phoenix: lux coffeebar

we stopped by lux coffeebar on our way out of phoenix today to get a caffeine fix for the road and couldn't have been more pleased with our choice. lots of modernist furniture, good music and several outdoor tables made this an enjoyable last stop in phoenix. while my iced soy latte arrived as the hot version, i couldn't turn it down when i saw the artfully-drawn leaf on top.

phoenix: f w

the new phoenix cardinals stadium in glendale (it's shaped like a big barrel cactus, and has a natural playing field that glides into place from outside) has these huge letters and numbers to orient the typical drunken football fan, apparently. we took the opportunity to express our feelings at the symbology one of them offered.

phoenix: matt's big breakfast

matt's big breakfast may be in a lonely spot in the roosevelt neighborhood north of downtown, but hopefully that won't be for long. we pulled up at 10am on a sunday morning and nearly kept going when we saw the line. but given the paucity of independent dining options in phoenix we waited the half hour to get in to the small restaurant - only about 10 tables, plus a small counter. it was well worth the wait, since the food (a salami scramble, in my case) was great, the staff friendly and fun, and the atmosphere inviting. and christopher, the 5-year old son of one of the staff ("i was only three when that picture was taken" he said about his picture on the wall) told us to come back again soon. we will.

this restaurant could easily serve as an anchor for further non-chain development in the area - those phoenix hipsters in the photo above could well use some trendy clothing stores on the street, to browse through after finishing their hearty breakfasts.

phoenix: copper star coffee

we went to phoenix this weekend to visit friends and catch some padres spring training. on saturday we stopped in to copper star coffee in the melrose section of phoenix, which is attempting to become a new gay area for the city. copper star sits in a converted gas station and has a smallish side patio, but a large opening into the cafe, which gives it an open, breezy feel. interesting art, cool bathroom doors and comfortable yet fun-looking couches make up the interior. a good alternative to the ubiquitous starbucks throughout this suburban city.

wtf?

as simon cowell would say, "absolutely dreadful". and look at those massive shoes! i can't sum it up any better than today's letters to the editor about the new "unconditional surrender" statue on the bayfront.

monte verde

i had the pleasure of watching a taped san diego planning council meeting this morning that reminded me of exactly why i'd never live in a place like university city. the meeting was about the massive (four 30 story-plus buildings) proposed new monte verde condo development at gilman and la jolla drive in university town centre. while the project is totally out of scale with the area, and the developer is basically ignoring the required zoning for the parcel (a hotel, which is not needed), the head of the university city community group opposing the project was so irritating, so NIMBY, i found myself wishing they'd turn her community into high-rise heaven.

in the utc area of university city, you already have a fairly dense residential area, supported by a mall, grocery stores, etc., and it's located right between two major transportation corridors. a new "super loop" shuttle is on its way to bus folks around to employment centers in the area, and ucsd nearby. so why not make it more dense? because if you're the head of the community group, you're not interested in taking your community to the next level - you just want it to remain the same place it was back in the 70's, which is just another suburb. so what if it's in a prime location with major employers, a mall, transportation options, hotels and other amenities? the area is a perfect candidate to be more dense via smart growth projects. no, instead you'd rather whine that you're "sick and tired of what this city is doing to us". that's after proclaiming how many votes you got last time as the community group leader.

look, accept the fact that some communities change over time (she'd be great in manhattan) and if you can't deal with that, move to ramona. and her delivery - sarcastic, angry, irrational - didn't help matters. so while i recognize the problems with monte verde - primarily the traffic impact - it couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of people, apparently.

jayne's addiction

had a very enjoyable evening at jayne's gastropub in normal heights last night. jay and i drove over there with our friend david who is moving back here from san francisco, and we met his friends there who live a couple of blocks over from jaynes. the restaurant, which is relatively small and divided into two rooms, was about half full, and we sat at the bar in the entry room for a bit. the gleaming kitchen is in plain view beyond the bar area, and two inviting bistro tables offer views of the street. we had a drink and were quickly seated in the main room, with tasteful large mirrors on the walls. jay said it reminded him of balthazar in nyc.

