1001 Reasons to Love San Diego
Beautiful Skies over San Diego
The skies in San Diego are often beautiful. Pictures never seem to do justice to what I see with my own eyes. Tonight as I was grilling dinner I looked up and saw this mesmerizing image.
The moon was out but hiding behind the purple shaded clouds. It looked so serene against the soft blue sky.
Life is good in San Diego.
1001 Reasons to Love San Diego!
Celebrating Independence Day at La Jolla Cove
It has been a family tradition of ours for almost 20 years now – although I have missed a few years in the middle there. My family loves to go to La Jolla Cove, just north of San Diego, to celebrate the 4th of July. The usual – yummy food, fun games, great times with friends, splashing around in the water – never grows old. It is also my parent’s wedding anniversary, so it is great way to celebrate.
We usually arrive around 7 am (the first crew that is) to claim a good spot in the grass – a mixture of shade, views of the water, and of course a perfect seat for when the fireworks show starts at 9 pm. There was a time when arriving that early meant you had your pick of where to set up. But us early crewers were shocked to find half of La Jolla’s grassy area, also known as Scripps Park, was covered with tents. I guess getting there the night before is the way to go… But we still found a good spot nonetheless.
We also come early for primo parking, but that has changed, too. Now after 9 am the ‘signs’ start going up clearing the streets of parked cars. It makes sense though, because it gets so crowded that the fun spills over into the streets, especially come night fall and closer to the time of the big show. But that is solved easily, too. Just a quick drive through La Jolla Village will find you a nice spot, or you can pay $10 and not have to drive around looking for one to open up. Then a nice leisurely walk past the stores and boutiques back to the park – not bad when you have sunny blue skies above and gorgeous palm trees with the Pacific Ocean in the back ground to look at. Oh yeah, good looking people, too.
So after all the fun is over but before the sun sets, we pack up our entire spot, minus a few chairs and blankets – because it is tough to pack up all of that when it is dark – and we settle in to watch the show. I wish there was a bit more of a breeze to blow the smoke clouds away for clearer viewing of the fireworks show, but considering it is right over head, and you can feel the BOOM in your chest as each firework explodes, it still makes for a very fun show.
I caught the finale on video and wanted to share it here. Happy Birthday America!!
~ With a smile,
Yalda
The San Diego Real Estate Lady
Round and round you go….
You know one thing I hate? Heading down to the airport to pick up a friend and being yelled at by the airport patrol guard to move my car. I do go through slowly, trying not to hold up traffic but again trying to give my friend enough time to make it to the curb…. but getting there even 5 minutes early and I am getting pushed off the curb by the patrol in less than 30 seconds. Frustrating, especially when going back around means I might be making a few more trips around the merry-go-round.
Well this last time, I noticed something I hadn’t before.
The Cell Phone Lot
Yeah, thats what the big sign read, with an arrow pointing to a parking lot on Harbor Drive, just a few blocks south of the terminals at San Diego International Airport. I actually drove past the entrance by the time I noticed the sign. I glanced over, noticed cars parked, noticed signs up with the phone numbers to the airlines, and didnt notice a single parking meter anywhere. I drove through terminal, past the curb, and realized my friend’s voice mail was immediately picking up - the phone must still be off – she must still be inside the plane. I decided to head back. Two lights and a U Turn later, I was inside the “Cell Phone Lot”.
The signs clearly state that the limit is an hour – sheesh who comes that early – and that you are NOT to leave your car unattended. But other than that you can park for Free and wait for the call telling you they have arrived and are waiting for you curb side.
Sweet!
What was even nicer, two big signs with the phone numbers of all the major airlines that land at San Diego’s airport, and vending machines in case you want a snack. The choices weren’t half bad either (it is a vending machine in a parking lot you know).
And about half way through the parking lot, you guessed it, monitors with the latest in Arrival Information! Just like the ones you would see inside the airport. So even if you didnt have a cell phone to make a call, you could get the latest flight info and better time your approach to the curb to pick up your friend or family.
I am not sure what the lot was used before but this is a great idea. I parked there for about 10 minutes, when I finally received the call from my friend that she was grabbing her bags and would be curbside in a few minutes. I responded “Yeah I will see you in two” to which she replied “are you that close??” YUP… enjoying the beautiful sights of the bay and watching the planes land – ok I confess I was playing on my phone – while I safely waited for her to arrive.
Gotta love San Diego!
6) 13th Annual San Diego Multicultural Festival
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Reason Number 6 to Love San Diego
“SAN DIEGO – The13th Annual Sheila R. Hardin San Diego Multicultural Festival is just around the corner. The annual event, which will take place Saturday, January 15 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., typically brings more than 20,000 San Diegans downtown to celebrate cultures from around the globe. Music and dance performances, storytelling and children’s activities as well as a wide range of food and retail vendors are all part of the free, family-friendly event.
The festival is held along Martin Luther King, Jr. Promenade (between Fourth Avenue and Market Street on Harbor Drive) across from the San Diego Convention Center.”
“This year’s event will also incorporate a variety of cultural and learning institutions as part of the Downtown Education Fair, which allows attendees to find out more about learning opportunities throughout downtown. A free drawing for prizes including Amtrak Surfliner passes, restaurant and local business gift cards is part of the fun, too.”
Food, activities, performers, celebrating the wonderful diversity found in San Diego. You can find out more on their website, which includes an Interactive Map!
