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www.SDNEWS.com � Volume 12, Number 11San Diego Community Newspaper GroupSan Diego Community Newspaper GroupSan Diego Community Newspaper Group NOVEMBER 2011

DOWNTOWN’S COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

Initial CleaningNew Customers Only

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Thereturn

of

sailing’smost

exciting

race

The America’s Cupreturns to San Diego after

a 16-year hiatus

At 30 knots, it’s not NASCAR out there butthe America’s Cup World Series can be asexciting — depending, that is, on the flow ofthe San Diego Bay tide.

Crewmembers will hang onto the gun-wales for two weekends of competition in SanDiego (Nov. 12-13 and Nov. 19-20) whennine boats take to the water in match andfleet activity. Entries will come from France,Sweden, Korea, China, United States, NewZealand and Spain.

Spectator gates for vendors and entertain-ment at the Broadway Pier will open eachday at 10 a.m. and racing starts at 1 p.m. ona short-course version of Dennis Conner’sswashbuckling Cup challenges on unpre-dictable waters off Point Loma a few yearsago.

This time, the shorelines along Harbor andNorth islands and the Embarcadero will befilled with spectators getting a closer look asthe boats slip past. The new AC45 wing-sailedcatamarans provide a platform that has neverbeen seen in the America’s Cup — a boat thatis both exceedingly quick and highly maneu-verable.

BY JOHNNY MCDONALD | DOWNTOWN NEWS

SEE SAIL, Page 6

Occupy San Diego raiduncovers more thantwo sides to one issue

Nearly three weeks after itbegan, the Occupy San Diego(OSD) protest against financialcorruption and corporate greedwas temporarily broken up bySan Diego police in the earlymorning hours of Oct. 28.Rather than putting an end tothe local version of a nation-wide movement, however, theraid served to stir up reactionson both sides of the issue.

William Gagan, who hasbeen part of a core group ofOSD members who have helpedorganize the protest since itsearliest stages,wasn’t entire-ly upset by theraid, duringwhich morethan 50 adultdemonstratorswere takeninto custodyafter defyingan order tovacate the SanDiego CivicCenter Plazaand Children’s Park. He was notpresent during the raid but saidin retrospect, the police actionwas a helpful move.

“Our movement was becom-ing stagnant, but this actiondraws light to our voice and wewill be heard much furtheraway,” Gagan said. “It’s a neces-sary evil that we knew wasgoing to happen at some pointand I’m thankful that todaywe’re waking up and still havethe chance to change things.”

According to police officials,about 130 officers, along with

50 sheriff ’s deputies, clad in fullriot gear, descended upon thetwo locations at around 2 a.m.as protesters slept.

Following an announcementthey were assembling illegallyand subject to arrest, lawenforcement personnel gaveprotesters an opportunity togather their belongings and dis-perse before moving in. After-ward, cleanup crews enteredthe area to remove and discardtents, tables, signs, provisions,personal belongings and otheritems left behind by demonstra-tors.

“We are not trying to preventthem from exer-cising their rightto free speech,”said Boyd Long,assistant policechief, who saidno use of batons,rubber bullets,teargas or pep-per spray wasemployed andonly hand forcewas appliedwhen carrying

out arrests. “What we aretelling them is that they cannothave tents, occupy public spacewith their property, sleep inpublic and say that they’regoing to stay there indefinitely.”

Long said demonstratorswere welcome to return to theCivic Center Plaza to continueprotesting peacefully, with thefull support and protection ofthe SDPD, but they could notinfringe upon the rights ofother San Diegans or violate the

BY MANNY LOPEZ | DOWNTOWN NEWS

“They’re killing mybusiness. I’m part ofthe 99 percent, too.I’m a small business,not a big corporation.”

PETER PEREZOwner, Brooklyn Dogs hot dog

vendor, Civic Center Plaza

SEE OCCUPY, Page 11

Occupy San Diego protesters march during a rally on Oct. 9 in downtownSan Diego. PAUL HANSEN | Downtown News

Italy leads as New Zealand trails in the Louis Vuit-ton race series, left, in San Diego in 1992. Below,the Italian team struggles during the 1992 Ameri-ca’s Cup finals, ultimately losing to the U.S. team.This year marks the first time the series has madean appearance in San Diego since 1995.

Photos by PAUL HANSEN | Downtown News

A grand orchid planted in Little Italy

Craft & Commerce, a new-comer to Little Italy, has gar-nered rousing support for itsarchitecture, adaptive re-useand interior design, earningthe restaurant the esteemed2011 Grand Orchid from thisyear’s 2011 Orchids andOnions awards ceremony — afundraising program hosted bythe San Diego ArchitecturalFoundation.

This year’s biggest nod wentto the eatery located at 675 W.Beech St. for a spot that jurorsnamed “idea-driven, yet basic.”

Some of the restaurant’s

simple, yet imaginative designconcepts include written pas-sages from John Steinbeck andDavid Foster Wallace scribbledacross the pub’s walls andseats, stacks upon stacks ofvintage hardcover novels, over-size glass doors with FordModel T steering wheels forhandles and a unique fusion ofmaterials, including woodenplanks on the ceiling, red brickson the walls and aluminumencompassing the center bar.

Grant Barrett, the awardsceremony’s emcee, explainedthe jurors’ decision at the eventon Oct. 27.

“During deliberations for the

2011 Grand Orchid, the jurywas taken with one particularproject, where they were all inagreement that the space hadactually transcended thedesign,” he said. “They feltstrongly that Craft & Com-merce — this accessible, adap-tive re-use project in Little Italy— had been carefully designedand masterfully executed tocreate a truly exceptional expe-rience.”

One juror noted there seemsto be a hidden personal storythat owners Nate Stanton andArsalun Tafazoli and designer

BY MARIKO LAMB | DOWNTOWN NEWS

SEE ORCHID, Page 6

Craft & Commerce, 675 W. Beech St., wonthe Grand Orchid award during the SanDiego Architectural Foundation’s annualOrchids and Onions awards.

Photo courtesy Amy K. Fellows

PAGE 2 | NOVEMBER, 2011 | SAN DIEGO DOWNTOWN NEWS

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At present, the San Diego ConventionCenter ranks as one of the most sought-after, mid-size facilities in North Ameri-ca, but its limited capacity hinders thecivic building’s ability to host many ofthe biggest annual shows.

Promoters of a proposed $550 mil-lion expansion at the foot of FifthAvenue, set to increase its size by aboutone-third, say the project would makethe Convention Center much more com-petitive and create thousands of jobs,grow the local economy and generatemillions of dollars in revenue for city ser-vices.

On Oct. 11, Mayor Jerry Sanders andthe Downtown San Diego Partnershiphosted a public presentation at the CityConcourse on the proposed ConventionCenter Phase III expansion. A team ofdesign firms — Fentress Architects, JohnPortman & Associates and Civitas Inc.— presented conceptual models and costproposals for the public.

The projected plan, which was devel-oped using public input during theMayor’s Citizens Task Force on the SanDiego Convention Center Project, wouldadd 225,000 square feet of contiguousexhibit-hall space, about 101,500square feet of meeting rooms and an80,000-square-foot ballroom with aview of the San Diego Bay and balconiesthat would add exterior spaces to theexisting building.

Designers said when completed, SanDiego would have the largest contigu-ous exhibit hall west of the Mississippi

River and the largest ballroom of anyconventional facility on the West Coast.The plan also includes a waterfrontpromenade with walkways, a waterfronttransportation center and up to 30,000square feet of retail space. No addition-al options for parking were presented.

