San Diego CityBeat • May 8, 2013

2 · San Diego CityBeat · May 8, 2013

May 8, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 3

Too many dead inmates If you read “60 Dead Inmates,” our five-part investigative series, reported and written by Kelly Davis and Dave Maass, examining the fatalities that occurred in San Diego County jails from 2007 to 2012, you were no doubt left with the impression that the attitude of the San Diego Sheriff’s Department, which oversees the jail system, is basically this: So what?

Is 60 dead inmates in six years a lot? If you look at the number the way the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) does, which is the same way major health organizations like the Centers for Disease Control do, it is. Those agencies use the mortality rate, which is the number of deaths divided by a jail or prison system’s average daily population—the average number of prisoners in the facility on any given day in a year. It’s the standard formula because it allows for comparisons in facilities across the country.

Of the 10 largest jail systems in California, San Diego County had the highest average mortality rate from 2007 to 2012: 202 deaths per 100,000 inmates.

The local Sheriff’s Department doesn’t use the mortality rate; it uses the “at-risk” rate, which is the number of deaths divided by the total number of bookings in a year. But the BJS doesn’t use bookings-related data because high turnover in jails skews the data. Lindsey Hayes, project director at the National Center on Institutions & Alternatives, told us that the BJS “has been using the calculation of average daily population for 20 or 30 years or more, and no one complains about it unless they have a higher rate than the national average.”

Since the Sheriff’s Department doesn’t use the standard formula, it apparently doesn’t need to acknowledge that there’s a problem, and the conversation ends.

But there is a problem. Using the mortality rate, if there were 17 fewer deaths between 2007 and 2012, San Diego County would’ve landed in the middle of the state’s 10 largest jail systems. Our examination of the circumstances surrounding all 60 deaths showed that at least 19 of them were preventable. Some of the them, like the case of 35-year-old Tommy Tucker, featured in Part 2 of our series, involved excessive use of force. Others involved overdoses of drugs inmates shouldn’t have had in their possession.

And many cases involved an egregious lack of monitoring of at-risk inmates’ condition, even when

other inmates alerted guards to cellmates in crisis.

Indeed, failure to properly monitor inmates who were going through withdrawal from drugs, like 21year-old Daniel Sisson, who was profiled in Part 3, or suicidal, like 39-year-old Shane Hipfel, who was featured in Part 4, was a thread that ran throughout our investigation—simple regular cell checks would’ve prevented some of these deaths.

The Sheriff’s Department could have responded by saying our findings raised important questions, promising to look into the details and reexamine its policies if necessary. It didn’t. It simply said that it takes all inmates deaths seriously and regularly ensures that its policies are being followed, stopping short of even acknowledging that the number of deaths is high.

Further underscoring the need for scrutiny is the fact that five inmates have died in county jails so far this year—two from drug overdoses and three by suicide.

We wish we could say that we have confidence in the entities that should be providing oversight—the county Grand Jury, the District Attorney’s office, the county Board of Supervisors and, particularly, the Citizens Law Enforcement Review Board (CLERB).

We don’t.

The Sheriff’s Department must initiate a review of recent deaths, ideally bringing in a consultant from outside the department to lead it. If Sheriff Bill Gore is unwilling to do so, the Board of Supervisors and CLERB must compel him to act. The department must also start treating the families of dead inmates with respect. A troubling pattern that we noticed in our reporting was how impossible it’s been for families to get basic factual information; they sometimes have to sue the county to learn what happened, unnecessarily costing taxpayers money.

We recognize the difficulties in managing thousands of inmates, many of whom are mentally ill and/ or drug-addicted. People who land in jail typically haven’t been great at taking care of themselves.

But we’ll leave you with a quote from Marc Stern, an expert in healthcare in correctional facilities and one of the folks we spoke to amid our research: “Dostoyevsky said one can judge a society by the way it treats its prisoners; the sentence is being in prison, not dying from poor healthcare.”

What do you think? Write to editor@sdcitybeat.com.

Is it hot in here, or is it just this issue of CityBeat?

Volume 11 • Issue 40 Editor David Rolland Associate Editor Kelly Davis Music Editor Peter Holslin Staff Writers David Taube, Alex Zaragoza Events Editor Shea Kopp Film Editor Anders Wright Web Editor Ryan Bradford Art director Adam Vieyra

Columnists Edwin Decker, John R. Lamb Contributors Ian Cheesman, David L. Coddon, Seth Combs, Jeff “Turbo” Corrigan, Katrina Dodson, Michael A. Gardiner, Dave Maass, Scott McDonald, Jenny Montgomery, Kinsee Morlan, Mina Riazi, Jim Ruland, Marie Tran-McCaslin, Jen Van Tieghem, Jeff Terich, Quan Vu Interns Elizabeth Shipton, Crystal Tellez-Giron, Connie Thai, Wilson To, Rees Withrow Production Manager Tristan Whitehouse Multi-Media Advertising Director Paulina Porter-Tapia Senior account executive Jason Noble

Cover illustration by Kristina Micotti Advertising Account Executives Sean Eshelman, Beau Odom, director of marketing Chad Boyer Circulation / Office Assistant Shea Kopp Vice President of Finance Michael Nagami Human Resources Andrea Baker Accounting Alysia Chavez, Linda Lam, Monica MacCree Vice President of Operations David Comden Publisher Kevin Hellman

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Call 619-281-7526 or e-mail advertising@sdcitybeat.com. The advertising deadline is 5 p.m. every Friday for the following week’s issue.

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San Diego CityBeat is published and distributed every Wednesday by Southland Publishing Inc., free of charge but limited to one per reader. Reproduction of any material in this or any other issue is prohibited without written permission from the publisher and the author. Contents copyright 2013.

4 · San Diego CityBeat · May 8, 2013

Outsource the city attorney Thank you for pointing out Mayor Bob Filner’s proposed $1.4-million decrease to the City Attorney’s budget in your April 17 editorial. It’s my understanding that this represents a decrease of 3.2 percent based upon a total budget of $44 million for the City Attorney’s office.

I agree with you that this doesn’t seem like much of a reduction based upon other government-agency reductions. I would even take this a step further.

The city of San Diego has a mandate to outsource services. Since City Attorney duties cannot be that much different from city to city, these services are an excellent candidate for outsourcing.

Remember that the city just outsourced its IT services. San Diego Data Processing was owned by the city and functioned like a city department. City employees represented a majority on the SDDPC Board of Directors. IT services were outsourced based upon the ability to sue vendors for non-performance. The city will not save any money. About 75 people will be laid off from SDDPC, and the rest took cuts in their total income.

In consideration of the above, it seems appropriate to consider outsourcing the City Attorney’s office. At minimum, it should be investigated.

Ronald Harris, Scripps Ranch

‘Justice by malice’ Regardless of the legalities involving individual jail-inmate deaths between 2007 and 2012 [“News,” April 24], is it fair for all of us to assume that at least

one employee of the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, spokesperson Jan Caldwell, is delusional at best to claim, “The Sheriff’s Department is one of the largest providers of mental health services in the county”?

It is completely insane for anyone to suggest that the county’s jail system is a provider of Jan Caldwell mental-health services. Anyone who’s been in a psychiatric holding cell longer than an hour in Downtown’s Central Jail knows this is true. This is a place where intake psychiatrists tell men banging on walls threatening suicide, “Oh, just shut up.”

It is a well-researched and documented fact that jails and prisons across the nation are turning a profit by prescribing draconian prescription medication like Haldol while purposely underfeeding inmates to control their behavior.

Police cover-ups in the last few decades, on the street and in jails or prisons, are so hideously reminiscent of 1950s good-old-boy melodramas, it makes a lot of us wonder which law is really in control—law and order, or justice by malice?

If Caldwell puts herself to sleep at night believing she and the county’s jails are defending the civil rights of the mentally ill, so be it; she’s paid well to say those things. However, those of us falsely labeled insane, who have gone through that system, know otherwise.

Benny A. McFadden, Downtown

May 8, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 5

DAVID TAUBE

Michael Sullivan’s wife, Safietou Ndiaye, and their kids, Aliou, 4, and Fatou, 1

Cycling to safety?

Bike advocates seeking to prevent bike deaths argue that city progress has been slow

by David Taube Clairemont resident Michael Sullivan can manage getting past dangerous freeway ramps on his bicycle, but he fears for his wife’s safety when she makes similar treks. Sullivan bikes 10 miles to work, and his wife rides five miles for her job. Along their routes, on- and off-ramps intersect with major thoroughfares, particularly in Clairemont, forcing them to avoid merging motor vehicles.

From February 2012 to January 2013, eight cyclists died while biking in San Diego. Although police determined that at least half of the accidents were the cyclist’s fault, deaths routinely become rallying points for the bike community. Jim Baross, for example, who’s served for roughly 20 years on a pedestrian-and-bicycle work group with the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), a regional transportation-planning organization, wears a red bracelet on his left wrist in memory of Nick Venuto, who died in 2011 when a vehicle barreled through a fence from state Route 56 and onto a bike path.

Bike advocates have pushed for improvements to road markings and infrastructure, temporary preventative measures on roadways and better information from police. Police have discussed some new ideas with bike advocates, and the city is undertaking various safety-improvement projects, but, generally, city officials have yet to implement several proposals put forth by bike leaders, and state transportation officials haven’t kept people updated about decisions they’ve made or what they’re pursuing, bike advocates say.

“It seems like there’s a growing momentum of support, and we’re just pushing for the first thing to happen on the ground,” says Sullivan, who’s proposed several bike-safety

6 · San Diego CityBeat · May 8, 2013

noted that in both cases, motorists weren’t cited, but that wasn’t the primary factor in the review.

City officials, including Mayor Bob Filner and City Council members, have continued to meet about bicycle safety issues, and the city has done some significant projects.

One such improvement is a half-mile from where 63-year-old cyclist Charles Gilbreth was killed on Montezuma Road. At first, the city added green road markings near Collwood Boulevard, creating a sort of crosswalk for cyclists. But many bicyclists sped across the new markings, so city workers scrubbed them out, KPBS reported in January. The city’s redoing the project—changes include brighter markings and white lane-barrier poles—with improvements expected to be completed this month.

The City Council adopted a resolution in March, spearheaded by Councilmember Lorie Zapf—whose district includes Clairemont Mesa Boulevard and Balboa Avenue— that encourages bicycle-friendly projects and projects that address cyclist and motorist safety.

Alex Bell, Zapf’s spokesperson, said green bike lanes along Balboa Avenue should be completed this summer or fall, along with the installation of road sensors that detect if a cyclist is waiting to make a left turn. Bell said the improvements are being paid for by funding the city obtained when the state handed the roadway over to the city as part of the Balboa Avenue Revitalization Action Program.

Improvements along Clairement Mesa Boulevard, Bell said, are limited by lack of funding.

Bike advocacy groups want more to be done. High on BikeSD’s wish list is a bike ordinance that would penalize motorists for harassing cyclists. Los Angeles passed such an ordinance in 2011, allowing cyclists to bring civil lawsuits against motorists who physically or verbally harass them.

San Diego County Bicycle Coalition (SDCBC) members shared safety concerns last month at one of the nonprofit’s board meetings. Baross, an SDCBC board member, says that bike-safety instructors complain that a lack of details surrounding fatalities makes it harder to provide better advice to students. Bike advocates say more information would help them understand if infrastructure improvements are needed at places where accidents have occurred.

Baross says the SDCBC’s staff of two doesn’t have the resources to pursue that kind of follow-up, so there’s only so much they can do. Ollinger says it’s frustrating that more details aren’t typically reported in the press.

At the SDCBC meeting, the board met with Councilmember Kevin Faulconer and Shelley Zimmerman, assistant police chief for neighborhood policing. Zimmerman discussed ideas, provided stats and reviewed causes of recent fatalities, including a rider who ran a red light on a bicycle without brakes and was struck by a vehicle, a cyclist running a stop sign and another going the wrong way on a street. Youyan He’s death in January was caused by the cyclist making an unsafe lane change, Zimmerman told CityBeat.

She also told the board that there are no trends based on recent accidents; they generally point to the need for more education and awareness, stressing that even those who obey traffic-safety laws can still lose their lives.

Meanwhile, Sullivan and his wife continue to commute to work by bike. They also take their children, a 4-year-old and 1-year-old, on weekend bike trips to the beach. At certain freeway-ramp intersections, the family shifts from the bike lane to the sidewalk and waits for the signal to cross— but not before Sullivan makes eye contact with drivers to make sure they see him.

In March, Sullivan ran unopposed for his local planning board, the Clairemont Community Planning Group, securing his first position as an elected officeholder. He attended his first meeting as a board member last month, and he says he hopes to use the position to bring about change.

projects for the city. “So far, it’s just been verbal.”

Two recent incidents have drawn particular attention. In March 2012, 29-year-old Pacific Beach resident David Ortiz died while riding along Balboa Avenue on the Interstate 805 overpass. He collided with an SUV and then was hit by two other vehicles. On Jan. 3, 2013, 54-year-old North Clairemont resident Youyan He was killed just west of the I-805 overpass on Clairemont Mesa Boulevard.

A week after He’s death, Sam Ollinger, executive director and board president of BikeSD, an advocacy organization, voiced her concerns during a San Diego City Council meeting, citing the He and Ortiz deaths and asking for changes in the way freeway ramps are designed. She recommended that temporary measures, such as orange construction barrels and caution signs, be put in place to reduce vehicle speed in freeway-ramp areas.

About two months ago, Sullivan conducted a traffic experiment to show his concern about an area in La Jolla where an Interstate 5 north off-ramp intersects with Gilman Drive, La Jolla Colony Drive and the Rose Canyon bike path. Although the off-ramp has a traffic light, Sullivan shot footage of vehicles exiting the off-ramp without making a full stop on red while turning east onto La Jolla Colony Drive. Instead, vehicles briefly paused on a crosswalk and rolled through the right turn. He then placed three orange cones to create a perpendicular angle at the intersection so vehicles would slow down. He said he asked city staff twice to place cones at the intersection, but, so far, nothing’s been done.

Bike advocates could be waiting awhile. Changes to ramps generally lie with the state. Caltrans, the state’s transportation agency, wrote in a statement to CityBeat that it has no plans to make infrastructure or signage improvements at the locations where Ortiz and He died. Spokesperson Cathryne Bruce-Johnson said the department investigated each area in response to the deaths, but highway teams found signage, pavement markings and infrastruc- Write to davidt@sdcitybeat.com ture sufficiently met state and federal standards. She also and editor@sdcitybeat.com.

JOHN R. LAMB

JOHN R.

SPIN CYCLE

LAMB Nathan and the giant pitch “If you can’t lick ’em, join ’em.” party officials boasted, 71 percent —American proverb of endorsed candidates entered the winner’s circle in 2012.

Nathan Fletcher, the political But the buzz of the night bedarling of the evening, was having longed to the party’s newest hightrouble locating his car. profile member, and Fletcher The former Republican mem- seemed dazed by the love—someber of the state Assembly, unsuc- thing rarely afforded him within cessful independent mayoral can- Republican ranks for his somedidate and freshly minted Demo- times moderate views and willingcrat had just exited the San Diego ness to compromise with enemies County Democratic Party’s 33rd across the aisle. His nationally notannual Roosevelt Dinner at the ed dalliance with independence Mission Bay Hilton Saturday night over “partisan politics” during last and seemed a bit overwhelmed. year’s mayor’s race—after the local Unlike previous years’ Demo- Republican Party rejected him cratic galas, there was plenty to in favor of Carl DeMaio—only fochest-bump about given last No- mented the right’s hostility toward vember’s election results—most the Marine veteran. notably a mayoral win for the first “I guess it’s his coming-out time in two decades, a Board of party,” local architect Mark Steele Supervisors seat and a county- told Spin Cycle shortly after Fletchwide majority in Congress. In all, er arrived at the gala to swarming

news camera crews and party well-wishers.

It was only that morning that Fletcher had posted on his Facebook page a 1,700-word screed explaining his decision to register as a Democrat.

“I was reluctant to make this move,” he wrote. “It wasn’t due to any doubt about where I belong. It was simple dread over the criticism I would face. I know this is the party that reflects my values and beliefs, but I was reluctant to admit it.”

He attributed the timNathan Fletcher, besieged by the media ing of the switch to a recent discussion he had with Lou Oro- mean anything. It conveys no valzco, a Marine colleague who’d ues.” The member, he said, gave served alongside him in Iraq. Fletcher his party pin “until I fig“Lou asked if I missed the Re- ured things out.” publican Party,” Fletcher wrote.

Fletcher also wrote that he “I was honest—I didn’t miss it watched former President Bill Clinone bit. Then he asked how inde- ton’s Democratic National Convenpendent was working out for me. tion speech three times “trying to Again, brutal honesty—it didn’t find something I disagreed with.

I couldn’t. It was clear—at least to fit. It felt empty.”

Another conversation earlier me—that I was a Democrat.”

The reaction was swift, and this year with a Myanmar Parliament member seemed to seal unsurprisingly mixed.

“Very proud of you. Very excitthe deal. The member, Fletcher wrote, had Googled him and, ed,” said freshman Congressmemlearning of his move to inde- ber Juan Vargas, while his new pendence, remarked, “It doesn’t colleague, Scott Peters, added, “It makes it an even better party.”

Escondido Councilmember Olga Diaz, a rising party star who’s thrown her hat into that city’s 2014 mayor’s race, jabbed the opposition by noting, “It does make me a little bit sad for the Republican Party because I don’t think they have anybody good-looking left.”

Meanwhile, old press releases slamming Fletcher began vanishing from the Democratic Party’s website. “Oh, probably just a little spring cleaning,” former party chair Jess Durfee tweeted with a smiley face.

From the right, however, the criticism came howling across social media. “No principles,” tweeted local GOP Executive Director Francis Barraza. “That’s what happens when you have no character,” San Diego City Councilmember and self-proclaimed non-politician Scott Sherman snorted on Facebook, along with a misdirected slap at Fletcher’s work to get Chelsea’s Law passed, confusing it with Megan’s Law. “No backbone.” “No soul.”

Even knocks to his military service—“MINO=Marine in Name Only” bellowed one tweet— seemed fair game from the rabid Republican faithful.

What may have prompted the foaming response from the right was an email delivered the same

day signed by Fletcher urging contributions to Peters’ 2014 reelection campaign, which some speculate will involve a battle royale with DeMaio.

“Recent news out of Washington D.C. is that Tea Party extremists are recruiting one of their own… to run against my friend Scott Peters,” Fletcher said in the email. “After running against him last year, I know that Carl DeMaio will be bad for San Diego and Southern California.”

While Fletcher expected the stinging rebukes—“You’re always going to get naysayers. That’s fair,” he told Spin Cycle after the gala—what was missing from the Republican response was any lick of self-reflection on how far the party has fallen from local grace.

As new county Democratic Party Chair Francine Busby noted, online voter registration since October has drawn 20,000 more Democrats than Republicans countywide.

The city, she added, is now home to nearly 90,000 more registered Democrats than Republicans, who rank even below decline-to-state voters by roughly 5,000.

So, is Fletcher, a former college baseball player, just joining a hotter team for the sake of political opportunism, as a ripping U-T San Diego editorial whined Monday? Time will tell, but, for now, Fletcher said in his Facebook post, he “loves” his work at Qualcomm and UCSD and feels like “I actually have a life.” He did predict that the party switch “would immediately trigger a wave of ‘what is he angling for now,’” a sentiment he addressed with only the proverbial “no plans” response.

Most likely, Fletcher wanted to shape the message himself rather than let the media grab it and run.

A former Assembly colleague had apparently leaked the news to a Los Angeles Times reporter, who then tweeted the news. Even that came out ironically weird when autocorrect changed “Democrat” to “Deregulate red.”

“Nathan Fletcher did not become some kind of merlot. Just a Democrat,” Times reporter Anthony York later corrected.

After the gala Saturday, Fletcher seemed less interested in dealing with such analysis and more concerned with finding his car.

“Actually I don’t know where I’m parked,” he said. When Spin Cycle wished him luck on the search as he headed off into the night, Fletcher replied, “Yeah I know. I have to work on that.”

Write to johnl@sdcitybeat.com and editor@sdcitybeat.com.

May 8, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 7

by Mina Riazi Mina Riazi

palecco’s Little Italy and Midway locations also serve the lusty sweet.

Nunzi’s: I found this Italian eatery on a sunny slice of University Avenue in Hillcrest (1255 University Ave., nunziscafe.com). A friend once raved about the dessert selection at Nunzi’s, so I thought I’d give its ice-cream sandwich a whirl. Neighboring the register is a display case filled with baked goodies. Cakes, cream puffs, cookies and tarts make up the sugary jumble, but I refocused my attention on the ice-cream sammie.

Standing behind the counter was Nunzia Daniele, the joint’s owner.

