San Diego, CA

As the world can imagine, San Diego and many part of Southern California haven’t been a pretty sight for the last few days. Fires have ravaged many homes and business all over San Diego and have put Southern California on national news as a headlining story for all to see. I was one of the many, almost one million, who were forced to evacuated their homes in fear for their lives or at the very least losing their home. At one point in time, the first was several hundred feet from my house which is when we were told by police that our suburb was taken out of the voluntary evacuation warning and is now a mandatory evacuation zone. Many San Diegans, fled to nearby evacuation centers such as local high schools and the biggest evacuation center, Qualcomm, others found refuge from the smoke and ash floating in the air at friends and family lucky enough to still have their homes as shelter. Many were lucky to have their homes saved by the very brave fire fighters from all over saving people’s houses although they did their best, in the end many houses were just pieces of rubble. Although the fires are almost being contained they still continue to carry on but once these fires have died down there’s still the grueling process of rebuilding. So San Diego and many part of Southern California have a very long way to go. I would like to thank you for all the comments left on this site and to let you know that my house still stands, my family is in tact and we’re fine. I’ll be blogging more about this fire and it’s aftermath in later blogs. But don’t think it will be all bad news. Part of putting this in the past is picking up where we left off and that’s writing about one of America’s finest cities.

http://www.sdcountyemergency.com

If you get a reverse 911, hear the fire department knock on your door or know you’re in a necessary evacuation area don’t waste any time to get out. If you wait till you have to be rescued you’ll be wasting precious firemen labor on yourself when they could’ve been help putting out this fire. Don’t be foolish, get out.

The picture above is one that I took exactly four years ago during the cedar fire. It has been said that this may be worse than the Cedar Fire of 2003. It has been a sleepless night listening to the strong winds that are going on. There are currently eight fires burning at the moment. Keep your radios tuned in and TV kept on to know if your area needs to be evacuated. There has only been one fatality and we all need to keep it like that.

They have evacuated a huge chunk of North County which is east of I-5, south of 76 and north of 56 have been evacuated. The city is saying if you do not work for the county than do not go to work, it is not business as usual so if you’re boss says you need to come to work tell them this is more important than your job. Keep the roadways clear so the firefighters and people who need to evacuate can use them. Last do not use your cell phones. This will help the fire fighters by not jamming their frequency. Good luck and stay safe. Let’s hope that the next time I write it’s of better news.

Oh, that link up there is the San Diego County emergency update site but it, obviously, is being bombarded and is hard to access. Keep your eyes glued on the TV or listen to the radio to know what’s up.

As any long time San Diegan can tell you, when we hear the word fire we tend to be a bit worried. This will definitely be a night with little sleep for me as I was close to being evacuated during the cedar fire of 2003 and am a bit worried. I heard on the news that the fire is currently 5% contained so I hope by tomorrow morning that that number will be increased and the acres burned will not. I hope everyone in San Diego is doing fine and remember, if you’re in an area that has been issued an evacuation notice, waste no time to leave. Let’s hope these fires are contained and the last we see for a long while.

Walking towards the restaurant you already get the feeling you’re in for something different as you’re greeted by a giant tiki man and it almost makes you feel as if you’re in Hawaii. As if the name doesn’t already tell you this place is fun, then wait till you visit it. The lights are turned down low and there’s tiki decor everywhere. In the heart of downtown, The Cohn Restaurant Group, has yet another restaurant to add to their collection. I recently dined here with a group of friends and it is much more than just a place with food, it’s an experience. We started the night off right with a “Killa Kilauea.” It comes to you as sort of a spectacle with over the top extra long straws and a fire going off in the middle of the drink. The food is a bit different and may surprise you at first. They take ordinary dishes and shake them up a bit which can go both ways in the taste department. If you’re an adventurous eater then go for the more bizarre choices but if you’re not stick to what you know. A friend of mine had mashed potatoes with a hint of wasabi in them and was turned off after taking one bite. After our meal of mixed feelings, we went straight to desserts and they brought out what looked like a holder for shot glasses but instead of liquor they were filled with tiny desserts in shot glasses. I decided to have key lime pie and felt as if I didn’t get enough but settled to just finish the “Killa Kilauea.”

The prices are slightly higher than average but the experience of it all is definitely worth it. At the very least go here and just chill with friends getting their interesting twists on favorite drinks such as a Lilikoi Mojito!

San Diego Charger’s have acquired a new wide receiver from Miami, former Pro-Bowler Chris Chambers. Although this acquisition loses our chance to get first and second round draft picks, people are saying this is a good thing for the Chargers. Currently, we don’t have a superb wide receiver. What I’m hoping is that Chris Chambers will be the Randy Moss to the San Diego Chargers and will be a great fit with the rest of the team. It finally seems that the Chargers are getting more of a feel for each other and will be the team we expected them to be. They, fortunately, came into the bye week with a win under another win under their belt defeating the Oakland Raiders. After the bye week, they’ll be facing the Houston Texans and should get another win under their belt.