“The design is absolutely brilliant,”said Joe Terzi, president and CEO of the

San Diego Convention and VisitorsBureau. “They were able to get every-thing accomplished in a sleek and less-impactful plan, which will give us theability to get larger conventions, hostmore than one convention at a time andlimit the center’s overall downtime.”

Terzi added that among the mostinteresting features of the environmen-tally friendly design is a five-acre rooftoppark with panoramic views of down-town, Coronado and San Diego Bay. Inaddition to outdoor receptions, he saidthe park could also be used for partiesand community events like musical per-formances and public art displays.

San Diego attorney and real estateexecutive Charles Black, who led thePetco Park development team and isnow serving as the Convention Centerexpansion program manager, said basedon a November 2010 study conductedby AECOM, a technical and manage-ment support services company basedin Los Angeles, the proposed contiguousexpansion would attract 25 new prima-ry events annually to the SDCC.

That, he said, would translate intomore than 250,000 visitors, whichwould produce an additional 657,000annual room nights at nearby hotelsand equate to more than $121 millionin additional annual room sales. Fur-ther, he said a positive fiscal impact of$700 million is expected in addition tothe $1.3 billion a year in economic activ-ity the Convention Center already gener-ates, plus $15 million in new city rev-enues and nearly 7,000 permanent jobs.

The plan does come with a qualifica-tion, however. All of the economicassumptions hinge upon the projectbeing built in its entirety.

“Size matters,” Black said. “In order toachieve these economic benefits, weneed to incorporate all of the programs.So, it has been our objective to maintaincompliance with the Convention Cen-ters requirements.”

On Oct. 10, the San Diego City Coun-cil approved a three-tier taxing formulabased on proximity to the ConventionCenter and percentage of room revenuethat is expected to raise most of themoney needed to pay for the expansion.

Ambitious Convention Center planscould reap big rewards — if done right

BY MANNY LOPEZ | DOWNTOWN NEWS

A rendering shows what a newly revamped Convention Center would look like, complete with a five-acre rooftop park with panoramic viewsof downtown, Coronado and the bay. Courtesy image

SEE CENTER, Page 9

“Size matters. In order toachieve these economicbenefits, we need to incor-porate all of the programs.”

CHARLES BLACKAttorney, Convention Center expansion

program manager

NEWS4 NOVEMBER 2011SAN DIEGO DOWNTOWN NEWS

One month after the San Diego off-shoot of the Occupy Wall Street protestbegan against, among other things, cor-porate greed, income inequality andpolitical corruption, it is still hanging on— if by a thread.

Without a clear list of demands orsolutions, protesters determined to affecta social, political and economic shift con-tinue to join the ranks of what hasbecome a vaguely defined global move-ment with more than 1,500 citiesaround the world participating in aneffort to bridge the gap between whatthey describe as the majority of the pop-ulation — the 99 percent — and therichest and most powerful 1 percent.

“This is giving people a voice and away to start something new,” said BillTerzin, an American living in Tijuana.“When everybody’s voice is heard, thesystem of government works. It’s whenpeople don’t have a voice, or they feelthey’re not being heard and their votesdon’t make a difference, that we get to apoint such as this one.”

Planted directly in the shadows ofCity Hall, the San Diego Civic CenterPlaza had become ground zero for Occu-py San Diego (OSD) demonstrators —until, that is, San Diego police came inand cleaned house in a pre-dawn raidon Oct. 28.

The demonstrators have vowed toexercise their First Amendment rightsindefinitely in creating what AbelThomas of Ocean Beach described as a“new paradigm shift in human history.”Thomas, a member of the GeneralAssembly — a de facto decision-making

body for the occupation, said that noth-ing is going make the protesters turnaround and go home.

“I would like to think there would bea point at which we can call the move-ment a success, but I don’t see that any-where in the near future,” said Thomas,a biomedical engineering graduate who,at 22, has not been able to find a job formore than a year. “Because there are somany things that need changing andreforming, we expect to be here for awhile.”

San Diego police Capt. Mark Jones ofCentral Division said the numerousactions the police have carried outagainst protesters were necessary toallow the general public to enjoy theirfreedoms also. After police, with the help

of sheriff ’s deputies, cleared out CivicCenter Plaza and the Children’s Park,protesters returned that evening to con-tinue their occupation of the plaza.

“Businesses owners’ rights have beentrampled on, city property has beendestroyed and there are people thatwon’t go down there because of the waysome of the protesters are behaving andbecause of their poor hygiene,” saidBoyd Long, assistant police chief.

Long said the police will continue todo all that they can within the confinesof the law to facilitate and protect thedemonstrators’ First Amendment rights,but he added that working with a lead-erless organization makes it challenging

BY MANNY LOPEZ | DOWNTOWN NEWS

Protesters still sticking to guns, getting mixed reaction from public

Occupy San Diego protesters pass the time at their new temporary home at Civic CenterPlaza with music. The protest that started out peacfully with little trouble from police has takena turn for the dramatic, with early morning police raids and reports from local business own-ers that the movement has hurt their bottom line. PAUL HANSEN | Downtown News

SEE PROTESTS, Page 15

Businesses at San Diego’s popularbayside shopping, dining and entertain-ment attraction, Seaport Village, areramping up efforts to promote energyefficiency and green practices by tak-ing part in the Port of San Diego’s GreenBusiness Challenge — an initiative thatpromotes business practices to reduceenergy consumption, wasteful waterusage and pollution.

“I’m proud to say that Seaport Villagehas been on the ‘green track’ for a fewyears now,” said Terry Hall, generalmanager of Seaport Village. “We have afull recycling program in place, andwe’ve installed moisture meters for ourirrigation. This program gives us anopportunity to have all 70 of our ten-ants band together as environmentalstewards.”

Seaport Village businesses currentlymake up 16 of the 54 businesses takingpart in the Green Business Challenge.

Husband-and-wife team Samanthaand Kevin Olenick, owners of Kite Flite,Swings and Things and Wind Song,have always been dedicated to operat-ing a green business, even before it waspopular, Samantha Olenick said.

“It just makes common sense. Wetravel around the world, and globally,there are a lot less throw-away societies,”she said.

The duo has cut down on fuel costs byswitching to a direct delivery process,eliminating the need for warehouse dis-tribution. As a result, they were able toswap out their 14 mile-per-gallon dieseldelivery truck to a 45 mile-per-gallonToyota Prius corporate car for the man-agement team.

Olenick said the best thing about

being part of the challenge is they areable to learn from other participants aswell as share their own sustainable busi-ness practices.

Ben & Jerry’s ice cream shop is alsoparticipating in the challenge through itsdedication to using fair trade certifiedingredients and products, switching tomore energy-efficient lighting and usingSDG&E’s Direct Install Program — a ser-vice that provides a free energy assess-ment and equipment upgrades for smalland medium businesses.

Omar Farah, owner of six eco-friend-ly businesses in Seaport Village, said he“did not hesitate to sign up” because hesees numerous benefits, like cost-savings— an important factor for a busy owner.

Every penny counts for small busi-nesses, and Seaport Village shops aretaking even the smallest of steps, likeshutting down computers and faxmachines at night, embracing energy-efficient strategies to lower their energybills and eliminating excessive packagingfor their products.

“When we band together like this, wecan make a difference,” said Hall. “Weare proud to say Seaport Village is beingmore energy efficient and protecting ourenvironment.”

BY MARIKO LAMB | DOWNTOWN NEWS

Village by the big bluesets sights on green

Several businesses in Seaport Village areleaders in green business practices. Courtesy photo

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The series is considered an extremeexperience with cutting-edge, wing-sailed catamarans navigating short,sharp, intense races on courses squeezedinto the bay to ensure close action to testthe abilities of the best sailing teams inthe world. Five crewmen and a sixth,called the guest, will man the sails.

