Dictionary Hill in Spring Valley got its name from encyclopedia salesman One of the oddest things about the Dictionary Hill area, also known as La Presa, is the way the streets were laid out on …
July 1, 2019
Latest News & Stories
Spring Valley – land of contrasts
Wild Peninsula Valdez, Argentina
I first became aware of this enormous peninsula years ago when I heard about the burgeoning whale-watching attraction there. A thousand miles south of Buenos Aires on the south Atlantic coast, this region lies at …
June 30, 2019
Bill Salisbury and the Reader
Bill Salisbury an ex-SEAL, wrote for the Reader from 1990 to 2000. Editor's picks of Salisbury stories: Bull Frog Ed Bowen takes command of Navy BUDS on heels of 1999 disaster If you like your …
June 30, 2019
David Steinman and the Reader
David Steinman wrote for the Reader from 1982 through 1986. Stories Steinman wrote: San Diego's explosives man “I’ve done Highway 94 when boulders roll out on the road and tie up traffic. I’m the one …
June 29, 2019
Faulconer brings visual aids to White House meeting with President Trump
“What’s a good Republican to do?” lamented Mayor Kevin Faulconer as he surveyed his “3D Powerpoint” presentation for the President on June 18. “Starting from my right: the portable Blue Boy tank is full of …
June 28, 2019
Bed bugs in Leucadia?
Warning . . . Crime is coming to Leucadia. Robbery. Prostitution. And worse yet . . . an infestation of bed bugs. That’s according to a two-week-long protest by a construction union. Carpenters Local 619 …
June 28, 2019
Much Ado About Machado: Manager Green defends slugger’s offensive outburst
Then again, maybe Green doesn’t mind paying $30 million for a projected 30 home runs and a .270 batting average. Franmil Reyes has 20 HRs already, and he makes $570K, so the math seems to …
June 28, 2019
Captain of industry puts the axe to La Jolla’s Lorax tree
In the town of La Jolla, at the edge of Scripps Park Grew a Monterey Cypress, full of sap, leaves, and bark. A healthy old tree, and quite famous to boot Since it helped Dr. …
June 28, 2019
Horace Greeley: Universalist, founder of the New York Tribune, and defender of human rights
Horace Greeley Love God with all the powers of your soul, and love every man as yourself; for every man is like a part of yourself, and must at last become, like you, one with …
June 28, 2019
Stormy end to Mainly Mozart
The sun was setting in Beethoven’s Symphony No.6 out beyond the reaches of the Vienna Woods, which extend to the north and southwest of the “city of music”. The final glow of the music disappeared …
June 28, 2019
Last call for Biersch
“Believe it or not,” said Douglas Hasker, “Once upon a time this was the hot shit brewery in town.” Hasker was speaking to a crowd assembled at the Gordon Biersch brewpub in Mission Valley, where …
June 28, 2019
Clothing subscriptions: not better than Ebay or Poshmark
In a market saturated with bad deals, there are few worse than men’s clothing subscription boxes. The idea is appealing on its face: pay a company a recurring fee ($20-$30 per month) and they’ll send …
June 27, 2019
Jaceli’s casual clothing from Nordstrom Rack, Lucy Paris, and Marshall’s with a fun personal touch
This month I attended a backyard BBQ in Chula Vista to celebrate my friend’s graduation. There I met Jaceli, a Chula Vista resident who is originally from Los Angeles. We both griped about our desire …
June 27, 2019
Two summer poems from Robert Louis Stevenson: Scottish poet and novelist of Treasure Island and Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Summer Sun Great is the sun, and wide he goes Through empty heaven with repose; And in the blue and glowing days More thick than rain he showers his rays. Though closer still the blinds …
June 27, 2019
Ciccia Osteria: Italian in Barrio Logan
Aztec drums thunder out from Chicano Park. Conch shells honk. It’s eight o’clock at night. People dance barefoot. Their ankle rattles sound like sleighbells. Now a woman steps forward with a smoking incense burner. It …
June 27, 2019