Beautiful garden with an array of CA native plants. Gravel paths meander through hillside. This…read moreplace Is larger than I anticipated. Many helpful signs identifying plants. Garden is well-tended to. No sketchy people in sight unlike the comment I read on Google, which was 7 years old. Nice to see wooden bridges and lookout deck built by the Scouts. I appreciate all the work that volunteers must dedicate to keeping this garden flourishing.

Free SD public native garden that's got a variety of plants and paths to walk along or sit down and…read moretake in the greenery.

The coolness of all things University Heights in one Boulevard!…read more Very much the heart and center of San Diego's U.H. with great spots like Parkhouse Eatery, Plumeria Vegetarian, Good Omen Coffee Co, that cool dive Lancers, and let's not forget about Cheers, the bar #YouWannaBeWhereEverybodyKnowsYourName Some many cool finds such as Kairoa Brewing Company, awesome wall art by Summer's Market, the iconic archway, painted utility boxes, plenty of street parking though definitely pay attention to those signs for limits and street sweeping days on the more residential side streets of Park Blvd. It's just as vibrant as any part of SD, but more laid-back and casual, college friendly meets elder millennial, though very much open to and welcoming of all especially places like the Diversionary Theatre, the third oldest lgbtq+ theatre in the U.S. #ColorMeImpressed #ThatDOESImpressMeMuch It's come up a lot and enhanced it's mellow effect with a lot of modern touches. One of the more elevated areas in terms of the cost of living. And rightfully so since it's such a cool hub of local meets multiple communities. Only a skip over to Mission Valley, Hillcrest, North Park and many fellow great neighborhoods. Super walkable, super enjoyable and super more than the University Heights - Park Blvd: Business District.

Visiting university heights for some coffee near the historic sign stretching across the street…read more Coffee shops are quaint and sort of transport you out of the urgency of the day. Little side streets with hills and dips. We parked along the sidewalk. I saw a lonely leaf in the middle of fall unveiling its vibrancy gently upon the dampened pebbles. It sprawled among the gathered grayscale making me stop and see beauty in the little things. When stones are thrown your way don't let them pile on top of you, let them lay beneath you so you can rise in resilience.

Welcome to the neighborhood city of North Park, San Diego…read more One of my favorites and an absolute must, day or night. Parking might be a challenge, but with so many great gems, finds and foodie spots, you will want to spend plenty of time here. From great all-inclusive bars like Redwing, a karaoke and sports bar with trivia Thursdays, comfort eats and a cozy patio. Ranchos Cocina, the reina of versalite Mexican cuisine with the most extensive selection of Vegetarian and Vegan dishes. North Park Community Park is a laid-back, slightly hidden park with park tables, playground area, sports fields and a community center on Idaho Street. Most streets in North Park are easy to follow or remember with names of States, Presidents and numbers. Great Craft Brew, Barcade, Pizza, Asian Fusion, Mexican, Taverns, Pubs and more. Some less common, but very notable places like Granada House, an event venue that you can reserve for a variety of things like special occasions, private gatherings, celebrations and more is quite the cool find. Similar to Queen Bee's: Cultural Center for enjoying the performing arts in all its forms or the Observatory Theatre. North Park Farmer's Market is a little more close knit than Hillcrest being a Thursday Market from 3pm til 7:30pm, but you'll feel just a welcomed, maybe even more so do to a slightly more intimate space. I can't say enough great things about NP. Rudford's Restaurant is a must, but I absolutely miss the rough around the edges charm of North Park Diner off Ohio Street and those dreamy home fries. The area is very trendy, hip and thriving with life of all ages, but more so in the college to late 40s crowd. Interstate 805 aka the 805 is your friend. Easy public transit. Great residential area and pockets. Parking can be smoother during the week and certain times of day. Like most of San Diego North Park welcomes all. Home to one of my favorite gay bars in California, Pecs. Live Wrestling at Queen B. I could go on, but ultimately I just want you to... Explore North Park!

