www.SDNEWS.com � Volume 11, Number 8San Diego Community Newspaper GroupSan Diego Community Newspaper GroupSan Diego Community Newspaper Group AUGUST 2010

DOWNTOWN’S COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

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A CITY ON THE MOVE

Decision time:Several issues will re-shape downtown’s skylineConstruction beginsfor Central Library

Officials broke ground on the new CentralLibrary in East Village July 28, kicking off athree-year, $185 million project that willserve the city’s 35-branch system and putmore than 1.3 million items into circulation.The nine-story facility will include a technol-ogy center with more than 400 computerworkstations, multiple community gatheringlocations, a rooftop garden and a charterschool. The first phase of construction, whichwill establish the building’s core, is expected tobe complete in January 2012. Members ofthe San Diego Public Library Foundation arestill looking for an additional $32.5 millionneeded to complete the second phase, whichwill address interior improvements.

Mayor reverses stance on San Diego Civic Center

Mayor Jerry Sanders has vetoed a decisionmade by the City Council on July 12 to put aproposal for a new City Hall building to a pub-lic vote in November. The veto represents adramatic departure from the mayor’s stanceearlier in the month, when he appealed to thepublic and council members to consider thelong-term cost savings associated with thenew building, compared with the expense of“holding steady” in the existing Civic Center,which was built in 1964.

Sanders had championed the project as away to save as much as $236 million over a50-year period, but ultimately vetoed placing

the project up for a public vote when represen-tatives from the building’s developer, GerdlingEdlen, expressed concern about the cost ofrunning a campaign in support of the project.

There is still a chance the plan could moveforward, however; the City Council has untilFriday, Aug. 6 to override Sander’s veto andput the plan back on the ballot, or they couldvote to approve the project without seekingpublic approval. But in earlier discussions,several council members were adamant thatsuch a project should not move forward with-out the public’s support.

Proposed homeless centerproject moves forward

The city’s Land Use and Housing Commit-tee voted 3-1 on July 14 to approve a $31 mil-lion proposal to create a one-stop homelessservice center at San Diego’s World TradeCenter building. The project will now moveto the City Council for a final vote. District 2City Councilman Kevin Faulconer, who repre-sents the downtown area, voted against the

Streamers soar as the crowd celebrates the July 28 groundbreaking of the New Central Library.PAUL HANSEN | Downtown News

SEE CITY, Page 4

‘Ferragosto’ is a nightwhen everyone is Italian

With the deadline looming to place a half-cent sales-taxincrease on the November ballot, the City Council voted 6-2on Wednesday to put the measure before voters. The ordi-nance involves a five-year hike in local sales tax and is tied tovarious financial reform measures.

“It’s kind of a compromise and an agreement,” said Dar-ren Pudgil, a spokesman with Mayor Jerry Sanders’ office.“We know that reforms alone will not enable us to protectand restore city services, so it’s essentially reforms beforerevenue. It’s a combination package.”

The reforms tied to the potential sales-tax raise includechanges to retirement plans for city officials, a second-tierpension plan for firefighters and kickstarting the process toprivatize the city’s information technology services and theMiramar Landfill. Pudgil said the proposed ballot measurewould require the city to meet those reforms before anymoney is collected from the sales tax increase.

“It’s a very comprehensive reform package that must beput in place,” Pudgil said.

The City Council has held three special hearings in a five-day span to discuss the increase. At the most recent meeting

SEE SALES-TAX, Page 4

BY ANTHONY GENTILE | DOWNTOWN NEWS

Delicious Italian fare will delight visitors to “Ferragosto 2010, Whenin Rome” on Saturday, Aug. 14 in Little Italy. COURTESY PHOTO

The red carpet will be laid out, banners will be hung andpillars will line Amici Park in Little Italy on Saturday, Aug. 14from 6 to 11:30 p.m. The park, situated on the corner ofState and Date streets, will resemble the Roman Forum underthe stars for “Ferragosto 2010, When in Rome.”

It will be a fundraising event which organizers hope willonly be the first of many more to come.

“It was established to bring the community together,” saidevent chairman Luke Vinci.

Each year, organizers want to pull from a different timeperiod and place in Italy and use it as a theme for celebrat-ing Italian culture, Vinci said.

Proceeds will benefit Washington Elementary Founda-tion, Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church and the Little

SEE FERRAGOSTO, Page 4

BY DEBBIE HATCH | DOWNTOWN NEWS

Sales-tax measuregoes on the ballot

PAGE 2 | AUGUST 2010 | SAN DIEGO DOWNTOWN NEWS

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Comic-Con is king

San Diego Comic-Con Internation-al just wrapped up its 40th yearon July 25, transforming the Con-

vention Center and downtown into pop-culture heaven. Though the event was asold out success, drawing roughly140,000 people to the area, much of thetalk during its four days — and on pre-view night — centered on whether ornot the convention would leave SanDiego after its contract expires in 2012.

Having hit capacity limits locally, bothLas Vegas and Anaheim have activelysought to have Comic-Con Internation-al move to their cities. The hope is that byworking with the city to iron out thingssuch as hotel rates for attendees and aproposed expansion of the conventioncenter, the event will remain a down-town fixture for decades to come.

Comic-Con organizers will be makingan announcement soon on its future inSan Diego, but it’s loss would be a hugeblow to not only downtown, but theentire county.

“It has a $193 million economicimpact,” said Joe Terzi, president andCEO of the San Diego Convention & Vis-itors Bureau.

He cites figures of roughly $25 mil-lion in retail income, $40 million inrestaurants and transportation, withdirect spending alone totaling nearly$100 million.

“It’s a very important event for SanDiego economically, but also from thestandpoint of the press it gets. It’s notjust local and it’s not just San Diego,”said Terzi.

Indeed, Comic-Con garners world-wide coverage and is now regularlymentioned or featured in network TVprograms from “The Simpsons” to CNNspecial reports. “There’s actually moreinternational press than there is nation-al press,”Terzi said. “That’s important tous. We couldn’t buy that.”

Brandy Shimabukuro, a marketingand public relations expert with theGaslamp Quarter Association, pointsout that sales greatly increase for manyof the area’s shops and restaurants dur-ing the convention, but just as impor-tantly, there is a residual effect.

“A lot of places note repeat busi-ness throughout the year from peo-ple who attended the Con and want-ed to come back and do a weekend ortake their family to one of the localattractions,” Shimabukuro said.“We love to hear that.”

Downtown is known for having manylarge gatherings, from Mardi Gras to anannual Halloween party known as Mon-ster Bash. However, Terzi notes there isno comparison on the impact economi-cally or otherwise to Comic-Con.

The music festival Street Scene can-celled for 2010 after it’s 25th anniver-sary staging in 2009 and was one ofthe largest draws to the area — at itspeak attracting over 60,000 people.According to Shimabukuro, with StreetScene’s cancellation so recent, it’s toosoon to tell what impact its loss mightmean to the area, but Terzi notes thateven beyond the numbers of actualattendees, there is simply no compari-son between Comic-Con and anythingelse taking place downtown.

“Street Scene is more of a local event,”Terzi said. “Some visitors come and stayfrom outside of town, but you’re notgoing to produce anywhere near theeconomic impact that Comic-Con does.”

He said while concerts and paradeshave a major, positive impact on thearea, “if you added them all up togeth-

er they wouldn’t come close to the eco-nomic impact of Comic-Con.”

While it’s expected that restaurantsand hotels will pick up business duringComic-Con, so do retailers of all types.According to Erin Liddell, senior artconsultant with the Chuck JonesGallery, located on 5th Avenue, busi-ness nearly doubled during the conven-tion. The animation art gallery was ableto tie-in indirectly with Comic-Con,hosting appearances from artist AlexVoss and Marvel Comics founder StanLee during its run.

“There isn’t anywhere else on thisearth that we would want to be duringComic-Con,” Liddell said. “From pub-

licity and press to the increase in peoplecoming in to enjoy our artwork, it’s 100percent amazing for us. To lose it wouldhave a huge impact on us.”

Although the emphasis duringComic-Con is on the downtown area,both Terzi and Shimabukuro said theyare thrilled with it’s economic spill overinto the surrounding areas.

“One of the great things about thisevent is that it affects other communi-ties besides downtown,” Shimabukurosaid. ”Whether its attendees going outto dinner in Pacific Beach, or headingto one of the area’s many attractions,Comic-Con touches on everything inSan Diego County.”

Captain America pleads to keep Comic-Con in San Diego and not move it to another city when itscontract expires in a few years. DON BALCH | Downtown News

Economic impact felt countywideBY BART MENDOZA | DOWNTOWN NEWS

Hundreds of participants dressed in costumes and makeup to march down Fifth Avenuetoward the convention center for the Zombie Parade held July 24. PAUL HANSEN | Downtown News

An epic battle with inflatable swords takes place on the grass at the end of Fourth Avenue.The swords were given away to promote the video game “Dragon Age II” as a promotion dur-ing Comic-Con. PAUL HANSEN | Downtown News

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project at the committee level, saying hewould prefer a more comprehensiveapproach to handling homelessness. Ifthe council approves the center, it will bea one-stop venue for services and shelterfor up to 225 people; officials estimatethat there are about 4,300 homeless peo-ple within San Diego’s city limits. Theproject has been a source of controversy,as opponents fear the location of the cen-ter in the heart of the city’s financial dis-trict will be detrimental to businesses.

Massive concrete pourscheduled Aug. 7

A huge mat pour for Father Joe’s Vil-lages newest development, a child devel-opment center at 15th and Commercial,will involve 264 truckloads of concretepouring a foundation filling 2,640 yardsof concrete ranging from 5 to 10 feet inthickness on saturday, Aug. 7, beginningat 6 a.m. Portions of 15th, 16th andCommercial streets will be closed toaccommodate the trucks through about10 a.m.

The project will be three buildings inone: a new child development center, anupdated Bishop Maher Center providinglong term transitional housing, andaffordable/ permanent supportive hous-ing all under one roof.

Construction to start ondowntown quiet zone

Construction on the city’s downtownquiet zone is slated to begin at the end ofAugust pending a 30-day waiting periodto ensure that an ordinance approvingconstruction and maintenance contractsis not derailed by a public referendum,said Scott Johnson, senior project man-ager at Centre City Development Corpo-ration (CCDC) — the agency overseeingthe project. Although there has been nomovement by the public to undertakesuch an effort, all city ordinances mustcomply with the mandatory wait, John-son said.

If the proposal passes the public test,contractors will be able to obtain per-mits after Aug. 13 and begin procuringequipment. Johnson said contractors

will be working with railway authoritiesto minimize the potential impact tothose who ride the trains and trolleys;most of the work at the intersections willbe conducted between 2 and 4 a.m.,he said.

The quiet zone plan went into actionJune 22 when the City Council voted toapprove the 15-month endeavor, whichwill involve spending an estimated $17.9million on enhanced safety measures at13 intersections along the railway fromLaurel Street to Park Boulevard.

Balboa Park receivesnational award

The American Public Works Associa-tion (APWA) named San Diego’s BalboaPark Ornamentation Restoration Pro-ject as a Public Works Projects of the

Year. It was chosen in the category ofhistorical restoration, boasting a cost ofless than $5 million. The project is beingrecognized as an example of an out-standing alliance between the manag-ing agency, contractor, consultant andtheir cooperative achievements. The SanDiego Museum of Man is one of the twobuildings in the project being named forthe Spanish colonial architecturalrestoration. The second building, origi-nally built in 1926, is the Museum ofArt. The ornamentation on this struc-ture was built of reinforced architecturalprecast concrete. The city of San Diego,Soltek Pacific Construction and HeritageArchitecture and Planning will receivethe award for their work on the projectat the APWA’s 2010 InternationalCongress and Exposition in Boston fromAug. 15 through 18.

CITYCONTINUED FROM Page 1

Italy Association. Organizers hope toraise money to provide scholarshipsand support school programs, as wellas maintain the historical preservationof Little Italy.

“The church initiated the event,”Vinci said.

Father Steve Grancini with Our Ladyof the Rosary Catholic Churchapproached Vinci with the idea about ayear and a half ago, and the two ofthem, alongside a long list of other keypeople, have been organizing andworking hard to make it all cometogether.

“Its really unprecedented that achurch institution is leading the way toraise money for a public school,” Vincisaid.

He mentioned that this act repre-sents of one of the unique and genuinequalities of the people of Little Italy.

All attendees will be transformedinto Roman citizens for a night. Theonly difference is that instead of wear-ing togas, guests will be in cocktailattire, Vinci joked.

There will be 18 restaurants partic-ipating and offering Italian food selec-tions in true Roman style.

There will also be a silent auctionwith 65 different raffle items, includinga $3,500 travel voucher that can beused for a trip to Rome.

“Everything will be enclosed in theRoman Forum,” Vinci said.

Two different local bands will playmusic under the stars. The house bandfrom Anthology will also provide tunesfor dancing.

Wine, beer and Limoncello — anItalian lemon liqueur — will be flow-ing.

“It’s a great neighborhood to besucked into,” Vinci said.

He lives and works in Little Italy.Participating restaurants include

Bencotto Italian Kitchen, Tarantino,Pappalecco, Busalacchi’s Restaurants,Landini’s Pizzeria, Vigilucci’s Restau-rant Group and others.

Guests must be 21 or older.Tickets are $100 for the first 400

sold. The remaining tickets will be$125 and can be purchased by calling(619) 234-4820, or by visitingwww.ferragostosd.org .

FERRAGOSTOCONTINUED FROM Page 1

Instead of togas, participants will relive the glory days of Rome in cocktail attire onAug. 14. COURTESY PHOTO

yesterday, the council voted to approve arevised version of the ordinance present-ed by the city attorney.

With the council approval, theproposed sales-tax hike will now beput before voters on Nov. 2. Pudgil saidthe five-year temporary tax would raisean estimated $103 million per yearthat the city would put toward cityservices, including fire, police andstreet resurfacing.

“It will be used to eliminate the rollingfire brownouts and it will be used torestore and protect essential city ser-vices,” Pudgil said.

District 2 City Councilman KevinFaulconer voted against placing the salestax increase on the ballot along with Dis-trict 5 Councilman Carl DeMaio.Faulconer said the measure as present-ed doesn’t present significant or guar-anteed savings to citizens.

“The reforms in this tax proposal area wish list. We need an action list,”Faulconer said in a statement. “San Die-gans need to know how much money

the city will save before we ask them formore.”

While the half-cent sales-tax increaseidea comes closer to the ballot box, theproposal for a new City Hall was takenoff the ballot last week. On July 30,Sanders vetoed the City Council’s plansto put the project on the November bal-lot. Pudgil said the developers for theproject asked Sanders to remove it fromthe ballot, citing a lack of resources.

“It’s a very complicated issue andcommunicating that effectively to thepublic would have taken a significantamount of money,” Pudgil said.

SALES-TAXCONTINUED FROM Page 1

This architectural model shows the basic design of the New Central Library.PAUL HANSEN | Downtown News

Dignitaries pose for photos following the July 28 groundbreaking for San Diego's New Cen-tral Library. PAUL HANSEN | Downtown News

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CityTV is a 24-hour channel that provides live coverage of the San Diego City Council andother public meetings. DARLYNNE REYES MENKIN | Downtown News

CityTV doing more with less

CityTV is the city of San Diego’s gov-ernment access cable channel, andwhile the downtown-based operationis small, the staff has mastered the artof doing more with less.

The 24-hour channel provides livecoverage of the San Diego City Counciland other public meetings, as well asbroadcasting forums, public serviceannouncements and the annual Mar-tin Luther King Jr. Breakfast.

“We cover anywhere from 20 to 35public meetings a week and 150 to 200press conferences a year, so we’re busy,”said station manager Rick Bollinger.

That’s impressive given the fact thatthere are only three people on staff. Thehours can also be long.

“If a council meeting goes until 9 or9:30 at night, we’ll stay live on the airuntil it’s over and then we’re back inthe office bright and early the nextmorning,” Bollinger said.

CityTV launched in 1998 and backthen, the staff produced feature stories,

news segments and talk shows in addi-tion to covering live City Council andpublic meetings.