She disappeared for a minute, then Lighthouse’s waffle sandwich with java-chip ice cream returned with my Saran-wrapped morsel. Nunzia told me that table orders of the ice-cream sandwich are presented differently—on a plate and with a streak of ganache. But I was fine with bagging mine and taking it to go. The soft and moist chocolate chip cookies held together the vanilla ice cream with ease.

On some days, Nunzi’s also offers white-chocIce, ice, baby olate-macadamia-nut cookies. If the ice cream had been a bit more impressive, the $2 treat would The best way to handle summer heat is with an have definitely wowed, but it was still pretty tasty. ice-cream sandwich in each hand. Here are three Lighthouse Ice Cream & Yogurt: If you like of my favorite places to get them: blurring the lines between breakfast and dessert, Pappalecco: At the start of each episode, then Lighthouse is the place for you. Waffles get Sandwich King’s Jeff Mauro delivers a tiny nugget an upgrade at the Ocean Beach hangout (5059 of wisdom: “Life is better between two pieces of Newport Ave). Two of the doughy cakes are bread.” Mauro’s got a point. After all, everything peeled off a hot griddle and pressed into a slab from eggs to bananas to mashed potatoes tastes of ice cream. Choose from a wide variety of iceyummier when cuddled by the carby stuff. At Papcream flavors—from espresso to maple walnut to palecco (3650 Fifth Ave. in Hillcrest, pappalecco. birthday cake. In addition to the original, there com), even gelato benefits from a big bread hug. are also blueberry, chocolate and apple-cinnaOrder the croissant gelato and you’ll get a fat, mon waffles. For an extra 95 cents, you can even flaky croissant stuffed with two scoops of gelato. add a slice of bacon to your sarnie.

Blood orange, nutella, stracciatella and mixed I ordered my plain waffles with java-chip ice berry are only some of the Italian café’s many flacream, and the $2.95 confection definitely satvors. I taste-tested the marocchino—a coffee-andisfied. Warm, chewy, golden waffles fit snugly cocoa combo—but found it strangely perfumy. Afaround the ice cream, which had a nice crunch ter soiling a few sample spoons, I decided on the thanks to its chocolate chunks. The last few piecfondente, or dark chocolate, and the pistachio. es were tastiest—by then, the melting ice cream Dig into the decadent treat and you’ll immehad created soppy, drippy waffle pieces that I’d have in place of a regular breakfast any day. diately get why the pairing works. The gelato fills the croissant’s nooks and crannies, making every Write to minar@sdcitybeat.com bite messy but luscious. And at $4.50 a pop, the and editor@sdcitybeat.com. hefty dessert-for-two isn’t at all overpriced. Pap-

one lucky

spoon

8 · San Diego CityBeat · May 8, 2013

BY KELLY DAVIS

cocktail

tales

($9) or filled with their potent, (in) famous Mai Tai.

Over at Hiatus, the poolside bar that’s attached to Hotel La Jolla’s Cusp restaurant (7955 La Jolla Shores Drive, cusprestaurant.

Summertime drinking com), Nate Howell just rolled out a menu of four classic tiki cocktails: Mai Tai, Singapore Sling, There’s more to summer cocktails than a paper Pina Colada and Scorpion. Howell stays true to umbrella, fruit spear and rum. Not that there’s original recipes but has picked some interesting anything wrong with those things, especially spirits, like the floral-noted Citadelle Gin for the when the fruit spear’s soaked in rum.

Singapore Sling and, for the Scorpion, Maison Speaking of rum, two spots—Polite ProviRouge, a fruit-forward cognac. sions and Hiatus—are resurrecting classic tiki Two spots that do consistently great cockcocktails. From 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. Tuesday, May tails—URBN (3085 University Ave. in North 14, Erick Castro, who last year relocated from Park, urbnnorthpark.com) and Noble ExperiSan Francisco—where he worked ment (777 G St., Downtown, at famed spots like Bourbon & nobleexperimentsd.com)—will Branch and Heaven’s Dog—to release new menus in the next help start Polite Provisions couple weeks.

(4696 30th St. in North Park, poWhen the weather’s warm, you liteprovisions.com), will launch can’t do much better than a seat at the first in his “Tiki Takeover” one of URBN’s big front windows. series. Every second Tuesday of Head bartender Jason O’Bryan the month, he’ll mix up tiki-insays the star of the new menu is spired, rum-centric cocktails. For the Magdalena, with strawberrythe first installment, he’ll bring in infused gin, Canton ginger liqueur his pal Marco Dionysus, from San and fresh lemon juice, topped off Francisco cocktail bar Smuggler’s with Lambrusco, a sweet, sparCove. The menu will feature eight kling Italian red wine. exotic drinks; there’s no cover, Brian Lee from Noble Experiand attendees are asked to dress ment recommends the Georgia worthy of the theme.

Buck, in which Buffalo Trace bourIf drinks on a weeknight ain’t bon dons some warm-weather garb your thing, here’s Castro’s recipe via fresh lime juice, house-pressed for Cinnamon Wind: ginger syrup and peach bitters.

And at JSix (616 J St., Down• 2 ozs. Appleton Estate town, jsixrestaurant.com), assisV/X rum tant manager / “cocktail engineer” • 3/4 oz. fresh lime juice Lauren Lathrop’s digging the Pis• 1/2 oz. Becherovka * co Paloma (fresh pink-grapefruit Bali Hai’s tiki mug • 1/2 oz. cinnamon gomme ** juice, Kappa Pisco, lime and soda) and the Southern Summer (Buffalo Trace bourPlace in a shaker with ice cubes and serve in a bon, green Chartreuse and lemonade). JSix also tiki mug *** offers several anti-oxidant-containing, low-calorie cocktails, like the Ginger Lady, with mud* A Czech herbal liqueur with hints of cindled fresh ginger, carrot-lemonade juice and namon and anise citrus vodka. Finally, a reason to use “healthful” and “cocktail” in the same sentence. ** For a cinnamon gomme recipe, Google “cinnamon simple syrup.”

Write to kellyd@sdcitybeat.com *** You can’t do much better than Bali Hai’s and editor@sdcitybeat.com. (balihairestaurant.com) tiki mugs, for sale dry

May 8, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 9

by jenny Montgomery jenny Montgomery

north

fork Picnic box

Pelotons terrify me. Don’t get me wrong—I love bicycles and support making our communities more bike-friendly. But after living a stone’s throw off Highway 101 for a few years, my trusty Honda and I had to dodge many a pack of bike riders, and although I’m happy to oblige and move well out of the way, I’ve never been able to shake the nightmare of some poor Spandexed soul blowing a skinny tire, taking a spill and ending up under my bumper. Eek! If that isn’t bad enough, there are very few bike-friendly dining options for a group of hungry cyclists to take their clickety-clackety spiked shoes into for a decent bite to eat, especially places where their very expensive wheeled equipment will remain safe and within eyesight. Enter a plucky little snack shack in Carlsbad called Box’d.

Box’d has taken over the corner of State Street and Carlsbad Village Drive (430 Carlsbad Village Drive). It’s not so much a restaurant as a shipping

10 · San Diego CityBeat · May 8, 2013

container and a large patch of soft, artificial turf. Every day, they open up the sides of the container—a box, if you will— and serve up simple sandwiches that use waffles as bread. (Waffles also are patterned with little boxes—see the theme here?)

If this sunny little spot showed up in traditional restaurant form, the food wouldn’t cause much of a stir. I’ve been recommending Box’d for a while now—not for their food, which is fine, if not particularly imaginative, but because the combination of a sunny, picnic-like atmosphere and food that’s not tacos is a welcome treat along the coast. I’m charmed every time I go there and I get to stretch out on the soft ground under an umbrella or lounge in one of the Adirondack chairs, nibbling on something wrapped in a fancy Eggo.

The waffle batter mixes up nice and sweet and spongy—stretchier than you’d want for your normal breakfast platter, but toothsome enough to work as a wrap for various fixin’s. I keep going back for the chicken with brie, arugula and garlic aioli. It’s creamy, with just a bit of heat from the garlic; although, quite frankly, if you stuck some brie on a manhole cover, I’d probably eat it.

There’s a vegetarian option that offers up a biting zing, as well. Roasted peppers, basil and cool goat cheese play nicely together, but a healthy addition of cracked black pepper gives a surprising amount of warmth with each nibble.

Sweeter offerings, as well as breakfast options, abound at Box’d. You can never go wrong with bananas and Nutella on anything, or go savory and get some eggs, cheese and melted butter. Or just grab a warm waffle slathered in peanut butter and strawberry preserves.

Pull up a pack of strollers for a play date, gather with friends for coffee and hangoverabsorbing waffle sticks and syrup, or put down your kickstand and cool off after a two-wheeled cruise. It’s always time for waffles.

Write to jennym@sdcitybeat.com and editor@sdcitybeat.com.

May 8, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 11

urban

scout

by Katrina dodson

Katrina Dodson

Where can I find…

Bikinis, board shorts and more?

It’s a summer ritual—swimsuit shopping.

Nobody wants to strip down before a summer tan sets in, or a bikini workout has begun, but if you want to get a good suit, you must shop early. I headed west to the beach communities to find the elusive but perfect bathing suit, while keeping an eye out for a pair of board shorts or flip-flops to suit my companion.

The best price I found for a bikini was in a teacup-size shop in Cardiff-by-the-Sea. Sunny Skys Bikinis (2101 San Elijo Ave, sunnyskys.com) had mix-and-match bottoms and tops starting at $39.95. They custom-make their suits, and each style comes in variety of colors and patterns. The crisscross-back top is perfect for an afternoon of volleyball or surfing; the halter top seemed the most flattering overall.

Bikini bottoms come in several cuts, from Brazilian to fuller coverage.

Style-wise, I found the best options at SunSplash in Pacific Beach (979 Garnet Ave., sunsplashswimwear.com). Pieces—from lines like Water Glamour, with major bling, to local designer Savage—start at $44, but most single bottoms or tops are in the $70 range. SunSplash also has four large racks of beach cover-ups, and a kick-ass $25 sale rack in the back.

I wanted to stop by two stores that had been my mainstays in the past, so I headed south to Mission Beach. Gone Bananas (3785 Mission Blvd., gonebananasbeachwear.com) and Pilar’s (3790 Mission Blvd., pilarsbeachwear.com) are faceto-face competition on this busy coastal stretch.

Gone Bananas is full of bikinis organized by color or design—perfect if you’re looking to try on, say, 15 red bikinis to find the right one. Pilar’s takes a different tack, focusing on suits for different body types, and has an enticing $14.95 sale rack.

If you find yourself in Ocean Beach, stop

by South Coast Wahines (5037 Newport Ave., southcoast.com) for a bikini from Roxy, Rip Curl Katrina Dodson

A men’s shirt at The Humble Hippie

12 · San Diego CityBeat · May 8, 2013

Gone Bananas’ wall of bikinis or Billabong; you might find yourself walking away with some great VonZipper sunglasses and an RVCA striped tank dress for $39.50.

Guys have an easier time finding a good fit, but originality always poses a challenge. In Ocean Beach, I found a great new shop called The Humble Hippie (4896 Newport Ave., obhumblehippie. com) filled with T-shirt designs I haven’t seen elsewhere. Dusty Ray, one of the owners, told me that they usually don’t buy more than two of the same T-shirt, keeping their selection fresh. The store also stocks a good selection of Lobos del Mar hoodies, a 100-percent cotton hand-loomed jacket that looks sharp but casual.

Surf Club Surf Shop (952 Garnet Ave. surfclubsurfshop.com) has a big selection of board shorts packed into a small location. It carries all the staples—Quicksilver, Volcom, O’Neill—and is currently featuring the Hurley Phantom and Billabong Platinum shorts that are meant to go from surf to work in styles that look like Bermudas but are waterproof.

For an original men’s look, head to Iron Cross Surfboards in Cardiff (2101 San Elijo Ave., ironcrosssurfboards.com) and consider the $39 basic board shorts that the shop custom-makes in feather-light, four-way stretch fabric. The shorts are sold with or without pockets and have the Iron Cross logo on the thigh. Logo-emblazoned T-shirts are reasonably priced from $15 to $25, and rash guards run $26 to $32. There’s also a nice selection of Ocean Minded sandals for men and women.

If it’s a basic flip-flop you seek, I haven’t seen a better selection than Hansen’s Surf Shop in Encinitas (1105 S. Coast Hwy 101, hansensurf. com). Racks and racks of basic styles by Sanuk and Reef give way to exotic selections by Olukai with full-grain leather and contoured foot beds for $110. In the women’s section, I found Scott’s Hawaii wedge heel with leather straps and a delicate flower design for $48, along with rows and rows of choices by Reef and Rainbow. In the end, I chose a pair of Cobain sandals that will get me to yoga, beach and beyond all summer.

Write to katrinad@sdcitybeat.com and editor@sdcitybeat.com.

the

SHORTlist

COORDINATED BY ALEX ZARAGOZA

BARBARA MCGEHEE

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group from the corrupt male cops in her squad. Their relationship flourishes throughout the ’70s and ’80s, until they both commit suicide within a decade of each other.

As pulpy as it sounds, it’s a true story. Pierce-Morgan, an ex-stripper, based Angela and Elle on close friends she encountered after she came to San Diego in 1969.

“What I wanted to explore in this show was how two women ended up taking their own lives,” Pierce-Morgan says, “how they came to that decision.”

The narrative is told through music, projected visuals and a variety of dance styles including cabaret, butoh and contemporary exotic. The performance, which Pierce-Morgan describes as “sexy and very risqué,” will be presented at Les Girls Theater (3790 Riley St. in Midway) at 7:15 p.m.

Friday and Saturday, May 10 and 11. ”Nudity is art,” she says. “There’s the stigma of Les Girls—it always gets a little bit of a snicker. But that theater is unique to San Diego history. All the dancers went to Les Girls.”

The show “should be appealing to both men and women,” Pierce-Morgan says. “But they have to be open minded. They can’t be my relatives from Oklahoma or the Bible Belt.”

Tickets are $25 online, $15 for students, military and seniors. lafemmetragique.com

Anyone who was a teenager during the age of satellite dishes probably has fond memories of basking in the soft-focus glow of latenight Cinemax after their parents went to bed. The plots to these movies were a little ridiculous (Emmanuelle vs. Dracula?), but their popularity proved that some folks still appreciate a little narrative with their T&A. Kata Pierce-Morgan, artistic director for the dance performance La Femme Tragique: The Mystery of Elle knows this.

The Mystery of Elle has the right makings of a great pulp novel: The story follows Angela, an orLong before Notting Hill and You’ve phan who finds refuge with a community of stripGot Mail, there was a romantic comedy pers, and Elle, the highest-ranking female San Diego Police Department officer who protects Angela’s called My Best Girl. A silent film released in 1927, it tells the story of Maggie Johnson (played by Mary Pickford), a department-store stock girl who falls in love with one of her coworkers, Joe Grant (Buddy Rogers). Problem is, Grant’s actually a dude named Not to sound conceited, but CityBeat Joseph Merrill, the son of the department store’s throws some killer events. What can we millionaire owner. Oh yeah, and he’s engaged! Will say? We know how to party. That’s why you should the two unlikely lovers unite in the end? Check out a go to TikiBeat, our official, tiki-style summer kick- screening of the film at Copley Symphony Hall (750 off party happening from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. Friday, B St., Downtown) at 8 p.m. Saturday, May 11. Russ May 10, at the Lafayette Peck will provide live organ accompaniment, playing Hotel and Swim Club a partly original score he prepared for the film. $20(2223 El Cajon Blvd. in $30. sandiegosymphony.org North Park). Cannonball into the hotel’s pool as Creepxotica, The Devastators and Quintinn Holi kick out the jams. The rager sticks to the Hawaiian theme with Polynesian entertainment, tikiinspired art and fruity Dancers at last year’s drinks with little umbrelTikiBeat party las at the bar. There’ll also be a fashion show featuring swimsuits from Fables by Barrie. Tickets are $10 and available at the door. Just try not to get cursed by an ancient idol. That would be bad. sdcitybeat.com

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May 8, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 13

14 · San Diego CityBeat · May 8, 2013

ART Stephanie Paige at Mixture, 2210 Kettner Blvd., Downtown. The artist debuts 12 new abstract paintings and donates a percentage of her sales to The A.B. and Jessie Polinsky Children’s Center. Opening from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, May 9. 619-2394788, mixturehome.com Am I Drawing Now? at Structural and Materials Engineering Building, Voigt Drive and Matthews Lane, UCSD campus.

Christine Harris discusses her research in emotion by using the artwork of UCSD graduate Nicole Speciale to illustrate her point. At 4 p.m. Thursday, May 9. 858822-4973, visarts.ucsd.edu Spice of San Diego Art at Spice Lounge, 859 Hornblend St., Pacific Beach. Live painting by hand-picked local artists and music by DJs. From 6 to 11 p.m. Thursday, May 9. 760-805-7178, facebook. com/events/557710527582941

Art Glass Guild Show at Spanish Village Art Center, Balboa Park. The largest art glass show in Southern California featuring more than 30 artists. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, May 11-12.

619-702-8006, artglassguild.com French Toast at Cafe Paris, 455 10th Ave., Downtown. Multiple artists display paintings and photography based on hilarious French stereotypes. At 7 p.m. Saturday, May 11. 619-674-8439, cafeparissandiego.wordpress.com Mannequin Photography and Digital Drawings at Gallery 21, 1770 Village Place, Balboa Park. Opening reception for an exhibition of photography and sculptures by Janine Free and Ron Tatro. From noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 11. 760753-8336, janinefree.com

HJana Brike: Solo Show at ArtHatch, 317 E. Grande Ave., Escondido. The Latvian painter travels to California to display work inspired by her childhood growing up in Soviet-controlled Latvia. On view through June 1. Opening from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, May 11. 760-781-5779, arthatch.org Ray At Night on and around Ray Street in North Park. The monthly art walk features vendors, art and musical performances.

From 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, May 11.

619-795-4850, rayatnightartwalk.com

BOOKS Alan Brennert at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The bestselling author of Moloka’i discusses and signs his newest novel, Palisades Park. Reserved

seating is available; call: 858-454-0347.

At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 9. warwicks. indiebound.com

My Blood. At noon Sunday, May 12. 858454-0347, warwicks.indiebound.com

20th Birthday Bash at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 7051 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., Clairemont. An all-day celebration featuring a signing by Eoin Coifer, author of The Reluctant Assassin, special bargains and cake. At 10 a.m. Saturday, May 11. 858268-4747, mystgalaxy.com

Joe Hill at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 7051 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., Clairemont.

Novelist and comic book creator with San Diego’s IDW Publishing signs his latest creation, NOS4A2. Numbers for the signing line are free with purchase of the book.

At 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 14. 858-2684747, mystgalaxy.com

Bill Siren at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. Warwick’s hosts the author of Contrails: Airlines Flying in Eastern Europe Before the “Wall” Came Down.

At noon Saturday, May 11. 858-4540347, warwicks.indiebound.com

Walter G. Meyer at Mission Hills Books and Collectibles, 4054 Goldfinch St., Mission Hills. Anti-bullying expert and Hillcrest resident speaks about his new novel, Rounding Third. At 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 15. 619-550-7749, mhbac.com

Carolle Jean-Murat, M.D. at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla.

Warwick’s hosts the author of Voodoo in

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Passions at Rancho Santa Fe Art Gallery, 6004 Paseo Delicias, Rancho Santa Fe. Artwork by Julie Fitch. The reception includes complimentary food and drinks.

From 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, May 9, ranchosantafeartguild.org/events HDoes it Match my Couch at Meyer Fine Art, Inc., 2400 Kettner Blvd., Little Italy. An exhibition of furniture that’s been artfully repurposed. From 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, May 10. 619-358-9512, plmeyerfineart.com HLilia Garcia Castro at Centro Cultural de la Raza, 2125 Park Blvd., Balboa Park.

The Mexican-American artist displays her “pre-Hispanic” works. On view through June 16. Opening from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, May 10. 619-235-6135, centroculturaldelaraza.com/upcoming-events HArt After Dark at Oceanside Museum of Art, 704 Pier View Way, Oceanside. Dr. Steampunk’s Art Extravaganza returns with a mash-up of Victorian fashion and science fiction. Guests will enjoy gypsy cabaret, fire and sword dancing and a chance to create their own steampunk-inspired work.

Ticket includes appetizers and one drink.