Wonderful little speck of a wildlife preserve on mission Bay right next to campland on the bay! A…read moreperfect place to bird watch (from a new birder) and enjoy the scenery. There is a bench to sit in and overlook it. It is ran by UCSD and it looks like they have new hours to walk it! I was here on Monday and enjoyed the sights and spotted quite a few birds with my binoculars! A great little spot!

Kendall Frost Wildlife Preserve is that little swath of set-aside Marsh land right next to…read moreCampland-on-the Bay. If you drive by too fast, you might blink and not notice it. The Preserve is small and heart-shaped but still an important ecological niche that allows endangered birds and plant species to somewhat flourish in the confines of heavily trafficked Mission Bay. Adjacent also to Crown Point Shores beach, Kendall Frost is fenced off with an information kiosk right at the front. Not as user-friendly as Famosa Slough in Ocean Beach-it is more of a passive preserve and all you can do technically-is observe. Still it is nice to see the mudflats, coastal salt marshes, and acres of eelgrass that offer protection to so many skittish birds and environmentally-touchy plant species. I will ride by on my bike and gaze out on the marsh-hopeful that this little bit of nature preservation on northern Mission Bay will help keep Mission Bay ecologically-competitive. UCSD seems to be the one in charge here and I have seen Mission Bay High students at the Preserve-doing clean-ups and study groups. I am of the inclination, that no nature set-aside such as this can be anything less that 4 Stars on Yelp. I just wish it didn't feel so "roped-off" and had friendly paths that people might stay on for some up-close observations.

Love me some Hillcrest!…read more This very incredible mix of brunch, lunch, causal strolls, walkable streets, metro busses, perfect bike paths, cafes, shops, stores, bars, nightclubs, activities and essentials is a super hub in San Diego. From their weekly Farmers Market of the same name, to cool cafe meets coffee places like Divo Diva. Great hangs at Urban MO's (lived here for years when I'd visit more frequently), brunch at Great Maple (try everything that speaks to you, but especially that vegan hash). Grab at hat at Village Hat Shop. The Hub is a must especially for the Trader Joe's of it all. Love the Whole Foods on University Avenue and 7th. Buffalo Exchange on 5th is a gift, definitely discovered some fun finds here and even ugly Christmas Sweaters with the SD crew #ChosenFamily From Mexican to Himalayan American to Thai, Fusion to Cocktails, Cigar Wine Whiskey bars (Cigar Cave I'm talking about you) and more. Hillcrest is full of local flavor, culture, cuisine and extremely queer friendly. LGBTQ+ which included are allies too. Love a place that's welcoming of all, it's the way the entire world should be. As RuPaul would say, "If you can't love yourself, how in the hell are you gonna love somebody else? Can I get an amen up in here?". And as I would say, "If you can't treat others the way you want to be treated or the people in your life... You know you ain't right!" Let Hillcrest be your light.

This mural is on the side of the historic Mixon Liquor and Deli. It was painted in 2021 and is the…read morework of Evgeniya Golik, who painted the piece to show the diversity of San Diego as well as the nation. It took her and her team 3 weeks to complete. The mural was commissioned by Trust Me Vodka, who featured Golik's mural on a 20,000-bottle series of their vodka. It depicts a muse with wings, roses in her hair and a halo. Her arms are wrapped around her torso that is made from eyes of men and women all different ethnicities. To Golik, "Liberty" became a goddess that embraced all walks of life under her wings ... creating a sense of unity, equality, and freedom of expression without judgement. The background of the mural has a dark blue triangle with white stars above the Muse's head and a cloudy sky. You will also see a banner on the side of the Muse that reads "See the World in My Eyes", which is definitely a play on all the eyes in the muse's torso. And of course you will find a prominent advertisement for Mixon's on the left side of the mural. This is defientley a mural to see and has a lot to unpack. I love its mean and symbolism. For me, it just reminds you to walk a mile in someone elses shoes before you judge them and understand what they may be going through, The mural overlooks a parking lot, that is very difficult to get in and out off. I ended up parking on the street and was a lot easier for me to get in and out of. Much of the lower part of the mural is obstructed by parked vehicles, but you can still see a good portion of it. This mural has a good old American feel to it. The art work is amazing. Golik is very talented. Anyway, as with most murals that I have visited and reviewed, this is not a long stop. I was there less than 5 minutes. So, you may want to consider planning out additional stops at many of the other attractions in the area, or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip.