“We had a bigger staff, plus four tofive independent contractors, so wecould do more,” Bollinger said.

However, budget cutbacks in 2007changed all that, so the staff membershad to figure out how to best utilizetheir limited resources.

Despite the challenges, they’re mak-ing it work.

“We’re a lean, mean, machine butmake no mistake, we’re bringing it,”Bollinger laughed.

“I like the fact that we’re doing some-thing that matters to people,” he said.“There are so many people out therewho truly care about our city and wantto know what’s going on, so we get toshare that information with them.”

The Internet also plays a key role. “People can watch us online and

that’s been a great resource. Our onlinenumbers are good,” Bollinger said.

CityTV is available on Channel 24 onTime Warner and Cox cable, and Chan-nel 99 on AT&T.

BY DARLYNNE REYES MENKINDOWNTOWN NEWS

National Doctors Tea Party set Aug. 7The National Doctors Tea Party will

be held at 3900 N. Harbor Drive at Span-ish Landing on Saturday, Aug. 7 fromnoon to 3 p.m. Moderators and speakerswill feature Dr. Wayne Iverson and Dr.Adam Dorin. Among the other speak-ers will be Roger Hedgecock, local radio

talk-show host, who will share his opin-ions regarding healthcare. The event isfree and open to the public. Sponsors forthe event are Association of AmericanPhysicians and Surgeons and PhysiciansAgainst Obama Care. For more informa-tion, visit www.doctorsteaparty.com.

Summer concerts keep Coronado Ferry Landing lively

Aug. 7 — Teagan & Taylor Trio 2-5 p.m.Aug. 8 — Coronado Big Band, 1 p.m.-3p.m.Aug. 14 — Paragons, 1-3 p.m.Aug. 15 — Cool Fever, 1-4 p.m.

Aug. 21 — Stiletto’s, 2-5 p.m.Aug. 22 — Kyle Van Band, 2-5 p.m.Aug. 28 — Blue Frog Band, 2-5 p.m.Aug. 29 — Crown Island Jazz Band, 1-3p.m.

Taste of Downtown arrives Sept. 1The 11th annual Taste of Down-

town will be held on Wednesday,Sept. 1, from 5 to 9 p.m. More than60 restaurants from downtown willparticipate in the event that takesplace throughout the Gaslamp Quar-ter, Financial District, East Villageand Little Italy.

Fare will be from a combination ofeateries, bistros, take-out places aswell as new restaurants. There willbe pastas, Asian fusion, Americanfavorites, desserts and drinks too.

It is a self-guided, walking tour ofthe downtown streets. Tickets are$30 in advance or $35 the day ofthe event.

All proceeds benefit the Down-town San Diego Partnership. Thisorganization is responsible for pro-moting and enhancing the commu-nity through programs such as theDowntown Clean and Safe Programand the Downtown Walking Map.

A complimentary shuttle serviceis offered, which will take patrons toand from each neighborhood. CoxCable and SignOnSanDiego.comsponsor the annual tasting.

Taste of Downtown has soldout for the past eight years. Fortickets call (619) 233-5008 orvisit www.dtsd.org.

— Debbie Hatch

Here is the 2010 Coronado Ferry Landing Summer Concert Series

schedule for the month of August:

San Diego sculptor exhibit and reception set

Fred Briscoe will exhibit his sculp-ture work at Alexander Salazar FineArt through Aug. 15. A specialartist reception is scheduled for Aug.6 and 7 from 5 to 9 p.m. The exhibi-tion is titled “Ascent,” and featuressculptures created by using differentmedia. Briscoe was once a mason.His work can be found in Las Vegas,Beverly Hills, Coronado and otherlocations. Alexander Salazar Fine Artopened downtown in March and islocated at 640 Broadway St. Formore information, call (619) 531-8996. Reservations are required andshould be sent to alexander-salazarfineart@gmail.com.

Clown around at the SanDiego Railroad Museum

The San Diego Model RailroadMuseum will be transformed into a cir-cus on Sunday, Aug. 15 from 11 a.m.to 3 p.m. The family-friendly event willoffer model circus trains runningaround various layouts. Families willalso be able to make their own woodencircus trains and participate in carni-val games. Popcorn, snacks andrefreshments will be offered. Adultadmission is $7 and children under 15are free. The museum is located in Bal-boa Park at 1649 El Prado St. For moreinformation, call (619) 696-0199.

Festival of Sail arrives on San Diego Bay

More than 20 tall ships and othervessels from around the world will visitthe North Embarcadero from Sept. 2 to

6 for the 2010 Port of San Diego Festi-val of Sail, hosted by the MaritimeMuseum of San Diego. The festivalkicks off with a majestic parade of tallships on San Diego Bay at 11 a.m.,Sept. 2.

Festival visitors will enjoy touringthe ships, entertainment at the Festivalof Sail main stage, food and drink fromdozens of restaurant booths, a familyactivity area, petting zoo and shoppingfor one-of-a-kind items among morethan 100 festival vendors.

Ships at the festival will include thetall ship of California, the Californian,a replica of the original America’s Cupracing yacht America, the Gaff topsailschooner Bill of Rights, the Brigantinefrom Antigua, the Kaisei and manymore.

Several ships will engage in cannonbattle reenactments on San Diego Bayduring the festival. In addition, 12-pound cannons, known as Napoleons,

will be fired to salute morning anddusk. The museum’s Shore BatteryArtillery Team will also salute the shipswith several rounds of fire as they passby during the parade. The unit willdemonstrate how the guns are cleanedand then will fire the three and fourpound guns for a “noon salute” eachday as well as firing volleys at the shipsduring the Gun Battles on the Bay.

The festival begins with a grandparade of sail on San Diego Bay at 11a.m. on Sept. 2. More than a dozenmajestic windjammers will parade intoSan Diego’s harbor in a nautical pro-cession. www.sdmaritime.org.

Bike the Bay eventreturns Aug. 29

Local bicyclists are set to pedalacross the San Diego-Coronado BayBridge and then traverse along some ofthe county’s most scenic bay shoreroutes during the third annual Bike theBay ride on Sunday, Aug. 29. Thenon-competitive 25-mile “fun ride”starts at 7 a.m. at Embarcadero Mari-na Park South on Harbor Drive in SanDiego and travels over the 2.1-milebridge and along the expandedBayshore Bikeway. The ride is open toriders 12 years and older and recom-mended for all cycling abilities. Theroute winds along bayside paths anddown dedicated bike lanes throughCoronado, Imperial Beach, Chula Vistaand National City. The family-friendlyevent finishes at the EmbarcaderoMarina Park with post-ride festivitiesincluding food, entertainment and aKarl Strauss beer garden. The entrycost is $55 and the event is limited to2,500 riders. Tandem and corporateteam entries also are available. Forinformation and online registration,visit www.bikethebay.net. Ride pro-ceeds benefit the San Diego CountyBicycle Coalition, a nonprofit organiza-tion dedicated to making area bicyclingbetter.

Labor Day weekend stickball tournament set

The streets of Little Italy will sooncome alive with stickball. While it ismostly an East Coast tradition, manyin Little Italy look forward to weekend-long tournament. Every year, localteams come together to play for theopportunity to call themselves the kingof the block. The champions areawarded that title. While there is

taunting and heckling, it is all done ingood fun. The event will be held Satur-day, Sept. 4 and Sunday, Sept. 5 from 8a.m. to 6 p.m. on Columbia Streetbetween Beech and Cedar streets, andon State Street between Ash and Beechstreets. The Little Italy Associationsponsors the event. For more informa-tion or to register a team, call (858)279 -1924.

East Village offers Padres tailgate

For the first time, the East Villagewill close off two city blocks to offer aPadres tailgate party. J Street, betweenSeventh and Ninth Avenues, will bebrought to life when the East VillageAssociation and the San Diego Padrespartner up to tailgate on Friday, Aug.27 and Friday, Sept. 10, from 4:30 to7 p.m. Within the tailgate area will bea mini tasting zone, which will featurefare from five East Village restaurants.Local brewers will be selling hand-crafted beers as well. A retired Padrewill be present at each of the two tail-gate events. Entertainment willinclude live music and interactivesports games for adults. Admission isfree, but only open to those 21 andolder. For more information, visitwww.eastvillagesandiego.com.

Regatta will benefitSharp HospiceCare

The eighth annual Sharp Hospice-Care Benefit Regatta will kick off Fri-day, Aug. 27 with a pre-race dinner at6 p.m. at the Hotel Del Coronado. Theevening will include a full-course din-ner, dancing to the music of DetroitUnderground, as well as live and silentauctions. Tickets are $175. On Satur-day, Aug. 28 at 11 a.m. the race por-tion of the fundraiser will take place.Yacht boarding and race viewing willbe available from the Coronado YachtClub. Tickets to this are $125 andinclude lunch and a seat aboard a pri-vate yacht for viewing. The ticket alsoincludes a barbecue following theregatta from 3 to 6 p.m., during whichtime there will be dancing and anawards ceremony. Proceeds will benefitthe Sharp HospiceCare, an organiza-tion that provides support for patientsand families dealing with a long-termillness. To reserve tickets or for moreinformation, call (619) 740-4316.

DOWNTOWN EVENTS6 AUGUST 2010SAN DIEGO DOWNTOWN NEWS

SEE EVENTS, Page 11

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COMIC-CON IN REVIEW 7AUGUST 2010SAN DIEGO DOWNTOWN NEWS

The biggest buzz at Comic-Con this year was the unannounced appearance of the entire cast of the to-be-filmed blockbuster movie “The Avengers,” based on the popular Marvel Comics super-hero team.Making an appearance are (from left) Scarlet Johansson, (Black Widow); Chris Hemsworth, (Thor); ChrisEvans, (Captain America); Samuel L. Jackson, (Nick Fury); Robert Downey Jr., (Iron Man); Jeremy Renner(Hawkeye); and Mark Ruffalo (The Hulk). A movie panel, packed with 6,500 attendees who thought theevent was over, went nuts screaming as each star came out on stage without any warning.

DON BALCH | Downtown News

Actor Harrison Ford, who had never attended a Comic-Con, is jokingly led intoa movie panel in handcuffs in front of ecstatic fans. He was promoting theupcoming film “Cowboys and Aliens.” DON BALCH | Downtown News

Robin, Batman and Catwoman provide a photo op in the Sail Pavilion. PAUL HANSEN | Downtown News

Wolverine and another character at Comic-Con pose for the camera. PAUL HANSEN | Downtown News

Iconic science-fiction writer Ray Brad-bury (left) who came to the first SanDiego Comic-Cons in the early 1970s,meets Jerry Robinson, who created thefamous Batman villain “The Joker” backin 1940. DON BALCH | Downtown News

PAGE 8 | AUGUST 2010 | SAN DIEGO DOWNTOWN NEWS

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NEWS 9AUGUST 2010SAN DIEGO DOWNTOWN NEWS

The committee for the San Diego American Cancer Society Relay for Life is preparing this year’s event, whichwill take place Aug. 21 to 22 at the North Embarcadero just outside Seaport Village. COURTESY PHOTO

Committee works to raise cancer awareness in younger generations

Cancer is quickly becoming a leadingcause of death in the U.S., and four LaJolla High School (LJHS) alumni arefighting back. Along with a volunteercommittee of 20 local young profession-als, the team has transformed the down-town San Diego American Cancer Soci-ety Relay for Life from a modest affairto a booming spectacle in just four years.

Brothers Stacy and Jamie Meronoff,LJHS classes of 1999 and 2001 respec-tively, helped launch the downtownevent in 2006 with about 100 partici-pants, and raised a total of $8,000. Thisyear, Stacy said, the committee expectsto attract more than 1,000 people and$100,000 in funds for cancer research,advocacy and early-prevention pro-grams through the American CancerSociety.

For 24 hours, teams of 10 or morepeople will walk continuously to sym-bolize that “cancer never sleeps,” saidStacy, the committee’s chairman. So far,61 teams have signed up for this year’srelay from Aug. 21 to Aug. 22 from 9a.m. to 9 a.m. at the North Embarcaderojust outside Seaport Village.

Jamie is serving as the food and hospi-tality chair for the 2010 relay.

“We’ve taken this event to anotherlevel,” he said. “Seeing how much suc-cess we’ve had in a down economy, com-bined with all the corporate sponsor-ships we’ve gotten and increasing thelevel of participation has been reallyrewarding.”

The cuisine will go above and beyondtypical relay fare, Jamie added, with abuffet-style feast and a special lunch forcancer survivors donated by Dick’s LastResort.

“We try to get as many restaurantsand eateries involved as possible,” hesaid. “Everyone eats like a king.”

Cancer has touched the life of eachcommittee member through friends,family or loved ones who were diag-nosed. Some won the battle and othersdid not.

About 10 years ago, Stacy and Jamie’scousin, Kevin, died of cancer at age 20.

“For the next few years, I was giving acheck to cancer research,” Stacy said.“Then a coworker invited me to be ateam captain for the first downtownrelay, and I got behind it because I real-ly felt like this was a charity I could putall my effort into.”

Brad Williams — public relations andpublicity chair and Stacy’s best friendfrom high school — lost his grandfatherto cancer after a battle that lasted eightyears.

“I was so grateful he had those extrayears and that advancements in medicaltechnology allowed him to play a greaterrole in my life,” Williams said. “I relay forhim, in the hopes that others will havemore opportunities with their loved onesand that they will eventually beat thisdisease.”

David Lichtenstein, LJHS class of 2001who now works as a litigation attorney,is the corporate sponsorship chair andhas seen cancer plague his family with-out regard for age or generation.

“Unfortunately, there’s a very highprevalence of cancer in my family,” hesaid. “This event is a way for me to feel

like I can make a direct contribution tofinding a cure for the disease.”

The group hopes its assortment ofyoung professionals, ages 25 to 35, willbring fresh energy to the event and helpspread awareness to a younger genera-tion.

“The advantage is that we’re hungry,”Williams said. “We’re a proactive groupthat knows cancer will impact us evenmore as we move forward.”

Jamie agreed.“Not everybody that age has been

touched by cancer yet, but chances are inthe next several years they will be,whether it’s a close friend, a relative, orthemselves,” Jamie said. “I think it’simportant to spread the awareness thatthis disease is very prevalent and affectseveryone in some way at some point.”

Lichtenstein said the indestructibilitymindset needs to be overcome.

“Younger people should pay attentionand start thinking about this disease ear-lier in life,” Lichtenstein said. “It’s notjust parents and grandparents who areaffected. It’s people our own age. We’renot invincible.”

The committee takes a month or twoof rest after the relay before the processbegins again with an average of 10hours of work per week, then 20 to 30hours weekly in the last few monthsbefore the big day. For a young crew withday jobs and social lives, the hours addup quickly.

“It’s a year-round process,” Stacy said.One thing Stacy said he has learned,

however, is that any effort the group putsin will be matched tenfold by the com-munity.

“The biggest thing I’ve learned is thatpeople out there want to help,” Stacysaid. “You’ve just got to ask.”

Each year, the group is reminded ofthe power that a small group of peoplewith energy and focus can wield.

“I feel like I’m making a direct impactwith tangible benefits in my communi-ty,” Lichtenstein said.

Being surrounded by such a largecommunity of people whose lives havebeen affected by the disease also helpsput things in perspective.

“Now that I’m involved, I can’t imag-ine not being involved,” Stacy said. “It’sa constant reminder of how lucky I amto be healthy, and how many peopleunfortunately are not. We’ve got to try tocreate better mechanisms to combatthese issues.”

Williams urged his peers to takeaction.

“We hope that more young peoplestart getting involved in causes they careabout,” he said. “You don’t have to waituntil something impacts you to have avoice.”

The first Relay for Life took placein Tacoma, Wash. in 1985. Today,more than 3,000 relays take placeeach year around the world withabout 30 in San Diego County alone.To start a team, join a team, donateo r l e a r n m o r e , v i s i twww.relayforlife.org/downtownsandiegoca.

