street scene 2008

(flaming lips' wayne coyne, street scene 2005; source: creative commons)

earlier this week i was googling for information on street scene 2008, wondering if there'd even be an event after last year's debacle, and there was absolutely nothing to be found - not even on their dormant website. a couple of days later rob hagey shook things up by announcing his intention to return street scene to downtown. yet upon closer examination, it turned out he hasn't actually secured a location there, and apparently hasn't even talked to petco park owners about using their parking lots, which is where it was last held downtown.

how can street scene return to downtown when it had to leave due to growing too large, and lack of space there? i didn't attend the 2004 event in the petco lots, but the only problem i remember hearing about was that the trolley couldn't get through at times due to large crowds. seems like a few barriers would solve that problem. there's still plenty of space in that area, and hagey is scheduling on a weekend when the padres are not in town. between these lots, park at the park, and the stadium itself, a decent-sized festival could probably fit. including the area behind the convention center is a great idea, except that those uptight coronadians somehow get to tell us all that only soft music can be played there. anyway, with the underwhelming lineup at this year's coachella (save saturday), hagey wouldn't look too bad in comparison if he puts together a modest southern california music festival this year.

i still don't understand why balboa park is completely out of the picture, other than the snooty residents and park committee members who downed it last time. while hagey apparently wanted to shut down part of 6th ave., there's got to be a way to make the festival doable in the park. after all, they're holding outside lands fest in golden gate park, so why can't we do the same? just, please - no jack johnson bro!

hartley hearts kensington

apparently tired of canvassing the neighborhood all day, former city councilman john hartley was arrested for urinating and rubbing one out in his car on the block behind my house. john, i know there's lots of attractive people in kensington, but you couldn't drive back to your home in normal heights before you started spanking?

i met john several years back when he was doing the same thing (canvassing, not seasoning his meat), and he seemed like a genuinely nice guy. our friend across the street had just been canvassed by him a couple of hours before the arrest.

what's strange is, why pee into a cup? just go over to kensington coffee and take care of business. maybe he was just shaking the last few drips and that got mistaken for masturbation, but who knows. it's got to be humiliating, but look on the bright side: he's nailed the pervert vote in district 3.

north embarcadeo visionary plan

we went to the north embarcadero visionary plan public workshop tonight near seaport village. this is the overhaul of the entire embarcadero area, or san diego's porch on the bay, which is currently dominated by a wide, pedestrian-unfriendly road, and tons of parking right on the bay. the current focus of the project is phase one, which will involve making over the broadway/harbor drive area along the waterfront. it's a 20 million dollar phase in a 200+ million dollar project.

it was good to see that the project architects and a relatively small turnout of the public were both devoted to making this a successful project. we missed the beginning (note to ccdc/port authority - it's tough to make a 5:30 meeting downtown unless you work there), but caught the end of the proposed landscaping presentation. landscaping at the site will be represented by large palms lining both sides of harbor dr., and potentially a median strip of palms. architecture-wise, plans for a round public information/tickets building on the waterfront seem to have been dumped for more flexible, airy architecture that could be moved as needed. i think any architecture should be as unobtrusive as possible, since the harbor is the real focus here, and there are plenty of other opportunities to create defining architecture nearby. the architects are very conscious of not blocking sight lines. also interesting was the talk on lighting, and the designer is very aware of potential maintenance and light pollution issues. i'd like to see some lighting that complements the blue LED's to be installed under the coronado bridge. finally, the briefly-mentioned (during my time there) arts walk, one block north of broadway, sounds very interesting.

more meetings are scheduled (if you can get up for a 9 am saturday meeting) and its critical that the public provide its input. potential issues with several of the project's plans that i hadn't even considered were raised by the thoughtful residents there.

it will be fun to see this area change in the next several years, considering how high profile (and neglected) it is now. after all, it's one of the first things many tourists see after landing at lindbergh, or disembarking from their cruise ship.

cafe bassam; bankers hill

i've been meaning to check out cafe bassam since it moved to bankers hill from its gaslamp location a while back, and we dropped in around sunset saturday after a long day working in the yard. it's in the giant alicante condo building on the 3000 block between fourth and fifth.





while the space is much more modern than their old digs, they've gone to great lengths to give it a classy, elegant feel. yet it's also relaxed and quiet, the perfect place to kick back after the yard workout. lots of antiques on display, including a great old thermometer hanging up high, loads of rustic furniture and rich, dark colors througout. the fantastic tea selection still takes up much of the counter. my soy latte was the best in recent memory. unfortunately we had stuffed ourselves at bistro d'asia in university heights, so we couldn't sample the paninis or pastries.