From 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, May 10. $10$20. 760-435-3720, oma-online.org Abundance at Kettner Arts Gallery, 1772 Kettner Blvd., Little Italy. In conjunction with Kettner Nights, artists, including, Lindsay Duff, David Hovsepian, Anna Kassel, Ginger Louise and others present works on the theme of abundance. On view through June 13. Opening from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, May 10. 858-248-1786, kettnerarts.com HLithographs from Hamilton Press at Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, 1008 Wall St., La Jolla. Hand-printed works by Alexis Smith, Allen Ruppersberg, Raul Guerrero and others from the press founded by Ed Hamilton and Ed Ruscha. On view through June 15. Opening at 6:30 p.m. Friday, May 10. 858-454-5872, ljathenaeum.org Madre at Chee Chee Club, 929 Broadway, Downtown. An artistic ode to the bearer of all life by artists Sekoh One, Amber Jahn, Katie Bollman, Scott Gengelbach, Ashley Young and others. Art will remain up until May 24. At 8 p.m. Saturday, May 11. $5.

619 850-796, artefrescaevents.com Contemporary Realism at Escondido Municipal Gallery, 262 E. Grand Ave., Escondido. This exhibition, curated by Oceanside Museum of Art Executive Director Daniel Foster, features works by more than 30 artists. From 5:30 to 8 p.m. Saturday, May 11. 760-480-4101, escondidoarts.org Conversation with the Artists at Art Produce Gallery, 3139 University Ave., North Park. Artists from the gallery’s exhibit Altered Horizons will discuss their work, which explores our changing urban landscape. At 7 p.m. Saturday, May 11.

619-584-4448, artproduce.org/gallery

May 8, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 15

THEATER Damage in the desert It’s Christmas Eve at Lyman and Polly Wyeth’s Palm Springs home, and it’s about as merry as a dust storm. Daughter Brooke has come home for the first time in six years with quite a present for the folks: a soon-tobe-published memoir that will reopen the lid clamped down on a dark family tragedy and, as Lyman and Polly see it, make them headliners in the tabloid press.

Jon Robin Baitz’s Other Desert Cities, on stage at The Old Globe, is a clenchedteeth family drama swathed in political overtones. It’s set in 2004, shortly after Dubya’s re-election, and right-wing Lyman (Robert Foxworth) and Polly (Kandis Chappell) are at odds with “lefty” Brooke (Dana Green) on a philosophical basis even before she raises the subject of her new book. As such, there’s a lot of sociopolitical rhetoric flying from both sides, little of which we haven’t heard before.

The unrelenting tension in the Wyeth living room (a masterful Palm Springs set conceived by Alexander Dodge) between a tormented father, an angry and disillusioned mother and a daughter in the throes of passion and pain is what makes Other Desert Cities the rich theatrical experience that it is. Foxworth inhabits every bit of Lyman’s steeliness and charisma

16 · San Diego CityBeat · May 8, 2013

SNAPS STUDIO

gravitas and implied wisdom as to the family crisis, but Other Desert Cities is at heart about Lyman, Polly, Brooke and the specter of Henry, the radical son who, after implication in a bombing, evidently committed suicide.

The Act 2 revelations are not as surprising as intended, but we’re consumed by this scarred family’s eruptions and catharses. The entire cast is in top form, and director Richard Seers doesn’t allow the proceedings to dissolve into yet another dysfunctional family story. Playwright Baitz understood the political as well as personal ramifications of the Wyeths’ plight, and so do we.

Other Desert Cities runs through June 2 at The Old Globe Theatre. $29 and up. oldglobe.org Robert Foxworth and Dana Green

—David L. Coddon

(he’s an ex-movie-star-turned-politician), Write to davidc@sdcitybeat.com and even without speaking he compels and editor@sdcitybeat.com. our attention, as when he brushes away Brooke’s conciliatory embrace.

OPENING On hand for mostly comic relief are The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee: Six the obviously named brother Trip (Andy adults play quirky middle-school students in a musiBean), who produces a cheesy reality-TV cal comedy that spans the length of a spelling conshow and breaks out the stash of pot, and test. Opens May 10 at OnStage Playhouse in Chula Vista. onstageplayhouse.org Polly’s wise-cracking sister Silda (Robin Pearson Rose). Each gets moments of Be a Good Little Widow: In a melancholy comedy,

a young woman’s unsatisfying marriage ends early

when her husband dies, leaving her to cope with her heard-to-please mother-in-law and learn a thing or two about herself. Opens May 11 at The Old Globe Theatre’s Sheryl and Harvey White Stage in Balboa Park. oldglobe.org Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo: Ion Theatre Company explores the Iraq war through a story about two American soldiers and a talking tiger freed from the Baghdad Zoo. Opens May 10 at BLKBOX Theatre in Hillcrest. iontheatre.com Seascape: Tension surrounds a long-married couple when they encounter a couple of human-size, talking reptiles on the beach in Edward Albee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play. Opens May 10 at New Village Arts Theatre in Carlsbad. newvillagearts.org Sixty Minute Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night’s Dream: New Village Arts Theatre carves the Bard’s classic comedy down to one hour and stages it with just six actors. Runs May 10 and 12 in the Schulman Auditorium at the Dove Library in Carlsbad. newvillagearts.org The Sound of Music: Reportedly, rolling hills, animated by music, come to life in a story about an aspiring nun and an Austrian family at the onset of World War II. Presented by San Diego Musical Theatre, it opens May 10 at the Birch North Park Theatre. sdmt.org Zombie Prom: A high-school rebel, who committed suicide after his girl reluctantly dumped him, comes back to life to reunite with his true love. It’s a musical. Opens May 10 at Moxie Theatre in Rolando. pickwickplayers.net

For full listings, please visit “T heater ” at sdcit yb eat.com

HAnchee Min at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The author discusses her memoir about growing up in China during the Cultural Revolution and her struggles as an immigrant in America.

At 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 15. 858454-0347, warwicks.indiebound.com UCSD New Writing Series at Structural and Materials Engineering Building, Voigt Drive and Matthews Lane, UCSD campus.

The continuing series hosts authors Janice Lee and Ronaldo V. Wilson, who will read poems and excerpts from their latest releases. At 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 15. 858-534-3210, literature.ucsd.edu

COMEDY Laura and Rick Hall at Moniker Warehouse, 705 16th St., East Village, Finest City Improv is joined by the musical accompaniment of Who’s Line is it Anyway and Curb Your Enthusiasm stars, Laura and Rick Hall. At 8 p.m. Friday, May 10. $10-$15. finestcityimprov.com

prano Susan Narucki, addresses the human rights issue of human trafficking. At 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 8. $10.50-$15.50.

973 626 4984, cuatrocorridos.com

performance by Anne-Marie McDermott and Stephen Prutsman follows the lecture.

At 6 p.m. Friday, May 10. $45-$55. 858459-3728, mainlymozart.org

HSan Diego New Music at Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, 1008 Wall St., La Jolla. The final concert of the series will feature Julie Ann Smith on harp and Sarah Skuster on oboe. They will perform pieces

by R. Murray Schafer, Elliott Carter and Witold Lutoslawski. At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 9. 858-454-5872, ljathenaeum.org

HGlottalopticon at Space 4 Art, 325 15th St., East Village. The experimental opera with Australian singer Jessica Aszodi performs three short programs, including Jeanette Little’s “Mechanical Bride,” Jeffrey Trevino’s “Orbiting” and Bruno Ruviaro’s “Unspell.” At 8 p.m. Friday, May 10. $10$15. sdspace4art.org

HNeurotechnology and Music: A Composer’s Perspective at The Scripps Ranch Institute, 10640 John Jay Hopkins Drive, La Jolla. Mainly Mozart kicks off its 22nd season with a lecture about the intersection of art and science by sound designer Richard Warp. A wine reception and

Dinner & A Concert at Prescott Promenade, East Main St., El Cajon. The free weekly concert series hosts The Bayou Brothers and encourages attendees to visit the surrounding restaurants in Downtown El Cajon prior to the performance.

From 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, May 10. 619-

401-8858, downtownec.com Rafal Blechacz at Sherwood Auditorium, 700 Prospect St, La Jolla. The winner of the 2005 International Chopin Piano Competition plays Bach, Beethoven, Chopin and Szymanowski for the series’ season conclusion. At 8 p.m. Friday, May 10.

858-454-3541, ljms.org HIn Sync: Music, Synchrony and Attention at The Scripps Ranch Institute, 10640 John Jay Hopkins Drive, La Jolla. Catch a presentation by neurobiologists and composers about potentially improving attention spans through music. A wine reception, performance by Giri Nata Gamelan and spotlight concert follows the discussion. At 5:30 p.m. Saturday, May 11. $25-$75. 858459-3728, mainlymozart.org HStay Strange at Space 4 Art, 325 15th

St., East Village. The monthly experimental music series welcomes Kuda-Gitsune and Gunther’s Grass. Both groups use non-traditional instruments and found objects to create their sound. At 8 p.m. Saturday, May 11. $5. sdspace4art.org The Spizzwinks[?] at Town & Country Hotel, 500 Hotel Circle N., Mission Valley.

Yale University a cappella group performs to raise money for Classics 4 Kids. At 6 p.m.

Saturday, May 11. $15. 619-291-7131, classics4kids.com/the-yale-spizzwinks HThis is Jazz! at Schulman Auditorium, 1775 Dove Lane, Carlsbad. Hear plenty of music and join the conversation between Dirk Sutro and guest Gilbert Castellanos about Cuban and Brazilian contributions

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Alonzo Bodden at Carlsbad Village Theatre, 2822 State St., Carlsbad. Winner of NBC’s show Last Comic Standing headlines alongside The West Coast Funnies with Kurt Swann. At 8 p.m. Saturday, May 11. $25.

760-720-2460, westcoastfunnies.com

FASHION Thrift Trunk Show at Porter’s Pub, UCSD campus. Amvets Thrift Store, American Caner Society Discovery Shop and Humble Heart Thrift Store visit UCSD campus for a clothing trade and swap event. There will be a DIY table and drink specials all evening. At 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 14, facebook.com/events/166668793499338 HLux@Night: Zandra Rhodes at Lux Art Institute, 1550 S. El Camino Real, Encinitas. The British fashion designer and textile creator showcases her accessories, prints, clothing and jewelry. There will be live music, a gourmet food truck and other treats on site. At 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 15. $5. 760-436-6611, luxartinstitute.com

FOOD & DRINK Chocolate Festival at San Diego Botanic Garden, 230 Quail Gardens Drive, Encinitas. Enjoy chocolate tastings, demos and a chocolate fountain at this family-friendly event. Tasting tickets will be sold at the event. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 11. 760-436-3036, sdbgarden.org HFood Fest at Carnitas Snack Shack, 2632 University Ave., North Park. This fundraiser for the Front Burner Fund brings together 15 chefs who’ll showcase their talents. The event includes an art exhibition, craft beer and cocktails and a live auction.

From 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, March 14. $25 pre-sale, $35 door. thefrontburnerfund.org

MUSIC HAthenaeum Jazz at The Scripps Ranch Institute, 10640 John Jay Hopkins Drive, La Jolla. The Athenaeum’s jazz program returns for its annual spring series with a local debut by MacArthur-winning pianist Jason Moran’s trio. At 8 p.m. Wednesday, May 8. $32-$37. 858-459-3728, ljathenaeum.org HBunnell Strings Quintet at Malcolm X Branch Library, 5148 Market St., Valencia Park. The five siblings play music fueled by the loss of both of their parents at a young age. At 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 8. 619-527-3405, sandiegolibrary.org HCuatro Corridos: A Chamber Opera at Conrad Prebys Music Center, UCSD campus, La Jolla. The unique chamber opera, led by Grammy award-winning so-

May 8, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 17

formed by the Les Girls Follies, this show will mix cabaret, butoh and contemporary dance styles. At 7:15 p.m. Friday and Saturday, May 10-11. $15-$30. 619-9903817, lafemmetragique.com

to U.S. jazz. At 4 p.m. Saturday, May 11.

760-602-2012, carlsbadca.gov/events Danny Green Trio at Villa Musica, 10373 Roselle Street, Ste. 170, Sorrento Valley.

San Diego Center for the Arts presents the jazz trio with Danny Green on piano, Justin Grinnell on bass and Julien Catelm on drums. At 8 p.m. Saturday, May 11. $15.

858-550-8100, sdcenterforthearts.org

HOrchestra Nova: Dancing with Beethoven at California Center for the Arts, 340 North Escondido Blvd., Escondido. See Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony as interpreted through modern dance, hiphop and ballet by San Diego Dance Theatre, Culture Shock and the San Diego Ballet. The Monday performance will be held at the Sherwood Auditorium in La Jolla. At 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 11, 3 p.m. Sunday, May 12, 7:30 p.m. Monday, May 13. $20-$69. 858-350-0290, orchestranova.org

Montana Skies at Museum of Making Music, 5790 Armada Drive, Carlsbad.

Hear the eclectic guitar and cello of Jennifer and Jonathan Adams, which has been called everything from chamber rock to psychedelic strings. At 7 p.m. Saturday, May 11. $12-$15. 760-438-5996, museumofmakingmusic.org Bela Vida Brasileira at Upstart Crow, 835 West Harbor Drive, Seaport Village.

The Brazilian jazz-fusion duo. At 7 p.m.

Saturday, May 11. 619-232-4855, upstartcrowtrading.com Nikolay Khozyainov at The Scripps Ranch Institute, 10640 John Jay Hopkins Drive, La Jolla. The international pianist performs pieces by Haydn, Ravel, Chopin and Liszt. At 1:45 p.m. Sunday, May 12. $30. 858-459-3728, ljms.org Athenaeum Jacobs Mini-Concerts at Lyceum Theatre, 79 Horton Plaza, Downtown. Wyn Wilson and Billy Wolfe perform selected works by Burt Bacharach. At noon Monday, May 13. Free. 619-5441000, ljathenaeum.org/miniconcerts.html HFresh Sound Music Series at Space 4 Art, 325 15th St., East Village. The series concludes its spring session with a fresh take on improvisation by the Jeff Parker Trio. At 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 14. $10-15.

619-269-7230, sdspace4art.org Camera Lucida #8 at Conrad Prebys Music Center, UCSD campus, La Jolla. See

POETRY & SPOKEN-WORD

“The Room of Longing” by Pia Stern is on view through June 30 in Crossing the Divide, featuring work by Stern and Ellen Dieter, at L Street Fine Art (628 L St., Downtown). performances of Mozart’s “Quintet in B-flat Major,” Bach’s “Brandenburg Concerto No. 5” and Beethoven’s “Quartet in A Minor, Op. 132.” At 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 14. $25. 619-235-804, sandiegosymphony.org

PERFORMANCE Hello, Dolly at David & Dorothea Garfield Theatre, 4126 Executive Drive, La Jolla.

Dolly is a meddling matchmaker who, after seeking a wife for the wealthy Horace Vandergelder, decides that she would rather marry him instead. See website for show times. Thursday, May 9, and Saturday and Sunday, May 11-12. $12. 858-3621348, tickets.lfjcc.org La Femme Tragique: The Mystery of Elle at Les Girls, 3790 Riley St., Mission Hills. Inspired by real-life events and per-

HPoetry Ruckus at Ducky Waddle’s Emporium, 414 N. Coast Hwy. 101, Encinitas. Local poets read their work with special guest Rae Armantrout, winner of the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for poetry. At 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 8. 760-632-0488, duckywaddles.com Long Story Short at Space 4 Art, 325 15th St., East Village. Storytellers of all skill levels are invited to tell their 5-minute story. This week’s theme addresses unforgettable moments and the songs tied to those memories. From 7 to 9 p.m. Sunday, May 12, sdspace4art.org New Alchemy Series at Upstart Crow, 835 West Harbor Drive, Seaport Village.

Brynn Saito reads from her 2011 award winning book, The Palace of Contemplating Departure. Participate in the discussion and share your own poetry after Saito’s reading.

From 7 to 8:45 p.m. Wednesday, May 15.

619-232-4855, upstartcrowtrading.com

SPECIAL EVENTS HGator by the Bay at Spanish Landing Park, North Harbor Drive, Downtown.

Grammy-nominated Zydeco band Geno Delafose & French Rockin’ Boogie headline this year’s Cajun-inspired festival. Also enjoy 10,000 pounds of crawfish, dancing and cooking demonstrations. From 3:30 to 10:30 p.m. Friday, May 10, 10:30 a.m. to midnight Saturday, May 11, and 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday, May 12. $25-$75. gatorbythebay.com Love A Hero at Block No. 16 Union & Spirits, 344 Seventh Ave., Downtown.

Bid on some of San Diego’s most eligible bachelors to help raise funds for charity.

Christopher Lynch, Cosmopolitan’s Bachelor of the Year, will emcee the event. From 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, May 10. 619-255-7625, blockno16.com 50th Anniversary Festival at Ellen Browning Scripps Park, Coast Blvd., La Jolla. The Center for World Music celebrates its anniversary with music, dance and cuisine from Asia, Africa, Europe and more. Free. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 11, centerforworldmusic.org Mission Hills Garden Walk at Mission Hills Nursery, 1525 Fort Stockton, Mission Hills. The annual walk features eight homes and cottages with plants that range from tropical varieties to southwest succulents. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 11. $25-$30. 619-295-288, missionhillsgardenclub.org Mother’s Day Weekend Art & Garden Tour Seven North County gardens will be accessible for the day and will feature artwork by San Dieguito Art Guild artists. See the website for locations and to purchase tickets. At 10 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, May 11-12. $20. offtrackgallery.com/tour HRock Through the Ages at San Diego

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Museum of Man, Balboa Park. San Diego’s culinary rock stars whip up tasty treats, including chefs Martin Gonzalez from Acqua, Ryan Johnston from Whisknladle and Ken Gardon from Catalina Offshore Products. Guests are encouraged to come dressed as their favorite rock star. Proceeds benefit Girls Think Tank, a nonprofit focused on solutions to homelessness. At 7 p.m. Saturday, May 11. 619-239-2001, girlsthinktank.org/gala-tickets All-County Chess Tournament at Bonita Library, 4375 Bonita Road, Bonita.

Chess players of all ages and skill levels test their mettle at this double chess tournament. Participation is free and trophies will be awarded to the winners. Junior tournament begins at 9:30 a.m., adult tournament at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 11. 619475-4642, sdcl.org/pr_2013-04-12.html Asian Cultural Festival at NTC Promenade at Liberty Station, 2640 Historic Decatur Road, Point Loma. Celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. The event includes two stages of live entertainment, food vendors and craft tables. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 11. 619573-9260, asianculturalfestivalsd.com Space Day at San Diego Air & Space Museum, Balboa Park. Astronaut Garrett Reisman shares stories about walking in space. Attendees can take part in handson activities and demos. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 11. 619-234-8291, sandiegoairandspace.org The Goods: An Artisan Festival at Orfilia Vineyards & Winery, 13455 San Pasqual Road, Escondido. Check out works by 20 local artists and vendors, sample food from 10 food trucks and hear live music from Melissa McDonnell and CoolBandLuke. From 3 to 7:30 p.m. Sunday, May 12. $10-$20. facebook.com/events/122720391253714 Mother’s Day Fancy Dress Swim at Oceanside Pier. Stand up against consumer culture and raise money to fight malaria: arrive in your best formal gown for a swim. All proceeds go to ONE and World Swim Against Malaria. At 10 a.m. Sunday, May 12. 760-632-6843, one.org Sunset Rotary Mother’s Day 5K at Mission Bay, Bay Park. Meet at De Anza Cove for an un-timed fun run to benefit the San Diego Rescue Mission. At 8:30 p.m. Sunday, May 12. $25-$35. sandyfeetevents. com/mothers-day-5k Cajon Classic Cruise at Prescott Promenade, East Main St., El Cajon. The weekly car show attracts over 200 model and classic vehicles. This week’s theme is Graphix Galore. From 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, May 15. 619-401-8858, downtownec.com

TALKS & DISCUSSIONS Human Trafficking Panel at Conrad Prebys Music Center, UCSD campus, La Jolla.

This panel discussion, held in conjunction with the chamber opera Cuatro Corridos, includes opera librettist Jorge Volpi and experts on human trafficking. At 2 p.m.

Thursday, May 9, cuatrocorridos.com Ants: The Invisible Majority at San Diego Natural History Museum, Balboa Park.

Modern-day explorer Dr. Brian Fisher talks about his travels through Madagascar and Africa to study ants and their impact on the ecosystem. From 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, May 9. $9-$12. 619-255-0189, sdnhm.org Transportation in San Diego: How Sustainable Are We? at World Resources Simulation Center, 188 Third Ave., Downtown. Join Jim Linthicum from SANDAG and Paul Jablonski from MTS as they discuss the future of public transportation.

From 5:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, May 15. $10-$15. 619-234-188, wrsc.org

May 8, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 19

seen local Green scenes The Green Public Art Consultancy is trying hard to combine public art and environmental awareness.

Founder Rebecca Ansert believes that a green building can be the perfect place to house art that not only adds to a building’s aesthetics, but also contributes to it being environmentally friendly.