BY JENNA FRAZIER | DOWNTOWN NEWS RELAY FOR LIFECancer never sleeps, and neither will more than 1,000participants in the fourth annual Downtown San DiegoAmerican Cancer Society Relay for Life on Aug. 21and 22 at the North Embarcadero just outside SeaportVillage. For a 24-hour period from 9 a.m. to 9 a.m.,members of more than 60 teams made up of survivors,friends and families and even employees of local busi-nesses, will take turns walking or running around atrail to raise more than $100,000 for cancer research,advocacy and early-prevention programs through theAmerican Cancer Society. The event will also featurerefreshments and activities each hour such as livemusic, themed laps, raffle drawings and a luminariadedication ceremony. To start a team, join an existingteam, donate or learn more about the event, visitwww.relayforlife.org/downtownsandiegoca.

“Younger people shouldpay attention and startthinking about this diseaseearlier in life. It’s not justparents and grandparentswho are affected. It’s peo-ple our own age. We’renot invincible.”

David Lichtenstein, LJHS class of 2001

Please call 858-268-3999 for more information and visit our websites:

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Dr. Nathan Hornsby, D.D.S, M.S.D, pur-chased a 30-year-old practice downtownin July 2009 with the intent of turning itinto a state-of-the-art, all-compassingdental practice. Last month, his newhigh-tech Cosmetic Dentistry Center ofSan Diego, located at 702 C St., cele-brated its first birthday.

“The facility is amazing,” Hornsbysaid.

Between the lighting, the surgicalmicroscopes and the 22-inch televi-sions, the office is able to providepatients with state-of-the-art careand comfort. Among the com-forts offered, patients canchoose from a variety of pro-grams to watch during theirvisit from a selection of Netflixofferings.

Hornsby described oneexample of updated technologyas a water laser used to completea job formerly done with a scalpel.

“The post-op healing time is muchfaster,” Hornsby said.

He added that recovery from gumsurgery and pocket-reduction surgery,which can be quite painful, is made eas-ier with the use of the water-laser tech-nology.

As a dentist who completed his doc-torate at Columbia University College ofDental Medicine in New York, then stayed onto complete a three-year residency inprosthodontics and then received a masterof science degree, one might think Hornsbywould be bored by simple procedures.

However, Hornsby said one of hisfavorite things to do at work is to glueon crowns. To him, it represents theday that the patient gets to leave theoffice with a newly-completed smile and a new outlookon the world.

“We are providing a service to patients and I want to do

that at a specialty level,” Hornsby said.He has a team of multiple specialists from

prosthodontics to pediatrics to oral surgery.“I am the quarterback of the office,’” Horns-

by said.The all-encompassing practice facili-

tates case planning for patients who needto see more than one specialist.

Hornsby wants his patients toreceive care from all dental special-

ties in-house. His office also offersthe regular cleanings and check-

ups available in general den-tistry offices.

And even with a 3,000-square-foot facility, Horns-by wants to keep patientcare on a personal level.

“The underlying themeis that patients want supe-rior care,” Hornsby said.

Patients want to haveconfidence in their dentists.

Patients also want to rest inthe fact that superior technol-ogy is being used in their careplan, Hornsby said.

The only option not offeredis general anesthesia. Patientsmust go to a hospital for that,but Hornsby’s staff is still pre-sent for the dental procedure.General sedation using anal-gesics and methods of con-scious sedation are done withprocedures at the office.

“Know your options,” Horns-by said of choosing a dentist. “Do

your research. do your homework.Know where people come from.”

He encourages patients to choosea dentist who is right for them.

Hornsby’s office also arrangeshotel accommodations and trans-portation if the patient needs it. For

more information, call (619) 544-0544,or visit www.dentistrysd.com.

HEALTH & FITNESS10 AUGUST 2010SAN DIEGO DOWNTOWN NEWS

Dr. Nathan Hornsby,D.D.S, M.S.D

High-tech dental office celebrates one-year anniversaryBY DEBBIE HATCH | DOWNTOWN NEWS

Connie Cook “C2”

Fitness Director

Fit Athletic Club

Ping pongfever hitsthe hipsceneFIT SAVVYBy Connie Cook | Guest Columnist

Fit Athletic Club owner Scott Lutwak and general man-ager Brandon Buzarde play a rousing game of pingpong. Believe it or not, ping pong has re-emerged as apopular social activity. COURTESY PHOTO

The tension is high, the room is hot,the crowd watches anxiously as sweatdrips from the players’ foreheads andpuddles on the floor, creating a smellreminiscent of a high school boys’ lock-er room after gym class. Bloodthirstyathletes with their souped-up, hard-hit-ting paddles show off their mind-blow-ing skills as onlookers cheer them onin awe and admiration. These warriorsof the rectangular table are fierce andare in it to win it! It’s official: ping pongfever has struck the masses.

What was once considered a “geekygame” is now a full-blown hipster sport,and an Olympic one at that. Yes, unbe-knownst to many, ping pong (alsoknown as table tennis) has been anOlympic sport since 1988. Although thegame seems to be dominated by the Chi-nese, and considered by them to be theirnational sport, it was actually inventedby the British in the 1880s as an after-dinner indoor relaxation game, mimick-ing outdoor tennis. In preparation of thehosting of the Olympic Games in 2012,London recently set up 100 ping pongtables all around the city in hopes ofenticing more British people to play thesport by the time the games arrive.

Ping pong’s popularity in the States ison the rise. HBO’s pop-culture series“Entourage” featured the game in arecent episode at Los Angeles’s trendynew table tennis social club, SPiN, (whichis co-owned by Susan Sarandon). SPiN’sLA venture is actually the first expansionoutside of the company’s original loca-tion in New York. Here in San Diego, pingpong is the new draw to several down-town hot spots. Game ON! Tournamentsare held the third Tuesday of each monthat Quality Social, downtown’s newest“quality dive bar.” Players battle it out fortheir chance to win generous bar tabs.

For those who have not participated in,or witnessed, a battle of the blazing balls,the idea may occur to you that ping pongis just a simple paddle game. For thenovice, it may be just that, but for the ath-letic ball busters out there, it’s much more.

Ping pong is fast and it demands quickhand-eye coordination and rapid reac-tions. Ping pong professionals practicerelentlessly to improve their skills andtheir ability to master some of the basicbiomechanical principals of all strokes,including: the application of force andfriction (how to touch the ball), timing(when the racket’s energy is transferred

to the ball) and where to contact the ball(always in the front).

Although ping pong may not be asphysically-grueling as other sports, it stillrequires regular, intense training. Profes-sionals, and the truly competitive ama-teurs spend hours doing drills to masterdifferent serves, returns and strokes, andthey must keep their bodies in good over-all condition. Being in good physicalshape is important to play at your bestlevel and can be the difference betweentwo players with the same technical abil-ity. Sometimes, form and footwork candecline after several matches when aplayer is not physically conditioned toendure the stamina required for long play.

To improve your stamina, which isalso known as your aerobic condition-ing, you need to perform some kind ofaerobic activity. You can take a cyclingclass, run on the treadmill, go swim-ming, jog the neighborhood, jump ropeor anything you choose that raises yourheart rate and gets your blood flowing,and you should do it at least three to fivetimes a week for 30 to 45 minutes toreally produce results.

Ping pong keeps you up and movingthe whole game. It will be important tohave strong legs and abdominals to sup-port you through and extend play time.Incorporating squats, walking lunges andpowerful plyometric drills into your work-out will help prepare your legs for theshifting and bouncing around ping pongrequires. Likewise, focusing on simpleabdominal exercises such as crunchesand planks can help strengthen yourback for a lengthy, intense game.

We have ping pong tables at Fit Athlet-ic Club that are always occupied withenthused, competitive players before andafter their workouts. And, I might add,we do have some of the best competitorsin town dropping sweat on our floors on adaily basis. Regular ping pong play keepsyou mentally sharp and since it’s a non-contact sport, it’s gentle on your body.Unless of course you play with a soreloser, then it could get physical andbecome a whole new kind of paddlecrushing event.

When we first moved to SanDiego 20 years ago, afavorite Saturday morning

ritual was riding bikes. With ourboom box bungeed on the back rack,we’d ride along the Embarcaderowhile grooving to mix tape tunes.“Livin’ in the Wild Wild West,” BobMarley and “Twistin’ by the Pool” arememorable tunes! Since we didn’town a CD player, it was those home-made mix tapes that helped put us ina new West Coast spirit.

That’s why we’re so excited aboutthe Horton Grand Theater’s newshow, “MiXtape” — a musical jour-ney through the ‘80s. The play kicksoff Aug. 6 and will run through lateSeptember. The inspiration for writ-ing the play comes from the minds ofJon Lorenz and Colleen Kollar Smith.

“Ultimately, with ‘MiXtape,’ wewanted to create a show about thepower of music,” Lorenz said. “It’s acollage and a collage is like a mixtape. You select things from culturethat express something personal toyou. We don’t do that today. We dragand drop. We create playlists. But amix tape is really a labor of love. Youhave to pick your songs. You have topush record. Play, pause, rewind, fastforward. The messiness of it. We’reexploring music as a marking of yourmemories. Music as a time machine.Music as empowerment. Music asyour secret place,” Lorenz said.

• Another trip back in time hap-pens Aug. 12, when Anthology(1337 India St.) presents “A MusicalNight at the Movies With Popcorn.”The unique show features a five-pieceband performing a wide variety ofpopular hit songs from famous Holly-wood movie scenes. The scenes playon a big screen while the band is per-forming, so it’s a true multi-sensoryassault. Some of the highlightsinclude shots of the dancing ground-hog from “Caddyshack” while Pop-corn plays the song “I’m Alright” andTom Cruise riding his motorcycle in“Top Gun” while the band plays“Danger Zone.” Other song/videocombinations are “Footloose,” “CarWash,” and Forrest Gump’s greatesthits. If that’s not enough, audiencemembers will be treated to the dis-tinctive aroma of hot-buttered pop-corn circulating throughout thevenue. The musician behind thismagical creation is Don Baskin, a for-mer member of the band Syndicateof Sound. The classic 1960s bandhad a one-hit-wonder called “LittleGirl,” which climbed to number 10on the charts in 1966. They alsoappeared live with legendary bands

like the Young Rascals, the Yardbirdsand the Rolling Stones.

Baskin, who established analliance with Jolly Time Popcorn,said the favorite movie time snackwill be available to eat so it willenhance the extravaganza.

“We wanted to recreate the experi-ence of a drive-in,” Baskin said. “Themusic from movies, the vintage com-mercials and shorts will touch onwhat the times were like. When weperform, we can see the audience oohand awe, from kids to older people.For me, it’s a memory thing … a lookback at a great hit from a movie willtrigger thoughts of something.”

The show is being billed as a goodfit for the family. It could be a goodway to keep your kid away from thetexting and tune into the backgroundmusic and videos of the past.

— Marc and Darlynne Menkin arethe co-owners of Where You Want ToBe Tours. Many of their tours andteambuilding scavenger hunts featuresecret downtown areas.

www.wheretours.com

EVENTS 11AUGUST 2010SAN DIEGO DOWNTOWN NEWS

PUBLISHER Julie Mannis Hoisington(858) 270-3103 x106jmannis@sdnews.com

EXECUTIVE EDITORJohn Gregory x130downtown@sdnews.com

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ACCOUNTING Heather Glynn x103Patty Angley x120Accounts Receivable

AD CONSULTANTSMike Fahey x117Marjorie Kirby x122Michael Long x112Ashlee Manzo x123Heather Snyder x115Deborah Vazquez x118Markey Daniels x111

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PRODUCTIONChris Baker,Anna Magulac

PHOTOGRAPHERSDon Balch, Paul Hansen

CONTRIBUTORSHillary Schuler-Jones,Charlene Baldridge, DianaCavagnaro, JohnnyMcDonald, Bart Mendoza,Neal Putnam, SebastianRuiz, Meaghan Clark, TawnyMaya McCray

OPINIONS Signed letters to the editor are encouraged. All letters must include a phone num-ber for verification. The editor may edit letters for clarity and accuracy. Letters should be 350 wordsor less. Views expressed are not necessarily theviews of this newspaper or staff.SUBMISSIONS Letters and photo submissionsare welcomed. Those accompanied by anaddressed, stamped envelope will be returned. Theeditor reserves the right to edit for clarity.DEADLINES All content must be received by5 p.m. on the Thursday prior to publication.DISTRIBUTION San Diego Downtown Newsis available free the first Thursday every month.COPYRIGHT © 2010. All rights are reserved.Printed in the United States of AmericaPRINTED with soy inks and recycled paper.Please recycle.

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It’s allHappening!Marc & Darlynne Menkin

We want to hear from you! In the hit TV show “Lost,” one of thecharacters mentioned was making amix tape. Who was that character?Post the two characters involved inthis scene on our Where You WantTo Be Tours Facebook Page for aprize!

The magic of the musicis still drawing a crowd

L I G H T S , C A M E R A , A C T I O N !

Filming downtownbrings opportunities

By CATHY ANDERSON San Diego Film Commission

Downtown offers so manyopportunities for film production.Not only are there a diverse selec-tion of “looks” for locations down-town, but filmmakers love eatingin our great restaurants and stay-ing in the downtown area hotels.

The Bandito Brothers produc-tion company was in San Diego forreshoots for their independent fea-ture film project titled “Act ofValor,” which is an ac-tion/adventure/thriller. More than20 experienced stunt people areworking on this feature film. Thefilm’s stars are actually activeNavy SEALs. Other stars includeRoselyn Sanchez and EmiloRivera.

The story took place around theworld with San Diego as one ofthe many locations. Other loca-tions included Cambodia, Floridaand Puerto Rico. The crew filmedat Blue Foot Bar and in a house inthe North Park area. The crewstayed at the Indigo Hotel whilethey worked. This project is due tobe released in 2010.

• Did you know that the SanDiego Film Commission not onlyattracts new business for SanDiego in the area of film produc-tion, but we also permit the workon behalf of the city, county andport areas, give oversight and reg-ulate the activity on a daily basis.When you stop to think that wecoordinate stunts, pyrotechnics,car chases and weapons, we arequite proud of our record of no

lawsuits or incidents that havecaused our government and cityembarrassment. (At least not yet!)I credit good management andstaff with expertise, passion forthis business and dedication. Theydo work all hours to give properoversight.

• Portions of a wonderful docu-mentary titled “Last Men Out”was filmed over the July Fourthweekend. Producer Allison Littonand local director of photographyBruce Ando filmed interviewswith Vietnam veterans who weresome of the last men out of Viet-nam. Some of the locations uti-lized were the Marriott Hotel &Marina, North Embarcadero Park,as well as the Midway. Hopefully, Ican get you a release date soon.

• Currently, we have an excitingdocumentary filming a story con-nected to our very own Comic-Con. The project is titled “Comic-Con Episode Four: A Fan’s Hope.”The production plans to film allover San Diego with a specialfocus on the Gaslamp area. Pro-duction is picking up and that’s agood sign for the economy!

— Cathy Anderson is the presi-dent and CEO of the San DiegoFilm Commission, and film com-missioner of San Diego. Andersonhas earned a national reputationfor developing programs to fosterthe growth of the productionindustry in the region, and formaking America’s Finest City“Hollywood South” for more than23 years.

Summer Sol fundraiserslated for Aug. 14

Young Audiences of San Diegowill host its sixth annual SummerSol fundraiser Aug. 14 from 6:30p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Expectpsychedelic fun at this year’s1960s-themed event, which willtake place at the Joe and Vi JacobsCenter, 404 Euclid Ave. Tickets are$45 per person or $400 for a tableof 10. Proceeds from the fundraiserbenefit arts education programsthroughout San Diego County.

The event includes appetizersand drinks accompanied by live jazzas well as “popcorn performances”by featured Young Audiences artistslike Mojalet Dance, storytellers andtap demonstrations. Attendees will

have an opportunity to bid on theSummer Sol silent auction, whichoffers a diverse selection of itemsincluding rounds of golf, tickets tothe San Diego Opera, a weekend onCoronado Island and a seven-day ata private home in Provence, France.Three lucky guests will also win theSummer Sol opportunity drawings,laying claim to various prizesincluding a Blu-Ray player, a flat-screen TV and an iPad.