“I think the competition in San DiegoBay is going to be fantastic,” said IainMurray, regatta director. “The racingwill be very close to shore, which meansit will be great for spectators. The shortcourses will also be very challenging forthe sailors, who will need to executetheir crew maneuvers flawlessly to besuccessful.”

San Diego marks the third stop on thetour, which awards points for both over-all match and fleet racing champi-onships. The 2011-12 series concludesJuly 1 in Newport, R.I.

“I am really excited to race in SanDiego again,” said Bertrand Pacé, theskipper of the French Aleph team. “I

sailed in two Louis Vuitton Cupsthere in the 1990s and I learned anawful lot about the America’s Cup.To go back and race AC45s in thebay will be completely different.”

The AC45 was designed by Ora-cle Racing design and engineeringteams and is manufactured by CoreBuilders Composite of New Zealand.It’s 44 feet in length, 22.6 feet wide,has a 70-foot mast, 8.8-foot draftand weighs 3,080 pounds. Thewing area is 914 square feet.

The two United States Oracle boatshad mixed results in the first two events,winning the match racing and placingthird in fleet at Portugal and a fifth andfirst, respectively, in England.

Subsequently, they spent hours prac-ticing on San Francisco’s huge bay.Besides running computer tests, theteam mixed crew members out of a poolof 20 hand-picked sailors.

“We want a brutal race series wherewe push each other,” said Oracle skipperJames Spithill. “Our goal is to have betterracing than the challengers get.”

He said he thought Emirates Team

New Zealand, however, might have theinside track toward the eventual title.

“The Kiwis have been the most consis-tent team, although the French teams— Aleph Equipe and Energy Team —have been sound, as has Artemis Racingof Sweden,” he said. “The surprise hasbeen Team Korea, which ousted Oraclein match racing in Plymouth.”

During the series’ event in Plymouth,England, three catamarans capsized incompetition and in Portugal’s Augustrace, a New Zealand crewmemberslipped over the side. It awaits to be seenif San Diego will see such action.

SAILCONTINUED FROM Page 1

Paul Basile seem tounravel about the gen-esis of the restaurant.

“Having doubled insize since its opening inAugust of 2010, it hasprovided the impetus tostimulate a sleepy cor-ner into a stimulatingdestination,” Barrettsaid on behalf of thejury. “Craft & Com-merce demonstrateshow the design dia-logue opens minds anddoors, and blooms. Itshines through as aunique and inspira-tional property and awelcome and daringaddition to SanDiego’s designlandscape.”

Craft &Commerceis openevery dayfor lunch, din-ner and drinksfrom 11:30 a.m. to 1 a.m.

ORCHIDCONTINUED FROM Page 1

Other bloomers and stinkers presented atthe Orchids and Onions awards ceremony:

• Thomas Jefferson School ofLaw, 1155 Island Ave., Orchids forlandscape architecture and program-ming and planning

• Banker’s Hill Bar and Restau-rant, 2202 Fourth Ave., Orchid for inte-rior transformation

• Co-Merge, 330 A St., Orchid foradaptive reuse

• Snowflake Bakery building, 70116 St., Orchid for historic recognition

• Pacific Highway inactivity, Peo-ple’s Choice Onion

• State Street offices, 2534 StateSt., Onion for architecture

For a full list of 2011 Orchids andOnions visit www.orchidsandonions.org.

Craft & Commerce was rec-ognized for its architecture, adaptive

re-use and interior design. Judges calledthe building a “unique and inspirational prop-erty and a welcome and daring addition to

San Diego’s design landscape.” Photo courtesy of Amy K. Fellows.

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Left, the New Zealandteam races its boat, the New

Zealand Challenge, while below,Italy holds on during the Louis Vuittonrace series on San Diego Bay in

1992. Photos by PAUL HANSEN | Downtown News

After carefully vetting a number ofqualified applicants, Jerry Navarra,chairman of Jerome’s Furniture, choseLankford & Associates, Portman Hold-ings and Phelps Development —together forming a new entity dubbedLPP — to be the master developer for anearly three million-square-foot reno-vation in San Diego’s Upper East Vil-lage.

The grand vision involves turningthree blocks of a bleak warehouse dis-trict into a pedestrian-friendly, mixed-use space with new residences, shops,hotels, office buildings and a four-acreopen space park.

One of the primary design conceptsfor the renovation is an Innovation,Design, Education and Arts (IDEA)zone — an artistic vision championedby developers David Malmuth and PeteGarcia that will encompass the areabetween Market Street and City Collegeand 11th Avenue and the I-5 freeway.

The duo focused on creative conceptsfor the space, including an artists’ alley,East Village Green Park, a pedestrian-oriented stretch of live-work housingunits and retail shops, an “educationoverlay” zone, and an urban alley fea-turing stone paving, sidewalk cafes,retail shops and market canopies.

“We think that would be a great useof that space there,” said David Hazan,president of the East Village Associa-tion, who serves with Navarra on theassociation’s board. “We know that it’sgoing to take a while. Unfortunately, it’snot going to happen tomorrow, butwe’re very excited, and we think it’ll bea great partnership.”

Other parties involved in the exten-sive redevelopment project include

architect Frank Wolden, principal atCarrier Johnson + Culture; Stacey Pen-nington, principal of SLP Urban Plan-ning; and Sherm Harmer, president ofUrban Housing Partners.

Navarra, who owns and leases outproperties across five blocks between FStreet and Broadway, has been work-ing on plans to redevelop the area forthe past several years.

Harmer, who is advising the Navarrafamily on development options, saidmuch of the planning, permitting andreports have been completed over thelast three years, so when there is arecovery in the real estate market andfinancing is available, the team will beable to jump right into construction.

He also emphasized that, aside fromthe open space park, the team will notseek any public redevelopment fundsfor the estimated $1 billion project.

“Downtown has eight neighbor-hoods, and each has its own feel andunique brand,” he said. “What we’retrying to do is create a neighborhoodthat is energetic and offers a mixed-use area where people can live, shop,play and learn without the use of acar.”

He added the project could ultimate-ly generate 10,000 jobs and $1.8 bil-lion in new construction.

“Rarely in the history of San Diegohas one family had the opportunity tomake such a momentous impact on the

future of the city,” he said. “This is thefirst step in realizing the incrediblepotential of the Upper East Village.”

No plans for the project have beenfinalized and there is no set date to beginconstruction.

NEWS 7NOVEMBER 2011SAN DIEGO DOWNTOWN NEWS

Imagine: a blighted warehouse district transformed into IDEAsBY MARIKO LAMB | DOWNTOWN NEWS

Renderings showhow the UpperEast Village couldlook if the IDEAzone — an Innova-tion, Design, Edu-cation and Artsarea — became areality. A map,above left, showsthe area of down-town developershope they cantransform — withthe right funding,that is. Courtesy images

Hornblower singles cruise,Hornblower ticket booth,1066 N. Harbor Drive,(619) 686-8715,www.hornblower.com,$25

Poetry in three Lan-guages, 6 p.m.,Olive PR Solutions,350 West Ash St,#103, (619) 955-5285,

www.oliveprsolutions.com, free

San Diego Potters’ Guild fall sale,10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Spanish Vil-lage Studio 29, 1770 VillagePlace, (619) 239-0507,www.sandiegopotters-guild.org, free

6 Degrees member reception, 5:30 p.m.,Higgs, Fletcher and Mack LLP, 401 WestA St., Ste. 2600, (619) 255-4410,www.sd6degrees.com, free

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Celebrity chef luncheon and big bot-tle live auction, 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.,San Diego Marriott Marquis, 333West Harbor Drive, (619) 312-