several of the entrees looked appealing, but since we'd had a very late lunch at rancho's down 30th (and honestly were still full), we limited our choices to some of the smaller plates - like a deliciously-seasoned jayne's burger, two orders of modest-sized but crispy fish and chips, some decent calamari, and a refreshing salad. while the food was good (maybe a bit pricey), the atmosphere was even better, with relaxing lighting and what looked to be the original tile flooring. there's a big patio out back that jayne's' co-owner said will be open soon - maybe in time for the new breakfast service that will start shortly.

in fact, our conversation with the co-owner was a highlight of the evening. he said they were going for a san francisco feel with the place, and it did remind me of something i'd see in north beach. it makes you wonder why there aren't more places like jaynes in san diego, that offer solid food and service, and a charming atmosphere without pretension.

new resort for chula

chula vista's industrialized harborfront is a prime example of unmet potential, something that is all too frequent in the san diego region. however, with yesterday's announcement of the proposed
gaylord resort complex, things are looking up for this often-overlooked city just to the south of san diego. gaylord hotels run several large hotel/convention center/entertainment complexes across the country, and some of the architectural designs are actually pretty interesting. from the looks of the rendering above, this one looks good too. after all, there's no reason there shouldn't be hotels and entertainment at such a premier location, and close to the tens of thousands of new homes build in east chula recently.

if it gets approved, i'll be looking forward to toasting a san diego sunset from the restaurant/club proposed for the top of the building. there's really only one place to do that now in downtown san diego, and that's the stuffy hyatt - part of the wall that doug manchester built between downtown and the harbor. i'll pass. this resort will integrate parks and access to the bay. cheers to the san diego region finally starting to realize its potential.

starlight bowl reopening

the starlight theatre in balboa park has reopened with some local music shows. to be honest, i never knew this place existed, and i bike through balboa park all the time. apparently it's next to the air and space museum, which puts it at the south end of the park and directly under the flight path to lindbergh.

i'm all for as many open-air venues in san diego as possible. my favorite is the embarcadero location right on the bay, just beyond where the convention center walls off the bay. of course, the uptight conservatives in coronado across the bay have had their way and shut the place down for non-symphonic concerts. i'm guessing it was the menacing bass line from radiohead's "national anthem" that really put them over the edge. anyway, as this review in prefixmag makes evident, the location and weather for that concert helped turn the show into an incredible experience. let's hope the starlight can book some bigger bands to create some new memorable evenings.

old-school 'hoods reborn

it's interesting to see kensington influencing the design of another new san diego neighborhood, del sur. this one's in ritzy rancho santa fe, so you better be rich if you want to buy. the article, in voiceofsandiego.org, points out that while the homes are 80 years old in kensington (what's wrong with that?) they're not a long freeway drive away from the city, and enjoy better amenities. of course, unless you live in the north kensington house pictured above, they don't have 6 bedrooms and 7 baths like those in del sur either. you can't have it all, i guess.

unfortunately you need to be at a pretty high price point for your developer to consider old school 'hoods in their design plans. let's hope the idea trickles down to the ticky-tacky box builders someday.

cowles mountain hike

it was perfect weather for a hike last weekend so we hit the nearby cowles mountain in mission trails regional park. i really enjoy the hike because it's only about 15 minutes from our house, yet offers spectacular views of downtown, the bay, and the offshore islands. look in the other direction (east) and you'll see some real mountains (well by san diego standards) in the laguna chain, shown above.

march has consistently been cool and cloudy since i've moved to san diego. but we've had 7 straight beautiful, warm days now - and a big warmup coming for the weekend. meanwhile the high was 6 degrees (with a -20 wind chill) in my hometown of albany ny. i won't be moving back anytime soon.

jayne's gastropub

we've been meaning to stop into jayne's gastropub, which opened recently in normal heights. actually we did stop in to grab a menu, but they were just closing up after lunch. now they're open for dinner only, and the good reviews keep popping up. we'll try to get over there this weekend.

what is a gastropub? according to wikipedia: "public house ('pub') which specializes in high-quality food a step above the more basic 'pub grub.' Gastropubs usually have an atmosphere which is relaxed and a focus on offering a particular cuisine prepared as well as it is in the best restaurants". sounds good to me...