The first 100 tickets sold will beautomatically entered in the oppor-tunity drawings. For more informa-tion visit www.yasandiego.org or call(619) 282-7599.

EVENTSCONTINUED FROM Page 6

Keep an eye on SDNEWS.COM

for more downtown events andDAILY NEWS UPDATES

A D V E R T O R I A L

Neighborhood House Association’s Volunteer Program Invites Community

Members to Become Part of the LegacyCommunity members across San Diego County are taking an active role in

helping the Neighborhood House Association (NHA) achieve its mission ofdeveloping children, families and future leaders of our community. In thesetough economic times, community members have continued to support one ofSan Diego’s oldest nonprofit organizations by contributing countless servicehours. More than 1,000 volunteers in the past year have devoted their time andefforts to helping those in need. Volunteers continue to make NHA “a neighboryou can count on.”

For nearly 100 years, NHA has helped thousands of individuals and familiesin San Diego County improve their quality of life by providing vital social serv-ices such as employment, healthcare, childcare, family and senior services. Com-munity involvement is the key to enabling the agency to provide these servicesand without the voluntary support from individuals, clubs and organizations,NHA could not serve the thousands of families each year that utilize any one ofits10 different programs and services. The additional service hours provided bythese volunteers play a vital role in maintaining successful operations at nearly100 facilities throughout the county.

However, NHA is not the only one reaping the benefits. Many devoted volun-teers are learning exactly how good it feels to give back to their neighbors in need.

Gwendolyn Miller, one of the agency’s most dedicated volunteers, has beendonating her time to NHA’s Senior Service Center since 2006. Seventy-four yearold Miller says she volunteers because “volunteering gives me an insight intothings and allows me to use myself to really help others. It also gives me anopportunity to interact with my peers and show them that even though we areaging, that doesn’t mean we are old.”

College student Christian Limon says his days stocking and delivering food tothe public for NHA’s Emergency Services program helped him gain the experi-ence he needed to land his first full-time job. “NHA is a great place. It’s whathelped me to get my job now. I owe everything to the Neighborhood House!”

With a variety of programs and services offered through NHA, chances areNHA has a volunteer opportunity that may benefit you. Whether it’s workingwith preschool children or seniors, helping people get access to health care orhelping families buy their first home, NHA has a way for everyone to give backto the community.

To learn more about NHA’s current volunteer opportunities and how to become partof the legacy, visit www.neighborhoodhouse.org or call 858-244-8234.

PAGE 12 | AUGUST 2010 | SAN DIEGO DOWNTOWN NEWS

SPORTS 13AUGUST 2010SAN DIEGO DOWNTOWN NEWS

Padres keeping tabs on Latos’ inningsAs San Diego Padres starter Mat Latos

continues to rack up wins in 2010, healso continues to approach his inningslimit set before the season. As a result,the 23-year-old in the midst of a break-out year could see his work limited downthe stretch.

“We’ll talk about this with our organi-zation,” said Padres manager Bud Black.“A lot of that will be based on what wesee with our eyes and how his arm feels.”

Through July, Latos has an 11-4record in 19 starts. His 127.1 inningspitched is already a career high and veryclose to the mark of 150 to 180 inningsset before the season by Black and Gen-eral Manager Jed Hoyer with the long-term aim of preventing injury.

Latos said he understands limiting hisinnings in only his fourth pro season isin his own best interest. But the six-foot-six-inch right-hander isn’t thrilledabout the prospect of having to shut hisarm down before the end of the season.

“I hope it doesn’t happen,” Latos said.“I want to go out there and I want tocompete. That’s the No. 1 goal. I want tokeep playing.”

Black described the inning count asflexible and recently said Latos couldend up throwing as many as 200innings by the end of the season —including potential postseason starts.Black said he is monitoring Latos regu-larly to make sure he is not overworked.

“Our conversation with him is just tostay in the present,” Black said. “Don’tfast-forward and count how manystarts you have left. I know it’s easiersaid than done.”

Since the Padres drafted Latos in

2006, his workload has increased steadi-ly. After throwing 56 innings in theminors in 2007 and 2008, Latos pitched112 total innings last season. Fifty ofthose innings came in 10 starts with thePadres from July to September.

“Last year with Mat, we saw a littlebit of his velocity come down,” Blacksaid. “More than anything I saw a littlebit [of a decrease] on the concentrationand the mental side.”

In his second year up with the Padres,Latos is currently enjoying a career sea-son. The righty leads the club in winsand was tops in the National Leaguewith a 0.99 WHIP (walks and hits per

inning pitched) at the end of July.“[It is] me having the confidence and

my teammates behind me confident thatI can go every fifth day and go out andperform and give them a chance to win,”Latos said.

Success on the mound in 2010 didn’tcome right away for Latos, who had a6.20 ERA after four April starts. Headmitted he had trouble adjusting to hisbig league surroundings during thatfirst month of the season.

“I got knockedaround a little bitearly and I thinkthat had to dowith me not real-ly knowing whatwas going on,”Latos said. “OnceI settled in, I got

comfortable and got a lot closer to a lotof these guys on our team, and it justpicked up from there.”

Since May, Latos is 10-2 and hasallowed more than two runs only once in15 appearances. While his bread and but-ter mid-90s fastball has been great, Latossaid improvement of both his curveballand slider have helped him this season.

“I have more confidence throwing itand the way that I’m throwing it,” Latossaid of his curveball.

Despite his key part in the Padres’ suc-cess this season, Latos would need haveto have his current workload reduced inorder to both stay under the inningslimit and be available to pitch into thelater months of the season. How teammanagement handles this situation willimpact the Padres in a pennant race thatlooks more and more like it will comedown to the wire.

BY ANTHONY GENTILE | DOWNTOWN NEWS

‘Ironman’ rolls out new bike businessOver thousands of agonizing miles on

rough off roads, champion driver Ivan(“Ironman”) Stewart often bouncedaround the elements on two wheels witha Toyota truck.

Now, the 64-year-old San Diegan issettling down to a slower, more comfort-able two-wheel-style of business byopening a electric cycle shop in LittleItaly with son Gary.

The Ivan Stewart Electric Bike Centeris at 2021 India St., a modest locationmeasuring about 700 square feet.

“We hope to open other branches inLa Jolla and Del Mar,” said Stewart said.

It’s close to his high-rise condo over-looking the cruise ship terminal.

Stewart said he’s liquidating his off-road business but will still be a represen-tative for Toyota (27 years) and couldshow up again in November’s Baja1000.

On Aug. 29, much of his memorabil-ia, Stewart & Stewart pro truck compa-ny, cars and parts will be auctioned at hisshop at 14402 Bond Court in El Cajon.Included from his collection will be a1955 Chevy Bel-Air, a 1972 PlymouthRoadrunner and the race pickup thatStewart successfully campaigned in theMickey Thompson series of stadium off-road races.

The legendary driver’s 84 victoriesand 10 driver’s championships werecredentials enough for him to be induct-ed into the San Diego Hall of Champi-ons’ Hall of Fame. He has also beennominated for the national MotorsportsHall of Fame in Michigan.

McCormack Auction Co. of El Cajonis handling the sale of ProTruck andStewart & Stewart Racing, as well as theauction of 150 top items at Stewart’sfacility.

“I’m simplifying my life and changingto something more suited to what Iwant,” he said. “I’m just downsizing.

Time to turn it over to someone else torun with the ball ... maybe one of the 53owners who purchased pro trucks fromus.”

Stewart said he and his wife, Linda,want to travel.

“And what better place to live?” Stew-ard asked. “The train depot is a stone’sthrow away. There’s the cruise shipsdown there and the airport is about amile away.”

“Most of the bikes are from Chinawith names like Ezee, Hebb, Pebigo.”Price tags range from $2,000 to $2,700for six different models. Stewart saidhe’ll show them at car and boat showsand let people ride them.

So, there won’t be anything unusualabout this big bicyclist riding aroundSan Diego’s busy streets. It’s just off-road’s Ironman promoting his newbusiness.

BY JOHNNY MCDONALD | DOWNTOWN NEWS

Champion driver Ivan Stewart shows off one of his shop’s electric bicycles near the USS Mid-way Museum. Stewart has opened a bike center at 2021 India St. COURTESY PHOTO

Padres’ upcominghome opponents Aug. 10-12 PiratesAug. 24-26 DiamondbacksAug. 27-29 Phillies

With an 11-4 record through July, Padres starterMat Latos is enjoying the best season of hisyoung career. But with his limit of 150 to 200innings fast approaching, Latos could see limit-ed action down the stretch. PHOTO COURTESY OF ANDY HAYT

Sempra is proud to sponsor the community events page

COMETOGETHERto support young audiences

AUGUST 14, 2010 6:30 P.M. - 10:30 P.M.

The Joe & Vi Jacobs Center 404 Euclid Ave., San Diego, CA 92114

invites you to its 6th annual fundraiser

We’ll Get By With A Little Help From Our FriendsEvery year more arts funding is cut from our schools and more stu-dents grow up without an arts education. Children need the skills thatthe arts foster to become successful, creative and contributing citizens.Join Young Audiences in helping to provide and advocate for morearts in schools.

All we need is Love ... and a little bit of funding.

August 14th, 2010 6:30PM – 10:30PMJae & Vi Jacobs Center

Outta Sight Appetizers & Drinks Groovy EntertainmentFar Out Silent Auction Fabulous Opportunity drawing

Hip New Site

Tickets are $45 per person or $400 for a table of 10RSVP Early! First 100 reservations will be entered into an Opportunity Drawing

for a Blu-Ray player, flat screen TV, or iPad!On-site parking available. Map and directions on back.

Programs thatMOTIVATE

Programs thatINSPIRE

Programs thatCHALLENGE With fully equipped pretzel carts and pretzel display warmers, our catering options

are versatile, simple, inexpensive, and most importantly, delicious!

San Diego Pretzel Company’s hand made, premium pretzels and pretzel dogs make whole-some and savory additions to parties, office functions, school events, fundraisers, ball parks,special functions, amusement parks, birthday parties, grand openings and other specialevents. For as little as $2 a person, throw a pretzel party with a unique twist!

Our carts are ready to roll, and amply stocked with:

• A Variety of Soft Pretzels: Twisted Traditional, Multi-Grain, Sugary Cinnamon, and Mexican Jalapeno Pepper

• Jumbo Hebrew National Pretzel Dogs• Nacho Cheese and Vanilla Icing Pretzel Dips• Freshly Made Old-Fashioned and Strawberry Lemonades, chilled juices, teas, sodas

and bottled water

To find out more about our catering program, call (619) 336-0500 or email us at info@sandiegopretzel.com

Join us at the Summer Sol event featuring wine tasting and delicious appetizers from these featured restaurants below.Bid on a week’s stay in France, L.A. Laker tickets, and VIP membership to the world class Polo Club

WEST COAST TAVERN 2895 University Ave., San Diego, CA 92104(619) 295-1688. Hours: Mon.-Fri., 4pm- 2 am, Sat., noon-2 am Sun. Brunch10 am - 3 pm Sun. Night 4pm-2am. (Kitchen open nightly until midnight)www.westcoasttavern.com

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PAGE 14 | THURSDAY, AUGUST 5, 2010 | SAN DIEGO DOWNTOWN NEWS

7:30AM TO 11:00AM

1236 University Ave. San Diego, CA 92103www.onosushi.com

619-298-0616

AUGUST 2010 | VOL. 11, NO. 8

SDNEWSis now on TwitterFollow @sdnews on www.twitter.com for news, updates, events and more. Chime in and let us know what you’re thinking!

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The city is on the verge of becoming a globalart destination, said Ann Berchtold, who hasworked in the San Diego art scene for the past15 years. The founder of Art San Diego hopes itsContemporary Art Fair at the beginning of nextmonth is part of that growth.

“We have a great potential here and we have a

great canvas to mature into,” Berchtold said. “Ithink we’re at a really interesting time in SanDiego right now, where we’re swelling with agreat mass of artists. We have world-class exhibi-tions in this city.”

The art fair will be held Sept. 2-5 at the HiltonSan Diego Bayfront Hotel downtown, kicking offwith a VIP opening night on Sept. 2. The mainfocus of the fair is the 50-plus galleries — includ-

ing art from Los Angeles, New York, Japan andMexico City — whose presence create a one-stopshop for collectors and browsers.

“One of our goals was to really establish a pro-cess for cultivating the strongest and most cut-ting-edge galleries,” Berchtold said. “We puttogether a curatorial advisory group this year,which was comprised of some leading art expertsin the U.S.”

This is the second year of the art fair, but thisyear it has a new name and location. In 2009, itwas known as the Beyond the Border Interna-tional Contemporary Art Fair and drew 3,000at The Grand Del Mar.

“We looked at the first year as mainly a test ofthe market,” Berchtold said. “It exceeded our

Art is alive and well in Spanish VillageSpanish Village is an art enclave

located in Balboa Park resembling asmall town with cute cubby-holeshops set around a large, rolling plazawhich is covered with cement slabspainted every color of the rainbow.The shops are pinkish-beige stuccowith red tile roofs. There are manyplants, banners, tables, benches andlots of artwork both on the outsideand inside the shops, which make thisa very inviting and colorful destina-tion.

Spanish Village was originally builtin 1935 for the second California-

Pacific International Exposition withthe theme of depicting a quaint Span-ish Village. During the exposition, ithoused restaurants and shops. Afterthe exposition closed in 1937, itbecame an art colony with shops andgalleries. During World War II theentire village was transformed into anarmy barracks and the war left the vil-lage in ruins for several years.

Starting in 1948, artists returned toSpanish Village to repair and restore it.Once again, the village became an artcolony. Today, it is registered as aNational Historic Landmark andhouses six art guilds and 37 gal-leries/working studios and more than

100 artists. The guilds in the Villageinclude San Diego Potter’s Guild, TheArt Glass Guild, Sculpture Guild,Enamel Guild, San Diego Woodcarv-er’s Association and the San DiegoGem and Mineral Society.

The oldest art organization orgallery in Spanish Village is the South-western Art Association (SWAA),which was founded in 1949. TheSWAA gallery is located in the middleof the village, on the east side, in Stu-dio #23. You can easily identify it bythe round watch watchtower on itsroof. The inside of the gallery is a large

BY WILL BOWEN | DOWNTOWN NEWS

“Desert” by Neal Evans.

URBANLIVINGS A N D I E G O D O W N T O W N N E W S

Huge visual fair downtownheralds global draw for city Art for art’s sake

BY ANTHONY GENTILE | DOWNTOWN NEWS

SEE ART, Page 27

SEE VILLAGE, Page 27

“Walking Beach” by Justin Wood

“Meso-Americhanics (Maneuvering Mestizaje)” by De la Torre Brothers“New Abstract #3 (Inverted Rainbow)” by Victor Rodriguez “Paperbacks” by Gail Roberts

“Cheap Jewelry for May Faire” by Tasha Kusama

M.Dot Design StudioM.Dot Design Studio opened a new

boutique at the Library Lofts downtown.The opening party was held June 26,featuring designs by Michelle Aquino,who also offers custom creations. Thisline is currently only available forwomen but Aquino will offer a men’sline in the near future.

On June 25, M.Dot launched its newline in a fashion show at the YWCAdowntown on “C” Street. The YWCAconcurrently opened a new client-focused boutique for families in Becky’sHouse Domestic Violence Programs,PASSAGES and the Cortez Hill FamilyCenter. The fashion show began withseven outfits from the YWCA’s boutiquewhich were a combination of donatedand recycled clothing. The afternoonconcluded with dresses from Aquino’sbeautiful creations on the runway. Formore information visit: www.mdotde-signstudio(N).blogspot.com or www.-ywcasandiego.org

Bikini Week makes a splash

The second annual Bikini Week wascelebrated downtown from June 30 toJuly 4. This event celebrated the art andlifestyle of swimwear in five local hotspots. The first night on June 30 was atthe FLUXX Nightclub showcasing Fran-cisco Medavog’s 2011 couture line ofbikinis. The Stingaree Nightclub showedoff swimwear on the second night.