Right now, art isn’t taken into account when a building’s submitted for LEED certification, the designation that makes it officially “green.” That doesn’t sit right with Ansert.

“We work to advance public art’s role in green buildings,” says Ansert, who founded the Green Public Art Consultancy in 2009. “There’s no reason why art can’t contribute to the success of a LEED building. Art has a way of unveiling the hidden qualities within a construction.”

For example, she believes solar panels can be made into an art installation.

To further the cause, Ansert teamed up with Art Produce Gallery (artproduce. org) to curate an exhibition for the gallery’s summer series. Instead of the typical art show, Ansert decided to curate a large parade through North Park on Saturday, July 13, and again on Saturday, Aug. 2.

“I chose to do a parade because, for me, summer in San Diego is loosely tied to Fourth of July, and one of my favorite things about Fourth of July is the parades, the local aspect of everyone gathering—it’s family oriented and engaging,” Ansert explains. “It’s good, clean all-American fun. It’s something that has always been very close to me.”

She’s taking submissions from artists looking to participate in the parade now through Wednesday, May 15. Criteria and submission requirements can be found at greenpublicart.com.

For the project, Ansert is looking for artists who explore environmental issues through their work, whether that’s in the materials they use or the subject matter.

She’s open to installation pieces, performance art or anything else a creative mind comes up with.

Green public art in El Cajon

by Benjamin Lavendar “I want artists to really push the boundary of what can be in a parade,” she says. “As long as they can tie back their influence or inspiration or materials to the environmental theme or green theory. I’m interested in artists who are thinking towards the future.”

Get real One can argue that realism in art is boring.

What’s so interesting about a house or a chair or any other common object depicted just as it is?

Chrisanne Moats, manager of the Escondido Municipal Art Gallery (escondido arts.org), believes that everyday things deserve to be appreciated for their simplicity.

Evidence of lovely artifacts of regular life can be seen at Contemporary Realism, a juried exhibition of modern realist paintings and sculptures from 30 local artists opening from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Saturday, May 11.

“This show is made up of things we would normally take for granted,” she says.

But the exhibition doesn’t solely offer standard depictions of these objects. Some artists found ways of re-creating an ordinary piece out of unexpected materials— like Peter Mitten’s sculpture of a cardboard box made out of aluminum, corrugated in such a way that it looks identical to the real thing.

Moats says that artists have a way of taking everyday objects and exposing the thing that makes them remarkable.

“The way the light hits something or steam rises from a cup of tea in swirls— some artists might see that as moving and feel compelled to share that,” Moats explains. “They feel compelled to share the way they look at the world.”

That eye for detail may also have an effect on non-artsy folks, too. Moats believes the exhibition has the power to get people to “take that extra minute to really look at something” and change their perspective.

—Alex Zaragoza Write to alexz@sdcitybeat.com “Medium Carton” by Peter Mitten and editor@sdcitybeat.com.

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Summer Guide 2013

illustration: kristina collantes

Last spring, Nathan Fletcher, then a candidate for mayor of San Diego, released a comprehensive bicycle policy plan for the city as an important plank in his campaign platform. Other candidates followed suit with their own plans, and, suddenly, making San Diego more bike-friendly was a major city issue.

Fletcher didn’t win, but the man who did, Bob Filner, was on board, big-time. Never one to shy away from bold statements, he said he wants San Diego to become the bicycling capital of the United States.

Hey, we know a juggernaut when we see one.

That’s why, when we were brainstorming themes for this year’s Summer Guide, we chose bicycling. We

hope this issue inspires San Diegans to leave their cars in their garages or parked on the street, pump up those flat tires, fasten those helmets and hit the roads and trails on two wheels this summer.

Our guide spends a day at a quirky bike-rental shop in Coronado (Page 22), tailors different rides to different types of people (Page 24), notes a few lesser-known beaches you can (sort of ) bike to (Page 26), introduces you to some social bicycle groups (Page 30), points you toward a biking-themed getaway in Bonsall (Page 39), takes in a Tuesday night at the Velodrome (Page 40) and reveals all the discounts cyclists can get at local shops, bars and restaurants (Page 42).

Also, we have two summer event sections—a glossy pullout calendar of major events on Pages 32 and 33) and a bunch of other recommended events starting on Page 43, featuring Filner’s ambitious CicloSDias.

But that ain’t all. This swell issue has some nonbiking summer stuff, too—like ice-cream sandwiches, summer cocktails and a unique outdoor eatery (Pages 8 through 10), swimsuits (Page 12) and Alex Zaragoza’s ode to daytime imbibery (Page 50).

Seriously, folks, brush the cobwebs off those bikes and enjoy the summer.

—David Rolland

May 8, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 21

Chilling me softly A day at Coronado’s Bikes & Beyond

by Peter Holslin Bikes & Beyond is possibly the chillest bikerental shop on Earth. Located at the Ferry Landing center in Coronado, it has high ceilings and big patio doors. On a recent Sunday afternoon, a nice breeze flowed in from the harbor and groovy sounds piped through the stereo system—anything from Gentle Giant’s madcap prog-rock to the smoky doom-metal of Sleep.

When tourists drop by each week, they don’t think too deeply about this humble place. They’ll rent out a comfy beach cruiser or a big surrey—a pedal-powered, multi-seat cart—and take off to ride around the island.

(If they’re ambitious, they’ll head down the Silver Strand and maybe end up in the middle of Chula Vista or National City.)

But Bikes & Beyond is more special than you might think. For the employees, it offers a glimpse into the strange workings of humankind. Toiling in their long shifts, they’re privy to people’s petty cruelties and small wonders, and they find snatches of meaning within a vast pool of calm.

I recently spent an eight-hour shift at peter holslin

Tom Rowden, manager at Bikes & Beyond

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the shop, curious to see what the store was like from the employees’ perspective. All day, a great calmness reigned. Seriously, it felt like the world was standing still. Customers came and went at a steady but leisurely pace. The six employees working often found themselves standing around aimlessly, passing the time by talking about music, politics, literature and aliens.

At one point, for a bit of amusement, the guys at the cash register started using fake names while directing customers to coworkers standing by the surreys outside.

“Are you Malachi?” one man asked Glendon Romett, a shaggy-haired bike-shop employee in a beaten-up Philadelphia Phillies baseball cap. As the man got ready to climb into a green surrey with a female companion, he nodded approvingly: “A good Biblical name, yeah?”

Everyone was in a good mood. Even the people who’d rented out the surreys— which, fun as they look, are horribly clunky and slow—didn’t seem to mind being put through a grueling trial of endurance. All of the surreys sold out by 2 p.m.; big groups returned from their rides looking exhausted.

But they looked on the bright side.

“It was a good workout,” said Lee Laird, visiting from Austin, Texas. “I can’t remember my legs feeling like this the last time I was riding a bike.”

It isn’t always so peaceful at the bike shop. When tourist season kicks in, lines stretch out the door and emotions can run high. There have been occasional threats of physical violence, the staffers say. Once, an irate customer shoved an employee.

From time to time, the staff also must endure impatience, pettiness or rudeness from the customers. A while back, a little boy balked when the shop’s longtime manager, Tom Rowden, insisted that the youngster wear a helmet. When the boy embarked on a ride with his family, he apparently tossed the headgear into a nearby recycling bin. A janitor found it later and brought it back to the shop.

Rowden, 61, has seen plenty of action. A talkative, mild-mannered fellow, he’s been

peter holslin

Bikes & Beyond employees Patrick Casey (left) and Tyler Daughn find rest on a surrey. working at Bikes & Beyond since the shop opened in 1992. Inured to the less enjoyable parts of the job, he can recount the details of a grisly bike accident—say, a woman snapping her ankle while riding a tandem bicycle—with little more than a shrug.

And yet he still has an eye for the little things that make life beautiful.

“There are times when little kids come in here and you’re just so happy that they’re on the planet,” he said. “All of a sudden, there’ll be some little girl, just talking to her mom about how she loves the kites and how she’s going to go for a ride.”

A job at Bikes & Beyond is the type of seasonal, low-grade service position that’s normally reserved for high-school kids on their summer vacation. It’s easy, but a real task-master could make it a nightmare— imagine Jammin’ Z90 blaring through the speakers, employees dressed up in garish uniforms, offering up scripted greetings with robotic efficiency.

But Rowden maintains a pleasant work environment. Many of his employees are col-

lege-educated musicians, and he encourages them to follow their creative pursuits. So, for all the drudgery of the job, all the workers I met on Sunday seemed pleased to be there.

Late in the afternoon, one of the shop’s most faithful employees, the local musician Sean Burdeaux, even stopped by with his brother to say hi.

“It’s the best place I’ve ever worked at,” he said.

Around 5 p.m., business at Bikes & Beyond dropped off sharply. Some of the employees left for the day, and the rest sat down to wait for bike renters to return. An easiness reigned until the shop stopped renting out bikes at 7 p.m., when Rowden, Romett and another employee, Patrick Casey, started cleaning up.

Bikes & Beyond might be the chillest bike shop on Earth, but the tourist season is coming. For the people who work there, the work has just begun.

Write to peterh@sdcitybeat.com and editor@sdcitybeat.com.

May 8, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 23

Summer riding guide Where to take that two-wheeled thing gathering dust in the garage

by Chris O’Brien Bicycling might not be your favorite outdoor activity, but, chances are, you’ve got a bike sitting somewhere in the house or the garage, and it probably needs air in the tires.

You’d better go check, because I’m here to tell you that you need to get on that thing and start riding.

Once you’ve got those tires filled and make sure your brakes work, what next?

San Diego has perfect cycling weather and bicycle routes throughout the county. Just getting on your bike and out of the house is great, but as your skill level progresses, you’ll be looking for some more diverse riding experiences.

To keep it easy on yourself, stay coastal in the beginning. In the hot summer months, we all know the appeal of sticking near the beach, but your cycling legs will also be grateful for the minimal changes in elevation. A heavy bike (like a beach cruiser or vintage garage bike) can make going uphill even more challenging, so keep it on the flats. You may have to throw your bike in the car to get there, but Fiesta Island and Mis-

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sion Bay offer great scenery and mellow riding on completely flat bike paths and routes.

Another great casual cruise is around San Diego Harbor. Plenty of pedestrians and other riders can create a bit of a carbon-free traffic jam, but the scenery is unique and there’s a separated bicycle path from Downtown to around Harbor Island. Also, if Downtown is the start of your ride, the Coronado ferry is bike-friendly and inexpensive. After a serene 10 minutes crossing the harbor, you have access to all of Coronado for riding. Anywhere on the island is flat and beautiful, and you can start going after some real mileage on the Silver Strand bike path, nine miles of uninterrupted wind in your face and sun on your back from Coronado to Imperial Beach.

Ride this a few times and you’ll definitely be ready for more.

Group rides can be one of the best ways to put in some miles on the bike. A number of bicycle clubs get together on the weekends to ride together. The San Diego Bicycle Club (sdbc.org) is particularly

Dave Strom / flickr

Fiesta Island suited to developing riders, as their massive weekly Saturday ride splits up into five or more groups based on skill level. Ride leaders will take each group on tranquil routes through Rancho Santa Fe and back down along the coast. The organization takes special care to accept all kinds of rid-

ers, no exceptions—there’s definitely a ride for you if you want to join them Saturday morning at UC Cyclery (8715 Villa La Jolla Drive in La Jolla).

When not riding in a group, most folks have a set loop that they follow. There are some excellent alternatives to the paths

most traveled, if you’re willing to explore.

Instead of taking the bridges from the Ocean Beach bike path to Mission Beach, East Mission Bay Drive is a great alternative. When cruising up Rose Canyon bike path toward UCSD, try climbing up La Jolla Colony Drive instead of Gilman Drive. And if you’ve ever climbed up Mount Soledad and thought it boring, check Wikipedia’s Mount Soledad page for a list of incredibly scenic alternative routes on some quiet roads with low traffic.

San Diego offers great resources for commuting by bicycle. The San Diego Bike Map (icommutesd.com/bike/bikemap.aspx) has saved me from my poor navigational skills many times, and the annual Bike to Work Day (icommutesd.com/events/bike-to-work-day) is just around the corner, on May 17. Commuting by bike can squeeze in some much-needed exercise into a busy schedule and is probably more feasible than you’ve realized. In fact, the best riding to try experimental routes is on your commute. You can ride the same way many times, yet never realize that a better route is one block over.

When you’ve got some base miles in, it’s time to work up some sweat. Any weekend morning will see countless cyclists up and down the coastal Highway 101. There’s not too much elevation change so close to the coast, but heading south through Torrey Pines State Park is guaranteed to make you work. Cabrillo National Monument is a favorite ride for folks seeking a little chal-

lenge. There are a number of ways to reach the peak elevation of Point Loma, and your effort will be rewarded with a gorgeous view of the city along some rolling hills to the state park.

If you’re getting bored with the same old routes, and your legs can take it, there are some rides in San Diego County that will really make you embrace the pain. It may be foggy at the coast, but lather on sunscreen and bring lots of water if you want to hit the Great Western Loop. Starting near El Cajon, the loop heads east, with close to 60 miles of quiet, hot and difficult roads for a guaranteed tough day in the saddle.

If you’re still not challenged enough, drive up to Palomar Mountain for some riding.

The route up and down South Grade is used by top riders to train for races like the Tour de France, and, on May 12, the Tour of California will include many of those top riders starting their week of racing by climbing this impressive mountain.

Not everyone has to be a Tour de France pro to get on a bike. Any kind of bike can be great if it’s ridden. Always remember to have fun and be safe, whether you’re riding down to the store or up Palomar. With the weather starting to warm up, when even the nights are perfect, there’s no excuse to be doing anything but getting the most out of San Diego—and, for me, that’s a bike ride.

Write to editor@sdcitybeat.com.

May 8, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 25

No butts about it

marie tran-mccaslin

Some great hidden nooks are worth the trip—bike (and, occasionally, clothing) optional

by Marie Tran-McCaslin

I was laying on the beach in Coronado on a gorgeous summer’s day. The ocean was calm, the sand was warm and life was good. I was close to the water’s edge, and the tide was slowly receding.

I awoke from a sun-induced doze to see that a new view had suddenly replaced the idyllic scene.

Butts. Wide derrieres and ugly beach chairs now sat between the ocean and me.

As the tide lowered, a family decided to camp out right in front of me. Gee, thanks.

When you live in San Diego, an uncrowded beach on a sunny day is nearly as impossible as wishing for snow at the same time. Thanks to nature and erosion, however, there are some gorgeous nooks carved into the coastline that may not be apparent to the masses. My favorites aren’t often directly accessible by bike, but part of being hidden is that they aren’t readily reachable. Not only are these beaches awesome, they’re close to popular bike paths and fun stops. Whether you’re out for a casual ride or for a serious workout, these beaches will make a nice stop on a long ride or a fantastic destination:

Marine Street Beach Street and Sunset Cliffs Boulevard. It’s affectionately called Garbage Beach for the stinky kelp that washes up. At the corner of Ladera and Sunset Cliffs is a staircase that heads down the cliff. The bottom of the stairs leads to a moss-covered grotto, which serves as a launch spot for many surfers. When the tide is low, it’s possible to cross to the rocks, which lead to the beach. The beach is isolated for good reason; it’s difficult to access from the stairs unless the tide is very low. The only other way out is via a rope ladder up a short stretch of cliff that leads to a trail. As precarious as that sounds, I saw someone ascend the rope ladder with a surfboard. Garbage Beach is not for the faint of heart or the out of shape. It’s a great stop on the ride out to Cabrillo Monument. Detour through Point Loma Nazarene, park the bike and take a beach excursion on foot.

Just remember to take extra care on the cliffs and stick to trails.

In North County, there’s Grandview Beach.

There’s a big, steep staircase that leads down to the beach, which can be washed out at high tide. Big palm trees flank the top of the staircase with the ocean stretching beyond. It’s a majestic view, and the beach is great for watching surfers or the sunset. Located at the end of Neptune Avenue, it’s in a residential neighborhood in Leucadia. Stopping at Grandview would add to any coastal ride, but, more importantly, it’s just north of Elizabethan Desserts in Encinitas. That’s always a good stop for a post-ride snack or even a pit stop to refuel—if you consider delicious pies and cupcakes appropriate for working out.

These beaches usually take a little more work to reach than the average beach. Smaller acreage means that tides affect accessibility. Yet, time that would be otherwise spent scouring for parking can be spent on a scenic trip to the coast. Fewer people means that these beaches are meant for walking, so forget staking your claim to a blanket-sized spot and walk along the water.

The best part? No butts blocking your view.

Black’s Beach is probably the most famous hidden beach in San Diego. To be more accurate, Black’s is difficult to access rather than hidden; its fame makes it a poorly kept secret. I came to know it as a freshman at UCSD, when my suitemates gleefully announced they were going to the beach on a weekday morning.

When I asked about their trip, the room filled with the shrieks of teenage girls who weren’t informed that Black’s was, in fact, a nude beach. Well, nude on the state-park (northern) portion of the beach, so watch where you doff your duds.

The trails down to Black’s from the Gliderport and Salk Canyon Road are steep, so bikes will have to be left at the top. It’s worth the hike, especially if you love great waves or no tan lines. It’s also accessible from the north and south when tides allow. If you’re biking, head north on Torrey Pines Road for breathtaking views of Torrey Pines State Beach. At low tide, Black’s is reachable from the state beach; be prepared for a long and pretty walk.

If you don’t feel like walking down a cliff and getting an eyeful, there’s La Jolla’s Marine Street Beach.

With huge mansions that practically use the beach as their backyards, this coast is quiet. The southern stretch of the beach is accessible by an entrance off of Vista de la Playa, a residential cul-de-sac. Ample parking in a quiet residential neighborhood makes this my favorite beach in San Diego. Without cliffside trails, bikes can be taken to the beach. There’s a wide stretch of white sand and a cliff-side walking trail that leads south of the beach toward Bird Rock.

My recommendation? On a morning ride, grab coffee and a pastry at Bird Rock Roasters, then head to the beach for breakfast.

For the adventurous, there’s always the beach Write to marietm@sdcitybeat.com at the base of the cliffs near the corner of Ladera and editor@sdcitybeat.com.

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May 8, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 29

Happy hour on wheels Friday Afternoon Club Unlimited hauls the keg and the party

Pedal parties

by Jeff Terich Friday-afternoon happy hour is one of the greatest of America’s traditions. There’s little more satisfying than crossing the finish line of a long work week, loosening the necktie and having a round of beers with friends, colleagues or fellow local barflies.

But, suppose that, instead of driving to happy hour, you ride your bicycle. And instead of going to a bar, you take it with you.

That’s the concept behind Friday Afternoon Club Unlimited (F.A.C.U.), a group bike ride and keg haul started by Jeremy Curran.

The idea is simple: Curran loads a keg of hoppy beer onto his BOB trailer, which he pulls (“Ben-Hur-style”) loaded with cups, ice and some stereo speakers. And he and about 30 other cyclists take a 30- to 45-minute ride to a new location each time. At the end of the ride, the participants get their own bike-friendly happy hour.

Curran, a self-described “38-year-old man-child” who runs a warehousing company specializing in outdoor equipment, says he initially got the idea from a similar club in college.

“We used to have a club at Whittier College called F.A.C.U. — basically just a Fridayafternoon keg club,” Curran says. “We’d get just, like, a keg of, like, Bud Light—some cheap, nasty beer—and anyone could come.

It was three bucks per person, and it was just kind of cool. So, I took that concept and spun it and made it into a new thing.”

In past years, similar rides have been organized by Pizza Port in Ocean Beach and Tiger! Tiger! Tavern in North Park, with a slightly different approach. Their rides involve more kegs and potentially more people and conclude inside either bar. F.A.C.U. is more of a DIY operation, with riders getting the added benefit of paying a “suggested donation” of $5 for a bottomless cup.

“You bring me a crisp $5 bill, I give you a cup,” Curran says.

F.A.C.U. events are part of the Urban

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Social biking groups bring fun and games to laid-back rides

by David Taube

Have keg, will travel.

Bike and Social Club (meetup.com/urban bikeandsocialclub), a local cycling community that Curran started four years ago for the sole purpose of getting more people in the city interested in riding bikes. However, it took a lot of patience and persistence on his part before the club began to take off.

“I started with a Taco Tuesday ride,” Curran says. “I wanted to get people out, and I wanted to get a bite to eat. It was crickets at first. I didn’t know what I was doing.

“Slowly, it garnered some traffic,” he continues. “I picked up some really steadfast followers who started coming every week, which was even more than I could handle. It slowly evolved. We’re gaining 15 members a month.”

As of now, the Urban Bike and Social Club has close to 1,000 members, about 25 percent of whom are regularly active, Curran says. And for this summer, at least, he plans to organize around one keg haul per month. However, there are lots of other

events in the future, from the recurring Taco Tuesday ride to outdoor movie nights.