this part of bankers hill has a lot of potential for street life with all the high-rise development going on, and interesting ground-floor retail filling in. the caliph is across the street, and you've got to love their phallic sign:



and marilyn out back on top of the smoking patio:



we were in the neighborhood to knock off some more photos for my nerdy irving gill homes map, but we went a big 0-for-4. all three of his houses near 6th and redwood are gone (something is going in just south of park manor), even though all were present in 1979, according to an old article on the san diego historical society website. after we crossed the quince street pedestrian bridge to hunt down another one on 2nd st., chasing the remaining light, we were greeted by a wall of hedges blocking any shot of the house. still, bankers hill has got to have some of the best architecture in the entire city, and its fun just to wander the streets and admire it.

as we headed south we ran across mukashi at 2706 5th ave; the light was getting low:



i like how they've converted a space like this into a restaurant and market, and it's got to be the only sushi option in that area. extra points for the neat japanese garden out front. apparently it will inclue a "country style japanese market" selling fish, sauces, produce and tea, and will be open early - 7 am. some warning flags came up when i perused that sample menu though ... what's up with the $15 rolls and $20 grilled teriyaki? and i don't think i've ever paid $7 for a miso soup before. if you want your sushi bankers hill, you're going to pay for it.

further south we passed a new wine bar, wet stone (1927 4th ave) with its warm red glow spilling into the street. looks inviting and will have to visit, but the fake positive reviews on yelp are kind of creepy.

speaking of wine bars, they seem to be popping up all over. mission hills cafe will become olivetti, and a new wine bar will open next door to (and by the owners of) arrivederci in hillcrest. but that's another post.

cosmo comeback?

the union tribune reported today that the developer of cosmopolitan square, the condo project on the northwest side of petco park, is filing for bankruptcy, making it the biggest bust (25.5 million spent to acquire the property) of any downtown condo project. while the developer, simplon corp., says bankruptcy is a positive step for securing more financing, the article states that they've been given plenty of extensions thus far and have failed to show the money.

to improve chances of getting that financing, the project has changed to include a hotel and very high end condos. hopefully they can retain the interesting look of the project, but its disappointing to hear the new fire station (replacing the old one on the block) won't be built.

the article mentions some other failed condo projects downtown, including atmosphere on 5th and ash, and another simplon affiliate project at front and ash. while not downtown, they neglected to mention mi arbolito next to balboa park, which has once again run out of money (according to our friends down the street) and is just sitting there, nearly finished. weird things about this building: the lack of any windows on one of the prime view sides of the building, and the 80's-looking glass blocks near the front entrance of each unit. as that old british actor on extras said, "TACKY SHIT!".

boycott the bigots

imagine if you stayed at a hotel and gave your money to someone who then used your money against you - to deny you equal rights, to keep you a second-class citizen, to make sure that you pay the same taxes as everyone else but receive less benefits than most of them. you'd be pretty pissed, right? well to every gay and lesbian traveller who's stayed at manchester grand hyatt or the doug manchester-owned san diego marriott nearby, that's exactly how you should feel.

the union tribune reported saturday that dougie has given a staggering amount of money to an anti-gay initiative to amend the state constitution to deny gays the right to marry. we're not talking about a mere 10 or 20K here, but rather an eye-popping one hundred and twenty five thousand dollars. that's not just saying you don't like the gays - that's saying you really don't like the gays and you're going out of your way to show it. by the way, dougie's cool with the gays who work for him - he just doesn't think they should have the same rights and benefits he has, because the bible tells him so. never mind that the us constitution implies a separation of church and state, or that the 14th amendment implies equal rights for all.

what's great about this story is that manchester is already a massive prick - here's a guy who's walled off the harbor with cold, onion-garnering architecture, disregarding the public's concerns about bay access. he's fighting the city and its citizens (and threatening massive lawsuits if we dare cross him) to retain control over another waterfront project that shouldn't belong to him - the naval broadway complex downtown. and he's the poster child for the good old boy network of fat cat developers who control the politicians through big donations, and who really run this conservative town.

well now you can call him a massive bigoted prick, because he feels his personal religious beliefs give him the right to deny equal rights to his fellow citizens. and you can add terry caster, who runs a-1 storage and robert hoehn of hoehn motors to the bigot list. sounds like mr. hoehn knows how to say "homophobe" in german, to paraphrase his commercials.

caster has the best line of the article, calling our society "sick" without "solid marriage". terry, have you noticed that hetero marriage, with it's one-in-two divorce rate, ain't looking so solid? and please explain how gay marriage weakens any straight couple's marriage. i can just see them now, struggling over how to salvage their once-strong marriage so damaged by the mere possibility of gays marrying. sounds like terry probably agrees with that wingnut oklahoma politician who says gays are the biggest threat to america. welcome to the republican party!

