Japanese Friendship Garden
The first time I went to the Japanese Friendship Garden in Balboa Park, I was a tad disappointed that I could easily walk through the entire garden in five minutes. I’d been hoping for acres and acres of koi ponds …
Cuppa Soup: Filter Coffee House
Saturday afternoon, 3:00 p.m. I’ve missed lunch and am hungry as hell. But early dinner plans make me hesitant to eat anything too filling. Already on 30th, I stop at Filter Coffee House for a cup of soup. Filter North …
$10 Lunch (for Two): Target
We eat well at home. Salad accompanies the pasta every time it’s my turn to cook. When my husband cooks, it’s brown rice and green vegetables most of the time. And so, on days when the errands have piled up …
Education of a Theater Lover: The Broken Light Board
“Lighting supplies an enormous amount of subconscious information. It illuminates, but it also tells the audience where to look,” says Luke Olson, who created the lighting design for A Raisin in the Sun, currently showing at Moxie Theatre. He offers …
$10 Lunch: Swami's
One of the 99 reviews of Swami’s on Yelp begins, “This place is simply an amazing organic food restaurant.” Though this, for some, may be a big draw, it makes me want to run. But S swears by the place, …
Super Sticky Bun and Fun Bathroom Art at Cosmos Coffee Cafe
My friend S wanted to meet for lunch in La Mesa. But that wouldn’t be ‘til noon, and I needed a place to get some work done in the meantime. S sent me to Cosmos Coffee Café. I expected something …
2011 Craig Noel Awards at Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego
If you were out gallivanting through San Diego last night, you may have noticed the absence of local theater people in the city streets. This is because they were all gathered (and dressed quite fancily, I might add) at the …
Olympic Training Center
When I head for the Olympic Training Center, I have dreams of watching gymnasts fling themselves around on the uneven parallel bars or catching sight of some hulk of a dude sprint in tight shorts while his coach times him …
$10 Lunch: Aunt Emma's Pancakes
I have a fondness for diners. They remind me of the cigarettes, coffee, and grilled-cheese sandwiches (if I could afford it) of my poetry days, when all I ever wanted was to be alone with my notebook and my deep …
Proletariat Sushi in Hillcrest
I’ve been going to Kiki Sushi for years. I believe that narrow dining patio in Hillcrest was the first place I ate sushi in San Diego. On nights when I want to be alone, I sometimes go to Kiki with …
Great Coffee and a Strangely Dense Pastry at Urban Grind
It’s 9:30 a.m. My next meeting’s not until 10:00, and it’s only a quick five-minute drive from here, which means I have 25 minutes to spare. I wander into Urban Grind and spy an almond croissant piled high with powdered …
$10 Lunch: Urban Plates
When I mention I’m looking for a $10 lunch, a girlfriend of mine who lives in Del Mar says, “I’ve got a $10 lunch for you,” and takes me to Urban Plates. This is before I know Mary Beth has …
Art, Sharks, and Eagles at the Chula Vista Nature Center
At 2:30 on a Monday afternoon, we were the only people at the shuttle stop, waiting for a ride to the Chula Vista Nature Center. By the time the shuttle arrived (it comes every 15 minutes), we had been joined …
$10 Lunch (for two!): Cali Baguette Express
Say the word “sandwich” and my first thought is, Blah. I eat them, yes, but rarely do they move me. The banh mi (Vietnamese sandwiches) at Cali Baguette Express, however, do move me. I've said it before, and I'll say …
Dancing, Drumming, Plays, Movies, AND Reggae? Score!
If you’ve ever lived in New York, you understand that when you first leave to seek out the rest of the world, the rest of the world seems lacking — in so many ways. My big shocker when I moved …
Happiness for Two at Flavors of East Africa
I’m big on atmosphere. Give me a place where the music and the decor aid my fantasies of world travel or lux living, and I can forgive bad coffee or mediocre fare. My husband, M, can shrug off a cafeteria-like …
Nice Happy Hour Find at — Gasp! — a Chain
Having recently relocated from the land of cheap, multi-culti eateries (City Heights) to the kingdom of chain restaurants (Eastlake), I feared that my options for I’m-not-cooking-tonight-but-don’t-want-to-spend-a-lot would be limited to Chik-fil-A and Pick Up Stix (neither of which I’ve ever …