1212, www.worldofwineevents.com, $175

Reserve and new release tasting, 6:30 p.m., SanDiego Air and Space Museum, 2001 Pan AmericanPlaza, wine tasting, silent auction and music,(619) 312-1212, www.worldofwineevents.com,$100

Great White, 8 p.m., 4th and B, 345 B St., GrammyAward-nominee hard rockconcert with Terry Ilous,(619) 231-4343,

www.4thandbevents-.com, $25-$35

Jacobs Masterworks: Liszt’s PianoConcertos, 8 p.m., Copley Sympho-ny Hall, 750 B St., (619) 235-0804,www.sandiegosymphony.com, $29-$96

The Springsteen Experience, 8 p.m., 4th and B, 345 B St.,Bruce Springsteen tribute band, (619) 231-4343,www.4thandbevents.com, general admission $10, VIP seated$15

Fall Back Festival,11 a.m. to 4 p.m.,G a s l a m pQuarter, Fifthand Island avenues,children’s street fair,(619) 233-5008,www.gaslampquarter.org, free

Derek Warfield and the Young Wolfe Tones, 9 p.m.,Dublin Square Irish Pub, 554 Fourth Ave., (619)239-5818, www.dublinsquareirishpub.com, $20

Duboeuf “NuBeau” winecelebra-tion, 5 p.m.to midnight,

Gaslamp Museum Park,4th and Island avenues,(619) 233-5227,www.gaslamp.org, $5

Ellington’sNutcrackerSuite,2 p.m., Bal-boa Theatre,868 Fourth

Ave., Tchaikovsky’sclassic turns as aswinging jazz piece fea-turing MalaschockDance, (619) 231-2311,www.classics4kids.com,$12-$20

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10th annual interfaithcandlelight vigil,3:15 p.m., San DiegoRescue Mission, 120Elm St., raise aware-ness for 10,000homeless individu-als living in SanDiego, (619) 819-1722, dkrakauer@sdrescue.org, free

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17

“Come Fly Away,” 7 p.m., San DiegoCivic Theatre, 1100 Third Ave., runs until

Nov. 13, (619) 564-3000, www.broad-

waysd.org,$26.75-$84.75

Ledisi, 8 p.m., 4th and B, 345 B St.,four-time Grammy nominee R&Bperformance with TimothyBloom, (619) 231-4343,www.4thandbevents.com,

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San Diego City College fall series “Best of”concert, 7:30 p.m., 4th and B, 345 B St.,(619) 231-4343, www.4thandbevents.com,$5 general admission, free with college ID

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15th annual Ocean Gala, 6 p.m.,Westin Gaslamp Quarter, 910Broadway Circle, (619) 758-7743x103, meganb@sd coastkeeper.org,$100-$175, VIP $250

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Downtown in November

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$45 advance, $60 at the door

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Veteran’s Day Parade,11 a.m., Cedar Streetand Pacific Highway,www.sdvetparade.org,free

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The Old Globe Theatre’s annual Christmas treelighting, 6 p.m., Copley Plaza, 1363Old Globe Way, limited tickets,www.theoldglobe.org, (619) 23-GLOBE,free

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San Diego BeerWeek, runs Nov. 4-13, various loca-tions, www.sdbw.org

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Holiday-themed amazing race/scavenger hunt in the GaslampQuarter, 3 p.m., clues take you toroof tops, boutique hotels, publicart and holiday-themed establish-ments, tours@wheretours.com

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Manic Monday, 8 p.m. to 2 a.m., The BrassRail, 3796 Fifth Ave., (619) 298-2233,www.thebrassrailsd.com, $3 cover before11 p.m.

Game Night, 8 p.m. to 2 a.m., The Tipsy Crow,770 Fifth Ave., Wii, board games,shuffleboard, beer pong tourna-ments, trivia, bingo, (619) 338-9300, free

Melero Boutique cocktail and fash-ion show, 6 p.m., Westgate Hotel,1055 Second Ave., (619) 238-1818, www.westgatehotel.com,$25

“How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” 7 p.m., Old Globe Theatre,1363 Old Globe Way, runs through Dec. 31, (619) 234-5623, www.theoldglobe.org, $24-$112

“Mix It Up Mon-days,” 9 p.m. to2 a.m., Bar Dyna-mite, 1808 W.Washington St.,

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Thanksgiving buffet dinnercruise, 3 p.m., Hornblower,1066 N. Harbor Drive,(619) 686-8715,www.hornblow-er.com,$79.95

All that Glitters,10 a.m., SanDiego Natu-ral HistoryMuseum,

1788 El Prado,gemstones pro-duced by earth’snatural processes,(619) 232-3821,www.sdnhm.org,$11-$17, mem-bers free

23Chris Tucker, Civic Theatre,7:30 p.m., 1100 Third Ave.,(619) 570-1100,www.sdcivic.org, $45-$6525

“The Musical PaulGauguin,” 8 p.m.,Maritime Museum,1492 N. HarborDrive, runs throughNov. 27, (619) 234-9153,www.sdmaritime.org,$30-$35

“Some Lovers,” 7 p.m., Old GlobeTheatre, 868 Fourth Ave., runsthrough Dec. 31, (619) 234-5623,www.theoldglobe.org, $35-$94

Sunday Gospel Brunch, 11 a.m. to2 p.m., House of Blues, 1055 FifthAve., (619) 299-2583,www.houseofblues.com, $40adults, $18.50 children ages 6 to12, children five and under free

“Volkswagen: The People’s Car,” 10 a.m.to 4 p.m., San Diego Automotive Muse-um, 2080 Pan American Plaza, (619) 231-2886, www.sdautomuseum.org, $4-$828

“See/Saw” annualyouth exhibition, 10a.m., Museum ofPhotographic Arts,1649 El Prado,

(619) 238-7559,www.mopa.org,$5-$8, mem-bers free

30“A Fiddler’s Tale,” 7 p.m., San DiegoMuseum of Art, 1450 ElPrado, (619) 692-2081,www.artofelan.org,$10-$25

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Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons,”7:30 p.m., Copley Symphony Hall,750 B St., Robert McDuffie joins onviolin, (619) 235-0804,www.sandiegosymphony.com, $20

“December Nights,”5 to 9 p.m., BalboaPark, 1549 ElPrado, (619) 239-0512,www.balboapark.org,free

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photo: Christian Steiner

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Star of India sets sail, 9 a.m., MaritimeMuseum, 1492 North Harbor Drive,(619) 234-9153, www.sdmaritime.org

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Amphibians hold the key to thechallenges facing wildlife in SouthernCalifornia, according to Joan Embery,who has left her Zoo goodwill ambas-sador’s duties to become a conserva-tion authority.

We talked one evening after shecompleted a full day of meetings,appointments and then attended tosome of her 100 animals from A to Z,an aardvark to an endangered Africanzebra at her Lakeside ranch.

“Amphibians are environmentalindicators,” she said. “They breathethrough their skin, are aquatic andsensitive to (habitat) change. So, whenyou see a large die-off of amphibians,you realize there is something wrongwith the environment.

“And we should be concerned,” shesaid. “Sort of like the canary in thecoal mine.”

Although the concerns are world-wide, the San Diego Zoo has estab-lished a research team to studychanges in Southern California.

Embery and her husband, DuanePillsbury, have a 50-acre El Monte Val-ley ranch just off Wild Canyon Road,close to the banks of the San Diego

River. Because of their constant workin the field, the San Diego Zoo recent-ly awarded them the prestigious con-servation medal.

Embery, of course, can be remem-bered for her appearances on televi-sion, particularly the “Tonight Show”with Johnny Carson and Jay Leno. Shehas been a goodwill ambassador at thezoo for many years.