Curran is passionate about cycling, but he’s not so much an activist as an enthusiastic spokesperson. As he says, the way to grow the biking community in town is simply to show people how much fun they can have.

“My mission was to entice more people to do things they’d normally do in their cars,” Curran says. “Like go to a bar, or go to a restaurant, or socialize with your friends.

But you’d do it on a bike.

“I think people in the bike community, sometimes, get so serious about their agenda that they forget it’s about getting more people out on bikes and having a nice time,” he continues. “If you got people out on bicycles and showed them how to have a fun time, whatever you were doing, you were naturally going to create a demand for bicycles.”

Write to editor@sdcitybeat.com.

For 25-year-old University Heights resident Alex Hemphill, cycling is about socializing, not sweating.

“I’m not interested in doing a sport,” the electrical engineer says, comparing biking to going for a stroll or a dip in the pool. “When I ride my bike to get food with friends, bicycle racing isn’t on my mind any more than walking or swimming.”

Compared with Spandex-wearing, sponsored-jersey-donning cyclist teams, social bike groups are more casual endeavors. The groups range from those that go to Padres games or coffeehouses to those populated by beer drinkers who pedal around to parks and pubs.

Here’s a sampling of some of the social bicycling groups in San Diego: THEAWAREWOLFS: Less than 10 minutes into one recent ride, a pack of some 20 cyclists started howling as riders raced along streets in University Heights. It’s the kind of group that rides through storm drains and plays games like limbo—on a bike, of course—and “foot down,” in which people slowly ride in a circle, sometimes stopping and going in reverse, and are eliminated when a foot touches the ground or they crash. The group meets when there’s a full moon, typically with an 8 p.m. departure from Old Trolley Barn Park in University Heights. Rides can run any-

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Charlie Sears

where between 10 and 20 miles, but the group stops at several locations, whether it’s to wait for others, hang out in parks or stop for snacks. theawarewolfs.com Las Calaveras: Check out this group if you love bike rides that aren’t beer runs. Cyclists typically meet at a coffee shop, then head off to parks, events or taco shops. The group also prefers 10mile rides at a pace that allows for conversation. They’ll meet next at 6 p.m. Saturday, June 1, at Old Trolley Barn Park in University Heights before an 8:30 p.m. ride.

At the park, they’ll play games like bike jousting and a bowling-type game in which plastic trashcans are the pins and people on bikes are the bowling balls. lascalaveras bikecrew.tumblr.com Critical Mass: Mark this ride for your summer bucket list. Riders gather in Balboa Park at night and then frontrunners make up the route as it develops. Rides start around 8 p.m. the last Friday of the month at the fountain near the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, and they often end at the pier in Ocean Beach. For last month’s ride, the group cut across the traffic circle in the center of the park, immobilizing cars, then used its long line

THEAWAREWOLFS at Chicano Park of riders to run as many red lights as possible. At the intersection of Front and Market streets, scores of cyclists swarmed in a circle to wait for slower riders to catch up, creating a gridlock that pissed off motorists and police. Critical Mass events are held in cities across the globe as a way to reclaim the streets. sandiegocriticalmass.com Queers & Gears: A small group of women and transgender folks recognized that the bike com-

munity seemed less geared to the queer community, so they recently created a group for themselves, although straight allies are also welcome. The group hosts movie nights, maintenance workshops, training sessions and ice-cream socials. Rides have lasted anywhere from seven to 25 miles, and they begin at 9:30 a.m. the first Sunday of each month, usually starting from a spot in North Park that’s announced online. queers

andgears.tumblr.com Tuesday Night Social Ride: Check out one of these weekly gatherings if you want to get a scenic ride in before taking advantage of drink and food specials with others in the group. A recent ride made use of the Ocean Beach bike path, the Ocean Beach boardwalk and a dirt bike path that runs parallel to La Jolla Boulevard then leads up to La Jolla High School.

The trip was about 15 miles each way, but it was one of the longer rides. You can find them starting their journeys from the Bea Evenson Fountain in Balboa Park, where Critical Mass meets, at 6:15 p.m. on Tuesdays. facebook.com/ TuesdaySocialRide Urban Bike and Social Club: Leave it to a former frat boy to create one of the largest social bike groups, with around 1,000 members. The group is all about doing social activities together, ranging from Taco Tuesday outings to seeking out other weekday appetizer and drink specials, concerts and outdoor movies in parks. Rides typically occur on Tuesdays and Thursdays and last less than 45 minutes each way. See the accompanying story about their keg hauls. meetup. com/urbanbikeandsocialclub

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38 · San Diego CityBeat · May 8, 2013

Bed, breakfast and bikes Roadies Hideaway is a North County inn built for cyclists

by Kinsee Morlan When Vicki and Rich Walsh lived in Pacific Beach, they’d be awakened in the middle of the night by drunken idiots. These days, it’s coyotes they hear when the moon is high. The couple recently gave up their beach house and moved to Bonsall in North County, where they opened their new home as Roadies Hideaway (roadieshide away.com), a bed and breakfast geared toward cyclists who dream of long stretches of asphalt instead of waves crashing against the sand.

“It’s really beautiful up here,” says Rich, a hardcore cyclist himself who shrugs off his 20-mile bike commute to work in Carlsbad. “They call it a town, but there isn’t really a town here. It’s very rural.”

Vicki was reluctant to move at first. She’s a painter who’s shown her work at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego and the Oceanside Museum of Art, among other venues, and her art features magnified, hyper-realistic portraiture that boldly shows off human imperfections, not depictions of beautiful rolling hills or empty landscapes.

But she went along with it, and now she says she’s found the quiet joy of the countryside.

Rich couldn’t wait to get closer to the long rides he loves so much. The couple always had dreams of opening a bed and breakfast, but it wasn’t until Rich was training to ride in Race Across America—the grueling race that kicks off in Oceanside and takes riders across the United States, ending in Annapolis, Md.—that he had an epiphany and decided their B&B should be bicycle-themed.

“That’s when I realized we had such great cycling out here and such great weather,” he says. “I just thought, People across Pink Shorts Photography

Vicki and Rich Walsh at Roadies Hideaway the United States should come here and ride, and I wanted to help them do that.”

There are just two rooms available at Roadies Hideaway, but plenty of rides wait right outside the door. Nearby treks include the beautiful 62-mile De Luz Canyon, a hilly ride that boasts a 6,400-foot climb; Palomar Mountain, 92 miles of grueling climbing; and Coast South, a ride that takes cyclists along a stretch of the San Luis Rey Bike Trail, down Highway 101 South and through coastal communities like Oceanside, Leucadia and La Jolla.

Guests can bring their bikes or break them down and ship them (Rich says he’ll have them assembled by the time guests arrive). Renting bikes is also possible. Those who book two nights get one complimentary guided ride ($25 per rider for each additional ride if there’s two or more of you and $50 if you’re riding solo).

Vicki and Rich both do the gardening, growing the fruit and veggies that end up in guests’ breakfasts, and Rich does most of the cooking. He says he’ll tailor both the breakfast and the rides to guests’ needs. For the more strenuous rides, he recommends keeping it simple and healthy—a fruit smoothie with added protein powder and coconut milk— but he says he’ll make pancakes and bacon if that’s what gets people ready to ride.

Cycling is Rich’s passion, and as the experiment of opening a bed and breakfast for bicyclists continues, he says, no matter what, you can find him out riding the quiet Bonsall roads.

“I like the fact that cycling is completely engaging,” he says. “If I’m out on a long ride, at some point, I’m not thinking about anything other than riding. There are very few things that completely engage me that way. Work, troubles—none of that gets in my way when I’m out there.”

Rich Walsh enjoys Bonsall’s open roads and wants to share them. Write to editor@sdcitybeat.com.

May 8, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 39

nancy E. Gardiner

NASCAR in the park Tuesday-night racing at the Morley Field Velodrome

by Michael A. Gardiner

the crowd. “Who’s is it anyway?”

“Mine,” Westergren replied with a mischievous grin. “I guarantee you I’ve got at least one song on here that each one of you will hate.”

Turning back to me, he said, “Where else can you bring your own food, bring your own beverage, watch a sports event and do it all for free? No wonder the hipsters love us.”

And as a CityBeat food writer—and a former racer myself—the idea of picnicking at the Velodrome was a no-brainer. I had seen some pretty good picnics up in the stands and been told that the tamales offered at the track were quite good. But I had something else in mind: pork and chicken liver pâté bánh mì, a classic Vietnamese sandwich that shows the impact of Vietnam’s French Colonial history. A trip to K Sandwiches on Linda Vista Road scored some Vietnamese-style French bread and some spring rolls. A bit of play in the kitchen and what emerged was a testimonial to how deceptively easy pâté really is. An excellent beverage chosen to match the pâté and some very good racing in front of us completed the picnic.

The best of the night’s racing was the Madison event: the undisputed king of track bicycle racing.

If track racing is NASCAR on bikes, the Madison is tag-team wrestling on an oval track. It is, at the most basic level, a team Points Race in which teams of two riders compete for as many as 200 laps. One rider from each team is “active,” racing toward the bottom ring of the track with the “reserve” rider circling higher. The tag occurs when the active rider literally and physically throws his teammate into action with a “slingshot” motion. A team wins by either gaining laps on the field or by accumulating the most points in the sprints occurring every five laps. It’s dramatic.

It’s epic. There’s copious opportunity for mayhem, and the resulting nonstop action is an improvised two-wheeled competitive dance of brilliance.

On this night, the teams were doing more than 60 laps of the one-third-kilometer Velodrome track.

It came down to a sprint finish with six-time world champion Shaun Wallace closing down a two-bikelength deficit around the final turn, only to lose the final sprint by inches.

That’s a finish that would have made NASCAR proud—and it’s what keeps bringing spectators to the Velodrome on summer Tuesday nights.

The “Generation 6” cars that race on the highbanked ovals of NASCAR’s short tracks have brakes.

The bicycles that race on the high-banked track of the San Diego Velodrome do not. NASCAR vehicles have a complex transmission. Track bikes have a single fixed gear. And while track bikes will never put out the 450 to 850 horsepower of a Gen 6 car at Bristol Motor Speedway, with current and former world champions racing at the San Diego Velodrome the differences can seem to fade: A lot of “engine” power in close quarters makes for exciting racing.

The crowd at Tuesday Night Racing is one part Gathering of the Tribe of the Fixie Hipster Nation, one part Friends & Family, with a lot of cycling enthusiasts thrown in for good measure. Gary Westergren, the track’s PA announcer (himself a former Velodrome racer), said, “the Downtown bike messengers get off work on a Tuesday night, and where else are they going to go?” At another level, Westergren said, the top racers on a Tuesday night are a sort of Platonic ideal of the bike messengers’ self-image.

From a purely spectator-sport standpoint, the quality of the racing itself justifies a trip to the Velodrome.

“A” races regularly feature multiple riders with jerseys fringed in the rainbow stripes reserved for former world champions. From time to time, the races feature current professionals and reigning Olympic medalists.

Indeed, one current professional is suing the city and the San Diego Velodrome Associates because he was injured in a crash during a race on the track.

The races change weekly. Frequently offered races include the Scratch Race (first across the finish line wins), the Points Race (points awarded on particular sprint laps with the most points at the end winning) and the Miss and Out, aka the Devil Takes the Hindmost (whoever crosses the finish last each lap is eliminated, culminating in a three-racer two lap sprint).

The loose feel of the place belies the highly competitive nature of the racing.

“The atmosphere is casual,” Westergren told me, as he put a Maroon 5 song on the track’s sound system. “This one’s for Chris Michaels,” he said to the crowd. Michaels, a regular Velodrome racer, and his Write to michaelg@sdcitybeat.com handlebar moustache gave Westergren a scowl.

“This playlist sucks!” one fixie hipster yelled from and editor@sdcitybeat.com

40 · San Diego CityBeat · May 8, 2013

May 8, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 41

Perks on bikes Discounts for cyclists abound at local businesses

Adam Vieyra

by Jeff Terich When a commuter chooses to swap his or her gas-guzzler for a bike, there are usually two reasons for the decision. The first is to get in better shape—anyone attempting to bike to work for the first time will get a workout in muscles that he or she likely wasn’t putting to good use beforehand. The second reason is to save money. Swapping your car for a bike cuts out the recurring expense of having to put fuel in your tank, routinely get oil changes and other, more costly, maintenance.

Yet in San Diego, cyclist commuters have the added privilege of being able to take advantage of discounts at a long list of businesses throughout the city. In 2010, Velo Cult bike shop started a program Urban Solace participates in the bicycle discount program. with local establishments to give discounts to anyone who rides there on a bike. The Hillcrest’s Village Hat Shop (3821 Fourth Ave.) ofidea is simple—ride to a participating shop, restau- fers 10 percent off, as does fellow neighborhood rant or other place of business on your bike (look for shoe retailer Mint (525 University Ave.), whose sisthe diamond-shaped placard in the window), then ter shop in Los Angeles likewise participates, should ask for the discount. And though Velo Cult has since any San Diegans plan on taking their bikes a few moved to Portland, the program is still in place and hours north.

South Park’s Make Good (2207 Fern St.) offers 10 continuing to expand.

Here’s a sampling of some of the discounts that percent off non-consignment items, while next door local businesses offer to cyclists (for a complete list, at Junc Boutique (2205 Fern St.), shoppers can take advantage of a 15-percent discount. Meanwhile, Sago to sdbikecommuter.com): lon on 30th, just down the street at 2225 30th St., ofRestaurants and bars fers 10 percent off services, and at Little Italy’s Salon Nothing builds up an appetite quite like a long bike Tonic (1532 India St.), Berge Garcia takes 15 percent ride, and, fortunately, the bulk of the benefits avail- off services.

And for additional personal grooming, The Unable to riders in San Diego come from local eateries.

North Park has the highest concentration. Among dercarriage’s locations Downtown (1837 Fifth Ave.) some of the perks available to bike riders: 10 percent and in North Park (3385 30th St.) both offer 15 peroff at Carnitas Snack Shack (2632 University Ave.), cent off services.

Tiger! Tiger! Tavern (3025 El Cajon Blvd., as well as sister restaurant Blind Lady Ale House at 3416 Health and wellness Adams Ave.), Urban Solace (3823 30th St.) and Sea Keeping in good health is a necessity for cyclists, Rocket Bistro (3382 30th St.); 20 percent off at Al- so it’s a good thing that several establishments in exander’s (3391 30th St.); and $1 off a whole pizza San Diego’s wellness community offer discounts, and $1 off draft beer at Sicilian Thing Pizza (4046 as well. South Park chiropractor Dr. Ronald Fritz (1936 Fern St.) gives a free initial exam and 10 per30th St.).

Just a little farther south along the 30th Street cent off appointments; Hillcrest acupuncturists corridor in South Park, riders get 10 percent off at Absolute Acupuncture (2560 First Ave., Suite Station Tavern (2204 Fern St.) and Whistle Stop 202) and Herbin Acupuncture & Wellness (3594 Bar (2236 Fern St.) and 15 percent off at Alchemy Fifth Ave.) offer 15 and 10 off, respectively; and North Park’s Europilates San Diego (3131 Dale (1503 30th St.).

Downtown, a 10-percent discount applies at St.) offers 10 percent off.

Café 21 (750 Fifth Ave.), and in Barrio Logan at Café Moto (2619 National Ave.) and Café Virtuoso (1616 North County The SD Bike Commute discount program isn’t totally National Ave.) If you’re riding along the coast, you can take ad- exclusive to San Diego proper, either. While it’s only vantage of 10 percent off at Bull’s Smokin’ BBQ in beginning to spread into North County, there are a Morena (1127 W. Morena Blvd.), Pannikin in La Jolla couple of participating establishments. Escondido’s (7467 Girard Ave.) and Underbelly (750 W. Fir St.) Kettle Coffee and Tea (119 E. Grand Ave.) gives cyclists 10 percent off their purchase. And chiropracin Little Italy. tor Cordin Blosiu in Encinitas offers 5 percent off Fashion and beauty services with free consultation.

Cyclists who aim to look their best can take advantage of discounts at many local retailers and salons. Write to editor@sdcitybeat.com.

42 · San Diego CityBeat · May 8, 2013

CicloSDias takes back the street on Aug. 11—plus 20 more cool summertime events

Anyone who lives around or frequents 30th Street, from Logan Heights to North Park, knows all the cool stuff the corridor has to offer and how difficult it can be to enjoy it, thanks to traffic and parking issues.

CicloSDias looks to change that. Modeled after Ciclovia in Bogotá, Colombia, in which the city closes certain main streets to cars every Sunday to alleviate congestion, CicloSDias will do the same by closing down a main section of town for bicyclist and pedestrian use from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 11.

Starting at 30th and K streets in Grant Hill, cyclists and pedestrians will have complete control of 30th through Golden Hill and South Park and into North Park.

At North Park Way, the route heads east for a block, then doubles back on Ray Street south to Landis Street. From there, it heads east, crosses Interstate 805, veers northeast on Swift Avenue to Wightman Street and finishes at Cherokee Point Elementary School in City Heights. Fern Street from Ash to Juniper in South Park will also be

closed to motorists. That’s 5.2 miles of completely car-free city to explore by bike, foot or skateboard.

The event is part of Mayor Bob Filner’s goal to make San Diego the bike-riding capital of the United States.

“It’s about quality of life and livability for all San Diegans,” says Ed Clancy, programs manager for the city of San Diego’s bicycle initiatives. “That means neighbors and neighborhoods can see their communities in ways they have never been able to before because people will be going at such a low pace. You don’t get a true sense of what the vibe of a neighborhood is from a car. If you’re walking or biking or strolling, you get a sensation of these neighborhoods and what they have to offer.”

Businesses along the CicloSDias route will offer special programming, and musicians are encouraged to show up along the route and offer unplugged entertainment— no permits or permission necessary.

To warm up for the main event, there will be mini CicloSDias events happening monthly. Go to ciclosdias.com for the dates.

This summer will bring even more fun events to the city. Below are some that we’re especially excited about.

—Alex Zaragoza

Wightman St. Landis St.

15

30th

Car-free and carefree

Cherokee Point Elementary School

North Park Way 805

805

15

Wednesday, May 8, through Saturday, May 11. sandiegosurffilmfestival.com Greek Festival at St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church, 3655 Park Blvd., Hillcrest.

Go for the food; stay for the entertainment.

This annual festival’s earned an almost cultlike status for its delicious eats, homemade by church members—they even set up committees to make sure that traditional Greek faves, like spanakopita and moussaka, are made by the best of the best. From 5 to 10 p.m. Friday, June 7; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, June 8; and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday, June 9. $3. sdgreekfestival.com

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Allied Craftsmen Today at Mingei International Museum, Balboa Park. Two years ago, the Mingei exhibited works by San Diego’s 94 original Allied Craftsmen, a group of artisans who helped define Southern California’s 30th and K midcentury art scene. Allied Craftsmen Today looks at what current members are up to and San Diego Surf Film Festival at Bird’s features works by more than three-dozen, inSurf Shed, 1091 W. Morena Blvd., Bay Park. cluding Arline Fisch, Joe Nyiri, Eric Gronborg Ever since the film The Endless Summer and Matthew Hebert. Opens Saturday, June made, um, waves with its photogenic por- 15. On view through Jan. 15, 2014. mingei.org trayal of surfing, filmmakers and photographers have flocked to the beach in hopes of Art Illustrated: Celebrating Comic Art capturing the sport in all its elegance. Now at California Center for the Arts, 340 N. in its second year, the San Diego Surf Film Escondido Blvd., Escondido. Opening well Festival will present 35 international and ahead of that other big comic-art event, local films, in addition to raging after-parties and a live music series at The Griffin.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 44

May 8, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 43

Fringe Festival this one will feature more than 200 pieces of work from nationally syndicated comic strips, classic comic books and iconic artists like Claes Oldenburg, Roy Lichtenstein and Donghyun Son, plus some rare Dr. Seuss pieces. Opens Thursday, June 20. On view through July 28. artcenter.org

every other art form that doesn’t fit into the norm. Monday, July 1, through Sunday, July 7. $10 per performance. sdfringe.org

Arnold Newman: Masterclass at the San Diego Museum of Art, Balboa Park. You might not know Arnold Newman’s name, but you’ve definitely seen his photography, like his 1962 portrait of a slightly haggard Marilyn Monroe or his shot of Truman Capote lounging on a sofa, wearing a coat and hat but no pants. This exhibition features 200 of Newman’s photographs, ranging from his early street photography to his more wellknown portraits. Opens Saturday, June 29.

On view through Sept. 8. sdmart.org

The Postal Service at SDSU Open Air Theatre, 5500 Campanile Drive, College Area.

