Amazon’s got everything, but some illusions must be kept alive.

New Orleans-style jazz outfit Euphoria Brass Band will debut their new CD at Panama 66 in Balboa Park on Friday, March 31. Santee reggae band Strictly Skunk has a CD release planned for April 1 …

Gaslamp. Monday night. It’s a concert, for one. Sarah the street violinist has got me glued to her spot on the sidewalk at Fifth and F. Because, hey, she’s playing Umm Kulthum’s “Enta Omri” — …

Brandon Curry, bar manager at the Patio on Goldfinch, presumed that the rollercoaster ride that was Super Bowl XLI would end with the Atlanta Falcons joining the New York Giants (who did it twice) as …

San Diego’s Republican county supervisors say they are gunning for legislation introduced by the local Democratic Assembly delegation that would allow for charter amendments requiring a general-election runoff for the top two finishers in primary …

Owners of The Patio restaurant group are hoping for approval from Civic San Diego of its application to build a 126-square-foot pedestrian plaza in front of its Harvest by the Patio eatery, at 369 10th …

While the value of winning a San Diego Music Award is unclear, some insiders joke that in 2014, SDMA love seemed like the kiss of death. Just after Burning of Rome won three awards (Song …

The first sign that The Boss Baby will be a pleasant surprise — and not simply an exercise in sticking Alec Baldwin’s Scotch-mellowed tycoon’s rasp in the mouth of a CGI infant and chuckling at …

April The sweetest thing, I thought At one time, between earth and heaven Was the first smile When mist has been forgiven And the sun has stolen out, Peered, and resolved to shine at seven …

My friend Marie is headed to the Emerald Isle in May. “My husband’s brother is taking us,” she explained over brunch last week, “and we will be staying one week in Killarney. Passports are in, …

Theatrical wizard David Belasco (1853–1931) was a major link between 19th- and 20th-century theater. Instead of deep-fried, scenery-chomping acting, he demanded a more naturalistic style and detailed sets famous for their “tidiness.” He banished footlights …

Mandi Jo Miller wasn’t looking for a new career when a chance meeting redirected her path in life on New Year’s Eve in 2008. “I met a music therapist in a bar,” says Miller. “I …

Nestled on the north end of the UCSD campus, the trail through the Ecological Park is a true hidden treasure. The trail meanders through sections of the university’s planted Eucalyptus Grove and the Ecological Reserve, …

Hi, DJ Stevens: Are you a real DJ or are those your initials? — PM (initials) I wouldn’t say I’m not a DJ. Calvin Harris has been biting my style for years. He knows I …

Each morning I wake up to the continuous hum of the traffic on I-5, crawl out of my bed, and take one step into the bathroom. After I shower — the shower being only half …

A band with a couple of directions: one is old-timey country-western and one is swayed by the look and feel of the rock-and-roll music that Great Britain exported to the U.S. 50 years ago. The …

Beds: 6 Baths: 6 Current Owner: Mark Van Oene List Price: $8,800,000 “It’s getting harder to find a property like this,” warn listing materials for the “magnificent Del Mar Craftsman estate” constructed in 1997 at …

On January 26, San Diego County’s water authority exulted that the drought was over. On March 22, the New York Times wrote, “We have some good news on the California drought.” The huge snowpack in …

The seven small lakes called Santee Lakes began as part of a recycling plant. In 1960, the district started recycling wastewater for irrigation and commercial uses. The seven lakes were at the end of that …

San Diego State University, its future clouded by a brewing fight for control of Mission Valley’s Qualcomm Stadium site, along with the imminent departure of president Elliot Hirshman for greener financial pastures at Maryland’s Stevenson …

First United Methodist Church Membership: 650 Pastor: Brian T. Parcel Age: 42 Born: Taft Formation: Louisiana, Northwestern State University, Natchitoches, LA; Claremont School of Theology Years Ordained: 16 San Diego Reader: How long do you …

Why Are They in TJ? Re: “Gateway between Worlds,” March 23 cover story I recently went to Tijuana to see architecture — a getaway day. I saw something there I haven’t seen before. I saw …