The Rooftop at ANDAZ (formerly theIvy) featured a swimsuit fashion showoverlooking the Skyline of San Diego onthe next night. On Saturday, the HardRock hosted two fashion shows in theafternoon. Guests were able to sip cock-tails as they lounged in the sun andwatched the latest swim fashions. Theweek concluded on Independence Dayat the Horton Event Space. This venuewas converted into a beach atmosphere.Guests enjoyed a shopping soiree andtwo more fashion shows to wrap up thefive days of festivities.

A silent auction was held and pro-ceeds from the event went to Global Fly-ing Hospitals, which has three 747planes that are flying hospitals going allover the world to help people who do nothave insurance. For more information,visit www.GlobalFlyingHospitals.com.To learn more information about thenext Bikini Week, visit www.bikiniweeksd.com.

Hats and horses Opening Day at the Del Mar Thor-

oughbred Club was “Cool As Ever” on

July 21. This is always one of SanDiego’s biggest fashion events of theyear setting a new attendance record of45,309 this year. The fashionably-dressed patrons came out in droveswearing the most glamorous chapeaus.This tradition for opening day bringsout race goers all trying to outshineeach other with the most stylish hats.For years, big, sophisticated hats havebeen the norm at the racetracks.Recently, Australia has influenced head-wear with small, brimless fascinatorsand has made it acceptable to wearpetite hats to racetracks. An array ofsmall hats were seen this year.

This season, one of the most popularstyles is the delicate sinamay straws thataccent a women’s head perfectly. Thecolor of choice was black and white withan accent of Chinese red. Lemon yellowand amethyst were carried over from lastseason and were seen in abundance. Atrend has been bows on hats and fasci-nators. Trims include exotic feathers,exquisite silk flowers and meticulously-crafted embellishments. Racegoers worehats by many different milliners includ-ing Philip Treacy, Designer Millinery,

Arturo Rios and Del Mar Hats. The One and Only Truly Fabulous

Hats Contest brought out more than400 entries this year. First prize wasawarded to Katy Helen Stockinger ofSan Diego for the Best Flowers category;Frank Holtz won for Best Racing themecategory; and Rosalyn Sidewater of LosAngeles won the Most Glamorous cate-gory. Fay Meitz won the Funniest/MostOutrageous category.

The race season runs from July 21 toSeptember 8. For more information go to: www.dmtc.com/season/ or call858.755.1141

Upcoming events• Aug. 8: Summer Bridal Bazaar with three

fashion shows at the San Diego Conven-tion Center. Call (760) 334-5500.

• Aug. 13-15: ASR Expo at the San DiegoConvention Center — fashion shows (Fash-ion Society) are Aug. 13 and Aug. 14 at 3p.m. For information visit www.asrbiz.com

• August 19: Sassy City Chicks presentFashion Bash Sample Sale at the HardRock Hotel from 5 to 9:30 p.m. For more

information visitwww.SassyCityChicks.com.

• Aug. 21 — St Madeleine Sophie’s Centerat the Sheraton Harbor Island East Ball-room, 10 a.m. with fashion show byLeonard Simpson.

• Aug. 24: Globe Guilders Fashion Showfeaturing Naeem Khan at the Hilton SanDiego Bayfront. Call Jill Holmes at (858)454-0014 for more information.

• Aug. 28: Timken Museum & FCC will hostthe third annual Art of Fashion at 6:30 p.m.and VIP After Party at 8:30 pm. For moreinformation call (619) 239-5548, ext. 100.

— Diana Cavagnaro is a nationally-rec-ognized hat designer and milliner. Diana hasoperated a fashion business for 28 years, thelast 18 years in the Gaslamp Quarter. Shehas taught in the fashion department at SanDiego Mesa College for 18 years. Diana is amember of the Gaslamp Quarter Associa-tion, The American Sewing Guild, the SanDiego Costume Council and the FashionGroup International. www.aheadproduc-tions.com.

FASHION16 AUGUST 2010SAN DIEGO DOWNTOWN NEWS

New boutique, Bikini Week, hats and horsesFashionFiles

Diana Cavagnaro

Model wearing swimwear by ABBL duringBikini Week. DIANA CAVAGNARO | Downtown News

Lena Evans, owner of Burnham House andLittle Italy Inn, shows off her new chapeau.

DIANA CAVAGNARO | Downtown News

Katy Stockinger, winner of the Best Flowercategory, with downtown resident MercedesMafara. DIANA CAVAGNARO | Downtown News

Sarah Jackson sports the new trend in petitehats. DIANA CAVAGNARO | Downtown News

The Lyceum Theatre, Horton PlazaAug. 21-29: California Youth ConservatoryTheatre presents “The Wiz,” a funky, urbanmusical take on L. Frank Baum’s “The Wiz-

ard of Oz,” including favorite Oz characters,a professional band, adult professionalsincluding “Big Willie-G,” and teen talent.Lyceum Stage, San Diego Repertory Theatre, 79Horton Plaza. www.sdrep.org, (619) 544-1000

At the BalboaSaturday, Aug. 7, 8 p.m.: Five-time Gram-my Award-winner singer/songwriter MaryChapin Carpenter performs one night only.Her latest album is autobiographical “TheAge of Miracles” (2010), $30-$55.

Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave.www.sandiegotheatres.org,

ticketmaster.com or (619) 570-1100

Starlight BowlAug. 19-Sept. 5, 8 p.m., Thursdays-Sundays: Starlight Musical Theatre pre-sents Jerry Herman’s beloved musical“Hello, Dolly!, bursting with melodies suchas “Before the Parade Passes By,” “It OnlyTakes a Moment” and the title song. Starlightis suitable for the entire family with specialrates (kids free on Sundays and Thursdays).Starlight Bowl, Pan American Plaza, Balboa Park,

www.starlighttheatre.org or (619) 232-7827

Embarcadero MarinaPark SouthSan Diego Summer Pops presents pro-grams every weekend through Labor Day,with August programs featuring — among

others — Burt Bacharach (Aug. 8), LeannRimes (Aug. 13-14), Family Movie Night(Aug. 20-21) and Michael Feinstein in “Sina-tra Project” (Aug. 27-28), 7:30 p.m.

Embarcadero Marina Park,www.sandiegosymphony.com

or (619) 235-0804

At the Old Globe Through Aug. 22 in the Old Globe The-atre: A Broadway-bound musical, “Robinand the 7 Hoods,” turns the Robin Hoodstory on its head with action set in Chica-go’s swinging ’60s club scene and songssuch as “My Kind of Town,” “Call Me Irre-sponsible” and “All the Way.”

Information: www.theoldglobe.com or (619) 23-GLOBE.

PERFORMING ARTS 17AUGUST 2010SAN DIEGO DOWNTOWN NEWS

Mission Bay Aquatic CenterThe Mission Bay Aquatic Center

is your gateway to Fun-on-the-Water! MBAC offers classes andrentals in wakeboarding, surfing,sailing, kayaking, rowing, and standup paddling year-round, and is hostto The Watersports Camp, a YMCAadventure sports camp in the sum-mer and spring. Known for it’sfriendly/professional staff, and

attention to safety, the MBAC is theperfect place to learn a new water-sport, or to hold your next groupevent. It is owned and operated byAssociated Students of San DiegoState University and University ofCalifornia San Diego Recreation andis open to the public.

Check out all the MBAC has to offer atits website at mbaquaticcenter.com or give them a call at (858) 488-1000

S an Diego's finest performance andevent venue, Tango Del Rey, beau-

tifully adorned with movie-set quali-ty embellishments, features premiervocal and music events including

cabaret, blues, jazz, rock and come-dy. Our professional dance floor hostsdance parties and lessons for tango,swing, flamenco and salsa. Open fordinner, full kitchen with private event

catering, also a 5,000-square-footrental event center with theatricallighting, professional sound system,and cinema quality digital video sys-tem. Centrally located off Interstate 5

in Pacific Beach. Mondays - open micfor vocalists, Wednesdays - NewOrleans Mardi Gras Party, Thursdays– Brazilian Night with best sambamusic & show 8 p.m, Saturdays –

Bazaar Del Rey Open Air Market withfood & music, starting Aug. 21st.Tango Del Rey, 3567 Del Rey Street,PB, 92109, 858 581-1114, tan-godelrey.com for more info.

Summer & Fall FunSummer & Fall Fun

THE LIVELY

ARTSCharlene Baldridge

‘The Wiz,’ ‘Hello Dolly,’ ‘Sinatra Project’ and ‘Hoods’

Eric Schneider (left) stars as Robbo and WillChase as Little John in the world premiere of“Robin and the 7 Hoods — A New Musical,”at The Old Globe now through Aug. 22.

Photo by CAROL ROSEGG

August is indeed a sunnymonth in and about downtownSan Diego. Here is what to lookforward to in the lively arts:

Tango Del Rey, Best Live Music & Dancing

FRI & SATFLAMENCO

SALSASWING

CONCERTS/SHOWSSee website for schedule

WEDNESDAYSNEW ORLEANSMARDI GRAS PARTY with

Tchoupitoulas St. Band

THURSDAYS

BRAZILIAN NIGHT

Best Live Samba Music & Show 8pm

Your Tango Class has been the great part of thenew life here in San Diego for both Yurie and me.We have been appreciating the gracefulness, beau-ty, and passion of your dancing as well as thehearty joy of the class which comes from yourteaching way and your personality of kindness. – T. Fujimoto, Japan/San Diego

What is distinctive about Colette’s teaching is theway she engages a class. We learn a new patternalmost every class but the pace is adjusted duringclass in such a way that every single class I gohome with a distinct sense of accomplishment &inspiration . . . Colette peaks my interest at everyclass. She also attracts an accomplished following.Treat yourself to a class. – B. Hynum PhD., San Diego

I started tango lessons with Colette Hebert lastweek and have never danced the tango beforeColette has a wonderful way of easing my doubtsand making the lessons a pleasure. She teacheswith clarity and brings her obvious joy of tango tothe experience. I am a grandmother and livingproof that tango is for people of all ages!" – R.Manson, San Diego

ADVERTORIAL

It takes two to tango . . .

URBAN LIVING18 AUGUST 2010SAN DIEGO DOWNTOWN NEWS

Air & Space Museum ramps up appeal

There’s much more to BalboaPark’s Air and Space Museum thanstatic displays of historic flight —it’s an aerial circus at ground level.

There’s no one better at the con-trols than executive director JimKidrick, a one-time Navy fighterpilot and former organizer of majorair shows. He even headed the Mis-sion Bay Bayfair hydroplane racesfor eight years.

Museum officials have added a 3-D/4-D theater as a coupled enter-tainment entry with the ongoing“Science of Aliens” exhibit. There’sa kid’s hangar, an observation deckand many historical planes withscenes that depict progress of flight.Throughout are video presenta-tions.

“(Previously), we had taken asurvey and found that 81 percent ofour visitors were from out of thearea,” Kidrick said. “Now, its 45, 46and even 48 percent from ourregion. We have quadrupled thelength of time of the average visit.There’s always something differentlike the observation deck in the backpatio.

“Have a hot dog or Slurpee andlisten to the airport tower’s instruc-tions as airliners fly over,” he said.“The experience (here) should befun. These displays become morereceptive when they can educateand inspire. A family in the pastmight say, ‘We’re going to the muse-um,’ and it would sound as thoughyou’re taking them to the dentist.”

He said in mid-August four addi-tional joint strike simulators of thenew F-35 Lightning program willbe in place.

Coming in February to replace

the “Aliens” exhibit will be NASA’ssupported “Space: A Journey to ourFuture.” It’s about space — fromthe beginning to the end — withmany interactive things.

“I saw it at the SmIthsonian,”Kidrick said. “We’ll have an addi-tional 3,000 to 4,000 square feetfor it than they did.”

Previous traveling exhibits havebeen “Star Trek” and “The Da VinciExperience.”

The “Aliens” exhibit is brokeninto four sections: alien fiction, alienscience , alien worlds and alien com-munication. The “Science ofAliens” exhibit’s limited engage-ment has extended well beyond Jan-uary.

The 3-D/4-D Zable Theater seats36 guests and employs unique spe-cial effects. They are played contin-uously each day at no extra cost.Just add some exciting motion with

the depth of third dimension.One film is about a schoolboy’s

mythical jetpack adventure pastskyscrapers and over freeways. Theother is an exciting trip in the leg-endary Apollo 11 as it shoots to themoon. Then look back with an eye-popping view of Earth.

Funding for the theater was pro-vided by the Walter J. Zable andBetty C. Zable Foundation, CubicCorporation and the San Diego Air& Space Technology Center.

The Kid’s Aviation ActionHangar offers preschoolers magnet-ic toys and aviation coloring books,with art equipment to sketch air-craft or to pedal planes. Grade-schoolers can board flight simula-tors or romp on the moon’s surfacein space suits.

Kidrick likes to discuss the manypositive changes taking place. It’s abusy place.

BY JOHNNY MCDONALD | DOWNTOWN NEWS

The Air and Space Museum in Balboa Park has added plenty of interactive ele-ments and movies to bolster its appeal to visitors. COURTESY PHOTO

The New Children’s Museum will be the siteof a rock ’n’ roll benefit gala Aug. 21 whereleather pants are the suggested attire and artseducation in local public schools is the benefi-ciary.

The third annual Party Animals! gala willfeature rock star performances by Third EyeBlind and culinary stars like Jeffrey Strauss ofPamplemousse Grille.

The event will feature an inaugural after-party at the Hard Rock Hotel, a big supporter ofthe cause, said Rachel Teagle, the New Chil-dren’s Museum (NCM) executive director. Thenightclub, which will welcome local band GetBack Loretta, is a step in introducing a newdemographic to the NCM’s cause.

“The [venue] is a great spot to raise moneybut also a place to generate public awareness,”

Teagle said. “Our core issue is that publicschools can no longer provide the means forarts and enrichment classes.”

This year’s theme correlates to the museum’scurrent exhibit, where 18 animals educateyoungsters on the relationship between manand animal.

The menu for the evening will include localand sustainable vegetarian entrees from localkitchen rock stars Andrew Spurgin of WatersFine Catering, Guiseppe Ciuffa of GiuseppeRestaurants and Chris O’Donnell of Dolce PaneE Vino.

The nonprofit New Children’s Museum rais-es funds for San Diego’s impoverished youthyear-round, welcoming one child in five free ofcharge into the enriching educational complex.

The 2010-2011 goal is 63 percent improve-ment in local arts school programs, which willimpact 25,000 school children, Teagle said.

Third Eye Blind will perform at the third annual Party Animals! gala Aug. 21 at the New Children’s Museumto benefit arts education in local public schools. COURTESY PHOTO

California Crepes now offerscatering, which will be savoryto the eyes as well as the stom-ach. The restaurant, located inHorton Plaza, serves authenticFrench sweet or savory crepes.It will offer its catering to busi-nesses, private parties, bridal

and baby showers. Lorrae Hosseini opened the

business in February and ithas become a popularGaslamp addition. Guests ofcatering events will be able tospecial order their crepe andwatch the chef create it before

their eyes. Crepes can be eatenwith a fork or wrapped in acone shape. They can be themain course or an appetizer.For more information, visitwww.cacrepes.com.

— Debbie Hatch

BY MEAGHAN CLARK | DOWNTOWN NEWS

Party Animals! gala set at New Children’s Museum

California Crepes now serves up catering

Red Sails Inn2614 Shelter Isltand Dr. San Diego CA 619-223-3030

ASK ABOUT OUR DAILY SPECIALS!Prime Rib Every Sunday

www.theredsails.com

Enjoy a meal whilewatching the peaceful

lull of Sailboats

By Nicole Sours Larson

Doug Hokstad always loved tosurf. But 15 years ago, a serious car ac-cident and several resultant backsurgeries snatched away that passion,adding the risk of paralysis if he everreturned to the waves. The native SanDiegan, who’d grown up surfing, re-luctantly abandoned his surfboardand rarely neared the water or visitedthe beach.

Yet thanks to the persistence of hisgirlfriend, Gigi Bagaporo, who hadgrown up with English bulldogs andurged Hokstad to adopt, the MiraMesa resident not only discovered thejoys and responsibilities of pet par-enthood, but also reconnected withhis old love of surfing.