it's unfortunate that the culture war has come to this, but it's time to take notice of san diego millionaires who take our money and then fight to deny us the rights they already enjoy (conservative san diego leads in money-giving to the above initiative). these are the same people who would have fought against making inter-racial marriage legal a couple generations ago. the sensible action for any gay person, or anyone who believes in equal rights for all, is to boycott manchester's overpriced hotels, hoehn's overpriced cars, and caster's storage units.

even rocky had a montage

city beat reported last week that club montage had closed, marking the end of a long run of gay nightclubs in this warehouse part of middletown. i always wondered why a big gay club would be located in such an out-of-the-way spot - why not concentrate the clubs in hillcrest?

montage had closed briefly a couple of years ago when its 31-year old owner, john mccusker, died of a drug-related heart attack. you might remember the controversy that soon ensued when a local catholic bishop initially refused to hold his funeral - love thy neighbor apparently not applying when it comes to the gays. after several months of costly renovation, montage re-opened under new ownership, but always seemed half empty when i was there. we'd go when our friend bryan pfeifer would dj there, but he hadn't heard from the owners in a while - an early sign that things had gone south?

the owner comes off as kind of sketchy in the article - blaming the introduction of a black-oriented night at the club and the resulting police pressure as the cause of the club's demise. but it seems they just weren't pulling in the crowds and cash required. i'm guessing that montage was a victim of the dying circuit scene, populated largely by 45-year old shirtless guys rolling long into the night (disclaimer: i'm 36, no spring chicken either). that translates into a whole lot of $3 bottled water sales, not $30 rounds of shots. while the new owners made an effort to curb drug use in the club, including installing cameras in the VIP elevator from what i heard, it still felt like everyone in the place was e-d out, tweaking, ghb'ing, etc.

i'm not a big fan of the circuit scene, specifically the trance music that's played (sorry bryan). does every remix have to have exactly the same beat? i'd rather be the oldest guy at numbers so i can at least hear music relevant to a crowd other than a bunch of tired old circuit queens - and apparently the younger generation agrees. yet even numbers and rich's seem to be quieter than in the past - victims of all the internet has to offer?

my favorite memory of montage was new years eve 2004, when the countdown started several minutes after the new year had actually chimed in. in honor of the club's passing, i've included a clip of "montage" from team america (sorry about the subtitles), especially if you recall how the main character proves his loyalty just prior to this scene.

viva pasta

we hit viva pasta in hillcrest sunday after not having been there since just after they opened last year. they've changed the layout a bit - you fill out color-coded laminated cards describing the contents of your desired pasta/salad/sandwich at a table right as you walk in. the rest of the place retains the same open, clean and colorful look since viva pasta opened:



i think you get a very flavorful and healthy pasta and/or salad for the money - just $7 each, which includes an iced (well, melted ice) tea. the curry chicken salad was really good, and you can load up on fruits and veggies for it, all neatly presented. my linguine with marinara sauce was very light and yet filling, and jay said his pesto sauce was excellent. hillcrest could use more places like this, where you can grab a relatively quick, healthy organic meal for a decent price and be on your way - no waiting for the server to bring your check.

borrego's bounty

it's been several years since we've been out to anza borrego state park, but with the wildflowers putting on quite a show this spring we figured it was time to revisit. and after a short 90 minute scenic drive over the mountains via julian, there we were with what seemed like half of san diego, basking in the 84 degree temperatures and surrounding ourselves with a carpet of purple sand verbena, yellow little gold poppies, and white desert evening primrose. it felt like a mini-vacation since we were in such a different environment; here's a pic from the anza borrego start park visitor center area, which was completely overwhelmed with the influx of flower-seekers:


people outside of san diego often say they could never live here because they would be bored by our weather, that they need the four seasons - yet they don't consider the variety of landscapes we have in our county, from ocean to desert and a mountain moonscape full of scorched trees in between. so next time you read someone complaining about the endless winter up north, how many times it's snowed this year and how they can't wait for it to be over, just assume it couldn't be one of those four seasons advocates. btw, it appears to be a banner year for wildflowers throughout southern california, not just at borrego springs.

old police hq revamp starts this summer

it looks like redevelopment of the historic old police headquarters downtown next to seaport village will begin this summer, and it's hoped the final result will be a public market/retail/restaurant center similar to pike place in seattle. the headquarters, built in 1939 and empty since 1987, is on the national register of historic places due to its iconic spanish colonial revival and classical styles. the developer's website has more information, including a map showing much of the interior courtyard filled with the various uses above, and says the project will include "specialty retail, restaurants, and entertainment uses. The project also includes 4.5 acres of open space, a Pier Walk Building with a fish processing facility, and waterfront restaurant and retail space."

