Cellphones are poisonous

Photo and story from Expat: Don't let them end up in landfill or you'll be responsible for poisoning someone or some animal in a few thousand years. A few businesses are offering recycling for these modern throwaways, handing them on to needy people in the 3rd World if they're judged to be worth saving. This recycle bin is in Whole Foods Hillcrest. There goes that bright orange phone I used to love!

Summer road trip cancelled

Expat sent me this photo and remarked, "Well, we knew it was coming didn't we?" Has it topped $4.00 in your neck of the woods yet?

MS Walk in Point Loma

The Point Loma MS Walk was held this past weekend. I decided to participate, get a little exercise and help raise some money for a good cause. I didn't realize what a popular idea it was to have! The weather was fantastic, and the walk along the bay was beautiful. It was one of those days you say to yourself, "oooohhh yeah...this is why I love San Diego so much!"

Trail at Cabrillo

It looks like you could walk right into the ocean in this photo taken from the Bayside Trail at Cabrillo National Monument. The trail takes you along the peninsula where the San Diego Bay meets the Pacific Ocean. Click here to see a map.

Loop de loop

This is probably the most familiar facade at the Horton Plaza shopping mall. The mall is a perfect place for those that like to meander. Each of the five levels are connected by ramps, stairs, and escalators, and a few elevators in the most unlikely places. This mall's layout is not a sensible grid for those that like to "get in and get out". Click here to see a photo I showed a while ago showing several levels.

So cheesy

DeLuca's Pizza Restaurant delivers far and wide and they also have a few tables for dining in. This was my aunt's meal of 1/2 lasagna and 1/2 ravioli. I got the meatball sandwich, which was about 1 foot long and also very cheesy. Good brick fired pizza too.

Farmer's Outlet

There's a little market on Mission Gorge called Farmer's Outlet. It's a little warehouse filled with fruit & veggies and a few other things...it's been my little lifesaver on more than one occassion! The prices on the produce are great, it's small and makes for a great quick shopping trip. Its ideal for when you're tired, just can't face a real grocery store, but NEED to pick up some items. Yay for a small store with great produce!

Aqua cycle

File this under: things you would only do if you were on vacation. Locals would only be caught dead on this fun alternative to paddle boats near the Hilton on Mission Bay. :) I'm just kidding, but this is the exact kind of thing that San Diegans never do, even though or because it is here all the time. San Diegans: post a comment and tell me what touristy San Diego things that you've never done/visited before and I'll try to post a photo of it.

Agua

Happy Earth Day! At Mamá Testa Taqueria this pretty drinking fountain makes the water taste better, just kidding. I don't ususally drink the tap water here because I don't like the taste, but I also feel guilty for buying plastic bottles/containers. Do you drink tap water or buy water?

A woman for peace

The above photo shows the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice, the newest school at the University of San Diego accepting its first class of graduate students in 2002. Joan B. Kroc once owned our baseball team the Padres and when she sold the team she used the money for philanthropic endeavors which the city has greatly benefited. In addition to the above, some of the institutions supported by her and named in her honor are: the Kroc-Copley Animal Shelter, the Kroc Center for the homeless at the St Vincent de Paul Village, and the Kroc Corps Community Center. She also gave generously to KPBS, our local public radio station.

Hardware store

In 1999 the owners of Ace Hardware in Hillcrest wanted to give the store a more expansive look so artist Linda Churchill painted "Loading Dock" adding depth to this wall. Their real loading dock is further down on this wall. And Happy Birthday to my nephew Micheal who is 15!

Moo

As you can see from Alexandra's post on Thursday, it is more likely for us to see opossums here than cows. This is a modern style house and gate with lots of texture in North Park.

Bubble chairs

Spread is a vegetarian restaurant where the menu changes daily based upon what they find from local farms and farmer's markets. First off, I've never been here to eat, but I want to go sometime and this would be a good place to get my husband and kids to eat their veggies. :) I don't think it is a super kid-friendly place and they don't do lunch so I don't know when I'll actually get there. And of course there would be a big fight over the bubble chair.

'Possum

America's only native marsupial. I should be flattered that we've got one visiting our yard nightly. Pleased, perhaps. But, alas, I'm not. I have to admit they creep me out. It's something between the smell (foul), the hiss (they stare at you and hiss, daring you to do ANYTHING), and the simple fact that they have NO fear of you, your dog, or anything about you. They know they have you. They know you're more scared of them than they are of you. They know they could take you in a bar fight, one 'possum paw tied behind their hairy, smelly back.

