A tour of San Diego alleysJack Whalen hands me a beer. “I’m king of this alley,” Whalen says, then points west. “Down there, the king of that next alley is Tom Sweet. He’s 97.” Whalen …
October 16, 2023
Articles by Alex Finlayson
Alleys are San Diego's last frontier
Best Reader stories from 2009
A San Diego Charger football game is one thing, fandom is something elseSilva's powder blue coffin was trimmed with gold — Charger colors. His body was dressed in a jersey honoring his favorite player, Lance …
February 29, 2020
A tour of San Diego alleys
Xavier Nuez photographs alleys. His candy-colored images of urban decay have been exhibited internationally, including here at the San Diego Art Institute, and featured on NPR. Ruin is his gig. “History,” Nuez says. “Rust, bent …
September 16, 2009
The year I taught at Morse Senior High I spent $2000 on school supplies and making copies
High school is a lot like the reality show Survivor. Mismatched people are plunked into a one-way-out lawless arena where they form alliances, learn from each other, and with as much luck as skill, duke …
August 19, 2009
Reader writers' favorite drinks and where they drink them
There are times, sometimes in the midst of otherwise polite conversation, when it comes out that I make my living writing for the Reader. The follow-up to this revelation is almost never “Oh, that’s right, …
April 22, 2009
Raspberry Mojitos at JRDN
-1-1⁄4 oz. Montecristo Premium Blend -Club soda -8–10 mint leaves -2 lime wedges or 1⁄4 oz. fresh lime juice -3⁄4 oz. simple syrup -5 fresh raspberries In a tall glass, muddle 3 raspberries, torn mint …
April 22, 2009
North Clairemont library – all things to all patrons
Grace Carroll is the kind of girl you’d trust for a scoop on the San Diego scene. She’s pretty, blonde, smart. She tends bar in one of La Jolla’s hottest restaurants, where the clientele isn’t …
June 18, 2008