Four years ago, Hokstad was fi-nally ready to take the plunge. Dozer,an English bulldog puppy, took overhis and Bagaporo’s lives.

Hokstad tried to interest Dozer inskateboarding, but found he preferredto play with the skateboard ratherthan ride it. About three years ago,Bagaporo took Dozer to watch theHelen Woodward Surf Dog Competi-tion but discovered him eager to hopaboard a board.

“Our baby is a surfer,” Bagaporo re-ported.

Suddenly, with Dozer on the boardwith Hokstad’s assistance, Hokstadwas able to reclaim his passion forsurfing through his beloved pup.

“Now I’m out in the ocean in thewaves. My son is surfing!” Hokstadsaid. “It’s come full circle. I neverthought I’d put a surfboard in the car

again. It’s changed my life oncemore.”

Dozer began winning prizes, finish-ing first in his category in this year’sPurina Incredible Surf Challenge heldin Ocean Beach, and winning prizes inother surf dog events, including theHelen Woodward Surf Dog Surf-a-thon and Loew’s Coronado Bay Re-sort Surf Dog Competition.

Dozer’s outstanding performanceat Loew’s, along with those of hissurfing buddies Richochet, Nani,Guido, Kalani, Abbie and Zoe,snagged them roles as surf dogs in themovie, “Marmaduke,” which openedin June. Dozer and Nani are shownsurfing in the film, shot over threedays at Zuma Beach north of Malibu.

The desire to post photos andvideos of Dozer and his surfing bud-dies led Hokstad last year to developa website — Dogtown San Diego(www.dogtownsandiego.com). Hesaw its potential as an information-sharing site for “all things dog,” in-

cluding articles about rescue and ani-mal welfare organizations, pet health,safety and well-being and fundraisingevents.

“I felt that just showcasing Dozerand his surfing pictures was self-serv-ing,” Hokstad said. “I turned Dog-town into a community site wherelocal organizations could list theirevents and adoptions and businessescould showcase their services.”

A former pastor turned insurancefinancial consultant, Hokstad had al-ways been involved in charitablecauses. He enjoyed staging fishingtournaments to raise money for AngelTree, a nonprofit organization provid-ing Christmas gifts to children of in-carcerated parents.

As he became more involved withDozer and other dogs he gravitated toanimal welfare causes for his charita-ble work, drawing in his So Cal SurfDog buddies. His new website gavehim the perfect tool to publicizeyappy hours and other events bene-

fiting animal-related non-profits. Hokstad partners with dog-ori-

ented businesses such as the ThreeDog Bakery in Del Mar, Leash YourFitness, and Pawtopia Dog Trainingand the Hotel Indigo in Little Italy tostage and promote animal welfareevents.

“Our group is about having funwith our dogs in the ocean,” Hokstadsaid. “We’re supportive of animalwelfare organizations and have raisedmoney for Helen Woodward AnimalCare Center, the Spay & Neuter Ac-tion Project (SNAP), Friends ofCounty Animal Shelters (FOCAS) andthe FACE Foundation,” which pro-vides partial grants to families strug-gling pay for urgent medicaltreatment for their pets.

Visit www.dogtownsandiego.comto watch videos of Dozer and the SoCal Surf Dogs in action, visitwww.dogtownsandiego.com.

PETS IN THE CITY 19AUGUST 2010SAN DIEGO DOWNTOWN NEWS

Dog + surfboard + website = a rediscovered passion

WWW.SANDIEGOPETSUPPLY.COM is atit again!!! This month we will be havingour customer appreciation day! This willbe held on Saturay and Sunday August the28th and 29th. We will be conducting onthe 28th an adoption event as well as lowcost Veterinary clinic. The entire store willhave 10% off all merchandise. Mark your calendars as you dont want to miss out onall the savings on both days. Thanks againfor the read and all pets are welcomed tothis special savings extravaganza.

San DiegoPet Supply(619) 263-2211www.sandiegopetsupply.com

STORE HOURS: Monday–Saturday : 9am–7pm10am–4pm Sunday.

Located at the corner of 15th & Market Streetin San Diego’s East Village

$7 OFF 1st Groom repeat customers $3 off

25% OFF Extra Services15% OFF All Plush Toys (items over $5)

10% OFF All Merrick & Plato Treats

NATURALFOODS &TREATS,

LEASHES,COLLARS

& TOYS

Dog & Cat Grooming

G Street between 7th & 8th Avenues 619-237-9073

EAST VILLAGE

New to

Offers good with coupon

“On-the-Board Training” fordogs (and people) to prepare forthe, “Surf Dog Surf A Thon” bene-fiting Helen Woodward AnimalCenter (HWAC) begins this Satur-day, August 7 at 9:00 and 10:00 AMat Dog Beach in Del Mar. More SurfDog clinics will be held SaturdaysAugust 14 and 21 leading up to thefifth annual, “Surf Dog Surf AThon” on September 12.

“Helen Woodward Animal Cen-ter’s first Surf Dog Surf-A-Thon in2006 had a few dozen surfing dogsand 50 – 60 human surfers. Todayit’s the world’s largest dog surfingevent,” says HWAC’s John VanZante. “Again this year we’ll limitentry to 120 dogs and we’re expect-ing more than 100 human surfers.”

Sponsorship Wahine NedraAbramson says, “When HelenWoodward Animal Center createdthe idea of Surf Dog we had no ideait would grow so large, so fast, andbecome a worldwide media event.Mahalo to the pet and surf productmanufacturers that support SurfDog including GT Surf Boards andIams dog food. They’re riding thewave of Surf Dog success. Proceedssupport HWAC services for ani-mals and people in-need.”

During August “En Fuego” at1342 Camino Del Mar in Del Mar isfeaturing a, “Surfdogarita.” Onedollar will be donated to HWAC foreach Surfdogarita sold.

On Wednesday, August 11 from6 PM until Closing En Fuego willhost a, “Luau Night.” Guest bar-tenders will include world cham-pion surfer and board designerGuy Takayama, Bryce Rhodes(Helen Woodward’s grandson),and HWAC President Mike Arms.10% of the night’s proceeds will bedonated to HWAC.

Register now for the DoggieSurf Clinics on Saturday, August7, Sunday, August 14, and Satur-day, August 21 at 9:00 AM and10:00 AM. Each one-hour clinic islimited to 25 dogs per session. Thecost is $45 per dog with a limit of nomore than one dog per human. SanDiego Surfing Academy owner PatWeber will join pro surfer andboard designer Guy Takayama andSan Diego Pet Training owner RobKuty to teach dogs (and their own-ers) to surf safely.

For more information visit HelenWoodward Animal Center at 6461El Apajo Road in Rancho Santa Fe,call 858-756-4117 x 556, or log on towww.animalcenter.org

Fur cryin’ out loud! surf dog clinics

start this saturday!

Read the full article in ourAugust/September issue ofSan Diego Pets Magazine, or online at sdnews.com

Doug Hokstad, who once abandoned his love of surfing after a serious car accident, has rekindledhis passion with the help of his English bulldog, Dozer. Dozer is so adept at surfing he landed a roleas a surf dog in the movie “Marmaduke.” COURTESY PHOTO BY DIANE EDMONDS

Martin Gonzalez spent the last decadebuilding a reputation in the GaslampDistrict as a skilled chef and restaura-teur at Acqua Al 2. The popular estab-lishment dishes up authentic Italian cui-sine derived from Gonzalez’ experienceas a culinary student at Instituto Culi-nario Apicius in Florence, Italy.

In January, Gonzalez expanded hisofferings by opening TOAST Enoteca &Cucina at 927 J St. in East Village.Unhappy with the way many area winebars have made food an afterthought ofthe wine experience, Gonzalez set aboutto create a concept that would allow peo-ple to experience the natural relation-ship between wine and food. He has cre-ated a menu with dishes designed tocompliment various styles of wine, andhis servers are trained to help guestsdetermine which combination will pro-vide the best flavor profiles for their meal.

In addition, Gonzalez has installedEnomatic wine dispensers that keep

wine preserved for up to nine weeks,compared to the three-day (or less) lifes-pan of an uncorked bottle. The equip-ment allows customers to try1-ounce

FOOD & DRINK20 AUGUST 2010SAN DIEGO DOWNTOWN NEWS

DOWNTOWN AREA WINE BARSAndaz Ultralounge and Wine Bar600 F St.(619) 814-2055ivyentertainmentsandiego.com

Bacchus Wine Market647 G St.(619) 236-0005bacchuswinemarket.com

Bar Tinto Wine Bar734 Fifth Ave.(619) 269-4424

The Cask Room550 Park Blvd.(619) 822-1606www.caskroom.com

Enoteca Style1445 India St.(619) 546-7138enotecastyle.com

San Diego Wine & Culinary Center200 Harbor Drive(619) 231-6400sandiegowineandculinary.com

Tango Wine Company2161 India St.(619) 564-7700tangowine.com

TOAST Enoteca & Cucina927 J St.(619) 269-4207toastenoteca.com

Toscana Café Wine Bar238 5th Ave.(619) 231-5788toscanacafe.net

Vin De Syrah Spirit & Wine Parlor901 Fifth Ave.(619) 234-4166syrahwineparlor.com

Wet Stone Wine Bar & Café1927 Fourth Ave.(619) 255-2856

Wine Steals793 J St.(619) 255-7452winestealssd.com

TOAST Enoteca & Cucina, 927 J St. in East Village, opened in January. COURTESY PHOTO

TOASTing Martin GonzalezBY HILLARY SCHULER-JONES | DOWNTOWN NEWS

Local restaurant owner launches innovative wine bar

Martin Gonzalez opened TOAST Enoteca &Cucina as a way to allow guests to experi-ence the natural relationship between wineand food. COURTESY PHOTO

SEE TOAST, Page 27

Hodad’s to open downtownIn 1969, Byron and Virginia Hardin

opened Hodad’s burger joint at the end ofSanta Monica Avenue in Ocean Beach.After a few moves, it landed in its currentlocation at 5010 Newport Ave.

Now, a second location is being read-ied for unveiling downtown.

The current owners are Mike “BossMan” Hardin and Teri Rhodes. JeremyDiem is the manager at Hodad’s. He saidthe downtown location is expected toopen in “Septober.” This is his quirkyway of saying the official opening dateis not known because the location is stillunder construction.

The team at Hodad’s originally want-ed to open a restaurant in Carlsbad andalmost did, but a miscommunicationover a building ended that dream.

“We are a beach thing for sure,” Diemsaid.

However, Obecians know how packedHodad’s can be, and Diem hopes thatadding a second location will alleviatesome to the congestion.

The new digs are on the east side ofdowntown at 10th Avenue and Broad-way Street.

The team is excited about the newrestaurant, Diem said.

“It was an empty shell,” Diem said ofthe new building. “We are building itfrom scratch.”

He looks forward to working in arestaurant designed with precise plan-ning and thoughtful considerationabout the little details that go into theeveryday flow of Hodad’s kitchen.

The owners sat all the employees downand asked them what would help them dotheir jobs better. The feedback came inand the team is trying to incorporate it inthe design of the new structure.

“Our employees are our number oneasset,” he said. “If you have happy

employees, you have a smooth, well-runrestaurant,” Diem said.

“Mike always said that he hires peoplethat wouldn’t be hired somewhere else,”Diem joked.

However, the plan works. Diem saidthe restaurant has a loyal staff of hardworkers who care about the business.

“We have a really good family [staff],”he said.

Diem pointed out that just because itwill not be at the beach, does not meanthat it will not be the same Hodad’s.

The atmosphere will grow in thesame manner as that of the OceanBeach restaurant.

“Everything in the restaurant is dec-orated by the customers,” Diem said.

Hodad’s walls are covered in licenseplates, photos, bicycles; whatever a cus-tomer brings in can end up on the wall.

“We aren’t bringing the beach todowntown,” Diem said. “We are bring-ing Hodad’s.”

Hodad’s has been recognized manytimes for its delicious burgers. It has beenhighlighted on “The Tonight Show withJay Leno,” and “Diners, Drive-ins andDives” with Guy Fieri, as well as havingbeen named one of the top five burgerjoints in the country by CNN.

For the exact opening date, visitwww.hodadies.com in “Septober.”

Hodad’s owners are hoping to capitalize onthe popularity of the Ocean Beach locationwith a new version of the eatery downtown at10th Avenue and Broadway Street.

PAUL HANSEN | Downtown News

BY DEBBIE HATCH | DOWNTOWN NEWS

Paso Robles Wine Country: The frontier of amazing wines

We just returned from nearly a week touring the windyroads west of Paso Robles in California’s central coast. Paso isroughly 30 minutes north of San Luis Obispo, or describedanother way — about halfway between L.A. and San Francis-co on the 101.

Paso Robles was named for the large oak trees — literally ElPaso de Robles, or “The Pass of the Oaks.” In terms of winehistory, well, those crafty missionaries planted most of theregion’s original vines back in the late 1700s, just like in mostof California’s growing regions. Later, quite a few Europeanssettled in the area and brought with them vine cuttings fromEurope, including California’s first appearance of zinfandel.

Zin is what Paso has most been known for, but that has beenchanging quite a bit in the last 20 years. Cabernet sauvignonactually accounts for 38 percent of the region’s plantings,making it the most widely-planted varietal. Just as excitingthough has been the increased plantings of Rhone varietals.Syrah and Grenache on the red side, along with Viognier,Marsanne, and Roussane on the white side make up a prettyhealthy chunk of the balance.

We had the amazing pleasure of staying among the vine-yards of Halter Ranch Vineyard (HRV), about nine miles eastof the ocean in the rolling hills. HRV has always been one ofmy favorites in the area, and after touring the property thatfirst morning with sales manager Jim Witt and vineyard man-ager Mitch Wyss, that affection only deepened. We boarded aMule ATV and headed from the Victorian farmhouse built in1885 through the nearly 1,000 acres of hillside vineyards.They have 19 varietals planted, with cab and syrah dominat-ing the mix.

The thing that initially struck me about the property, andof the western part of the region in general, is just how hillyit is. Not only does this make the property stunningly beauti-ful, it makes for better grapes. You see, when a vine is plantedin really flat and nutrient-rich soil, the grapes aren’t “stressed”and the end product grapes are uninteresting. Mitch explainedto us that the grape is like a battery for the vine. That is, stor-ing up energy in the form of sugar to help keep the vine alive.If the vines have it too easy, there’s no reason to keep your bat-teries charged, so to speak. It’s only when the vine is planted

in an area where nutrients are harder to come by that the vinestores up energy in the fruit.

Of course, being in this vineyard in the middle of July meansthat the fruit hasn’t fully ripened, so you are left with a gor-geous canopy of trellised or head pruned vines basking in thewarm days and cool nights of westside Paso. We were encour-aged to try the grapes to test the acidity and flavor compounds.It was great to taste some great obscure varietals like PicpoulBlanc and Tannat, although at this stage of growth they arelittle acid bombs!

It was interesting to see what I always knew to be true ofgreat vineyard managers — dropping fruit. Again, too muchcompetition for scarce nutrients makes for uninterestinggrapes. Mitch and Jim both dropped whole clusters every placewe stopped. Mitch stated that 50 percent would be droppedduring the growing season, and of that last 50 percent, anoth-er 50 percent of those would be dropped to leave only thebest looking clusters.

The proof is in the bottle as they say, and not only do thewines of Halter Ranch Vineyard show that attention to qual-ity, but everywhere we toured had this same excellent fruit.

Our favorite wines on the trip were from L’Aventure & Ade-laida Cellars, as well as HRV.

My lasting impression of Paso Robles is that it’s one of themost beautiful of California’s wine regions. And, I believe thatthe friendliness of and camaraderie between the growers is sostrong that the sky is certainly the limit. As I said to StephanAsseo, the owner and winemaker of L’Aventure, he is notonly making the best wine in Paso, for my money, it’s some ofthe best in the world.

It’s a short 5 1/2 hour drive to Paso -— certainly a smallprice to pay to visit the Frontier of Amazing wines!

— Mike Kallay and his wife, Stephanie, own the CaskRoom, a wine bar in East Village. www.caskroom.com.