that last part refers to the 16,000-square-foot chesapeake fish co. building just west of the headquarters, which will be "razed, rebuilt, pivoted to face a park-like walkway down to a pier, shrunk in square footage and given space for a retail and restaurant operation", according to a october 2005 article in the san diego metropolitan magazine.

sounds good, but one sticking point is how much $$ the port district is willing to kick in. fresh from giving marriott 46 million for their new waterfront hotel so the moneyed have another prime spot to rest their heads, how about kicking a few bucks to a project that could become a major tourist attraction and resource for local residents? considering the project will cost $40 million, the port should be able to cover all of that, right? after all, many more residents and tourists will be using this facility than the expensive rooms at the hilton. alas, the port won't be paying a penny for rehabbing the site, and will instead offer discounted rent to the developer. once again, citizens of san diego should ask themselves just whom the port is talking about when they claim to represent us.

even with the discounted rent, the port will still be charging enough that the developer is looking to fill the restaurant slot(s) with national restaurant chains (hello, olive garden!) rather than local businesses. if i recall correctly, former old town restaurant leaseholder diane powers was in negotiations to operate at this site, but said that rents were too high. i guess nothing identifies san diego more than a restaurant that's in every other shopping mall in the country.

let's hope the port and the developer can come to an agreement soon and start the redevelopment this summer as expected. no completion date given, but this will be a huge improvement for this part of downtown. now if they can just overhaul the dated seaport village fronting the harbor behind this project... well, according to the port district page above, the sasaki/quigley waterfront redesign shown below won't happen until 2018 ("another project we won't be tossing a dime to"), so you've got plenty of time to admire its tired look until then.

coldest winter since 1970-71; wildflowers galore

with a whopping mean high temperature of 61.9 degrees (compared to a normal of 66.1), san diego's meteorological winter (dec-feb) was the 4.2 degrees below normal and the coldest since 1970-71, from a max temp standpoint. we topped off way-below normal months in december and january with just a moderately below normal february - we actually had 8 days above normal last month. of course six of those days were in a row, so most of the month was quite cool like the rest of the winter has been. it remains to be seen how spring will fare, but only one out of the 10 past springs has been above normal in san diego (2004).

one positive is that the average rainfall winter to this point has created quite a wildflower bonanza in anza borrego state park. we're hoping to get out there this weekend to get some pics but the link above should tide you over till then. meanwhile, the ut reported on the countywide wildflower boom, with plenty of color at the coast and inland valleys. i've been noticing the blue spikes of some kind of wildflower on the north side of la jolla parkway as i sit in the daily backup each morning.

hold the vermin, please

lots of food safety violations at san diego restaurants were the topic of this weekend's front-page expose in the union tribune. while many of the violations were on the order of food storage temperature issues, others included cockroaches and rat poop in the kitchens. some places, like the hotel del restaurant, actually were forced to close temporarily to address the problem.

since the san diego county inspection site requires you to click on each restaurant, it's nice to use the UT interactive utility to see the worst repeat offenders. it's funny how the places that you've always thought were kind of sketchy (ichiban, los panchos, hong kong restaurant [next to bread & cie]), really are. and it's scary to see places you've eaten at (la torta on montezuma) with repeated vermin violations; disappointing to have to scratch half the asian restaurants on el cajon and university off your to-do list (check out 92115).

articles like this serve as a reminder that you're really putting your digestive fate in the hands of the restaurants you frequent. but at least we have resources like the utility above to inform us before we make our dining decisions.

big box goes vertical

the folks on skyscraper page are abuzz over the metro center project from architects studio one eleven. on the latter site, select "urban retail" to access renderings for the project. it's big box retail coming to downtown (bounded by Commercial, National, 16th & Newton), and they're going to build vertically to fit the project into a moderate-sized location. according to one of the forumers, ccdc says it will be a 450,000 sq. ft. project with two large tenants. studio one eleven's website talks up the walkability of the area, but it will be interesting to see how they tuck the parking inside the facility - i don't see any big parking garages in the renderings, and apparently the high water table prohibits much underground parking. there will be restaurants in the project too, which will give the nearby guild some company.

gateway apartments, new low-income units that are part of the barrio logan redevelopment project, are finishing up construction around the corner at 16th and logan:



you can't accuse either of these projects of looking boring. regardless, some big changes are coming to this neglected part of downtown, an area that sits right near the imperial trolley station - what better place for more density?