Just in time for the 10th-anniversary reissue of their electro-pop classic, Give Up, the recently reunited duo will make indie kids swoon once more with hits like “Such Great Heights” and “Clark Gable,” which sound even cuter today than they did in 2003.

Big Freedia and Baths will open. At 6 p.m.

Sunday, July 21. $19.50-$45. as.sdsu.edu/ viejas_arena/oat.html

TNT: Chromatic at Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, 1100 Kettner Blvd., Downtown The museum’s ongoing musicand-art party, Thursday Night Thing, reWine, Cheese and Chocolate Festival at turns to celebrate the opening of the sculpLiberty Station, Barracks 16, 2730 Historic tural exhibition, Liza Lou: Colorfield. Sip on Decatur Road, Point Loma. Does this event a tasty cocktail or craft beer in the plaza and even need a description? It’s wine, cheese mess around at the art-activities table, or just and chocolate, people! The Women’s Muse- stand there looking cool as a band jams on um of California’s annual fundraiser brings the stage. If you want to check out the exhitogether more than 50 wine, cheese and bitions, docents will lead tours. From 7 to 10 chocolate makers, plus the “Queen of Boo- p.m. Thursday July, 11. $8-$10. mcasd.org gie Woogie,” Sue Palmer, to set the mood.

At 6:30 p.m. Friday, June 21. $35-$50. Sideways at La Jolla Playhouse, 2910, La womensmuseumca.org Jolla Village Drive, La Jolla. Author Rex Pickett has turned his 2004 novel, which Kendrick Lamar at San Diego County was adapted for a 2004 film that won sevFair, Heineken Grandstand Stage. One of eral Oscars, into a play. You remember: It’s the dudes responsible for reinventing West about two middle-age dudes—a schoolCoast rap, Lamar garnered critical acclaim teacher and an actor—who embark on a last year for his epic album, good kid, m.A.A.d jaunt to Santa Barbara wine country and get city, in which he used nuanced rhymes and tangled up with a couple of local women. dope beats to explore his Compton upbring- The play will be directed by Des McAnuff ing and the intensity of gang life. At 7:30 p.m. (Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots). Runs July Friday, June 28. $21-$50. sdfair.com 16 through Aug. 18. lajollaplayhouse.org

Fringe Festival at various venues in Downtown San Diego. Are you ready to get freaky?

Founded in Edinburgh, Scotland, Fringe Festivals have popped up all over the world as a way to showcase eclectic and avant-garde art. This year marks San Diego’s inaugural foray into Fringe, which will feature live comedy, dramatic performances, film and

44 · San Diego CityBeat · May 8, 2013

Double Indemnity at The Old Globe Theatre, Balboa Park. Another book that became a film and then a play, this one’s an adaptation of the 1943 crime-noir novel by James M. Cain about an insurance agent who gets seduced and snookered by a luscious married woman who aims to rid herself of her husband and pocket a wad life-insurance cash.

Runs July 27 through Aug. 25. oldglobe.org

The Postal Service Summer Break at San Diego Museum of Art, Balboa Park. For the last three years, SDMA’s put on something called the “Summer Salon Series,” where throughout the summer, they’d host artists, musicians and scholars for evening events focused on a provocative theme. This year, the series morphs into “Summer Break,” wherein, for 10 days straight, programming will be centered around the museum’s exhibition of Arnold Newman’s photographs. The full schedule’s not yet been posted, but with SDMA’s Andrew Jarman and Amy Galpin at the helm, we know this’ll be good. Thursday, Aug. 1, through Saturday, Aug. 10. sdmart.org Flicks on the Bricks at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, 1008 Wall St., La Jolla.

Outdoor summer films are awesome. Outdoor summer films + wine are awesomer.

The Atheneaum’s popular summer film series returns for its seventh year, featuring four films on four consecutive Thursdays: The Big Sleep, Rear Window, Cinema Paradiso and The Big Easy. Each screening’s “paired” with wine. At 7:30 p.m. Thursdays Aug. 1, 8, 15 and 22. $17 per film, $80 for the series. ljathenaeum.org

D’Angelo at Humphreys Concerts by the Bay, 2241 Shelter Island Drive. Taking the R&B of Marvin Gaye and Prince to new levels of amazingness, this neo-soul visionary has a voice that’s as powerful as his muscles are rippling. Critics and fans are understandably stoked that, after a 13-year wait, he’s finally planning to drop a new album this year. At 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 10. $95$330. humphreysconcerts.com Silent Movie Night at Spreckels Organ Pavilion, Balboa Park. When the heat of late-summer days becomes unbearable— and nighttime offers the only respite— there are few activities more enjoyable than watching a movie under the stars.

Renowned organist Dennis James will provide the soundtrack for silent classic The Eagle, starring Golden Age star Rudolph Valentino as a masked outlaw. Concert begins at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 19. sosorgan.org

Matt Costa @ Green Flash Concerts at Birch Aquarium, 2300 Expedition Way, La Jolla. Costa’s dreamy, reverb-drenched music transcends standard singer / songwriter fare and is reminiscent of ’60s icons John Antoski at Subtext Gallery, 2479 like Nick Drake with some hints of more Kettner Blvd. in Little Italy. After popping modern influences like Belle & Sebastian. up in various group exhibitions, Antoski’s Bottom line: Ideal tunes to take in at an outfinally getting his own solo show at Sub- door, sunset concert. At 7:30 p.m. Wednestext. The artist, whose bright, whimsical day, Aug. 21. $29. aquarium.ucsd.edu work ( johnantoski.com) has appeared on CityBeat’s cover, will showcase a collection Mario Puruchetti at Madison Gallery, of new pieces. The exhibition opens from 6 1020 Prospect St., La Jolla. There’s a subto 10 p.m. Friday, Aug. 2. On view through versive quality to Puruchetti’s bright, shiny Sept. 1. subtextgallery.com sculptures, like his diamond-encrusted toilet paper titled “Because You’re Worth It.” Enron at Moxie Theatre, 6663 El Cajon The Power of Love showcases his “jellys”— Blvd., Rolando. If you pay close attention to bright-colored urethane resin sculpted into local politics, you know that San Diego was smiling, pudgy figurines that you almost once called Enron-by-the-Sea. Moxie The- wish were big pieces of candy. It’ll be Puatre’s working on a stylized version of the ruchetti’s first solo show in the U.S. Openreal thing with Lucy Prebble’s offbeat the- ing from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 24. On atrical take on the Houston corporation’s view through Sept. 25. RSVP required to criminal shell games of the 1990s. It’s a lit- info@madisongalleries.com. tle bit documentary, a lot satire, and it was a smash hit in London. Runs Aug. 3 through For more events, see our pullout glossy calendar on Pages 32 and 33.

25. moxietheatre.com

May 8, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 45

Borderline The Spanish-language movie Aquí y Allá is an eye-opener

by Anders Wright Regardless of your opinions on immigration, one thing is clear: The system has all kinds of problems. Some are political, some are logistical and others simply come down to money.

But what immigration, legal or illegal, should be about is the people involved, no matter what side of the border they live on.

That’s what makes Antonio Méndez Espar- From Left: Espinoza, Vázquez, Aguirre and De Los Santos za’s new film, Aquí y Allá (“Here and There”)— opening Friday, May 10, at Digital Gym Cinema in because of Pedro’s heavy burden. Sure, he’s finally North Park—so strong. It’s not about immigration at back where he’s supposed to be, and once his famall. Politics never enters into it. It’s about people— ily has bonded, each member feels his absence was nothing more, nothing less—and it gives a kind of in- worth it. But it’s not that simple. Making a living in sight into the issue that you rarely, if ever, see in films. Guerrero is tough. There’s very little farming work It begins when Pedro (Pedro De Los Santos) re- to be found, construction shuts down due to budgetturns to his hometown, the tiny mountain village of ary concerns and, though the Capo Kings are pretty Guerrero. He’s been gone for quite some time, work- good, the band isn’t exactly lucrative. ing in the U.S. to make money for his family, and he’s After months at home, Pedro faces some despermissed a lot. His daughters, Lorena (Lorena Guada- ately tough decisions. He clearly loves his family, but lupe Pantaleón Vázquez) and Heidi (Heidi Laura it’s possible that the best way to provide for them is Solano Espinoza), are well into to be elsewhere. It’s tragic and, adolescence, and his wife, Tein many ways, unfair, and it’s resa (Teresa Ramírez Aguirre), also clear that Pedro’s family is Aquí y Allá is distant and sad. All Pedro’s in no way unique. People come Written and directed wanted to do the entire time he’s and go in Guerrero; families are

by Antonio Méndez Esparza been gone is come home, and split and scattered across the Starring Pedro De Los Santos, now that he’s finally returned, country as people leave to find Teresa Ramírez Aguirre, Lorena life isn’t nearly as easy as he’d work, and the film shows us the Guadalupe Pantaleón Vázquez hoped. And why should it be? ripple effect. and Heidi Laura Solano Espinoza Years of absence and sacrifice Esparza doesn’t have an axe Not rated have provided for his family fito grind. His focus is telling nancially, but it’s taken an emoa simple story, that of a famtional toll on everyone. ily confronting unfortunate cirLife moves forward, however, and the family cumstances. Yes, their story is fraught with larger imadapts to having Pedro around. It should be said, plications, but by not focusing on those implications, too, that Pedro’s truly living his dream. He earned he allows his audience to draw its own conclusions. enough in the U.S. to come home and start the Capo Additionally, and perhaps more importantly, Kings, the band he’s always dreamed of forming. what he has here is a well-crafted film. The cinemaThe life of a musician is tough, though, no matter tography is smart and creative, and the pacing is ofwhere you live. It’s hard to find the right blend of ten deliberate and slow. He’s working with non-proband members, make time to rehearse and book gigs. fessional actors who provide a nice, natural feel, and When Teresa quickly becomes pregnant, things get he lets scenes play out in ways that sometimes make even more challenging, especially when complica- you feel almost awkwardly voyeuristic. Aquí y Allá tions arise. Soon, both her life and the life of the baby is a very small movie, but it won the Critics Week are in danger, and Pedro’s forced to leap through all Grand Prize at Cannes, and it’s easy to see why. kinds of hoops, spending the meager savings he’s put Write to anders@sdcitybeat.com together to try to keep his family together.

Much of Esparza’s film is heartbreaking, simply and editor@sdcitybeat.com.

More horror

American Mary

46 · San Diego CityBeat · May 8, 2013

Horror fans will rejoice over this piece of news: A new late-night series is being put together at Digital Gym Cinema in North Park by Beth Accomondo of KPBS and Miguel Rodriguez of the Horrible Imaginings Film Festival. The two are horror buffs, and they’re teaming up with folks from the Media Arts Center, Pac-Arts, FilmOut and the Italian Film Festival, just to

name a few.

The series kicks off at 10 p.m.

Friday and Saturday, May 31 and June 1, with American Mary, a nasty-looking body-modification flick from the Soska sisters, the Canadian twins behind classics such as Dead Hooker in a Trunk.

Gut will follow on July 5 and 6, and programming will run sporadically for the next few months, including Berberian Sound Studio

CONTINUED ON PAGE 48

May 8, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 47

on July 26 and 27, last year’s muchcelebrated horror flick that didn’t make it to San Diego.

It’s an evolving process, and you can keep up with what’s coming up at hifilmfest.com. Oh, also, Accomondo can’t yet confirm that beer will be available, but she’ll be baking themed desserts for each screening.

•••

In other news, Full Moon DriveIn has undergone an equipment makeover, and will reopen shortly with first-run films, making it the only first-run theater in Pacific Beach. And, lastly, it’s with sadness that I report that Reading Cinemas has put its Forty Foot Film repertory series on a hiatus, which I hope is temporary.

—Anders Wright

Opening Aftershock: Eli Roth plays an American tourist in Chile who escapes a devastating earthquake only to find out that the neighboring prison has collapsed and all the convicts are on the loose.

The Angel’s Share: The new one from Ken Loach is about a miscreant who tries to change his ways by stealing and selling a priceless cask of whiskey.

Aquí y Allá: This small movie, about a Mexican man who reunites with his family after working for years in the U.S., speaks volumes about the immigration debate without speaking about it at all. See our review on Page 46.

Fruit Hunters: This documentary about nature’s candy spends some time exploring the country garden created by actor Bill Pullman. It opens Tuesday, May 14, at Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

The Great Gatsby: Baz Luhrmann, who made Moulin Rouge, takes on the American literary classic. Leonardo DiCaprio plays Jay Gatsby in this tale of class warfare.

Hava Nagila: Documentary about the instantly recognizable song and how its history is intertwined with that of the Jews.

He’s Way More Famous Than You: Halley Feiffer, who starred in The Squid and the Whale, co-wrote and stars in this parody about her own floundering career.

Love is All You Need: A Danish hairdresser (Trine Dyrholm) who’s lost her hair to cancer travels to Italy for her daughter’s wedding, where she meets Pierce Brosnan, an angry widower and the father of her soon-to-be son-in-law.

Peeples: Craig Robinson crashes the reunion of a wealthy African-American family to ask for Kerry Washington’s hand in marriage.

The Reluctant Fundamentalist: A Pakistani man tries to climb the corporate ladder in the U.S., but his family and violent events in the Middle East keep bringing him down.

San Diego Surf Film Festival: More than 40 full-length and short films will screen at the second iteration of the fest, which runs

48 · San Diego CityBeat · May 8, 2013

Wednesday, May 8, through Sunday, May 12, at Bird’s Surf Shed in Morena.

Shootout at Wadala: Mumbai’s police force engages in epic gun battles with gangsters, earning it a reputation for brutality and violence.

Something in the Air: French film about a bunch of counter-culture Europeans trying to keep the social revolution going in 1968. Screens for one week at the Ken Cinema.

One Time Only Nacho Libre: Jack Black jumps on your back at 8 p.m. Wednesday, May 8, at The Pearl Hotel in Point Loma.

Foreign Letters: A young Israeli immigrant becomes friends with a Vietnamese refugee in the early 1980s. Screens at 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 14, at the Hervey Branch Library in Point Loma.

The House I Live In: This documentary, about the myriad flaws that exist within the War on Drugs, won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance. It has its San Diego premiere at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 14, at Crawford High School and will be followed by a Q&A with producer David Kuhn.

Up&Coming Student Film Festival: The UCSD event has expanded to include two nights of films and filmmakers. Check ’em out at 8 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, May 15 and 16, at the CalIt2 Auditorium and The Loft, respectively, at UCSD.

The Phantom of the Paradise: Brian De Palma’s twisted, rock-opera take on The Phantom of the Opera screens at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 9, at Whistle Stop Bar in South Park.

Almost Famous: Cameron Crowe’s memoir still rocks. Screens at 8 p.m.

Wednesday, May 15, at The Pearl Hotel in Point Loma.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s: Blake Edwards’ adaptation of Truman Capote’s short novel features a racist portrayal by Mickey Rooney and a wonderful turn from Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly. Screens at 8:30 p.m. Thursday, May 9, through Saturday, May 11, at Cinema Under the Stars in Mission Hills.

now playing

Django Unchained: Quentin Tarantino’s brutal western is also hysterically funny, and it rightfully earned Christoph Waltz his second Best Supporting Actor Oscar.

Screens at 2:30 p.m. Friday, May 10, at the Central Library, Downtown.

The Room: Tommy Wiseau’s so-bad-it’sgood drama has become a cult classic, and it returns to the Ken Cinema at midnight, Saturday, May 11.

At Any Price: Ramin Bahrani’s made three interesting films about the American experience through the eyes of people of color. This time he takes on the American dream, as seen through the eyes of a shady Iowa farmer (Dennis Quaid) and his rebellious son (Zac Efron). Ends May 9 at Hillcrest Cinemas.

Bert Stern: Original Madman: Stern was one of the key photographers during the Golden Age of Advertising. Other than that, title pretty much says it all, right?

Ends May 9 at the Ken Cinema.

In the House: French film about a 16year-old boy whose work in a literature class has a profound impact on the teach-

er and his fellow students.

Iron Man 3: The summer blockbuster season kicks off with that snarky Tony Stark saving our ungrateful hides once again.

Kon-Tiki: New film about Thor Heyerdal’s 1947 ocean adventure, in which he sailed across the ocean on a balsa raft to prove that South Americans were able to cross in pre-Columbian times.

La Rafle: Jean Reno and Melanie Laurent star in this true story of Jews in occupied France. Ends May 9 at Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

Running America: Some of the proceeds from this documentary, about a pair of marathoners planning to run from San Francisco to Times Square, will go to the OneFundBoston. Screens at Digiplex Mission Valley.

The World Before Her: Documentary about the changing and challenging roles of women in India. Ends May 12 at Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

Graceland: This Filipino take on Taken is grittier and twistier than you expect.

Arthur Newman: Colin Firth plays Newman, an unhappy divorcé who stages his own death in hopes of starting over.

The Big Wedding: Robert De Niro and Diane Keaton are a long-divorced couple who must pretend to be married at the wedding of their adopted son.

For a complete listing

of movies pla ying locally, please see “F ilm S creenings” at sdcit yb eat.com under the “E vents” tab.

May 8, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 49

alex

there she goz

zaragoza My guide to summertime binge drinking at local parks It was at a birthday party recently over craft beers Bay (its proper name is Montgomery-Waller Park, and pizza at Pizza Port in Ocean Beach where I but no Southsider calls it that). Drinking at a park heard the woe of many late-20-somethings exhas been a longtime hobby. My name is Alex, and pressed with sullen nostalgia. My boyfriend’s I’m a parkaholic. friend Ashton lamented how, as adults—and relucNow, because I am an adult, I do it up classy, tant ones at that—we no longer have the benefit of with wine or homemade cocktails stored in a Tupa summer break. perware jug and without the constant fear of get“I wish I could take the summer off from my real ting busted by the cops. job and work at a place like this for the summer.

Why do I not worry about getting busted by the Just have a fun summer job like when you were in cops? Because I know all the parks in San Diego high school,” he said. where you’re legally allowed to drink. Seriously.

It got me thinking about adulthood and how My boyfriend, who works in local government, and crappy the transition from kid to grownup can be.

I looked up city code. Refer to San Diego Municipal This is coming from a woman who got a “serious” Code, Chapter 5, Article 6, code 56.54B and 56.54C. job and married while still in college. Granted, I This ain’t my first rodeo, you guys. When it comes showed up to work hung over multiple times a to my park drank, I don’t mess about. week, taking the occasional barf break in the alley Since this column’s in the Summer Guide, I behind the office. But still, where was the fire, kid? thought I’d share some of my favorite parks to get Why the need to rush things? turnt up (my niece taught me that piece of new Later, with an obscene level of introspection, slang) without running into issues with The Man. the fear of never amounting to anything did it. That It’s our adult summer break, everyone. and wanting to prove to my overbearing Mexican The city of San Diego uses word trickery to make family that I wasn’t the baby anymore but a strong you think alcohol isn’t allowed in certain parks. and independent woman who only needs to borrow Signs will say things like, “This area has a 16-hour money (that I would definitely ban on alcohol,” which novice pay back) every once in a while. parkaholics may think means no Once I got laid off from that drinking allowed, ever. Wrong.

This ain’t my first rodeo, job and my marriage went shitty It means there are eight whole you guys. When it comes side up and I had to borrow a lot hours when you can wrap your of money (that I would never pay lips around the sweet nectar to my park drank, back) all the time, I surrendered of the dark lords. Nice try, San I don’t mess about. and decided to embrace the Diego. But you can’t fool this warmth and comfort of immatudrunk bitch with your word rity. I put on my conductor’s cap games. and conducted the Hot Mess Express for years.

Balboa Park, for instance, has nine lawns where For some reason, I thought being a kid and beyou can legally get your swerve on from noon to 8 ing an adult were mutually exclusive. I either had p.m. Those include the Recital Hall Lawn, Internato have it together completely or not at all, which, tional Lawn and, my personal favorite, the lawns as we all know, is not only not very fun but also not in front of the Botanical Garden. Ah, the memories very possible. So Ashton’s wish to marry the two of all those bottles of wine consumed on that fluffy rang very true for me, as well as the others in on grass. The view is lovely, if not ruined by the octhe conversation. It’s the plight of the over-25, who casional Midwestern butt posing by the koi pond. wrestle with wanting to be Toys-R-Us kids while This is perfect for a mellow afternoon drunken living in a house where you don’t wake up to ranpark soak. dom dudes sleeping on your couch.

