My Little Black Book {in San Diego}

Having lived here for a good long while, I've had a pretty good chance to suss out the places I like to go to get things done.  Some of these people have become friends by now, but none of them have paid me to plug them - nor would I do so if I didn't sincerely believe in their services! This is just my way of sharing my insider information, such as it is, in the hope that both you and they can benefit.  :)

1. Shoe Repair - Leather Magic in Point Loma - Hugo and his wife Ana do fantastic quality work for a great price.  In fact, he was recently listed in Town & Country magazine as one of the top cobblers in the world.  I took him a Hermes Kelly bag that I'd had worked on by the official Hermes repair person, and he did a better job.  True story.  
2. Florals - Carlos at Green Fresh Florals has a gorgeous shop in Hillcrest, I can buy armloads of flowers there for no more (and sometimes even less) than they cost at Whole Foods.  Also can't quibble with Adelaides in La Jolla - it's where I get my mom's Mother's Day flowers every year.  Occasionally I will also stop by Che Bella, but I don't think it's been the same since they moved.  
3. Dry Cleaner/Repairs - I go to the Hangers Dry Cleaner in Fenton Plaza (the Ikea shopping center) in Mission Valley.  They use a non-toxic cleaning process (no perchloroethylene) and it's worth the little extra money to me to avoid the poisons.  I think their cleaning process is harder on some silk fabrics than the traditional method, but they've never lost my stuff and they give me a 10% loyal customer discount.  They're also pretty good at getting stains out, and they have a seamstress on site for repairs.  
4. Alterations/Seamstress - For more substantial alterations, I like Charlie's Alterations on Adams Avenue.  They can also replicate clothing items if you take them the fabric and the item.  
5. Personal Trainer - For the last year and a half, James and I have been going to Fitness Zone, a personal training studio in Kearny Mesa a couple of times a week. James has lost almost 100 pounds in that time, and I've lost around 20.  I'm in a lot better shape though.  Rob, Kris and Heidi can make you hate life and love them at the same time which is quite a feat - they have a great Pilates studio too.  
6. Yoga - I've been doing yoga off and on for a while now, and over the years I've been to most of the popular studios  in town.  My favorite instructors teach at Prana, La Jolla Yoga Center and The Little Yoga Studio.  Gerhard Gessner is the owner of Prana, Sara Deakin teaches at Little Yoga Studio and Prana, and Carolina Vivas and Amanda McCarroll teach at La Jolla Yoga Center.  I usually go to the Little Yoga Studio since it's just up the hill from my office downtown, but La Jolla Yoga Center is beautiful - like a spa - and has a wide selection of classes.  Prana is a little more basic, but Gerhard, the owner, teaches one of the best classes in town. Jeannie, the owner of La Jolla Yoga Center used to teach there before she opened LJYC. The Little Yoga Studio is tiny, but the effect is cozy, and it has the distinct advantage of being downtown (on Cortez Hill) just a few blocks from my office.  
7. Salon - My relationship with Rebeca and Raquel - the owners of Sashay Salon - goes way back.  We're talking early 90's.  (We also went to the same high school, though not at the same time.)  When I moved back to town from the Bay Area in 1998 I started seeing both of them exclusively, and they opened their own salon on Adams Avenue shortly thereafter - I haven't been anywhere else since.  Adam has been doing my hair for the past couple of years, since Raquel got sick, and Rebeca does nails and skin care.  Love love love them.  
8. Cakes - When I need a birthday cake (or someone else asks me for a referral) Jenny Wenny Cakes is my go-to source.  She does fantastic party cakes with great decorations and does not sacrifice one whit of flavor or quality for appearance.  (She even uses Schaner eggs!)  She's in the process of launching her cake business, so please support her if you can. You will not find a better cake for a better price! 
9. Gifts - I like to keep a little stockpile of gifts on hand, but when I run out or need something quick, I usually head to Pigment in North Park, Vocabulary in Little Italy, or, believe it or not - Extraordinary Desserts in Little Italy.  They have cute kid and baby items, tableware, hand creams, candles, etc.  Not cheap, but good stuff.  Pigment is great for hip housewares, and Vocabulary is a sweet little boutique with good prices - bonus, it's just around the corner from Pappalecco.  :)  
10. Gardening supplies - When I need garden goods, I head to City Farmer in City Heights.  It's a nearly endless wonderland of plants, animals, seeds, soil, pesticides and fertilizers, and just about anything else you could need for your yard - all of it organic.   It's a great place to take kids - they have a veritable barnyard on the property and there are lots of nooks and crannies to explore.  Bill, the owner, is wonderful and full of sage advice.  I'm told he'll "taste" your soil to tell you whether it's in balance and if not, what you need to add to it.  I haven't taken him up on it yet, but I might!
11. Veterinarian - And one more late addition to the list - our veterinarian, Dr. Dorian at Market Street Veterinary Clinic.  We first met Dr. Dorian at the Windansea Veterinary Clinic in La Jolla.  We adopted Bart at the La Jolla Farmers Market, and they handed us their card.  I had no other resources or recommendations, so I called them up.  They turned out to be fabulous, and since then our favorite vet there, Dr. Raffy Dorian, has left and opened his own practice downtown on Market Street.  It's getting harder to get an appointment when you need one, but they are worth the couple of week's wait.  Not many people I talk to say they love their vet. We've only been to one, but we wouldn't go anywhere else. 

p.s. - I'm going to do a food version of this list soon, with my favorite farmers market vendors, kitchen ware sources, cheese shops, bakeries, etc. Stay tuned!