“Those studio trips were three hoursup and back, appearing in a studiowith unpredictable animals andunpredictable show hosts,” she said.“You never knew what to expect.”

Her work at the San Diego Zoo andSafari Park is not as extensive now butshe is always on call. She refers to her-self as the conservation ambassador.

An article in the zoo’s publicationZoonooz detailed their continued activ-ity with wildlife habitats in taking anactive role with endangered speciesthrough breeding programs.

“It’s not easy to get people’s atten-tion,” Joan said. “But we hold theresponsibility of sharing informationand sparking interest in conserva-tion.”

Southern California, she said, ischallenging because it has the highest

diversity of wildlife in the nation — aswell as the most rapidly growinghuman population.

“So it ends up to be a real balancingact for natural resources,” she said.“[For example], the mountain lion is abalancing act. They’ll roam up to200 square miles and their popula-tion is governed by available prey.

“Setting aside a few acres here andthere ... is that sufficient? Their prey isprimarily deer and deer populationsare affected by habitat. Forage is need-ed to support a deer population.”

Southern California’s biologicaldiversity, Embery said, is the result ofits unique topography — oceans,rivers, mountains and deserts, allwithin roughly 100 miles of eachother. This has prompted close exam-ination by conservationists.

“In recent years a multifaceted teamhas been focusing on our backyard,”she said. “This work includes a studyabout the endangered horned lizard,kangaroo rats, red diamondback rat-tlesnakes and cactus wrens. The gold-en eagle population has plummeted,too.

“Growth is a tipping scale whereresources like water, fuel and timber

are being usedmore rapidly thanthey can bereplaced.”

Meanwhile, shesaid, the zoo’s func-tion is to maintainself-sustaining pop-ulations.

As for her func-tions, she fills upher time quite easi-ly.

“I’m working allthe time,” she said.“I run my own non-profit, a lot of con-servation-relatedwork and educa-tional programs.”

She also visitschildren three timesa week at a nearbyschool and is hostto environmentalgroups at theranch.

As long as peopleare willing to listen,she has an impor-tant message to tell.

BY JOHNNY MCDONALD | DOWNTOWN NEWS

Joan Embery, famous for her numerous appearances on the“Tonight Show” with Johnny Carson and later with Jay Leno, showsher comfort level around just two of the animals with which she canregularly be found. Photo courtesy the San Diego Zoo

With the creativity of young per-formers and some aspirations towardpromising careers, Balboa Park’s Casadel Prado Junior Theatre has openedits 64th season with “Annie.”

Performers ages 8 to 18 willembark on an ambitious schedule ofseven plays and musicals this season,including a Disney-supported work-shop West Coast premier of “PeterPan” in April 2012.

“Annie” opened on Oct. 28 in the650-seat theater and will continuethrough Nov. 13.

“One of the perks of producingquality children’s theater for 64 yearsis that we’ve built a reputation forexcellence and innovation,” saidTheresa Wulf, who has been servingas interim executive director. She’llreturn to her community relationsposition now that Russell M. Maitlandhas been named executive director.

Maitland most recently served as theexecutive and artistic director for theSouth County Center for the Arts inRhode Island. An accomplished actor,director and choreographer, he hasmounted more than 400 professionalproductions.

“Annie” will be followed by “TheComplete History of America”(abridged), “Harold and the PurpleCrayon,” “Schoolhouse Rock Live,”“The Musical Adventures of Flat Stan-ley,” “Peter Pan,” “Honk” and “Foot-loose.”

“These shows will feature young-sters from all over the county,” Wulfsaid. “What’s unique [about the JuniorTheatre] is all of our kids are enrolledin classes. They don’t just pay a pro-duction fee to get on stage. They take aclass and then audition for music,dance and improv in winter, spring,summer and fall sessions.”

The children, she said, often get thechance to cut their acting teeth in thebig leagues.

“Our kids are often participants inthe Old Globe’s ‘Grinch’ Christmas pro-duction each year,” she said. “Those ofhigh school age often serve as ushersand we partnered with them on the

production of ‘The Odyssey.’” The junior theatre, founded by the

late Old Globe director Craig Noel,works with various schools in thecounty — a move that helps broadenaudience interest.

“We share lighting designers withthe Old Globe and the La Jolla Play-house,” Wulf said. “We try to bring inhigh quality people, sometimes todirect.”

As for the theatre’s productions thisseason, Wulf is looking forward to set-ting some new precedents.

“We’re excited to announce ourpartnership with Disney in producingthe pilot production of ‘Peter Pan,’ anew musical based on their belovedfilm,” she said. “It will be a West Coastand JT premiere. They want to work-shop and tweak it so the Disney peoplewill be working in concert with ourartistic director.”

The company draws more than justlocal audiences, Wulf said, recallingthe production of Nancy Drew a cou-ple of years ago.

“There are Nancy Drew Societiesand clubs all over,” she said. “One clubcame by bus from Chicago to see theshow.”

BY JOHNNY MCDONALD | DOWNTOWN NEWS

Junior Theatre poised for another stellar season

San Diego Junior Theatre actors ham it up forthe audience during a performance of “WillyWonka” last year. Photo courtesy of San Diego Junio Theatre

Through a Convention Center Assess-ment District headed by stakeholders andhospitality industry representatives,hotels in the downtown area would beassessed 3 percent of room revenue,while Mission Bay and Mission Valleywould both get 2 percent and all othercity locations 1 percent.

The proposal, which was developed bySanders, civic leader Stephen Cushman,the Convention Center CorporationBoard and representatives from the hos-pitality industry, passed by a 7-0 vote ofthe City Council, with Marti Emeraldabsent. According to Sanders, hoteliersare expected to shell out between $28million and $30 million annually towardthe debt service on 30-year bonds for theexpansion.

Among those attending the presenta-tion was Sherman Harmer, president ofUrban Housing Partners, developers ofurban mixed-use projects. Harmer saiddowntown has gone from 5,000 resi-dents 10 years ago to almost 30,000today and they need public realm andusable spaces. He emphasized the impor-tance of outreach to give citizens achance to express their feelings about thequality of life in the downtown core.

“Let’s not just build space, let’s buildspace we can use with kiosks, retail busi-nesses, restaurants, coffee shops and allof the useful things that activate a space.Let’s make it full and enjoyable to keepyou there for a while,” Harmer said. “Alot of us downtown are grandparentsand our grandchildren need space wherethey can run, be active, have fun andhave a normal living environmentdespite living in a high density area.”

Craig Vickers, landscape architect andprincipal at Civitas asked the audienceto view the plan as a series of concepts orideas.

“We know the forms and shapes ofthings are going to evolve as we get intothe more formalized portions of thedesign process,” said Vickers. “But wethink we have the ideas on the righttrack.”

Vickers said approvals for the project’senvironmental and California CoastalCommission reviews could be completedin 2012. Construction, he said, couldbegin in 2013 and possibly completedby 2016.

CENTERCONTINUED FROM Page 5

An ambassador for animals from A to Z

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law.Using social networking sites like

Facebook and Twitter, protesters wereable to regroup quickly. By sunrise onOct. 28, marches and protests through-out the city had already been plannedand assembly begun. Before sunset thatevening, an estimated crowd of morethan 1,000 people, including demon-strators and supporters, returned to theCivic Center Complex to begin reoccupy-ing the plaza.

“We weren’t doing anything wrong.In fact, we were doing a lot right by offer-ing food, medical care and safety to any-one who was with us,” said Jason Brock,a local musician who voluntarily left theplaza before arrests were made. “Morethan half of those among us are home-less and many of them are young grad-uates unable to find work. This is one ofthe problems we are protesting againstand we should be working together as acountry to fix it.”

There is another side to the issue,however — that of those who may beadversely affected, but who are not nec-essarily the target of the protests.