The weekend is upon us but what to do. As I said in my previous post, Dashboard Confessional among other artists are performing in various venues. Above is Dashboard Confessional’s music video fro Stolen which was filmed at Hotel Del Coronado. Also Halloween is just around the corner and there are a lot of scary haunted houses and parks all around San Diego. There’s the Haunted Hotel located in Downtown, Haunted Trail located in Balboa Park and the Screamzone at the Del Mar fairgrounds. Each equally scary and only around for the month of October, so get into the spirit of Halloween and get spooked if this is your thing. Plus of course on Sunday, the Raiders will be coming to town to take on our San Diego Chargers. They have a rivalry going on so it’s always commotion when these two teams play. Another event going on is San Diego’s own Oktoberfest which is happening at Ocean Beach. There’ll be plenty of sausage and beer to go around.

A really big event that happens every year in San Diego is the Miramar Air Show. This is a huge event and they project to have over 700,000 people in the span of the weekend. The Thunderbirds are going to put on a great air show and there’ll be plenty to do and watch as it marks the end of Fleet Week here in San Diego which honors the military and Miramar Air Show is the last of the many events that happen during fleet week.

So with so much to do and many I haven’t listed. It’s a great weekend in San Diego to kick back and have some fun. What events are San Diegan’s going to that I haven’t listed? Let me know.

TGIF!

Coronado Island is yet another very distinct area of San Diego. It isn’t really an island but a peninsula but the bridge that leads to Coronado Island is a very iconic symbol of San Diego. Another way of getting to San Diego is the very scenic Silver Strand which is the small peninsula that connects South Bay to Coronado Island. You can also take a ferry to Coronado Island. These three options makes getting to the island very interesting. Upon arriving there, there is plenty to do. As you could imagine there are great beaches and great food. There is also the very iconic Hotel Del Coronado which is a gorgeous Hotel that has a rich history behind it. So there’s plenty to do on the island and a lot of sight-seeing.

The few upcoming days are an interesting time for concerts in San Diego. Some performances that are going to happen are Annie Lennox will perform this Monday at the Civic Theater, The Black Crowes will be performing at 4th & B and Pat Benatar will be dropping by San Diego at the House of Blues. One concer that I’d go to is that of Dashboard Confessional, the “emo” band is coming to town and it’ll be at Soma on Sports Arena Blvd. Soma is a great venue for these types of performances that creates an intimate performance compared to a stadium or arena. Tickets are still available for all these concerts. Below is a list of more concerts that will be happening in town this week.

Tuesday, October 9
The Black Crowes at 4th & B

Thursday, October 11
Perry Farrell’s Satellite Party at Cane’s Bar & Grill

Friday, October 12
Big Head Todd & the Monsters and Collective Soul at 4th & B

Saturday, October 13
The Tragically Hip at 4th & B

Sunday, October 14
Alan Jackson and Brooks & Dunn at Coors Amphitheater

Be sure to check back often to find out who is coming to town.

Hillcrest is most famous for being known as the alternative section of San Diego. This part of town is booming with great restaurants and fun boutique full of trendy clothes and swag. Hillcrest has some of San Diego’s best restaurants that are all different and diverse. Some places that are well known in Hillcrest are Hash House a Go Go, Extraordinary Desserts and Corvette Diner. Being a well known gay area of town, Hillcrest is proud to host San Diego’s Gay Pride festival which includes a weekend of fun plus a parade. So if ever you’re in town or haven’t been to Hillcrest yet, it is definitely a great place to have some food or go shopping for some great finds in clothes and furniture.

The mood is better in San Diego after a much anticipated win for San Diego’s beloved Chargers. The bolts took on the Broncos in Denver territory and slaughtered them. This was a much needed win for San Diego due to their lackluster previous weeks. But what a way to make a statement and it wasn’t just a win, it was a monumental win. Almost shutting out the Broncos in their own territory and having the largest difference in points for an away game in the past five decades. The bolts finally gave their fans what they’ve been asking for. Next up is a home game against San Diego’s rivalry, the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders aren’t as easy of a team as they were last season and will give the bolts more of a fight than you would think. For the past few weeks people have been wondering if it was the right decision to fire Marty and replace him with Norv Turner. After one great win, looks like things are turning around. San Diego just has to hope that they keep the fire burning and send the raiders back to the black hole crying. It’ll be a great game, so be sure to tune in.

Speaking of Chargers talk, stadium debate is still underway with Chula Vista being the only option left in San Diego County for the Chargers to consider. Chula Vista is giving the Chargers two locations as an option. I hear dreaded talk that if the Chargers don’t come up with a decision that they will consider Los Angeles. So let’s hope that Chula Vista doesn’t fall through either. Now the option are either on the bay or inland near newly developed Otay Ranch community. Both options have their pros and cons, which I will explore further when more detailed information surfaces. So make sure to bookmark this site, for everything happening around and in BEAUTIFUL San Diego.