FOOD & DRINK 21AUGUST 2010SAN DIEGO DOWNTOWN NEWS

Tuesday Aug 31: Play Ball Canine Cocktails 5pm - 8pm

Live After 5 – Live Music at the hotel INDIGO on Thursday

nights in August: 8/5 - Jasmine Commerce • 8/12 - Dave Booda

8/19 - Justin James • 8/26 - Jesse LaMonaca & the Dime Novels

VinyardPlaceMIKE KALLAY

Halter Ranch Vineyard is about nine miles east of the ocean in therolling hills of Paso Robles in California’s central coast. COURTESY PHOTO

6:30am–2:30pm • 7 days a week520 Front Street • Just South of Market, Downtown

619-231-7777 • www.richardwalkers.com

with purchase of any food item of equal

or greater value & two beverages

not valid with other offers. expires 09-02-10

730 Market Street (between 7th & 8th)

Go to: www.sdnews.com/pages/dining for more dining information

Wolffy’s PlaceWolffy's Place-authentic Chicago Eatery featuring Chicago Vienna hot-dogs,Italian Beef on Gonnella rolls, Baby back BBQ ribs, Chicago Deep DishPizza as well as thin crust, Brats, Italian and Polish sausage, and a full bar withhappy hour 3pm-6pm M-F with 2 for 1 beers, and 4$ wells, half price appe-tisers and 3$ sandwiches; come watch all Bears, Bulls and Blackhawk gameson Direct T.V.

Richard Walker’s Pancake HouseRichard Walker’s Pancake House, an upscale fusion of traditional and gourmetbreakfast favorites, is now open in the Marina District in downtown San Diego.Serving classic-style griddlecakes, crepes, omelets and other specialties, thispancake house is certain to become the “premier” breakfast destination forSan Diego's residents, employees and the tourist community! Open 6:30 a.m.to 2:30 p.m. 7 days a week, and if you are unable to stay and enjoy the atmo-sphere, take Richard Walker’s with you as we prepare orders to go.

Panificio e Ristorante SoluntoPanificio e Ristorante Solunto has been around for over 40 years. The namechange from Solunto Baking Co is only to show that we added a restaurantfor the evening. The décor has changed as well to uplift the ambiance for dayand night. One of the last original family members still runs the new transitionof a landmark that made San Diego exuberant in delicious Sicilian style bread,cookies and pastries. The lunch portion of the business still carries all thedelicacies that made us flourish like sandwiches, hot food, and pizza. Now thedinnertime has a great influence in the Little Italy arena of great food. Hoursare as follows: Bakery/Lunchtime Monday 9AM-3PM, Tues-Fri 9AM-5PM,Saturday 8AM-5PM Sunday 8AM-4PM Dinnertime Tues-Sat 5PM-10PMAddress: 1643 India St San Diego CA 92101 619-233-3506 www.solunto.biz email: solunto@cox.net

PAGE 22 | AUGUST 2010 | SAN DIEGO DOWNTOWN NEWS

For Advertising Call

Deborah Vazquez(858) 270-3103 x118

Manchester Grand HyattJust a stone crab’s throw from Seaport Village is Sally’s Seafood on theWater, a charming and sophisticated waterfront eatery. Chef de CuisineSarah Linkenheil’s obsession with fresh fish and bold flavors shines throughin signature dishes like the decadent Lobster Pot Pie and Smoked TomatoCioppino. Open daily for lunch, happy hour, and dinner. Late breakfast, servedon weekends. Three hour validated self-parking at the Manchester GrandHyatt San Diego.

Downtown Dining

Happy Hour: (1/2 priced appetizers, $6 glasses of wine, $3 pints 5-7pm)

Hours of Operation:Sun 5pm-10pm Mon-Thurs 5pm-11pm Fri-Sat 5pm-12am

550 Park Blvd. #2104San Diego, CA 92101

619.822.1606

Bread on MarketDowntown's Artisan Bakery, Breads On Market is open from 7:30 to 4:00Sunday-Thursday and 7:30 to 5:00 Friday & Saturday. We are open late nightfor all Padre games. Voted Best Bakery 2008 from the San Diego DowntownNews 2008 and received the Silver Fork Award from San Diego Home andGarden. Schedule your next business or organization board meeting in ourquaint patio or let us cater your next event. We deliver Hot Lunch and Sand-wich Special or come in and enjoy a wonder Cheese Plate with a glass ofwine or beer to go with our famous Rueben. For Sweet and Treats we serveCookies, Brownies, and Package Housemade Granola. Take a loaf of freshArtisan bread home for dinner. 730 Market Street SD, 92101 (Between 7th& 8th) 619-795-2730 www.breadonmarket.com

The Cask RoomThe Cask Room Wine Bar & Bistro located in exciting East Village. Join usfor our Daily Happy Hour with new and exciting wine lists, beers, and deli-cious entrees. Enjoy over 15 wines by-the-glass, 40 by-the-bottle, as well asupwards of 20 different craft brews! Come enjoy good conversation andgreat wine with us! Voted "Best New Wine Bar" by San Diego DowntownNews and "Best Eats and Drinks" from the Union Tribune! We'll gladly cateryour private party and special events. Stop by and we'll chat over a cool glass.

PERFORMING ARTS 23AUGUST 2010SAN DIEGO DOWNTOWN NEWS

The Old Globe: The dilemma is selecting a production

Readers may be aware that The OldGlobe is celebrating its 75th anniver-sary, and have they got a summer festi-val season for you! Selected by Shake-speare Festival artistic director AdrianNoble, former director of the RoyalShakespeare, two works by WilliamShakespeare and another more recentwork by Alan Bennett play in alternat-ing repertory nightly except Mondayson the Globe’s outdoor stage. Which tosee if you haven’t time for all three? Itdepends upon your taste.

Playing through Sept. 23, “KingLear” is Shakespeare’s great tragedyabout an aged ruler (played by televisionand film actor Robert Foxworth), whointends to divide his kingdom betweenhis three daughters, Goneril, Regan andCordelia. All they must do is say how,why and how much they love him. Bythe time the two eldest have spoken inglowing, flowery and most likely insin-cere terms, the youngest, Cordelia, whotruly reveres and loves her father, is at aloss to express her feelings; and so she isdisinherited and exiled to France. Leargoes mad, gloriously and inexorably, andwith only his Fool (Bruce Turk) for com-pany, he wanders the English moors,encountering benevolent and not sobenevolent others, until at last he isreunited with Cordelia. Alas, it is too late.

Playing through Sept. 24, Alan Ben-nett’s “Madness of George III” is acompanion piece of sorts for “Lear” inthat it, too, concerns a mad monarch, inthis case George III of England, whoruled at the time of the American Revo-lution. King George is brilliantly playedby British star Miles Anderson in his OldGlobe debut. Foxworth portrays Dr.Willis, who cures his madness, at leasttemporarily. The contrast between Learand Willis is extraordinary and this

play’s resonance with “Lear” is truly ajoy. Emily Swallow, who plays the titlerole in Shakespeare’s “The Taming ofthe Shrew,” plays Queen Charlotte.Scenes between the king and queen,from whom he is unwillingly separated,

are among the best. Playing through Sept. 26 is the com-

edy with which this season’s festivalleavens the tragedy of “Lear” and themedical torture of “George III.” Amongthe Bard’s most popular comedies, theplay pits the Shrew (Swallow, a mostintelligent and attractive woman) and ayoung man named Petruchio (JonnoRoberts, a fine actor, a magnificent hunkand portrayer of the murderousEdmund in “Lear”), who “comes to wive[sic] it wealthily in Padua.” The chem-istry between this sparring pair is pal-pable indeed. Festival costume designerDeirdre Clancy attires the lovers beauti-fully. Her production-spanning conceptevinces high standards. Sound designerChristopher R. Walker provides a terrif-ic a cappella chorus for the servants. RonDaniels, formerly associated with theRoyal Shakespeare’s experimental com-pany and who staged the Globe’s hip-hop “Kingdom” last season, directs the

BY CHARLENE BALDRIDGE | DOWNTOWN NEWS

Robert Foxworth (from left) as Dr. Francis Willis, Miles Anderson as King George and EmilySwallow as Queen Charlotte in the 2010 Shakespeare Festival production of “The Madnessof George III” at The Old Globe through Sept. 24. COURTESY PHOTO

Robert Foxworth as King Lear and Bruce Turkas the Fool in the 2010 Shakespeare Festi-val production of “King Lear,” running throughSept. 23 at The Old Globe. Photo by CRAIG SCHWARTZ

SEE GLOBE, Page 27

San Diego’s downtown area has beentransformed by extensive redevelop-ment in the last decade, creating anenvironment that has attracted home-buyers from across the globe. But forall the benefits of living downtown —ocean-view homes, a thriving hospital-ity district and the tantalizing buzz andbustle of urban life — the area has suf-fered from the same plummeting saleprices, high foreclosure rates and sur-plus inventory that have plagued therest of the nation since the real estatebubble burst.

There are some indicators, however,that the area is on the verge of a recov-ery.

Gregg Neuman, a San Diego Realtor

who was Prudential’s top-selling agentin Southern California for the first halfof this year, said homes priced at lessthan $500,000 all around the countyare selling more quickly, which is help-ing to stabilize a volatile marketplace. Inthe 92101 ZIP Code, 442 homes weresold between January and June 2010,an increase of more than 28 percentfrom the same period last year, he said,and there are other factors that indi-cate San Diego is gaining traction.

“I’m seeing that the builders arestarting to move forward in planningfor future developments that will becoming online in a couple of years, andthat is probably the best barometer ofall, because … developers make a con-scious financial decision whether theyare going to move forward or not, and

they have to feel comfortable enoughthat there’s going to be a profit and abuyer for their product at the end of theday,” Neuman said.

Carl Iseman of Abbott Real EstateGroup said she is seeing more interestfrom serious buyers, who are turningup at her office more frequently andattending more open houses. She ishopeful that changes in the pipeline fordowntown, like the new CentralLibrary, the rumored Chargers Stadi-um and the proposed Civic Center, bodewell for the real-estate market in thelong term. In the short-term, however,it is still comes down to money.

“A lot is going to depend on the glob-al economy. I think we are affected notonly locally but globally, because we dohave a lot of people that are looking tolocate in San Diego, but what they canbuy and where they are going to locateis going to depend on the economy, ifthey are going to come at all,” Isemansaid.

Neuman and Iseman both said it willtake a recovery at the lower end of theprice spectrum to spark momentum

throughout the rest of the market.Realtors Ann LeBaron and Dale

Bowen, who specialize in luxury condo-miniums downtown, agreed there arepositive signs of a turnaround forhomes on the lower end, but said home

sales over the million-dollar mark willremain sluggish for the foreseeablefuture. Still, they are encouraged by atrend in retirees taking their money outof stocks and putting it in real estate,which indicates a shift in confidence.

“We talk a lot about what woulddrive buyers to buy right now, and inthe last couple of months, we’ve seenpeople pulling out of the stock marketbecause they are tired of seeing it go upand down, so they are paying cash forlarge transactions,” LeBaron said.“They might as well, because theyaren’t making any money off of it inthe stock market or in the bank, andinterest rates are not going to go up inthe near future.”

That shift, combined with marketstabilization, may be enough to createmomentum for luxury condos movinginto next year.

“There is always a market for some-thing if it is well priced and if it showswell, and I think in the outliers, peoplehave adjusted their prices. So as theysell, it creates buyers in our market,”LeBaron said.

REAL ESTATE24 AUGUST 2010SAN DIEGO DOWNTOWN NEWS

Are growing in our mis-sion to teach languagesfor world peace. Weopened on VoltaireStreet in 2006with one Spanishclass, purchasedan ongoing Eng-lish as a SecondLanguage (ESL)school in March2007 and brought thatschool to the tutoring cen-ter that owner and director B. RoseAnderson had originally opened inGermany in 1990. WordWide hasnow partnered with Helen Faisal ofCarmel Valley, who made the moveto 1811 Sunset Cliffs Blvd. possible.

“Bushard’s big white building was-n’t easy for Charley to build, but itgives us a home large enough to prof-it and keep these schools in OB,”Anderson said.

WordWide ILS is actually twoschools: Word-Wide ESL Institute isa private, postsecondary school withnational accreditation and is author-ized under Federal law to enroll non-immigrant alien students. We teach

anyone who wants to learnEnglish, and have

earned a 100%matriculation rate toarea colleges.WordWide Lan-guage TutoringCenter teachesArabic, French,

German, Italian,Korean, Spanish and

Swahili. The Spanishprogram has trained at least

one student to pass the AdvancedPlacement test at UCSD in just 30hours -- bypassing two years of col-lege Spanish. “We have beat ourcompetition academically, now we’lladd style to our OB attitude and allowour OB staff to keep riding bikes toschool,” Anderson said.

WordWide International Language Schools, LLC1811 Sunset Cliffs Boulevard, San Diego, CA 92107619-222-6411study@wordwide.uswww.wordwide.us

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BY HILLARY SCHULER-JONES | DOWNTOWN NEWS

Gregg Neuman

Downtown real estate market: slow and steady for now

Interior Experience Tour displays high-end homes

San Diego’s chapter of AmericanSociety of Interior Designers (ASID)showcased unique home designs inJuly with the first-ever Interior Expe-rience Tour. On July 24, in the midstof Comic-Con, high-end residencescreated by designers were exposed tolocals throughout the city.

“The idea of having the design butalso showing the lifestyle and culture,and how well they tie in together”was a success, said ASID board mem-ber Robin Wilson Carrier. Carrierworked on The Met, a modern enter-taining space atop the Omni Hotelthat featured fashion designer LauraGambucci at the pool deck and artistElizabeth Washburn in the loft thatoverlooks Petco Park.

“I had a steady flow of tourgoers allday and was pleased to share this spaceand my knowledge with them,” saidPark Laurel project designer and La JollaASID Design Excellence Award winnerKellie McCormick.

The nearly 6,000-square-foot condo-minium overlooking Balboa Park fea-tured a neutral palette ideal for preview-ing the owner’s large art collection.

CEO of Garden Fresh RestaurantCorp./Souplantation Michael Mackopened his City Front Terrace residence,a minimalist two-bedroom unit thatexposed the original brick and woodbeams from its days as a silk factory.

Designs were submitted blindly to theASID review committee and were chosenfor their fusion of design and culture.

“It was exciting to have the elementsreally relate to the interiors,” Carrier

said. Local designers included Bast/Wright

Interiors, Marrokal, Studio One Inc.Interior Design, Brion Design and RobinWilson Interior Design.

BY MEAGHAN CLARK | DOWNTOWN NEWS

This elegant hallway in Park Laurel by project designer Kellie McCormick was among the high-lights of the Interior Experience Tour.

REAL ESTATE | SAN DIEGO DOWNTOWN NEWS

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Real EstateWisdomChanging?

Conventional wisdom withrespect to selling a home might befalling by the wayside. Over theyears, research on home sales hassuggested the best season to sell ahome is spring. Buyer demand hastraditionally built through springand into the summer months,when families often prefer to movebecause doing so does not forceparents to uproot their childrenfrom school in the middle of theschool year.

However, as the economy hasstruggled over the last couple ofyears, so, too, has the real estatemarket. According to the S&P/Case-Shiller home price index,home prices decreased by 28percent from their national peak inthe second quarter of 2006 to theend of 2009. Such figures haveturned conventional real estatewisdom on its head, as have taxcredits to encourage first timebuyers to buy homes.

In 2010, first time home buyerswho closed on a home by April 30,2010 received an $8,000 credit.As a result, home sales figures inFebruary and March wereexpected to be higher than in yearspast, and therefore lower in theensuing months.

For those homeowners forced tosell a home in less desirable seasonslike winter, real estate professionalstypically advise selling up certainpoints of the home. Suggestionsinclude decorating a home for theholidays and shoveling anywalkways or driveways shouldsnow arrive while a house is on themarket. What's more, sellers sellingin off-seasons should be realisticabout their selling price at theoutset, as buyers might be reticentto buy in a season where so fewhomes are on the market. Sellinga home at a desirable askingprice, however, might increasebuyer interest.