Seriously, there are two wild animals that are common & native to San Diego, and this is one of 'em. The other you can smell comin' a mile away. That's right, you guessed it, it's a skunk. The other wild animals are far more elusive and if you get see them it's a treat (coyotes, foxes, mountain lions). In my opinion, sites of this guy (or gal) are NO treat.

Standing

Dripping with symbolism, "Standing" is a fountain by Kiki Smith that is part of the Stuart Collection at the University of California San Diego. In the above photo I liked how I happened to catch a little bird resting on the arm of the sculpture. Funny how birds and fountains go together. Here are some of the other pieces from the Stuart Collection that we've shown before: the Sun God, the Red Shoe, Bear, the Snake Path.

The Marston House

Designed by architects William Sterling Hebbard and Irving Gill and completed in 1905, the Marston House in the above photo was the home of George Marston who was regarded as "San Diego's First Citizen". Marston was a civic leader, philanthropist, and owner of Marston's Department Store - the city's leading department store at the turn of the century. All 8,500 sq ft of the house is decorated with Mission style furniture and furnishings. The little photo to the left shows canned goods from the kitchen pantry.

Views of home plate

There are several highrise condos with views of the baseball field near Petco Park. Some of the condos have rooftop lounges or terrace areas with direct views into the ball park that they use as a selling point. Here's the view from the edge of the Park at the Park looking up 8th street.

Arches

In 1935, Eleanor Roosevelt had a luncheon on the patio here at the House of Hospitality in Balboa Park (click here to see the photo-she's the one in white). I keep coming back to Balboa Park because it seems like at every turn you can find a beautiful view. Just from within this courtyard I showed photos of a La Tehuana fountain, an old door showing Spanish missionaries, and also a view from the Casa del Rey Moro Garden looking at this building.

Mojitos por favor

Now who says you can't travel to Cuba?
Here we have a tropical island paradise at Habana Club restaurant in La Mesa.

Crazy potatoes

The Mission on University in North Park usually has lots of people waiting out front - and that is a good sign. This was my yummy brunch of Pappas Loco (scrambled eggs, tortillas, rosemary potatoes, grilled jalapeños, black beans, cheese, avocado, and sour cream). Of course, it was too much food and I ate almost all of it!

Sculpture Close-up

People can personalize a pet tag to post on a sculpture at the San Diego Humane Society. Not only is it neat to read the different messages that people have posted, but its also nice to step back and watch the tags sparkle as they blow in the wind.

A few weeks ago I posted this photo of another sculpture at the Humane Society. As you can see, there are many reasons to visit this beautiful complex!

Duke's Drive-In Liquor

At Duke's Liquor on El Cajon Blvd and 70th, their sign says "drive-in", but you do have to get out of your car. Their sign doesn't light up any more because the person in the store said it broke down a lot and it was too expensive to fix. I was reading online about liquor stores in other places that really do have a drive-through window and they seem to be a bit controversial. What do you think?

Little alcove

Can you see yourself sitting in this chair with your drink and your book/magazine/music/newspaper? This is a somewhat typical Spanish style apartment building. This one is in La Jolla but you could see something similar in other parts of town.

El Rodeo mural

This is a mural behind the El Rodeo Mexican food place I showed last Friday. With my little bit of Spanish, the words on the mural are roughly translated as "right to live", "free the land", "freedom", "peace" - please correct me if that is not quite right! Whoever did this mural is quite an artist - I love how they even painted the street light in the colors of the Mexican flag. The little photo to the left is from the front of the shop, showing how they tried to paint around the cactus.

Urban gaucho

In North Park I found this rootin' tootin' cowboy with a message: EXIST.

Spanish landing

Expat captured this spectacular Spanish visit.
This magnificent four-master was docked at Broadway Pier earlier this week. Juan Sebastian de Elcano, a training vessel for the Royal Spanish Navy, left Cadiz in mid-January and called at the Canary Islands, Dominican Republic, and Costa Rica before arriving here. She sure looks great. The ship departed San Diego on Tuesday evening and will also visit Miami and Baltimore before heading home.

Torta round up

As you can see, El Rodeo is a bright spot on El Cajon Boulevard. They have all the other regular Mexican food fare but their specialty is tortas. If you like more carbs with your Mexican food, then try a torta - it's meat (carne asada - beef, pollo asado - chicken, carnitas - pork) on a sandwich roll.

Farmer's Market Treats

Sunday mornings at the Farmer's Market in Hillcrest is where it's at. What'll it be this week? What looks good? What tastes good? (each stand allows for tasting!) Oranges, apples, tomatoes, broccoli, chard? Aww, heck. Just get a little of everything & get ready to prepare one of the freshest meals in town!

tattoo u

I don't want a tattoo of them, I just like these fish at Inkers on El Cajon Blvd near SDSU. I don't have any tattoos but would love to hear the story behind yours.