4) “Unconditional Surrender” – 25 Ft Sculpture of Famous WWII Image
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1001 Reasons to Love San Diego - Reason Number 4 – “Unconditional Surrender”
Unconditional Surrender
I recently stumbled up on this wonderful piece of art while walking down by San Diego Harbor. The statue has been there since 2007 and rumor was that it would be gone by August of 2010, but I came across it just recently so I certainly hope it stays here for a long time.
It is titled “Unconditional Surrender” by J Seward Johnson. It is inspired by the famous WWII image of the Victory Kiss, a black and white image in NYC of a sailor kissing a nurse.
The beauty of this is the sheer size. Standing over 25 feet tall, it is definitely a sight to see, especially with the USS Midway Museum right behind it and being next to the San Diego Bay.
The park around it is called Tuna Harbor Park and right next to the sculpture is San Diego’s famous Fish Market Restaurant – a local favorite for great seafood. I didnt stop at the restaurant this visit, but I did take a nice walk through the park. Next time you head downtown and by the waterfront, stop by and take a look.
Tuna Harbor Park
Unconditional Surrender
3) Snow at the Garden of Lights – San Diego Botanic Gardens
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1001 Reasons to Love San Diego: Reason Number 3
Another Reason to Love San Diego
San Diego Botanical Garden of Lights
There will be a 100% chance of Snow at the Garden of Lights at the San Diego Botanic Gardens.
There is a 100% chance of snow at
San Diego Botanic Garden!
Sunday, December 26 at 2 pm, some 7 tons of snow will be created in the Garden’s Eucalyptus Grove, for the sledding enjoyment for the young and young-at-heart.
The snow will last several days, weather permitting.
Bring an innertube and join the fun!
December 26 – 30, 2010
5:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Admission prices:
Members, $6
Non-members: Adults $12; Seniors, Military & Students $8
All Children 3-12 $4
Children 2 and under FREE
Parking FREE
I will be heading over to enjoy the snow….
2) The Poinsettia Bowl – SDSU vs NAVY – This Thursday
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1001 Reasons to Love San Diego: Reason 2) The Poinsettia Bowl
Yet another Reason to L
ove San Diego.
The Poinsettia Bowl this Thursday 12/23/2010.
And this year two teams close to many San Diegan’s hearts will be playing:
The San Diego State Aztecs vs. The U.S. Naval Academy Midshipmen
The game starts at 5 PM down at Qualcomm Stadium and will also be covered on ESPN.
A little history about the Poinsettia Bowl:
Because of the Mountain West’s conference ties in San Diego, as well as the city’s large naval contingent, it was no surprise that the game has attracted many local fans in addition to those traveling from outside the region.
The Poinsettia Bowl has now also come to a two-year agreement with the Pac-10 Conference, which allows the bowl to select the 7th place team from the conference in 2008, and the sixth place team in 2009.
The Poinsettia Bowl has fulfilled its objective of generating tourism, exposure and economic benefit for the San Diego region, having an annual economic impact of over $11 million on the community.
Tickets are still available: Purchase Here
Unfortunately this year I will be watching the game on TV….
Who will you be rooting for?
San Diego – the 5th Best Real Estate Market for the Decade
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“Despite the Housing Crash, home prices saw an average gain of 58% in the 2000s” – Forbes Magazine
And San Diego California was 5th in the cities that saw real estate gains!
Thats right, according to Forbes, San Diego was the 5th best housing market for the entire decade.
We hear so much about the decline in the market nation wide, but if you take a look at it over a course of 10 years – from 2000 to 2010 – San Diego had a net gain of 57%. Divide that equally over the 10 years and that was an average 4.3% annual increase.
Rounding out the Top Five: New York, Los Angeles, Washington DC, Philadelphia (and then San Diego)
What would they say about our real estate market here in San Diego in 2020?
And yes there are cities that didn’t fair as well. You can see them here: Detriot, Las Vegas, Cleveland, Phoenix, and Atlanta.
Top 10 Real Estate Markets that saw Gains
Top 10 Real Estate Markets that saw Losses
Thank you Nicole Beauchamp, my fellow New York real estate agent for telling me about this.
1) Watch the Moon Turn Red San Diego!
Red Lunar Eclipse
1001 Reasons to Love San Diego: Reason Number 1
This Tuesday – Dec 20th, 2010 – at around 11 PM PST – we will have a full Lunar Eclipse!!
This is pretty interesting, to me at least 
, since my name is Yalda.
On December 21st, 2010, we will have our annual Winter Solstice.
The Winter Solstice is also the shortest day and therefore longest night of the year. It is the point of the year when the Northern Hemisphere of Earth will stop experiencing shorter and shorter days, when the tides start to turn and the days get longer and longer.
I am named after this ‘longest night’ – Shab e Yalda – so for me, this is a fun event .
The night of Yalda (Shab e Yalda) is one of man kind’s oldest holidays still in existence, celebrated for over 5,000 years. So I wish you a
**Happy Night of Yalda**
And now we will have a Lunar Eclipse on the same day as the Night of Yalda, and the best visibility of this Lunar Eclipse will be for us lucky residents of San Diego, California!! Sometime between 11:45 pm and 2:00 am (PST) you can witness the eclipse. Visually, that means the moon will turn a pretty color of red…. Yeah really, the color red like the image taken of one a few years ago.
I know I will be up celebrating my night, and now even more so because I can watch – weather permitting – the moon turn red! Now that is cool!
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Yalda (The San Diego Real Estate Lady)