Long said businesses operating in andaround the plaza have been affectedsince demonstrators began occupyingthe area on Oct. 7. Unruly behavior andunsanitary conditions have driven awaycustomers, he said.

“They’re killing mybusiness,” said PeterPerez of BrooklynDogs, a hot dog ven-dor who has operatedin the plaza for thepast eight years. “I’mpart of the 99 percenttoo. I’m a small busi-ness, not a big corpo-ration.”

Perez expressedfrustration at the lackof support from local

elected officials who he said claimed tobe powerless in the situation. Ratherthan address the protesters, Perez said,they have been hiding in their offices.Perez has reportedly closed down hisconcession indefinitely. He left no wordon when, or if, he will return.

A spokesperson for District 2 CityCouncilman Kevin Faulconer saidFaulconer believes freedom of speech isa right fundamental to democracy andhe has personally spoken with Occupydemonstrators in front of City Hall andhas listened to their public testimonyduring City Council meetings. Faulcon-er said he believes the Occupy demon-strators are exercising their right toassemble and the police department isworking to enforce the city’s laws. Hesaid his top priority is public safety andhe expects the police department tomake decisions that are in the public’sbest interests.

For Brock and some of the protesters,the purpose for the raid ran deeper thansimply breaking up illegal lodgers. Hepointed to a row of more than 20 home-less people sleeping on the floor along-side a parking lot on Second Avenueacross from the Sempra Energy buildingfilled with black and white patrol cars,where police had set up their base ofoperations and were transporting arrest-ed protesters.

“What’s the difference if they’re sleep-ing here or in the Civic Center?” Brockasked. “This is the SDPD’s way of tryingto prove they have the upper hand.”

OCCUPYCONTINUED FROM Page 1

Occupy San Diego protesters march through the streets on Oct. 9, shortly after the protestbegan earlier that month. Below, they stand in the space they’ve occupied at Civic CenterPlaza since Oct. 7. Police forcefully removed the protesters for illegal lodging on Oct. 28.

Photos by PAUL HANSEN | Downtown News

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this fall. Red, full-bodied wine in particular

is pleasing to the palate at this time ofyear. For some reason, heavy-hittingreds always seem not only to taste bet-ter, but to feel better, too, when theweather turns a little colder outside.

My favorite November grape?Syrah. And with the economy in thestate it is, syrah is a great value grapethat will pack a lot of punch into yourwine purchase this holiday season.

The varietal finds its traditional selfin the northern Rhône Valley in South-ern France — a mecca for syrahdrinkers, if you will.

This is where I learned to appreciatesyrah, and anyone who splurges on a$30 or more bottle of wine should notpass on an opportunity to try a goodCornas, Hermitage, or Côte-Rôtie.These wines tend to be peppery anddark, perfect with braised meats,sausages, and heavier food often asso-ciated with the oncoming of winter.For Thanksgiving this year, why notskip the traditional zinfandel and try aWashington syrah?

Washington is producing some of

the best valuewines in thenation rightnow, andsyrah fromthis state issaid to mostresemble theRhône outside ofFrance, but withmore fruit.

For those primerib dinners, ventureto pair a Santa Bar-bara syrah or a shirazfrom the Mclaren Vale inAustralia. The math onthese wines is reallysimple in a value-to-quality ratio: you are sim-ply getting twice the wine as you wouldfor your traditional Napa cabernetsauvignon.

My advice this holiday season: skipNapa and head for syrah.

— Jeff Josenhans is a sommelier anddirector of outlets for the US Grant. Hewon the Gold Key Award for Best Foodand Beverage Hotel Manager.

Jeff Josenhans

Downtown Drink

Shrink

Tis the season for autumn drink

With the third annual San Diego BeerWeek kicking off Nov. 4, San Diego provesitself once again as a leader in the craftbeer scene, boasting about 40 breweries inthe county.

Although Beer Week presents a specialcalendar of more than 300 beer-focusedevents in various local restaurants, a newbusiness office headquartered in theGaslamp Quarter provides technology toconnect beer drinkers with their beverageof choice every day of the year.

Tap Hunter allows people to searchwhat’s on draft at restaurants and bars intheir immediate vicinity directly from theircomputer or mobile device.

Located in the Marston Building at 427C St., Tap Hunter is a fast-growing startuplaunched in 2009 by Melani and Jeff Gor-don.

“Tap Hunter tells you what’s on tap andwhere in San Diego and across the U.S. atover 100 breweries,” said Melani. “Usinga web application with GPS, it lets people

explore new beers and dif-ferent locations.”

The Gordons initiallyestablished Tap Hunter asa streamlined solution toan inconvenience sharedamong beer aficionados.

“We’re fanatics aboutcraft beer,” said Melani, “sowhen we would get readyto go out, we’d have tocheck five different web-sites, look at calendars,read newsletters — just tofind out where there wasgood beer.”

Launching this month from TapHunter, CraftBeerCareers will connectpeople working in the craft beer industryso they can discuss career opportunities.

During November, Tap Hunter will becollecting nominations and votes for theirsecond annual Brewery Awards. Fans willhave the opportunity to vote for theirfavorite brewery and submit brewery sto-ries to be judged by the public.

Tap Hunter released a holiday gift guideNov. 1 for the serious beer drinkers, sug-gesting a new product or craft beer deviceweekly.

For more information and to beginhunting for favorite brews, visitwww.taphunter.com.

BY KAI OLIVER-KURTIN | DOWNTOWN NEWS

Tap Hunter: a mobile resource for beer enthusiasts

Tap Hunter founders, hus-band-and-wife team Melani and Jeff

Gordon started the venture because theywere frustrated by constantly searching

for resources on San Diego craftbeers. Courtesy photo

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NEWS 13NOVEMBER 2011SAN DIEGO DOWNTOWN NEWS

NEWSbriefsImpact of lengthy HarborDrive pipe project may besoftened by schedule

A city water line that runs under-neath the runway at Lindbergh Fieldmust be moved to Harbor Drive nextspring to accommodate airport con-struction plans, but the city says traf-fic impacts will be lessened because thework will be done at night.

The new pipe will run mostly alongthe eastbound sides of North HarborDrive and W. Laurel Street betweenTerminal 1 and Pacific Highway, saidJohn Harris of RBF Consulting, whoaddressed members of the North BayCommunity Planning Board on Oct.19.

The project, which should breakground next spring and take up toeight months to complete, will knockout two lanes during work times.However, all lanes should be availablebetween 5 a.m. and 9 p.m., Harrissaid.

Another part of the project willreplace 4.4 miles of pipe beginning onNorth Harbor Drive west of the boatchannel. This part will begin in thespring but will require 18 months tocomplete, said John Stohr of the city’sEngineering and Capital ProjectsDepartment.

Besides North Harbor Drive, affect-ed streets will include Nimitz Boule-vard, Rosecrans Street, Locust Street,Evergreen Street, Avenida de Portu-gal, Cañon Street, Hugo Street, Catali-na Boulevard and Point Loma Avenue.

Both parts of the project will replacefive miles of cast-iron pipe and onemile of asbestos-cement pipe at a costof $13 million, Stohr said. Over thenext 10 years, the city plans to replaceroughly 100 miles of cast-iron pipe,which was installed in the 1940s and’50s and is now rapidly deteriorating,causing sinkholes and traffic messes,he said.

In other North Bay planners news,Kenneth Rae is the newest boardmember, replacing Tony Lombardi,who recently moved to Chula Vista.Rae is the vice president and director ofemployment services at Veterans Vil-lage of San Diego.