Despite low interest rates anddeclining sale prices, there is still a lotof home inventory available. Thatmeans homeowners thinking aboutselling have to do whatever they can toset their homes apart from the othersavailable.

Real estate experts call it "staging,"or presenting the home in the bestlight so that potential buyers canenvision themselves moving right in.Just a few changes here and there canposition a home to sell faster than thecompetition.

1.The nose knows. A house can beperfect inside and out, but if it

smells bad, buyers will likely be put off.Make sure there is no noticeable odor,such as pet smells, garbage, stalesmoke, etc., to turn off others.

2.Clear out. Make sure the interiorlooks as spacious as possible. This

could mean taking out some furnitureand temporarily putting it in storage.Be sure countertops in bathrooms andkitchens are free of clutter. And packaway knick-knacks that can collectdust.

3.Cater to the lazy person. Potentialbuyers generally want to move in

and simply unpack. They don't want tomake major repairs. Therefore,homeowners should do whateverrepairs are possible, within reason. Ifthat means tearing down datedwallpaper or replacing carpeting with

hardwood floors, it could mean a fastersale.

4.Do a deep cleaning. Whether acleaning service is hired or the

homeowner does it himself, tacklingnecessary cleaning projects could makethe home shine. Now is the time towash the windows, shampoo thecarpets, regrout the bathrooms, andtackle all of those messes that couldcompromise a sale.

5.Add a fresh coat of paint. If wallsare bright colors or eclectic, it

could pay to paint rooms in moreneutral shades to appeal to the masses.Just be aware that some buyers aresuspicious of paint, especially freshlypainted ceilings. They may think ahomeowner is trying to hidesomething, usually water stains.

6.Keep the home updated. Whileone doesn't have to follow every

trend, ensuring the home is ageless canmake for a better sell. So if the cabinetsscream 1985 and the bathroom iscirca 1967, it could be time to do someupdating.

7.Create "happy" spaces. Buyersdon't want to purchase a dark

home that seems full of doom andgloom. Open the windows, turn on thelights, add lights to dark rooms and uselight colors as room accents. Generallybuyers want a bright and light home.

8.Avoid provocation. One potentialbuyer could be an animal lover,

another a political activist. No one cantell who will view the home. So don'tdisplay personal items that mightoffend. Take down mounted deer headsand put away books that may seemoffensive. It can be a good idea to storereligious items as well.

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room covered with paintings and filled with jew-elry, baskets, ceramics and pottery. In the farback of the gallery the featured artists of themonth have many examples of their work post-ed up for viewing.

The SWAA has 55 members. Each one wentthrough a jury process in which examples oftheir work were evaluated by the entire member-ship. Jo Ann Scott has been a member of SWAAsince 1984. She is a landscape painter whosecareer began in the fifth grade in South Carolinawhen she drew The Nativity Scene on the class-room blackboard with colored chalk, she said.

“The SWAA is a wonderful organization. Itmotivates you, so that you take a lot of pride inwhat you’re painting,” Scott said.

Arlene C. James has been a member since1981. She is multi-talented, but her latest inter-est is the rare and unusual method of “encaus-tic” art. Encaustic art is an ancient techniquethat was lost for many centuries. The wordencaustic comes from the Greek “enkaustikos”— meaning to heat or burn in. Arlene uses ahot plate to heat up colored wax and then press-es it onto paper or canvas. The wax is made ofpure beeswax, damar resin and pigment. Jamessays it was originally developed by the ancientGreeks, then taken to Egypt and used to adornwooden mummy cases. Encaustic art wasrevived in modern times by the Mexican mural-ist Diego Rivera and by Jasper Johns.

Judy Hanford did not start painting until shewas in her 50s. She is interested in paintingwildlife, especially birds of the tropics. She saidshe loves their colors and wants to make peoplemore aware of them so they will be conservedand not become extinct.

“Spanish Village is very peaceful and relax-ing,” Hanford said. “I especially love to hear thechimes of the hourly clock tower bells.”

John G. Davis is from Massachusetts and hasbeen with SWAA since 1996. He had a career asan electrical engineer with gas and electric com-panies back east, but always attended art class-

es in the evening after work. When he retiredand moved to San Diego his art work blossomed.

“My involvement with art is so relaxing —like being in Never-Never Land,” Davis said. “Theworries of the day do not exist for that incre-ment of time spent creating a work of art.”

Neal Evans is a younger newer member of theSWAA. He owns a frame shop Mission Hills,where he makes custom frames, boxes and pro-tective glass for preserving valuable paintingsfrom fading. Evans specializes in photograph-quality oil paintings that look life-like. He loves topaint old cars because he finds the reflections intheir chrome bumpers and shiny paint fascinat-ing. He said his style is “not hard, but very timeconsuming.”

During the month of August the work of fivemembers of the Association will be featured inthe gallery. Judy Hanford and Ann Semasko willbe on display now to Aug. 15. John Davis andNeal Evans will be highlighted Aug. 16 to 31.

For further information see SpanishVil-lageArt.com/ SWArtists.com or call SWAA at(619) 232-3522.

VILLAGECONTINUED FROM Page 15

expectations. We sold out our show and had max-imum capacity as far as attendance.”

That success allowed Art San Diego to bring thefair downtown, where Berchtold hopes double thespace leads to a doubled attendance of 6,000. Shesaid Art San Diego’s goal is to bring in 30,000 peo-ple to the fair in five years.

“Our big goal is to become the premier contem-porary art fair on the West Coast,” Berchtold said.“We hope this event can generate strong ancillaryrevenue to the community and play a major role inmaking San Diego an important arts destination.”

In addition to galleries featuring painting, sculp-tures, drawings, prints, photographs, videos andmultimedia artworks, the art fair will host differ-ent programs during the weekend. The Art in theCity conference will be held Saturday, Sept. 4 andart films and conversations with artists, includingLarry Bell and Maurizio Serachini, will take placeon Friday and Saturday.

“That conference will really bring world-classleaders in to talk about what success they’ve hadand how we can do that here in San Diego,”Berchtold said. “There are some phenomenalspeakers coming.”

The less-experienced collectors will have achance to brush up on their skills at the Art Col-lectors Boot Camp from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Fri-day, Sept. 3. During boot camp, Los Angeles artcritic and writer Jori Finkel will offer the ins andouts of collecting art and provide campers withplay money to spend in the galleries. Berchtoldsaid the fair will be fun and unintimidating.

“Galleries can sometimes be intimidating —you walk in and you have this person behind adesk and you have to interact and engage,” Berch-told said. “Our fair is really loose. You have theability to walk around with a cocktail in hand andnetwork and meet a lot of the artists.”

In conjunction with the art fair, Art San Diegois coordinating with 20 different art organizationsaround San Diego to create art labs that will runat each location for the entire month of Septem-ber. For more information about the fair, visitwww.artsandiego-fair.com.

ARTCONTINUED FROM Page 15

“Flower” by Judy Hanford.

Jonno Roberts as Petruchio and Emily Swallow asKatherine in the 2010 Shakespeare Festival produc-tion of “The Taming of the Shrew” at The Old Globethrough Sept. 26. Photo by CRAIG SCHWARTZ

comedy. Noble stages “Lear” and “George III.”The joy of a repertory season is watching the

extraordinary “stretch” an actor like Robertsmakes when he moves from one role to another,playing a villain one night and a testosterone-filled lover the next. It’s also great fun to see themodifications made to Ralph Funicello’s scenicdesign from one show to another.

Each production has its virtues. No matterwhich one chooses, the pay off includes a glori-ous outdoor theatrical experience at the LowellDavis Festival Theatre in Balboa Park, where theanimals in the nearby zoo add unexpected soundand the stately trees are the real McCoy.

A complete schedule of performances may befound at www.theoldglobe.org or phone (619)23-GLOBE.

GLOBECONTINUED FROM Page 23

TOAST Enoteca & Cucina owner Martin Gonzalez thinks a wine bar with quality food to pair the wines with is agreat concept. COURTESY PHOTO

tastes or single glasses of high-end wines, ratherthan charging for an entire bottle, allowing cus-tomers to experience a wider variety of vino with-out breaking the bank.

Gonzalez explained his strong feelings aboutserving wine with food, his decision to use Eno-matic machines and how his time in Italy hasshaped his current business.

DTN:You went to culinary school in Italy. Howdid that shape your philosophy about food andwine?

MG: “I picked up everything that I know there,because before I moved to Italy, I was not involvedin the restaurant business, I was not involved incooking. I didn’t even drink. I became a new per-son. I was just moving there to spend some time,and I enrolled in culinary school to be around Ital-ians and learn the language, to get more involvedwith the culture. I didn’t know I was going to likeit until I was there.”

DTN: How did you decide on the concept forTOAST?

MG: “I think a wine bar made the real way with

a little food to pair the wines with is a great con-cept, a concept that nobody has done before, espe-cially in San Diego. Most of the places I visited,and I think I’ve visited all of them, either servedpizza and salad or cheese and olive platters, but notfood to serve the wine with.”

DTN: Why are wine and food better together? MG: “My philosophy is that wine was created,

and has been used as a drink, for the meal. It wasnever a drink to be enjoyed by itself, although nowyou can enjoy some of them. But the best way toenjoy it is paired with the right food.”

DTN: You chose to use Enomatic wine dis-pensers instead of just opening bottles at the bar.Why was that the best option at TOAST?

MG: “I loved the idea of incorporating theminto the concept so that I could offer my guestshigher-end wine or more exotic types of wines forthem to taste or have a glass instead of buyingthe whole bottle. I think that’s a great thing, thatyou can go to a place and have a little taste or halfa glass or a glass of really good wine if you wantto, because most places offer by the glass only thecheapest wine that there is, and you are basicallyobligated to have that one when you are thinkingabout having only a glass, so it fit perfectly.”

For more information, visit www.toastenote-ca.com.

TOASTCONTINUED FROM Page 20

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PAGE 28 | AUGUST 2010 | SAN DIEGO DOWNTOWN NEWS

Neuman & Neuman does not guarantee the accuracy of square footage, lot size or other information concerning the condition or features of property provided by the seller or obtained from public records or other sources, and the buyer is advised to independently verify the accuracy of the information through personal inspection and with appropriate professionals.

Independently owned and operated of Prudential Real Estate Affiliates, Inc. Equal Housing Opportunity.

Downtown · “Breeza”Brand new construction, choose from the ideal“starter” one-bedroom to the premier, southwest corner, 3-bedroom, 2-bath residencewith stunning water and bayfront views! Theheart of the community is its center courtyard,complete with a pool and spa, and scenic patiosand lush, tropical landscaping!For full details in a recorded message,

call 1-800-709-1995, Ext. 5069

Downtown · “Meridian”The ideal second home or primary resi-dence, this east-facing residence is in won-derful condition and boasts wonderfulnight-time views of the city lights and urbansurroundings! Meridian is Downtown SanDiego’s own “Trump Tower,” complete withservice and amenities beyond compare!For full details in a recorded message,

call 1-800-709-1995, Ext. 5259

1-800-221-2210www.sellsandiego.com

Before you put your home on the marketcall for a FREE Marketing Package

It’s only a buyer’s market if you BUY!When it’s over, where will YOU be living?

“Segal Live/Work Rowhome”Truly one-of-a-kind, this award-winning masterpiece offers the ultimate in urban living! Ideally located in the Marina District,the residence includes approximately 2,300square feet of “hip” architecture PLUS a separate, 700-square-foot work loft / granny-flat, or entertainer’s mecca, withhome theater & wet-bar. A “must see”!For full details in a recorded message,

call 1-800-709-1995, Ext. 5479

Are you struggling to make your payments and/or

upside-down on your mortgage? We've helped many ownersDowntown avoid foreclosure

on their homes and we can help you, too!

Call us at 800.221.2210 to discussyour options, no obligation!

Downtown · “Electra”

Downtown · “The Mark”A truly amazing residence, this combined property boasts over 2300 square feet with amodifiable and flexible floor plan! Featuringmultiple balconies, four parking spaces andviews directly into the ballpark and theCoronado bridge beyond, the residence mustbe seen to be believed! For full details in a recorded message,

call 1-800-709-1995, Ext. 5279

Downtown · “Harbor Club”You’ll want to make this lovely residence yourhome or home-away-from-home! Featuringstunning views to the South and East, it enjoysan oversize view terrace and two terrific parkingspaces near the entrance. This resort-style community is located in the heart of the Marina District.For full details in a recorded message,

call 1-800-709-1995, Ext. 5109

Downtown · “Renaissance”Boasting one of the best water views in theMarina District, this 20th-floor penthouse-levelresidence features over 2,000 square feet!Original owner recrafted the interior by creating an open living space and a gourmetkitchen to die for! Four balconies and dual side-by-side parking, too! For full details in a recorded message,

call 1-800-709-1995, Ext. 5469

Downtown · “Harbor Club”New on the market, this spectacular 'bubble

unit' on the 33rd floor of the Marina District's

premier, resort-style residential high-rise

boasts a completely remodeled interior with

the finest of finishes and phenomenal,

180-degree water views!

For full details in a recorded message,

call 1-800-709-1995, Ext. 5289

Downtown · “Pinnacle Museum Tower”Located in the Marina District's newest andmost exciting high-rise, this west-facing residence boasts spectacular views to the westand south, gleaming stone floors and surfacesin the kitchen and baths, dual parking and aspacious view terrace!For full details in a recorded message,

call 1-800-709-1995, Ext. 5279

Downtown · “Watermark”Featuring dual bedrooms + a den/office andapproximately 1550 square feet, this upgradedhome features views across the courtyard toscenic Pantoja Park! One of the MarinaDistrict's landmark communities! For full details in a recorded message,

call 1-800-709-1995, Ext. 5229

Downtown · “ParkLoft”You'll want to see this authentic loft residencein Downtown's premier, East Village community near Petco Park! It boasts 10-foot,cement ceilings, exposed ductwork, remodeledbaths, and 42 linear feet of organized storage!Tres cool! For full details in a recorded message,

call 1-800-709-1995, Ext. 5309

Downtown · “Watermark”Just listed, this well-priced residence in recentlyrenovated community enjoys a west-facing orientation, a private terrace looking toward theOld Police Quarters, and dual parking spaces!For full details in a recorded message,

call 1-800-709-1995, Ext. 5299

“Electra” Builder Close-OutBosa Development has selected us to markettheir few remaining luxury residences at one ofDowntown’s most unique and desirable residential communities! Boasting elegant finishes and common amenities par excellence!Take advantage of these blow-out prices today!Starting at $329,000!For full details in a recorded message,

call 1-800-709-1995, Ext. 5139

Downtown · “Park Place”You’ll want to see this wonderful residence withlovely Southwest views, dual balconies, expansive stone flooring and an ambient 2-sided fireplace in one of the Marina District’smost sought-after communities! May convey furnished!For full details in a recorded message,

call 1-800-709-1995, Ext. 5339

Amazingly upgraded, this fabulous, Northwestcorner luxury residence on the 27th floor features all the bells and whistles PLUS amazingwater views! Experience one of Downtown'smost unique and desirable luxury communities!For full details in a recorded message,

call 1-800-709-1995, Ext. 5179

Downtown · “The Grande”You'll enjoy one of the community's most popular floorplans with two bedrooms + a fullden, two baths, and almost 1700 square feet.Lovely Northwest corner views to the ocean areyours and you will love the banks of windowstaking in the vistas. Common areas are the best!For full details in a recorded message,

call 1-800-709-1995, Ext. 5159

Downtown · “The Grande”Featuring an upgraded and pristine interior,this lovely residence enjoys gleaming cherryhardwood floors, a bay view terrace, a black-granite kitchen with glass-tile back-splash andstainless appliances, dual secured parkingspaces, and may convey 'furnished' with astrong offer! Stunning! For full details in a recorded message,

call 1-800-709-1995, Ext. 5369

Downtown · “Pinnacle”This elegant and expansive residence in the premium Southwest corner of the community boasts fabulous water views, beautifully upgraded interior, dual terraces and dual parking spaces. It doesn't get any better than this! For full details in a recorded message,

call 1-800-709-1995, Ext. 5129

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