues, you’ll spot lupines along the sandy …

Thursday | 22OrianthiPlatinum-selling recording artist, Orianthi takes the stage at Belly Up to tease her upcoming album, "Rock Candy."Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist Orianthi first earned widespread notice in 2009 as Michael Jackson’s lead guitarist for …

The Frost-Nipped Legacies of the this winter’s cold spells aren’t hard to spot, especially in the inland areas where overnight lows dipped to below freezing. Look for brown lawns, half-dead-looking avocado trees, and wilted ornamental …

Dock Totals 2/4 – 2/10: 208 anglers aboard 12 half-day to 3-day trips out of San Diego landings over the past week caught 14 calico bass, 1 halibut, 64 lobster (142 released), 38 perch, 62 …

In more bad news for 2024, Mojo Nixon has passed away. Nixon was born Neill Kirby McMillan, Jr., on August 2, 1957 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. A part of the psychobilly movement, he was …

Hope for the future?Holy crap, mere days after I wrote calling the Reader a right wing rag (for a stolen bike piece) you said “hold my beer” and published a sympathetic puff piece on Ashli …

If You’ve Seen Large Swatches of Yellow around town lately, it could be acacia longifolia. The South Eastern Australian native is a fast-growing, bushy, evergreen shrub that can grow to over twenty feet tall and almost …

Sorry, not sorry for Ashli and familyI know Babbitt is someone’s daughter/wife/friend, but Capitol police showed incredible restraint by not firing at will on this deluded group of thugs (“Questions Ashli Babbitt left behind”, Cover …

Hummingbirds are zipping around San Diego County’s backyard gardens, scrub-covered coastal hillsides, and the warming Anza-Borrego Desert. Seasonal hummingbirds are making their way back to Southern California in preparation for breeding season in early Spring. …

Wistful for WilkI want to say thank you to David Levinson Wilk, whose final crossword appeared in an early January edition of the Reader (Crossword, January 4, 2024). For years, Wilk’s puzzles were much more fun …

Ornamental Pear Trees, one of the earliest-to-bloom trees in San Diego, are about to bear their white flowers. The thousands of blossoms appear in sheets and clusters, looking rather like snow when viewed from a …

Highest Monthly Rainfall totals in San Diego are most likely to occur in January and February (about 1.9 inches each, on average) according to weather-service statistics. If low temperatures accompany the typical Pacific storms of this …

Piqued Potato Chip populist protestsRyan Brothers, we get it. All of your journalists, (I mean you too, Siobhan), are displeased with the dystopian potato chip (“Potato Chip Rock from Poway”, Roam, January 5, 2024). While …

Recent Big Ocean Swells and wild surf conditions left some area beaches partially or wholly denuded of sand. The powerful waves pulled sand off the beach and moved it into deeper waters offshore, leaving behind …

Recent Chilly Days and Nights only confirm that San Diego’s lowest temperatures (according to more than a century of weather records) tend to occur during the month of January. January’s mean temperature at Lindbergh Field …

Gray Whale Migration Off San Diego County’s Coast peaks from now until February. The best view spots from land are high points close to the surf. Aside from the whale watching overlook at Cabrillo National …

Dan: a man with a planDan has a vision predicated on many trips around the world. He knows firsthand what world-class cities have for infrastructure and transportation.Dan is going to reform the political corruption that …

Poinsettias, a favorite of backyard gardeners, are now exhibiting their scarlet, petal-like bracts, just in time for the holidays. The onset of 14-hour-long nights triggers their scarlet behavior: In San Diego this condition is met …

Tree Aloes, the familiar succulent plants with red-hot-pokerlike flower clusters, are at their blooming best in January, but are showing off already around town. Large clumps of aloes can be seen at La Jolla Cove, …

Spelunkers are nutsYeah, just a brief comment on your story, (“Why do I do this? A conversation with the rational voice in Thunder Canyon Cave”, Cover Story, Nov. 23). About 72 years ago on the …

Shorebird-Watching enters its most agreeable season this month, with migrant and resident birds sharing common winter grounds. Egrets, herons, terns, and a variety of other species provide endless entertainment as they go about the business …

Ilustration by Oleh Kuzminskyi, Getty ImagesThe Nutcracker1100 Third AvenueDowntownThere are many, many Nutcrackers out there. If you haven’t seen this one, then maybe it’s time. The day may come when the San Diego Civic Theatre …

Loss of moral compassIt’s crazy that you will allow such a disgraceful lie to be published on your site (“How Scholder Got His Groove Back”, SD on the QT, Oct. 6, 2023). This is defamation …

San Diego’s Earliest Sunset (4:42 pm) Occurs December 3, a date that does not coincide with the shortest day (winter solstice – December 21) because of factors relating to the non-circular shape of Earth’s orbit …

Fish story vs. surf taleYes, I enjoyed the story (“Big Fish Small Boat,” Cover Story, Nov. 9). It reminded me of my younger brother Scott Cherry, who got his picture in Surfer magazine when he …

Extreme High and Low Tides are set to occur over several days in late November. On Sunday, November 25, the tide reaches a high of 7.22 feet at 7:50 am and then falls to -1.31 …

November’s and December’s Vividly Colorful Sunsets and sunrises are no accident. This is the time of year when high cirrus clouds, often the precursors of storms, sweep through our area with some regularity. When cirrus …

Sycamores, found in San Diego’s coastal and foothill canyons as well as in suburban and park landscaping, stand at their autumnal best this time of year. Stroll beneath their crispy, rustling canopies and catch the …

Will miss nude weekendsI read your article, (“Naked Hostilities”, Cover Story, Oct. 26), with great interest. We used to travel to De Anza Springs Resort often from the time that the Landmans first opened the …

Autumn Color in San Diego County’s mountains reaches its greatest intensity in late October and early November. The forested heights of Palomar Mountain are especially colorful right now. Black oaks on Palomar’s rolling uplands will …

Sunday | 5Fall Back FestivalHistorical street faire to learn about San Diego’s cultural history by participating in an assortment of activities and demonstrations. Observe a blacksmith displaying his trade, enter in a pie eating contest, …

Extreme High Tides Are Occurring This Weekend, Saturday’s will be +7.09 feet at 9:18 am, Sunday will be +7.19 feet at 9:50 am, and Monday +7.05 feet at 10:22 am. If we get large waves …