I also love Pioneer Park in Mission Hills. It’s Why can’t we have work summer breaks? Why more secluded and has the added coolness of being the location of a 19th-century cemetery. There can’t we get a mini vacation from being practical are still tombstones lining certain parts of the park adults with responsibilities? I like candy and vegas a nod to its history. You can drink there from 8 etables. I really do. a.m. to 8 p.m., which is fine, because you’re going to I thought about it later and realized that while I want to get the fuck outta there before the ghosts can’t, and actually don’t want to, step away from my come out. job to work at a pizza joint (dealing with the general Those same hours apply at Presidio Park, one of public is my worst nightmare), I give myself plenty the prettiest parks in town. The view it offers alone of breaks from adulthood, especially in the sumis reason to spend an afternoon there. It’s even more mertime. One of them is my favorite warm-weather beautiful under the fog of a good buzz. Am I wasted pastime—getting super-drunk at the park. or are there two USD campuses floating on a cloud?

There’s nothing I’d rather do on a gorgeous sumNow, charge forth into summer—beer, wine or mer day than lay on a blanket with friends with a Mad Dog 20/20 first. The parks await. bright sky shining above me, completely shit-faced.

If cheese is involved, double-win. It brings back Write to alex@sdcitybeat.com memories of ditching gym class to drink purple and editor@sdcitybeat.com.

Mad Dog 20/20 at Luckie Waller Park in the South

50 · San Diego CityBeat · May 8, 2013

May 8, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 51

jessie jenkins

ehT krad edis fo evol

The dark side of love

Electronic-music songwriter Charli XCX proves pop can be interesting · by Jeff Terich

E

nglish electro-pop singersongwriter Charli XCX is still a few months shy of her 21st birthday, but she’s already built up one hell of a musical résumé.

Charli, born Charlotte Aitchison, recorded her first album, 14, when she was 14 years old. It was never officially released, a fact that she’s perfectly OK with (in an NME interview, she referred to her early songs as “fucking terrible MySpace music”). However, in the six years since that album’s creation, Charli has made some

impressive headway as an artist.

In 2011, she released a pair of critically acclaimed singles, “Stay Away” and “Nuclear Seasons,” which blended vibrant electronic textures with gothic moodiness.

A year later she co-penned Icona Pop’s club banger, “I Love It,” which marked the first single with her songwriting credit to chart on the Billboard Hot 100.

On April 16, Charli XCX released her proper debut, True Romance, via IAMSOUND Records.

Speaking with CityBeat over the phone between U.S. tour stops,

52 · San Diego CityBeat · May 8, 2013

Aitchison says that while she was writing the album, she felt that she was still discovering what kind of artist she was.

“The writing process for me is always a total mess,” Aitchison says. “This was no different. I’ve written this record as I’ve been growing up. Some of it was written when I was 18 or 19.

“I was figuring out who I was as a person,” she adds. “And I didn’t really know until I wrote ‘Stay Away.’ Before that, I felt totally lost—like any young person.”

Much of Aitchison’s own mu-

sical development happened through self-discovery. She notes that she “didn’t grow up in a house where we were always listening to The Beatles.” Instead, she listened to a lot of Spice Girls and Britney Spears as a child. In her teenage years, she began to dig deeper into electronic and underground music, which gave her an initial push toward creating music of her own.

“When I was around 14, I discovered the Ed Banger label, and I kinda fell in love with French electro, like Justice,” she says.

“And I kinda wanted to start making music like that. And I failed miserably.

“After that, I became massively in love with Robert Smith, and Björk and Kate Bush,” she adds.

Shades of The Cure, Björk, Kate Bush and Justice all crop up throughout the 13 tracks on True Romance. Steeped in booming synthesizers and well-placed samples, the album sounds dense and modern, reminiscent of contemporary acts like Goldfrapp and The Knife while giving a nod to ’80s new-wave and goth. “Nuclear Seasons” melds the danceheavy art-pop of Robyn with the dark theatrics of Siouxsie and the Banshees, while “You’re the One” creeps with sleazy, syrupy bass sounds toward a blissfully anthemic chorus. And the upbeat, major-key twinkle of “Lock You Up” sounds like a modern update of an early Depeche Mode or Thompson Twins single.

Stylistivcally, Charli XCX covers a lot of diverse ground under an electro-pop umbrella. But all of it is marked by big, immersive production, a sound that Aitchison intended to tie in with the album’s lyrical themes.

“When I wrote this album, I wanted it to sound very romantic,” she says. “I always wanted to make it luscious and rich, to sound like the color purple.”

True to its title, True Romance

touches upon various facets of relationships. One of its highlights, early single “Stay Away,” is sung from a post-breakup perspective, with a chorus that goes, “Now that you’re gone / Why don’t you stay away.” Elsewhere, she touches upon sex (“What I Like”), incompatibility (“You [Ha Ha Ha]”) and, on the soaring closer, “Lock You Up,” absolute infatuation.

True Romance isn’t merely about romance itself, but the trials and tribulations that come with relationships. To Charli, what makes romance “true” is its darker side.

“There are all different kinds of relationships: Your first relationship. The first time you think you’re in love. Your first breakup,” she says. “And I’m talking about it from the perspective of being in love. So, I chose the title True Romance because [romance is] meant to be beautiful, but it’s only really true when there’s a darker side to it, when you’re depressed or isolated or schizophrenic.”

Charli XCX has progressed quite a bit since her early days of playing warehouse raves in London or releasing songs like “Dinosaur Sex” and “Neon Fashion and Glowstix.” But while her aesthetic has changed and her music has grown much more sophisticated, what hasn’t changed is Charli’s investment in pop music. And with True Romance, she intends to show that pop can still be challenging and interesting.

“To be honest, I feel like audiences are tired of being treated like idiots,” she says. “People are bored of pop music—top-40 pop music. And some people still think ‘pop’ is a bad word. And sometimes it is terrible.

“I just want to make pop music that’s real and emotional.”

Charli XCX plays with Marina and the Diamonds at House of Blues on Friday, May 10. The show is sold out. charlixcxmusic.com

May 8, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 53

notes from the smoking patio peter holslin

Locals Only It looks like San Diego will soon have its own branch of the nationally renowned Los Angeles mega-club Avalon Hollywood. According to an application filed with the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC), Avalon owner John Lyons is taking over the Downtown space that formerly housed 4th & B and opening a new club there under the Avalon name.

Lyons didn’t respond to a message from CityBeat left with one of his employees on Monday, but he’s listed as the officer and stockholder for a group operating under the name San Diego Entertainment Partners LLC on an application for a liquor license that was posted on ABC’s website last week. The application says the new club will be doing business as Avalon.

4th & B went out of business late last year after its then-owners, Vincent and Judy Puma, were kicked out of the building by their landlord for failing to make rent payments. Not long after, they lost a protracted court battle with the club’s previous owner, Ali Nilforushan.

Nilforushan took back the business and started looking for a new owner, the San Diego Reader reported.

Avalon Hollywood is a popular spot for “EDM,” aka electronic dance music. But Lyons isn’t the only one who’s had his eye on San Diego’s EDM scene.

Last weekend marked the grand opening of a new club in the Gaslamp, Bassmnt, which sits in the underground space that formerly housed Belo.

Richard Kelly, former co-owner of Downtown’s Ivy Hotel (now one of Hyatt’s Andaz hotels), is in escrow to buy the space. To organize a weekly club night, “Awakening,” the club is teaming with local promoter Eventvibe.com and EDM giant Insomniac Events, the group behind the annual Electric Daisy Carnival music fest.

There are also plans in store for On Broadway.

The giant Downtown club, which has sat closed for months, is being taken over by a new owner, Carlos Humberto Becerra, according to a liquor-license application posted to ABC’s website. Becerra could not be reached for comment.

Music Review Inspired & The Sleep Teenager.

(Bad Panda; Not Punk) Usually, all you need is one good idea to write a song. But some musicians are full of ideas. And Max Greenhalgh, the main guy behind the promising indie-pop band / solo project Inspired & The Sleep, seems to have more good ideas than he knows what to do with.

On Inspired & The Sleep’s new album, Teenager. (which came out last year on Bad Panda Records and is now being released on cassette tape by Not Punk Records), Greenhalgh

54 · San Diego CityBeat · May 8, 2013

4th & B sounds like a really smart kid in a candy shop—a classy one that sells chocolate truffles with sea salt and fruit bonbons imported from France. The album is as cute as it is complex, full of intricate arrangements and quirky musical parts.

Featuring a delightful array of instruments—from pretty flute to cheap-sounding keyboards—the album’s 10 tracks seem to take cues from a range of sounds, including the looped indie-funk of tUnE-yArDs and the early output of They Might Be Giants. The songs are a bit unpredictable, full of twists and turns and flights of fancy, but Greenhalgh keeps them grounded with syncopated drums, gently soulful bass lines and a relaxed, somewhat aloof singing style.

With its winsome piano motif, punchy beat and lovely, half-time breakdown, “Smiles for Adoption” reflects the feeling of drifting off to sleep while daydreaming in chemistry class. Even more enthralling is the bittersweet “Spar Helm,” a song about lost love that balances mournful vocal harmonies and poignant piano with what sounds like homemade percussion resounding in each ear.

But while the album is full of remarkable moments—the in-the-pocket mid-section groove of “You’ll Be a Tree, I’ll Be a Cloud,” the plucky opening section of “Shades”—you eventually start to lose track of when one song ends and the other begins. Some of the songs don’t quite cohere; “Sssuuunnnish” collapses under the weight of its own complexity, sounding like a bundle of sections without a unifying energy or theme to guide them.

But while Greenhalgh’s ideas sometimes get the better of him, it’s still a thrill to hear him do his thing on Teenager. Whether or not he ever steps out of that candy shop, he’ll still be a songwriter worth paying attention to.

—Peter Holslin Teenager.

Write to peterh@sdcitybeat.com and editor@sdcitybeat.com.

May 8, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 55

if i were u

BY peter holslin

Wednesday, May 8

Saturday, May 11

PLAN A: M.E.T.H., Adia Break, Tech_ Fusion, Duckman @ Kava Lounge.

There’s something dark and twisted about M.E.T.H.’s bumping club music, but it’s not exactly meth-y. The Miami group’s trap beats and cavernous bass lines are more like the soundtrack to a weeklong purple-drank bender, totally warped in a sexy way. PLAN B: Jerry Joseph, Walter Salas-Humara, Steve Drizos @ The Casbah. Seasoned in the art of bruising and being bruised, San Diego-bred singer-songwriter Jerry Joseph’s been through some rough patches in his life, and he isn’t afraid to sing about ’em.

Though he’s known to play with a band, he’s just as raw when he flies solo with an acoustic guitar. BACKUP PLAN: Orange Revival, Highlands, The Pheasants @ The Void.

PLAN A: Fighting with Irons, Inspired & The Sleep, Nostalgic People @ The Loft at UCSD. Fronted by local dude Max Greenhalgh, Inspired & The Sleep have all the cutesy-cuddliness of Vampire Weekend, only with less African influence and more indie-pop quirk. Tonight, they’ll celebrate the release of a new album, Teenager, that’s coming out on cassette tape. Yes, cassette tape. Read my review on Page 54.

PLAN B: Boan, Karaoke, Lewis + Lewis @ The Void. Texas synth-pop duo Boan takes inspiration from some old-school styles—squelching acid house, pumping new beat—but you don’t need to be an electronic-music scholar to dig their lively track “Babylon.” (By the way, Karaoke is an actual band.) BACKUP PLAN: The Donkeys, Rafter, Octa#grape @ The Casbah.

Thursday, May 9

Sunday, May 12

PLAN A: Turquoise Jeep Records, NN$ PLAN A: The Milk Carton Kids, The & Telegraph, Kosha Dillz @ The Cas- Barefoot Movement @ Belly Up Tavern. bah. As I wrote in last week’s issue, hip- L.A. duo The Milk Carton Kids play underhoppers Turquoise Jeep are perhaps best stated folk with tight vocal harmonies and known for their hilarious soft, exquisitely executed YouTube hit “Lemme acoustic guitar parts. It’s Smang It,” a catchy R&B all quite lovely, but they track about smashing it lighten things up with and banging it at the same Smothers Brothers-style time. Needless to say, onstage banter. PLAN people will be smangin’ B: Chrome Sparks, The it all night long tonight as Glass Canoe, Suburban the six-man crew shows Campers @ Soda Bar. off its impressive dance It seems I come across a moves. PLAN B: Schoolrad new beatmaker every boy Q @ House of Blues. week. The latest for me is A member of the Black Brooklyn’s Jeremy Malvin, Hippy hip-hop group— The Milk Carton Kids aka Chrome Sparks, who which also includes West conjures kaleidoscopic Coast innovators Kendrick Lamar and tunes with a vaguely new-age feel. BACKAb-Soul—L.A. rapper Schoolboy Q is a UP PLAN: Suicidal Tendencies, Sick of It master of rich production and nuanced, All, Waking the Dead @ House of Blues. street-ready rhymes. Even if what he’s doing doesn’t sink in right away, he’ll pull you into his world through sheer inertia. Monday, May 13 PLAN A: oOoOO, Mister Goodnite, BACKUP PLAN: Salva @ Voyeur.

Kynan, DJ Illuminauts @ Soda Bar. Remember “witch-house,” that spooky elecFriday, May 10 tronic micro-genre that was kind of cool PLAN A: Brothers Weiss, Francisco a few years ago? One of its purveyors was the Man, Oh Spirit, Nicely @ Soda Bar. Christopher Dexter Greenspan, aka oOoOO, Methinks San Diego might have another and he’s still offering a mix of murky and badass rock ’n’ roll band on its hands. sweet with his slow, creeping tunes. BACKVideo I’ve seen on YouTube suggests that UP PLAN: Speak, The Yawmen, Grizzly Brothers Weiss have a knack for crafting Business @ The Void. classic, hard-hitting riffs, so it’s high time I (and you) see them in the flesh. PLAN B: Blowoff w/ Bob Mould, Rich Morel @ Tuesday, May 14 The Casbah. If you don’t get drenched in PLAN A: Rotten Sound, Early Graves, sweat at this big ol’ dance party—featuring Globe and Beast @ Soda Bar. Even the former Hüsker Dü guitarist Bob Mould hardest metal fan might need a breather after and producer Rich Morel—you’re not listening to Species at War, the latest EP from dancing hard enough. BACKUP PLAN: Finnish grindcore greats Rotten Sound. RareMarina and the Diamonds, Charli XCX ly do you hear gnarly blast-beat riffs delivered with such awesome, ungodly force. @ House of Blues.

56 · San Diego CityBeat · May 8, 2013

HOT! NEW! FRESH! Blacktop Royalty, H.A. Perkins, Hidden Lines (Casbah, 5/15), Small Black, Heavenly Beat (Soda Bar, 6/14), Mat McHugh and The Separitista Soundsystem (BUT, 6/27), Big Business (Soda Bar, 6/28), Defiance, Ohio (Ché Café, 7/1), The Oblivians (Casbah, 7/6), Burnt Ones, Cosmonauts (Soda Bar, 7/13), Eddie Spaghetti (Soda Bar, 7/17), Mister Lies (Soda Bar, 7/30), Wild Cub, Rare Times (Soda Bar, 8/1), Foals (HOB, 8/8), Gregory Alan Isakov, Kris Orlowski (Soda Bar, 8/18), Coeur de Pirate (Casbah, 9/15), Pet Shop Boys (Copley Symphony Hall, 10/8).

GET YER TICKETS Green Day’s American Idiot (Civic Theatre, 5/28), Fear (Casbah, 5/31), Mumford & Sons (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 6/3), GZA (Porter’s Pub, 6/11), Dave Alvin (AMSDConcerts, 6/21), Kendrick Lamar (SD County Fair, 6/28), They Might Be Giants (BUT, 6/16), Ted Nugent (HOB, 7/15), The Postal Service (SDSU Open Air Theatre, 7/21), The Uncluded (Aesop Rock & Kimya Dawson), Hamell on Trial (The Irenic, 7/23), D’Angelo (Humphreys Concerts by the Bay, 8/10), Uproar Festival w/ Alice in Chains, Jane’s Addiction, Coheed and Cambria (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 9/14), XFest w/ blink-182, The Offspring, 30 Seconds to Mars, Silversun Pickups, Jimmy Eat World, Wavves (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 9/20), Depeche Mode, Crystal Castles (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 9/22).

May Wednesday, May 8 Jerry Joseph, Walter Salas-Humara, Steve Drizos at The Casbah. Markus Schulz at Fluxx.

Thursday, May 9 Turquoise Jeep at The Casbah. Devendra Banhart at Belly Up Tavern. Schoolboy Q at House of Blues. Markus Schulz at Fluxx.

Friday, May 10 Marina and The Diamonds, Charli XCX at House of Blues. Blowoff w/ Bob Mould, Rich Morel at The Casbah. Manhattan Transfer at Balboa Theatre. Unwritten Law at The Casbah.

Sunday, May 12 The Milk Carton Kids at Belly Up Tavern.

Acid Mothers Temple, Tjutuna at The Casbah. Cloud Cult at Porter’s Pub.

Monday, May 13 oOoOO at Soda Bar.

Tuesday, May 14 Rotten Sound, Black Breath at Soda Bar. Yngwie Malmsteen at House of Blues.

Wednesday, May 15 Blacktop Royalty, H.A. Perkins, Hidden Lines at The Casbah.

Thursday, May 16 Devin the Dude at Porter’s Pub. Tom Rush at AMSDConcerts.

Friday, May 17 Jimmy Eat World, Iamdynamite at House of Blues.

Saturday, May 18 Ariel Pink at The Casbah.

Sunday, May 19 Black Angels, Wall of Death, special guest at Belly Up Tavern. The Appleseed Cast at The Casbah.

Monday, May 20 Quel Bordello, Strange & Wildlife at The Casbah.

Tuesday, May 21 The Presidents of the United States of America at Belly Up Tavern. JJAMZ at The Griffin. Flobots at The Casbah.

Wednesday, May 22 Twin Shadow, Elliphant at Belly Up Tavern. Bloc Party, Bear Mountain at House of Blues. Black Pus at Soda Bar. Tera Melos, TTNG at The Casbah. Your Demise, Expire at Ché Café.

Thursday, May 23 Mikal Cronin at The Casbah. Marianas Trench at House of Blues.

rCLUBSr

710 Beach Club, 710 Garnet Ave, Pacific Beach. 710bc.com. Wed: Open mic, open jam. Thu: Mike Pinto. Fri: A Will To Wander, Devocean, Pasadena. Sat: The Steppas, Ezzrah, Clear Conscience. Sun: Lo-

cal Bands, Local Brews. Mon: San Diego Music. TV Jams. Tue: 710 Bass Club.

98 Bottles, 2400 Kettner Blvd. Ste. 110, Little Italy. 98bottlessd.com. Fri: The Homegrown Hour. Sat: Billy Watson and the International Silver String Submarine Band.

Sun: Showtime at the Apollo w/ Brandon Primus. Tue: Acoustic Battle of the Bands.

Air Conditioned Lounge, 4673 30th St, Normal Heights. airconditionedbar.com.

Wed: ‘Glitch’ w/ DJ Squarewave. Thu: DJs Bala, Lucky J, Lehder 10. Fri: DJ Junior the DiscoPunk. Sat: ‘Juicy’ w/ Mike Czech. Sun: ‘Noise Agents’ w/ DJs Watch .44, Sunday Sauce.

American Comedy Co., 818 B Sixth Ave, Downtown. americancomedyco.com. Wed: Mr. Mc Napkins. Thu-Sat: Otto and George.

Sun: Mal Hall. Tue: The Local Open Mic. AMSDConcerts, 4650 Mansfield St, Normal Heights. Sat: Incendio.

Bar Pink, 3829 30th St, North Park. barpink.com. Wed: DJ Grandmasta Rats.

Thu: J. Blow, Daeta, The Fresh Yard, Premiere Fits. Sat: Pyyramids, The Milkcrates DJs. Sun: DJs Joemama and Friends.

Tue: ‘Tiki Tuesday.’

Bassmnt, 919 Fourth Ave, Downtown. bassmntsd.com. Fri: Politik, Skylar Grey.

Sat: ‘Awakening’ w/ Jerome Isma-ae.

Mon: ‘Awakening’ w/ Dash Berlin.

Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave, Solana Beach. bellyup.com. Wed: Cody Canada and The Departed, Rose’s Pawn Shop. Thu: Devendra Banhart, Rodrigo Amarante. Fri: The Fabulous Pelicans (5:30 p.m.); Pepper (9 p.m.). Sat: The Mar Dels (2 p.m.); Tea Leaf Green, Terraplane Sun (9 p.m.). Sun: The Milk Carton Kids, The Barefoot Movement. Mon: The Egg, Sophie Barker, 9Theory. Tue: Bill Payne of Little Feat, Dennis McNally.

Black Cat Bar, 4246 University Ave, City Heights. 619-280-5834. Fri: Krass Bros., and Red Fox Tails.

Blarney Stone Pub, 5617 Balboa Ave, Clairemont. 858-279-2033. Wed: The Barmen. Thu & Sun: Men of Leisure. Fri: Whiskey Fellas. Sat: The Fooks. Mon: Trivia. Tue: Irish jam, Bob Tedde.