— Tony de Garate

Twenty-year Navy proposal stalled

The California Coastal Commissiondetermined that the Navy’s downtownredevelopment proposal — which wasapproved by the commission in 1991but never started — is no longer validbecause conditions downtown havechanged drastically over the past twodecades, making the project inconsis-tent with the Coastal Act in terms ofpublic access, safety, view corridorsand other criteria.

The 20-year delay was initiallycaused by an economic downturn andbase closures in 1992.

More than a decade later, the Navyentered into an agreement with devel-oper Doug Manchester, who proposeda Pacific Gateway redevelopment planon a 4-block site south of Broadwaybetween North Harbor Drive andPacific Highway.

The gateway plan would developnearly 3 million square feet of mixed-use office, retail and hotel space andreplace the Navy’s existing regionalheadquarters at no cost to taxpayers.

At the meeting on Nov. 2, the com-mission urged the Navy to reconcilethe plans to the changed circum-stances downtown such as the U.S.S.Midway Museum, Petco Park and pro-posed expansion of the ConventionCenter.

Mark Delaplaine, the commission’sdirector of federal consistency issues,said the commission’s determinationdoes not alter the timeline for the Pacif-ic Gateway project because there isneither financing nor strong demandfor the new development.

— Mariko Lamb

Downtown Newsreporter wins two journalism awards

San Diego Downtown News reporterKai Oliver-Kurtin took home two awardsfrom the 38th annual San Diego PressClub Excellence in Journalism Awards,

held in Balboa Park’s Hall of Champi-ons on Oct. 25.

Her article “Downtown’s designdemigods; A selection of the most out-standing design downtown has to offer,”which ran in the June 2011 issue of theDowntown News, was awarded first placein the non-daily newspapers architec-

ture and design category.Winning second place in the non-

daily newspapers food and restaurantcategory was Oliver-Kurtin’s article,“Gaslamp eateries cater to the locals,”from the July 2011 issue.

“It’s really gratifying to receiveacknowledgement for your hard work,”

she said. “Writ-ing is a labor oflove and I trulyenjoy all thec o m p o n e n t sthat go intocrafting the per-fect article.”

Kai Oliver-Kurtin

$5.00OFF

UPS / FedEx Air ShipmentOffer Good Through February 28th, 2012

HISTORY14 NOVEMBER 2011SAN DIEGO DOWNTOWN NEWS

Long before anyoneenvisioned airline travel,enterprising Charles H.Toliver convinced San Die-gans that he had an airshipthat would transport peo-ple to Los Angeles and SanFrancisco. The big “lift off ”day would be Nov. 11,1911.

His whale-like dirigible— 250 feet long and 40 feetin diameter — became theawe of many, includingseveral gullible investors.

It had four 18-horse-power engines driving six propellers,one on each end of the envelope andtwo on either side. They were mount-ed so they could be adjusted in any direc-tion and thus eliminate the need for arudder. Each of the engines had 25 gal-lons of gasoline and 10 gallons of oilavailable for the trip.

Nine years of work at a cost of$60,000 went into the Golden Hill pro-ject at 32nd street, between B and Cstreets, to ensure the Toliver Aerial Nav-igation Company had the premier modeof transportation on the West Coast. Itwas to accommodate 40 passengers.

Curious crowds, including a nervousgroup of stockholders, gathered in antic-ipation of a great day in aeronauticalachievement.

Toliver’s wife, Kate, determined to beat her husband’s side in the ship’s con-trol room, had brought aboard about 20fried chickens and four crates ofsarsaparilla for the crew, hopefullyenough to last for a long-distance jour-ney to San Francisco.

Toliver believed his moment hadarrived. The anchoring lines were cutand the men at the handling lines wereat the ready. The engines were started,one at a time. Then, Toliver looked out ofan open window and gave the com-mand: “Let her go!”

The men at the handling lines obeyedthe order and stepped back. The enginesrevved, maybe in agony. “Let her go! Lether go!,” was the repeat command. Thenhe ordered all ballast be released.

The gas-powered engines started andthe aluminum propellers spun. The SanDiego Union would report: “It quiveredfor a few breathless moments, threaten-ing to rise, then settled down again.”

The spectators’ disappointment was

nothing compared to that of the inven-tor at that terrible moment when his air-ship did not respond. His pride and joywas stuck in a pit.

Afterward, he believed he might havebeen successful had he made theattempt later in the day, when the suncould warm the hydrogen enough fortakeoff.

Six days later, newspaper headlinesdeclared the Toliver I a deadly menace tothe community.

Toliver was ordered to remove thedanger immediately and let all the gasout of the envelope. A city councilmansuggested someone make holes in the

San

Die

go h

isto

ry:

Toliver’s ill-fated dirigibleBY JOHNNY MCDONALD

DOWNTOWN NEWS

SEE HISTORY, Page 19

Charles Toliver’s infamous dirigible sits in a construction pit just days before itsill-fated attempt to fly to San Francisco on Nov. 11, 1911. The airship was constructedin what is today the Golden Hill neighborhood, near 32nd and B streets.

Photo courtesy of the San Diego Air and Space Museum

NEWS 15NOVEMBER 2011SAN DIEGO DOWNTOWN NEWS

Manchester Hyatt239069

to carry on a good candid dialogue andcome up with solutions that will pleaseeverybody.

In an interview prior to the Oct. 28raid, Long said since the first day of thedemonstration, depending on the level ofactivity, between six and eight officershad been patrolling the Civic CenterPlaza on a round-the-clock basis alongwith one sergeant. To do so, he said, thedepartment has been pulling resourcesfrom throughout the city to augmentstaffing at the Civic Center and centralpatrol, which has minimized the needfor paid officer overtime. Long could notconfirm any delays in wait times for ser-vice calls, but he said extra pressure isbeing put on other commands to keep upwith the added need for officers to pro-tect the public’s safety.

While attending a show at the CivicTheatre, Hank Newman of Bonita, a 23-year veteran of the U.S. Navy said hefully supported the demonstrators’ rightto protest, but doesn’t believe it will doany good.

“From my standpoint, none of thesepoliticians or big time CEOs seem tocare,” Newman said. “I would like to seeit make an impact, but if you lookaround, this demonstration is made upof primarily homeless people that areonly here for the free food.”

Pat Gracian of Clairemont, a longtimepeace and environmental activist saidshe supports the OSD movementbecause she feels helpless about the stateof the U.S. government, which shebelieves has been taken over by corpora-tions and the powerful. Although she isnot one of the occupiers, Gracian hasbeen participating in the protest sinceday two.

“The American people have been verytrusting and we expected that if we didthe right thing, things would be better,but that isn’t the case,” Gracian said.“I’ve signed petitions and visited con-gressmen, but all of that is a waste oftime. It doesn’t matter which party getsinto office, we still get the same results.”

PROTESTSCONTINUED FROM Page 4

An Occupy San Diego march snakes its waythrough downtown on Oct. 9.

PAUL HANSEN | Downtown News

More than 15,000 participants willtake part in the Susan G. Komen’s Racefor the Cure series — the largest seriesof 5K runs and fitness walks in theworld — to raise funds and awarenessto fight against breast cancer, celebratebreast cancer survivorship and honorthose who have lost battles with thedevastating disease. Breast cancer willaffect nearly 50,000 men and womenin San Diego this year.

This year’s “Racing for our Lives”event will take place in Balboa Park onNov. 6 at 8 a.m.

This year, Komen San Diego willhonor businesswoman, breast cancerawareness advocate and mother IngridQua as the 2011 Honorary Breast Can-cer Survivor. Qua will serve as thespokesperson at the event, addressingthe audience at the start of the race andleading runners and walkers in a pacecar.