Theme Day - Water

Built from 1813-1816, the Old Mission Dam in Mission Trails Regional Park is one of the oldest water projects in the western U.S. Using lime and crushed seashells as mortar, Indians and Spanish settlers used ropes, pulleys, and hand labor to build this 250 foot long, 10 foot thick, and about 12 foot high dam. Get into the flow by checking out other Daily Photo cities with water as the theme:

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Adelaide, Australia by Gordon, Albuquerque (NM), USA by Helen, American Fork (UT), USA by Annie, Anderson (SC), USA by Lessie, Ararat, Australia by Digger, Arradon, France by Alice, Ashton under Lyne, UK by Pennine, Athens, Greece by Debbie, Auckland, New Zealand by Lachezar, Austin (TX), USA by LB, Bandung, Indonesia by Guntur Purwanto, Barton (VT), USA by Andree, Belgrade, Serbia & Montenegro by Paja, Belgrade, Serbia & Montenegro by Bibi, Bellefonte (PA), USA by Barb-n-PA, Bicheno, Australia by Greg, Bogor, Indonesia by Gagah, Boston (MA), USA by Sarah, Whit, & Leyre, Boston (MA), USA by Fenix - Bostonscapes, Boston (MA), USA by Cluelessinboston, Brighton, UK by Harvey, Brookville (OH), USA by Abraham, Budapest, Hungary by Isadora, Budapest, Hungary by Zannnie and Zsolt, Canterbury, UK by Rose, Cape Town, South Africa by Kerry-Anne, Chandler (AZ), USA by Melindaduff, Chateaubriant, France by Bergson, Cheltenham, UK by Marley, Chicago (IL), USA by b.c., Christchurch, New Zealand by Michelle, Clearwater (FL), USA by Smaridge01, Clearwater Beach (FL), USA by Smaridge01, Cleveland (OH), USA by iBlowfish, Coral Gables (FL), USA by Jnstropic, Cypress (TX), USA by Riniroo, Dallas/Fort Worth (TX), USA by A Wandering Soul, Dunedin (FL), USA by Smaridge01, Durban, South Africa by CrazyCow, East Gwillimbury, Canada by Your EG Tour Guide, Evry, France by Olivier, Glasgow, Scotland by Jackie, Greenville (SC), USA by Denton, Grenoble, France by Bleeding Orange, Guelph, Canada by Pat, Gun Barrel City (TX), USA by Lake Lady, Hamilton, New Zealand by Sakiwi, Hampton (VA), USA by ptowngirl, Haninge, Sweden by Steffe, Helsinki, Finland by Kaa, Hobart, Australia by Greg, Hyde, UK by Old Hyde, Inverness (IL), USA by Neva, Jackson (MS), USA by Halcyon, Jakarta, Indonesia by Santy, Jefferson City (MO), USA by Chinamom2005, Jogjakarta, Indonesia by Jogja Portrait, Joplin (MO), USA by Victoria, Juneau (AK), USA by Gwyn, Katonah (NY), USA by Inkster1, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia by Edwin, Kyoto, Japan by Tadamine, Lake Forest Park (WA), USA by Azure, Larchmont (NY), USA by Marie-Noyale, Las Vegas (NV), USA by Mo, Lisbon, Portugal by Sailor Girl, Lisbon, Portugal by Maria João, Lodz, Poland by ritalounge, London, UK by Mo, London, UK by Ham, Mainz, Germany by JB, Maple Ridge, Canada by Susan, Marseille, France by Alex, Mazatlan, Mexico by Kate, Melbourne, Australia by John, Melbourne, Australia by Mblamo, Memphis (TN), USA by SouthernHeart, Menton, France by Jilly, Mexico City, Mexico by Carraol, Mexico City, Mexico by Poly, Minneapolis (MN), USA by Mitch, Minneapolis (MN), USA by Greg, Minsk, Belarus by Olga, Monrovia (CA), USA by Keith, Monte Carlo, Monaco by Jilly, Montego Bay, Jamaica by Ann, Monterrey, Mexico by rafa, Moscow, Russia by Irina, Mumbai, India by Kunalbhatia, Mumbai, India by Magiceye, Mumbai, India by MumbaiiteAnu, Nancy, France by yoshi, Naples (FL), USA by Isabella, Nashville (TN), USA by Chris, Nelson, New Zealand by Meg and Ben, New Orleans (LA), 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