Boar Cross’n, 390 Grand Ave, Carlsbad. boarcrossn.net. Thu: Pasadena, Brothers Gow. Fri: ‘Club Musae.’ Sat: Soul Malady.

Tue: Video DJ. Brick by Brick, 1130 Buenos Ave, Bay Park. brickbybrick.com. Wed: Open mic.

Thu: Battle of the Bands w/ Rosewood 5, The Honkeys, Wilson Renette. Fri: Chica Diabla, Circle 7, As The Crow Flies; Clairemont High School Fundraiser w/ Mid Life Crisis.

Sat: Days to Change, Given Life, Aurora, Streetcar Rendezvous, REV, Them Guns.

Cafe Sevilla, 353 Fifth Ave, Downtown. cafesevilla.com. Thu: Malamana. Fri: Joef. Sat: Aragon y Royal.

Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd, Midtown. casbahmusic.com. Wed: Jerry Joseph, Walter Salas-Humara, Steve Drizos. Thu: Turquoise Jeep, NN$ and Telegraph, Kosha Dillz. Fri: Unwritten Law, Noel Jordan (6 p.m.); Blowoff w/ Bob Mould, Rich Morel (10 p.m.). Sat: The Donkeys, Rafter, Octa#grape. Sun: Acid Mothers Temple, Tjutuna, ANA. Mon: Translation: Audio, Black Belt Karate, Elektrik Monk. Tue: Animal Steel, OkayOkay, East of Sweden, St. Cloud Sleepers.

Che Cafe, UCSD campus, La Jolla. thechecafe.blogspot.com. Sat: Let Em Rot, D.E.A., PSO, Vacant Youth. Sun: Week of Wonders, Mittens, Llamadors.

Croce’s, 802 Fifth Ave, Downtown. cro-

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May 8, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 57

the hit list Come on, get happy I know that it’s all about craft or vintage cocktails sounds of Hawaiian-inspired music from Adrian nowadays. Cocktail snobs get a big ol’ boner drink- Demain’s Exotica-Tronica. It’s the mellowest fun ing a concoction made from a recipe found in a book you’ll have all week, aside from the sneaky cat nap printed in 1845. While I enjoy a yummy craft cock- you take in your car at lunch time. tail, I hate it when they taste like bitter, old-timey Get past hump day at Black Cat Bar’s (4246 Unicough syrup. I prefer a simple whisky press paired versity Ave. in City Heights) Blue Wednesday, hapwith some good tunes. That’s pening Wednesday, May 15. exactly how I like to unwind DJ Roger Lane and bartender after a long day. / DJ Matt Parker serve up a seYou can do a bit of that at lection of killer ’80s vinyl and Seven Grand (3054 Univergood, stiff drinks for your midsity Ave. in North Park) when week pleasure. Play some pool The Black Sands play the or just sit at the bar with the bar’s back room on Thursday, resident kitty. It’s adorable.

May 9. The rootsy Americana If you feel like checking group’s made up of members out some new spots in town, of The Heavy Guilt, Podunk Hubcap (3926 30th St. in Nowhere, The Fire Eaters, North Park), Sycamore Den Stevie and the High-Staxx (3391 Adams Ave. in Normal and Mudgrass. Order the tasty Heights) and Cat Eye Club Hang with Behemoth, the cute kitty and refreshing mint julep and (370 Seventh Ave., Downthat parties at Black Cat Bar. talk shit about Mumford & town) each offers a different Sons while listening to these guys. vibe and is worth checking out, if only just for a bit If you enjoy drinks that are at least three- of change from your regular post-work drink. quarters pineapple juice, go to Bar Pink (3829 —Alex Zaragoza 30th Ave. in North Park) on Tuesday, May 14, for its weekly Tiki Tuesday. Kick back at the bar for Write to alexz@sdcitybeat.com a chill night of sugary tiki cocktails and the easy and editor@sdcitybeat.com.

58 · San Diego CityBeat · May 8, 2013

ces.com. Wed: Gio Trio plus-1. Thu: Bo Bice (5 p.m.); Gilbert Castellanos and The New Latin Jazz Quintet (7:30 p.m.). Fri: Bo Bice (5 p.m.); Lady Dottie and The Diamonds (8:30 p.m.). Sat: Daniel Jackson (11:30 a.m.); Yavaz (8:30 p.m.). Sun: Irving Flores (11:30 a.m.); The Archtones (7:30 p.m.). Mon: Dave Scott and Monsoon Jazz. Tue: Mike Wofford/Holly Hofmann Quartet.

Dirk’s Nightclub, 7662 Broadway, Lemon Grove. dirksniteclub.com. Wed & Sun: Karaoke Contest. Fri: Nemesis. Sat: Get Groovin’.

Dizzy’s, 4275 Mission Bay Dr, Downtown. dizzyssandiego.com. Fri: Mark Dresser and His Quintet. Sat: Gilbert Castellanos w/ Irving Flores, Rob Thorsen, Tommy Aros and Fernando Gomez.

El Dorado Bar, 1030 Broadway, Downtown. eldoradobar.com. Wed: The Tighten Up. Thu: Ride on San Diego. Fri: ‘Posse on Broadway’ w/ kidRiz, Cros1. Sat: Mr. Biggs, Kimbo.

Fluxx, 500 Fourth Ave, Downtown. fluxxsd. com. Wed-Thu: Markus Schulz. Fri: DJ Epic 12, JLouis. Sat: DJ Ikon, Craig Smoove.

Griffin, 1310 Morena Blvd, Bay Park. thegriffinsd.com. Wed: Rehab, BNMC. Thu: Alekesam, CBOT and the Paperwork, DJ Chris Renzulli. Fri: Rey Fresco, Todd Hannigan, DJ Burnout. Sat: Tom Curren, MK and the Gentlemen, The Lucky Lonely, The Wes Coast. Sun: Maka Roots, I Sight Band. Tue: Inspired and the Sleep, Idyll Wild, Merry Problem Child.

House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave, Downtown. houseofblues.com/sandiego. Wed: Jammingout the House of Blues. Thu: Schoolboy Q. Fri: Marina and the Diamonds, Charli XCX (sold out). Sun: Suicidal Tendencies, Sick Of It All, Waking the

Dead. Mon: Modern Day Moonshine; All Time Low. Tue: Yngwie Malmsteen; Mimi Zulu, Soul Ablaze.

Inn at the Park, 3167 Fifth Ave, Bankers Hill. innattheparkdining.com. Wed: Andy Anderson, Nathan Fry. Thu: Roman Palacios and Tommy Gannon. Fri: Janice Edwards, Nathan Fry. Sat: Rick and Ria. Sun: Ria Carey, Don LeMaster. Mon: Karaoke. Tue: Carol Curtis.

Ivy @ Andaz, 600 F St, Downtown. ivyentertainmentsandiego.com. Thu: Craig Smoove, Christopher London, Static Promenade. Fri: Jake Talcott, Kaotik, It’s Royale.

Sat: Dancers of Lipstik Inc. Kava Lounge, 2812 Kettner Blvd, Midtown. kavalounge.com. Wed: M.E.T.H., Adia Break, Tech_Fusion, Duckman. Thu: Yppah, Divinity, Panda Grass. Fri: DJs Velanche, Will Guise, Tony Phelps. Sat: Sugapill, Golden Child, Misk, Arkon. Sun: Mr. Mozzberg, Mr. Quinse, DJ Mike Willz.

Tue: ‘Microphone Assassins’ w/ Champ, Cheech, Double AA, Drag, Johnny Dubois, Ill Thought, Bilal, True Light, Diversal.

La Gran Tapa, 611 B St, Downtown. lagrantapa.com. Wed: Club Bohemia, Carlos Velasco. Thu: Dusty Brough Guitar and Friends (6 p.m.). Fri: Juan Moro (6 p.m.); Flamenco w/ Oscar Valero, Juan Moro (8 p.m.). Sat: Pan Am. Sun: Carlos Velasco, Club Bohemia. Tue: Tomcat Courtney (6 p.m.).

Lestat’s Coffee House, 3343 Adams Ave, Normal Heights. lestats.com. Wed: 22 Kings, Little War Twins, Nick Sullivan.

Thu: Christine Parker, Emily Elbert, Olivia Wiese. Fri: Chrissy Depauw, Josh Damigo, Leah King. Sat: Rebecca Pidgeon, Stephen Kellogg. Mon: Open mic w/ Chad Taggart. Tue: Comedy.

Loft @ UCSD, Price Center East, La Jolla.

theloft.ucsd.edu. Thu: AfroJazziacs, The Adrian Terrazas-Gonzalez Trio. Fri: Steph Johnson Trio. Sat: Fighting With Irons, Inspired and the Sleep, Nostalgic People.

Tue: GSA Comedy Night; ANT and Regina DeCicco (comedy).

Rich’s, 1051 University Ave, Hillcrest. richssandiego.com. Wed: ‘Mischief’ w/ Bianca, DJ Marcel. Thu: ‘Repent- Ladies Night.’ Fri: ‘Dirty Pop!’ w/ DJs Drew G, Marcel. Sat: ‘Voltage’ w/ DJs Taj, John Joseph. Sun: ‘Pump’ w/ DJs Cros, Kiki.

Martinis Above Fourth, 3940 Fourth Ave, Hillcrest. martinisabovefourth.com.

Wed: Antonio Barrazza & Friends. Fri: Carol Curtis. Sat: MA4 Live!. Mon: Musical Mondays. Tue: Aaron and Amelia.

Riviera Supper Club, 7777 University Ave, La Mesa. rivierasupperclub.com.

Wed: Kice Simko and Friends. Thu: Man From Tuesday. Fri: Vamonos. Sat: Bill Cardinal. Tue: Party Planet Karaoke.

Mc P’s Irish Pub, 1107 Orange Ave, Coronado. mcpspub.com. Wed: Tone Cooking. Thu: Jackson and Jesus. Fri: Trunk Monkey. Sat: Sure Fire Deluxe.

Ruby Room, 1271 University Ave, Hillcrest. rubyroomsd.com. Wed: Kodiak, Deep Sea Thunder Beast, Lazy Cobra, Bhorelord.

Thu: ‘Nerdcore Night’ w/ J Man, Barbi Crash, Beatsmith Resist and Aki Kharmicel, The Cemetery Improvement Society. Fri: Pour Habit, Implants (CD release), Sederra, Thorne, SkipJack. Sat: ‘Mighty Fresh Saturday’ w/ Fashawn, Park and The Numberman, Beatnick, DJ Daeta and Norm Rocwell. Tue: ‘Ruby Tuesday’ w/ Kitten with a Whip, Della Della, Lillian LeFranc.

Numbers, 3811 Park Blvd, Hillcrest. numberssd.com. Thu: ‘Tagged’ w/ DJ Angel X; ‘Varsity.’ Fri: Harness; ‘Viernes Calientes’ w/ DJs Sebastian La Madrid, Rubin. Sat: ‘Club Sabbat’ w/ Robin Roth.

Office, 3936 30th St, North Park. officebarinc.com. Wed: Blk Owl, The KABBs, Legs, Merry Problem Child, B.I.D.I., Cobra Heart, Andrew Mills. Thu: Ikah Love, Adam Salter, Old Money, The Office. Fri: ‘After Hours’ w/ DJs Gabe Vega, Kid Wonder. Sat: DJs EdRoc, Kanye Asada. Sun: Tribe of Kings.

Mon: ‘Dub Dynamite’ w/ DJs Rashi, Eddie Turbo. Tue: ‘The Boardroom.’

Pal Joey’s Cocktail Lounge, 5147 Waring Road, Mission Valley. paljoeysonline. com. Wed-Thu, Sun, Tue: Karaoke. Fri: Random Order. Sat: Cheap Date. Mon: Vicious Phishes.

Porter’s Pub, 9500 Gilman Dr., UCSD campus, La Jolla. porterspub.net. Thu: Dizzy Wright. Sun: Cloud Cult, JBM. Tue: Thrift Trunk Show.

Queen Bee’s, 3925 Ohio St, North Park. queenbeessd.com.

Wed: Firehouse Swing. Fri: Battle of the Bands. Sun: Salsa. Tue: ‘Lyrical Exchange’ open mic.

Soda Bar, 3615 El Cajon Blvd, City Heights. sodabarmusic.com. Wed: The Technicolors, Fictionist, The Sinclairs.

Thu: Nena Anderson and The Mules, The County Fair, The Peripherals. Fri: Brothers Weiss, Francisco the Man, Oh Spirit, Nicely. Sat: The Gore Horsemen, Screamin Yeehaws, The Blackjackits. Sun: Chrome Sparks, The Glass Canoe, Suburban Campers. Mon: oOoOO, Mister Goodnite, Kynan, DJ Illuminauts. Tue: Rotten Sound, Early Graves, Globe and Beast.

SOMA, 3350 Sports Arena Blvd, Midway. somasandiego.com. Fri-Sat: Pierce the Veil, All Time Low, Mayday Parade, You Me At Six (sold out). Sun: Attack Attack!, The Plot in You, Get Scared, Dangerkids, Closer to Closure.

Spin, 2028 Hancock St, Midtown. spinnightclub.com. Fri: DJs Gigi, Rage. Sat:

DJ Paulo.

The Jive Bombers.

Stage Bar & Grill, 762 Fifth Ave, Downtown. stagesaloon.com. Wed: Bl3ndr, Mark Fisher/Gaslamp Guitars. Thu: Dubstep DJs, Van Roth. Fri: The Disco Pimps, Juliet’s Royal Blood, Vinyl Exam. Sat: DJ Miss Dust, Fingerbang. Mon: Reggae.

Turquoise, 873 Turquoise St, Pacific Beach. theturquoise.com/wordpress. Wed: Tomcat Courtney. Thu: Pan Am. Fri: Tomcat Courtney (5 p.m.); Stefanie (9 p.m.).

Sat: Tomcat Courtney (5 p.m.); Peligroso Caramelo (9 p.m.). Sun: Sounds Like Four (4 p.m.); Blue 44 (7 p.m.). Mon: Pan Am. Tue: Jazz improv concert.

Stingaree, 454 Sixth Ave, Downtown. stingsandiego.com. Thu: ‘Imaginarium’ w/ DJs Dynamiq, Mike Zee. Sat: DJ Kurch, Crespo.

The Void, 3519 El Cajon Blvd, North Park. thevoidsd.com. Wed: Orange Revival, Highlands, The Pheasants. Thu: Nick Bone and The Big Scene, Hobo Torch, A Bortz. Fri: Fucklordz, Get Shot, The Seks, The Touchies. Sat: Boan, Karaoke, Lewis and Lewis. Sun: Karaoke. Mon: Speak, The Yawmen, Grizzly Business. Tue: Dirty Beaches Record Listening Party.

Til-Two Club, 4746 El Cajon Blvd, City Heights. tiltwoclub.com. Wed: San Diego City Soul Club w/ King Dutty, Erny Earthquake. Fri: Bujwah Clothing and Lolipop Records. Sat: ‘The Beat Kitchen.’ Mon: Karaoke. Tue: Comedy w/ Gordon Downs.

Tin Can Ale House, 1863 Fifth Ave, Bankers Hill. thetincan1.wordpress.com.

Wed: Void Lake, Teammate, Okapi Sun. Thu: 2000 Tons of TNT, Sammy K and The East Los 3, The Combos. Fri: Primitive Noyes, Interrobang, Sociawki. Sat: Mittens, Glass Elevator, Love and The Skull.

Mon: Tin Can Country Club w/ Mike Pope.

Tue: ‘Chill Hard’ w/ Polyphase, DJ Active, artist Aldo Mones.

Tower Bar, 4757 University Ave, City Heights. thetowerbar.com. Wed: The Ratt’s Revenge. Thu: The Rock ‘n’ Roll Preservation Society. Fri: Batlords, International Dipshit, Steve Adamick Band.

Sat: DJ Mongo Style and Chango Rey,

U-31, 3112 University Ave, North Park. u31bar.com. Thu: DJ Schoeny. Fri: Saul Q. Sat: DJ Bugz, VonKiss. Sun: Reggae. Mon: ‘Taking Back Monday.’ Tue: Karaoke.

Vin De Syrah, 901 Fifth Ave, Downtown. syrahwineparlor.com. Thu: 4 Year Anniversary Party.

Voyeur, 755 Fifth Ave, Downtown. voyeursd.com. Thu: Salva. Fri: Henrix. Sat: Craze.

Voz Alta, 1754 National Ave, Barrio Logan. vozaltaprojectgallery.com. Thu: Bill Caballero’s Latin Jazz Jam. Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St, South Park. whistlestopbar.com. Wed: ‘Now!Hear!This!’

Thu: ‘Shot by Shot Film Club.’ Fri: Club Pussy Galore w/ Hills Like Elephants, Bulletins, DJs Robin, Terryn. Sat: DJ Daydream Nation (5 p.m.); ‘Booty Bassment’ w/ DJs Dimitri, Rob. Tue: ‘Friends Chill.’

Winstons, 1921 Bacon St, Ocean Beach. winstonsob.com. Wed: Open mic w/ Jefferson Jay (6 p.m.); Jah Sun, Dubtronic Kru, DJ Carlos Culture (9:30 p.m.). Thu: Ocean Beach Comedy Competition (6 p.m.); Harriet and The Tubmans (10 p.m.).

Fri: Tim Wicker and James Lovejoy (6 p.m.); Revival, Piracy Conspiracy, Roots Covenant, DJs Maitland Roots, I-Abide (9:30 p.m.). Sat: Temple of the Dad (7 p.m.); Cubensis (9 p.m.). Sun: O.B.-o-ke w/ Jose Sinatra (10 p.m.). Mon: Electric Waste Band. Tue: MAIZ.

May 8, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 59

60 · San Diego CityBeat · May 8, 2013

May 8, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 61

Proud sponsor: Mitch’s Seafood

Ink Well Xwords by Ben Tausig

Clues 17, 40 and 66 are deliberately blank.

Across 1. Company that bought the naming rights to Boston Garden 7. Stroked 15. Sales limit for rare items, say 16. Australian city where News Corp. was founded 17. 18. “Praise Citizens United! Praise Citizens United!”?

19. Very common Muslim name 20. American bike company, oddly enough 22. Take, as a shot 23. “The art of making guests feel at home when that’s really where you wish they were” 25. Add some color to 27. 1989 James Cameron film, with “The” 30. Falls in line 32. IV 34. “Fin” Tutuola portrayer 35. Smoker’s action 37. Respond to Lasik surgery, say 39. She might work with Quentin on “Kill Bill 3” 40. 43. Personal lubricant for a druglord?

45. “Past Life Martyred Saints” musician 46. Keystone ___ 47. “Grey Gardens” first name 48. CBS maritime drama 50. Online expression of shock 52. Wedding registry tableware brand 56. Aloe, e.g.

58. Walk on water?

60. City associated with Francis 61. “Little Women” woman 63. U.S. Green Building Council rating system

Last week’s answers

65. Palindromic abbreviation in industrial music 66. 69. Music fan concerned with expanding his mind as well as his body?

71. Early 1950s presidential campaign slogan 72. Area of concern to the FCC 73. Fubu alternative, in urban clothing 74. Arcade game in which characters can pass through tunnels to get to the other side of the screen

Down 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Projectile hurled at Fozzie Bear “CSI” facility “There’s no need for sarcasm” On point Big name in unnervingly militaristic toys Fermented frank topper Place where lots of money gets lost on the floor 8. Former soccer phenom Freddy 9. Squat count 10. Kagan of the court 11. Simba’s mom 12. Vessel for young drinkers 13. LeShan who wrote about children 14. Mo. known for lights 21. Orville Redenbacher’s rival 24. Put down words, in a way 26. Historically black university in Alabama 28. Rig on the road 29. Persian for “place” 31. Keep being mad, perhaps 33. Majority Leader since 2007 36. No. that Bloomberg’s soda ban would have limited 38. Sooner State city 40. Burns and Jennings 41. Village People classic 42. One in a juvenile court?

44. Equipment 49. Liquor with futuristic sexy robot ads 51. Bathroom mold 53. Corporal or sergeant 54. Character with a “sense of snow” in a 1997 thriller 55. Marathoner Geoffrey Mutai, e.g.

57. Old-time anesthetic 59. Fix a sloppy cartographer’s work 62. Will name 64. Commercial prefix meaning “dependable” 66. Insult, or enjoy 67. Tall Ernie of pro golf 68. Letters before a pen name 70. LSU’s conference

Two $20 gift certificates to Mitch’s Seafood will be awarded weekly. Email a picture of your answers to crossword@sdcitybeat.com or fax it to 619-325-1393. Limit one win per person per 30 days.

62 · San Diego CityBeat · May 8, 2013

May 8, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 63