Jennifer

August 17, 2018

Support Independent Books. I can’t stress this enough. The Upstart Crow got it’s name from Shakespeare. Here is the story of the name of one of the oldest bookstores in San Diego.



Urban Girl Accessories has all the cool things for your home and accessories to accessorize the hip stylish gal. Think shoes, shirts, bracelets. I totally wanted everything.

Edgewater Grill is literally on the edge of the water. Did I mention they infuse their own alcohol? Yeah, it is that cool.

The Village Hat shop has every kind of hat imaginable. Steampunk styles, Panama hats, Baseball Caps, hats for the sun, hats for the snow, even hats to watch horses run. If you like hats you’ll like it here.

The Tinsmith is a great little place to get any home decoration especially if you like metal work. They have a good selection of Mexican art and Dia de los Muertos items.

You can taste to your hearts desire at the Seaport Oil, Vinegar and Wine shop. So many combinations.

Visited the Tervis store. Tervis have the best water bottles ever. You can personalize them and they are made in the USA.

Seaport Coffee and Fudge Factory – The fudge is handmade what else is there to say? In fact, most of their items in their display cases are handmade. Yum

L. Frank Baum wrote the Oz Series. He also designed chandeliers inside the Hotel Del’s Crown Room

The Magic of Coronado in all of its glory. I call this place my home away from home. So close yet seems so far away, no wonder there is such a rich history beyond the beach. I am sure the stories on this island can be written in volumes, but from my experience – the history is only hearsay. I once overheard a convo at the Spreckles Candy shop from the shop lady and a man claiming to be a descendent of the Spreckles Family. He was in town for a wedding. I couldn’t help but eavesdrop From what I recall, he seemed legit.  He was talking about how the family bought much of the island. The Spreckles Family owned much of Coronado in the early 1900’s. The irony of this, the man was tracking lots of sand and dripping water in the store. Though he seemed polished and well spoken, I found him to be a bit awkward.  I later looked up the Spreckles mansion that he was speaking of and found that this place is magical and haunted with secrets.

Inside the Hotel Del Coronado a mix of people are walking around tourists, locals and hotel guests alike. Of course, the only way you can tell is…well you can’t.  The hotel seeps with history from the Wizard of Oz author Frank L. Baum’s stamp on the hotel to movie making magic on the grounds of Some Like it Hot starring Marilyn Monroe. Oh yeah, and the couple of haunted rooms. I still love this hotel and would stay here in a heartbeat.The store Est. 1888 has all the gifts and memorabilia that makes this hotel as mainstay on the island.  If you go, you may find a custom sand castle or two on the beach. If you love shells like I do, you’ll find many along the sea wall of rocks right behind the hotel.

Mimosa before the show. Cheers!

Just coming back from an adventure at the Oscars (another blog post altogether), I can see how if you love acting you want to do your best. The best go on to the award show circuits.  They prepare and practice over and over again until finally it’s show time.

One of the best places to see original stories is the San Diego Rep.  It was Detroit for 2 hours in San Diego.  The play was called Detroit though there was no mention of where they were. The play could be called America, because this could happen anywhere. The premise of this story is centered around new neighbors from different socio-economic backgrounds finding things out about each other, in the weirdest ways possible. Twists and turns and lots of BBQs, this is all I will say. There were fun moments and then there were WTF moments. The first half definitely was different from the second half, of course there is a twist.   There is always a dramatic twist, that is the formula of a good story. The thought of the purpose of life and work crossed my mind after watching Detroit. It is something to see an actor act, imaging all the work to the preparation; all those lines they memorize, all the practice, and all the sweat and tears. The reward of fulfilling the audience’s expectations of good story told, the satisfaction of giving them your best work and the appreciation paid in applause. Rinse and repeat. That is why the mission of the REP is to provide intimate, exotic, provocative theatre to feed the curious soul. This show is good for those 16 and up. There is one more show left for this season at the Rep.  Red coming March 28-April 27th. Then on to their 39th Season TBA.  If you have seen a San Diego REP show, let me know in the comments.

DETROIT

Dates: Feb. 22 to March 16, 2014  (Opening: Friday, Feb. 28, 2014) Performances are Tuesdays at 7 p.m., Wednesdays at 7 p.m., Thursdays at 8 p.m., Fridays at 8 p.m., and Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

San Diego REP Facebook page

San Diego REP Twitter account

Hashtag: #DetroitSDREP

In Jail, just visiting.

Make sure you: Visit the old jail cells and view museum relics ranging from historic badges to old mug shot photos located near the main bathrooms.

Stores and Restaurants not to miss: Aaron Chang Ocean Art Gallery, Kitson, lolo, Madison, Seasons 52, Puesto, Seaside Home, Venissimo Cheese, Verde, Simply Local and Dalmann Fine Chocolate Boutique.

The Headquarters is located at 849 West Harbor Blvd. See website for more details on hours and parking.

Other cool things you could get on your birthday:

Pearl Hotel Birthday Dinner: You have to spend $50 w/ your friends, but you get a free meal on your birthday. I would do this but planning is key and I didn’t do that so I guess you won’t see me there.

Aveda Birthday Gift: Sign up for their newsletter and get a free birthday gift from the Aveda store. I think I signed up too late, but maybe next year.

Check out my cool birthday party a few years ago at Lucha Libre. I know it is pretty corny but what can I say, I couldn’t stay away from the gold booth.

Crystal Pier Hotel and Cottages
4500 Ocean Boulevard
San Diego, CA 92109
858-483-6938

Our first stop was Alchemy. Alchemy is known for their cultural fare and cocktails. The first thing I noticed was the book lined ceilings and unusual metal sculptures inside. This place is a cool little find. I had a mule and a sampling of their eats. I recommend the fried pickles and their taro pork belly taco was definitely a tasty treat.

The next stop was Buona Forchetta, the literal translation is big fork in Italian but I guess it means a big eater. I have been to Italy once and this was the pizza you get in Italy. The restaurant inside is small but their full patio in front makes up for the small space inside.

The third place strolled to was a little coffee/sweet shop across the way from South Park Abbey called Piacere Mio, we got a little gelato lesson from the Bologna raised italian gelato maker Clint (yeah, that is his name, call him Lorenzo), I called him Clintino. Clint also has a gelato shop in Pacific Beach aptly called Gelato Bus Stop, I wonder if the name was derived from the bus stop in front of the shop?

Last but not least is Eclipse Chocolate,  if Willy Wonka was real, I would think he would appreciate this place. Eclipse Chocolate is a stylish bar & bistro with all things chocolate. They even put chocolate in their food. Each month they have a themed supper club and other fun culinary experiences like this month’s brewery tasting called a chocolate threeway.

Visit South Park and tell me what you think of it in the comments.