This review concerns the 2008 Taste of Adams Avenue, an event with more than 20 food venues…read morespanning 4.5 miles of Adams Avenue in San Diego. First off, comprehensive planning of the event was lacking. Early on the Association's website link to sell tickets was not working. This gaffe was so pedestrian, say circa 1998. The HTML code problem could have been resolved by a fifth grader. The trolleys to move the people were following each other. Why not split them up and be more responsive? Did anyone think about this? In the middle of a heat wave, Twiggs and Antique Row Cafe were offering bottled water. Kensington Grill seemed to violate the spirit of the event by offering to sell a bottle for $2. I don't think so. The bottles for sale at Kensington Grill wholesale for 35 cents. The event is not exactly a marathon, but hydrating the participants seems like the thing to do. Water should be freely available. Doesn't have to be bottled, just has to be there. Kudos and Pans Kudos to Burger Lounge for giving an entire burger, tasty and wonderful eaten in the lounge, which is an experience in itself. Kudos to Mariposa for scooping all the famous ice cream. The line out the door never ended. Pan to Jaynes Gastropub. Not prepared, not ready, couldn't handle it, we walked out after waiting 20 minutes. Update 6/23/2008: Jon Erickson, owner of Jaynes Gastropub, wrote me a personal apology. Despite his prep and planning, the crowds generated by Yelp overwhelmed his restaurant. He estimated 900 people in 3.5 hours. Jon's gracious letter convinced me that I have to go back. Truth is that I have heard good things about his restaurant, and I love great food.

I can't say enough great things about the Adams Avenue Business Association. These guys break a…read moresweat to bring some of the coolest and most culturally diverse events to the oldest community of San Diego. Taste of Adams, Adams Avenue Street Fair, The Roots Festival and more...every one of those events requires several hours of man power, and they do it with a smile. Big ups!!

Go Team RAPA-NAAAP!!!…read more What a fun and energetic event! As a member of NAAAP (National Association of Asian American Professionals), I was invited to be part of the Dragon Boat Team. There are many companies, schools, and associations/organizations that were part of this festival as well as activities, performances and food. Local political leaders and community activists also attended the event. The Asian-American professional community in San Diego is prevalent, and this was a great way to network, team build, let loose and just have fun! Very well attended. I participated in 1 dragon boat race, but with that 1 race, we defeated our competition. The adrenaline was AWESOME and now I'm addicted!!! Unfortunately, I had to leave early, and I heard that we lost our last two races. The camaraderie within our group and amongst the other professional associations were positive and well-worth it! This was a great way to spend a nice day in SD - with good friends and yummy food. I will definitely do it again next year, unless I'm on a team for the SD Dragon Boat races in October!

I was fortunate enough to participate in the 8th edition of this festival this past Saturday as a…read morepart of Team Taiko. It is put together by the San Diego Alliance for Asian Pacific Islander Americans. There were 32 teams participating in two boat heats (double elimination). Big thanks go to San Diego Dragon Boat Team and UCSD Dragonboat for supplying the equipment and facilitating the races. There were performances going on most of the day by different cultural groups that were entertaining and kept a great atmosphere between races. A lot of groups decided to potluck but there was some spicy Thai food along with a few other booths. Overall our team got in four total races which was not bad because about it was an introductory experience for about half of us. If we get a team together next year, I'd gladly go back!