10 Places I'd Like to Go More Often and 10 I Want to Try

As much as we love to support the local dining scene, James and I don't get out nearly as often as we'd like.  As a follow up to my list of top 10 places in San Diego I posted a couple of weeks ago, here are some places we'll go if - no when - we get ourselves in gear in the near future!

Places to go more often:

1. Jayne's - lovely Gastropub in the Normal Heights/North Park area with a lovely back garden.  
2. Okan -Japanese Izakaya in Kearny Mesa. 
3. Alchemy - neighborhood restaurant in South Park - good cocktails, interesting menu.
4. Blanca  - used to love it, haven't been since the chef change.  
5. Linkery and El Take it Easy - I've had a few mixed experiences at both, but when they're good they're great, and I love the principles behind them. 
6. Sea Rocket Bistro -  haven't been back since just after opening.  We had a couple of mixed experiences, but people seem to like it pretty well now, and I'm such a seafood lover.
7. Market - love Carl Schroder's food and James Foran's desserts, but just don't make it up to Del Mar often enough. 
8. The Smoking Goat - cute little bistro in North Park - only been once, before they had their liquor license, and I keep hearing good things.
9. Wine Sellar Brasserie - I have always thought the food was great, but the atmosphere and dining room are a bit lacking.  Is it still as good as it used to be?
10. Costa Brava - I always forget about this place.  Good tapas, decent Sangria and a good place to spend time with friends and forget just for a little while that you're in San Diego.  Love the patatas bravas!

Places to try:

1. Pomegranate - Russian Georgian Restaurant in Normal Heights.
2. Kaito - supposedly the best sushi in San Diego - in Encinitas.
3. Tao - New incarnation of Dao Son in Normal Heights.
4. Anthology - Supper Club with music - need to find a show and go!
5. Searsucker - Brian Malarkey's place in the Gaslamp.  Still haven't been, but lunch is calling my name...
6. Dolce Pane e Vino - everything cooked in a wood burning oven?  Yes, please! 
7. Addison - The finest fine dining in San Diego, and we haven't tried it yet. 
8. Dim Sum at Jasmine, Pearl or Emerald - still haven't had dim sum in San Diego.  Travesty!
9. Q'ero - Peruvian food in N. County.  Keep hearing great things.  
10. Izakaya Masa - a Japanese Izakaya in a tucked away location in Mission Hills.  (If Andrew & Heidi like it, it must be good!)

A Day at the Fair

On Saturday, Jora and I took her three kids and my two nieces to the San Diego County Fair (aka the Del Mar Fair to us locals.)   I hadn't been to the fair in a couple of years - and I hadn't ever been with kids.  It was a whole different experience.  Exhibits?  Pshaw... the kids wanted to go on the rides.

So Jora and I started out by buying one of these $50. sheets of ride tickets - 72 tickets - EACH.

Guess what?  When there are four kids riding - and each ride takes 3-6 tickets, those suckers go fast.  So fast, I had to buy ANOTHER sheet in the afternoon.  So fast, I still didn't go on but one ride all day - and only then because the younger one wasn't tall enough to go without an adult.  I wanted the girls to wring every precious bit of joy they could from those things.  I guess I have to admit, seeing expressions like this their faces made it all worthwhile... as long as I don't think about it too much.

I had fun photographing the rides and scenery while the girls were whirling around.  I almost want to go back again just to "photo safari."  And maybe go on a ride or two myself...

Happily, even though it was the first Saturday the fair was open, the lines weren't long at all.  The only crowds we encountered were around the food booths along the midway.  We had the obligatory funnel cake - which was worth every calorie, especially when shared with two voracious children.  For lunch, we had the barbecued chicken from the bbq stand, and Greek salad and gyros from the Greek stand.  It was all relatively healthy, and really very good.

Though it was tough herding four kids around the fair (plus a baby in a stroller), we did have Caelan and Emma, who are now 11 and 8 respectively, to help. I asked Caelan to chaperone C-man and Emma to look out for Juju, and they took their jobs very seriously, as you can see...

After we accomplished our primary mission at the Fair, which was to see our friend Heidi perform with her Zumba team, we took the kids over to the Farrell's for an ice cream cone, and sat down for a break to eat it - because it turns out that with small kids, eating and walking just doesn't work so well.

Jora and her clan called it a day shortly after that, but the girls and I still had a couple of hours to kill because we were going to the concert that night - Bruno Mars and Janelle Monae.  (See discussion above regarding second sheet of ride tickets!)  They went on some more rides, had some cotton candy, and before we knew it - it was time to get in line.  

Until a week or so ago, I think I might have been the only person alive who didn't know who Bruno Mars was, but I was told the girls were crazy about him so I looked into it.  I checked one day and couldn't get anything, but checked again the next day and was able to get unreserved Terrace seating.

The Terrace is a great place to sit because it's the table seating.  Unreserved means first come first served though, so you have to get there early and wait in line.  We got in line at 4:45 for a 7 PM show, but it paid off - our section was on the far left side, but we were able to get seats on the end.

We had table service, so we ordered food and drinks - but if you prefer you can bring in whatever you like from the fair.  They actually put on a really fun show - I think I enjoyed it as much or more than the girls did.  It was their "first concert" -  they thought it was a little loud, and they were getting tired by the end after a long day of fun at the fair - but I do think they liked it.  If nothing else, hopefully, they will at least remember it!

If you're going to the fair and you are interested in the rides, consider the "wristband day" deal available certain dates - it's gotta be the way to go, even if the lines are longer.  Also, kids under twelve get in free any day if they fill out a form indicating they've read 10 books, and have it signed by a teacher or librarian!