“We selected Ingrid because she issuch a tremendous example of strengthand the will that it takes to survive thisdisease,” said Laura Farmer Sherman,executive director of Komen San Diego.“Even in a time when she is receiving

treatment, she is pow-ering through graceful-ly. This woman is doingbootcamps while manywould never even con-sider getting out ofbed.”

Proceeds from therace will provide menand women in SanDiego County with ser-vices, including freemammograms anddiagnostics, medicaltreatment for qualifiedbreast cancer patientswho cannot affordcare, support services,education about thewarning signs of breastcancer and funding forcutting-edge breastcancer research.

Participants can reg-ister as individuals, join an existingteam or form a new race team. Thosewho will be out of town, working orjust want to stay in bed that morningcan also “Sleep in for the Cure” or sim-ply donate to the cause. Entry fees are$23 to $55 per individual.

For more information or to register,visit www.komensandiego.org or call(858) 573-2760.

BY MARIKO LAMB | DOWNTOWN NEWS

Race for the Cure to race through Balboa Park

Participants in theSusan G. Komen Race for

the Cure wave to the cameraduring a previous event. The racemakes its way through Balboa

Park on Nov. 6. Courtesy photos

NEWS16 NOVEMBER 2011SAN DIEGO DOWNTOWN NEWS

6:30am–2:30pm • 7 days a week520 Front Street • Just South of Market, Downtown619-231-7777 • www.richardwalkers.com

There was definitely no crying inbaseball for the women of the All-Amer-ican Girls Professional Baseball League(AAGPBL). Serving as the inspiration forthe hit movie “A League of Their Own,”these women were pioneers in the male-dominated sport. More than 35 formerplayers visited the USS Midway Muse-um on Oct. 21, offering autographs,holding a Q&A session and reunitingwith fellow players while enjoying theiremblematic flick.

The fear of ticket sales falling due tothe large number of young male base-ball players drafted into military serviceduring World War II was the catalyst forPhilip Wrigley of the Chicago Cubs toexplore alternative solutions. A commit-tee proposed a women’s league to helpfill the stadiums that sat empty 50 per-cent of the time.

AAGPBL players were recruited fromacross the U.S. and Canada, somepraised for their flexible wrists as a resultof milking cows on their home farm andothers having only ever had the chanceto shag balls while their older brothers

practiced the sport. Rookie players were paid about $50

per week, with an additional $3 per dayto eat while on the road. Wearing pantsin public was strictly prohibited — a skirtor dress was required to get off the tourbus, even in the middle of the night.

Of the more than 600 women to playin the now-defunct league during itsheyday in 1943 to 1954, only about200 are still alive today. Mostly in their80s and 90s now, the women are anextremely close-knit group of friendsthat still recount their memories of play-ing baseball at an unprecedented level,while living a luxurious life of travel andoften earning higher salaries than theirfathers.

“The most meaningful aspects were

the friendships and the competitive spir-it of the sport,” said Maybelle Blair, for-mer pitcher for the Peoria Redwings.“The whole point is to win, after all.”

Blair is a sprightly 84-year-old whoclaims she “grew up teething on a base-ball.” She idolized her older brotherswho played the sport, but judging fromher freshly-painted magenta nails andsnazzy sunglasses, she felt right at homeplaying the potentially rough gamewhile wearing a dress.

Aboard the Midway, hundreds of fans— many star-struck young girls — wait-ed in long lines to have their baseballs,bats, trading cards and jerseys auto-graphed by the living legends of the

BY KAI OLIVER-KURTIN | DOWNTOWN NEWS

Living legends come to town,truly in a league of their own

SEE BASEBALL, Page 19

Maybelle Blair was a pitcher for the Peoria Redwings as a member of the All-American GirlsProfessional Baseball League during World War II, More than 35 former players for the league— the inspiration for the hit movie “A League of Their Own” — visited the USS Midway for aQ&A and a screening of the film on Oct. 21. PAUL HANSEN | Downtown News

“We paved the way forTitle IX and women beingable to receive scholar-ships through athletics.”

MAYBELLE BLAIRFormer pitcher, All-American Girls

Professional Baseball League

NOVEMBER 2011 | VOL. 12, NO. 11

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Food and wineon the bay

Foodies and gourmands alike willdelight in the return of one ofthe top gourmet events in South-

ern California: The San Diego Bay Wine& Food Festival, hitting America’s FinestCity Nov. 16-20.

The eighth annual festival will offeran array of cooking classes, wine tast-ings and banquets hosted by top chefsfrom across the country.

“Our lineup of culinary and wine tast-ing classes this year is truly exceptional,”said Michelle Metter, a partner in FastForward Event Productions, organizersof the weeklong celebration of all thingsfood and wine. “The festival brings thewine country into the backyard of SanDiego, giving close access to celebritychefs, legendary winemakers and som-meliers.”

Metter said the festival drew morethan 10,000 people last year from everystate in the U.S. and some visitors fromCanada, Europe, Australia and Mexi-co, highlighting San Diego as a food andwine destination on par with othermajor cities.

The festival’s cooking classes, heldduring the week downtown and in Mis-sion Valley, provide opportunity to learnfrom leading food and wine talent fromacross the country. Classes this yearinclude instruction on Belgian beer tast-ing and pairing, an Italian Master Classby chef Suzette Gresham of Acquerelloin San Francisco, a Super Chef All Starsseafood class featuring former contes-tants from Bravo’s “Top Chef,” and ataste of the Mid East by chef BillyStrynkowski, executive chef of CookingLight Magazine and a veteran of the fes-tival. Strynkowski is an East Coastchef whose cooking classes are as enter-

taining as hisfood is delicious.

A 1930s/40svintage jazz-themedreserve wine tast-ing will be held atthe San Diego Airand Space Muse-um Nov. 18. Alsonew this year is aday excursion toRancho La Puer-ta Resort and Spain Mexico. Thepackage includesround-trip trans-portation, use ofspa facilities, aculinary classand dinner.

The Grand Tasting, the festival’s cul-minating event, will be held Saturday,Nov. 19 at Embarcadero Park Northbehind Seaport Village. It will feature170 wine and spirit purveyors, liveentertainment, food from dozens of SanDiego’s leading restaurants and a “Chefof the Fest” competition, where chefscompete live for $50,000 worth of cashand prizes, as judged by a panel ofcelebrity and professional chefs. Lastyear’s winner was chef Robert Ruiz ofHarney Sushi.

Following the Grand Tasting event isthe All-Star Mixologist after-party to beheld at the US Grant Hotel from 8 p.m.-midnight — another new addition thisyear. Featuring the city’s top mixologistsfrom Grant Grill, Prohibition and NobelExperiment to name a few, the party willbenefit the San Diego Bar Guild, a mem-ber organization of mixology profession-als.

Bartenders willdonate their time andtalent for the evening,the proceeds of whichgo toward “makingbetter bartenders andincreasing the stan-dards of the industryin San Diego,” said JeffJosenhans, whodirects food and bever-age at the US Grant.“It’s the only time thatyou will be able to seethe best bartenders in

the cityworking atthe samebar help-ing eachother out.It’s really an incredible pool of talent andthey will all be doing their own style.”

The festival concludes on Sunday,Nov. 20 with the Celebrity Chef Lun-cheon and American Institute of Wine &Food (AIWF) Big Bottle Auction, a six-course luncheon and wine pairing heldat the Marriot Marquis. Proceeds fromthe event, including live and silent auc-tion items, go toward AIWF scholar-ships. To date, the festival has raisedmore than $180,000 to help culinarystudents in San Diego advance their edu-cation.

Tickets for the Grand Tasting eventrange from $125-$175 and can be pur-chased in advance online. The event sellsout so presale is strongly encour-aged. Cooking classes range from $45-$85 and are held at the San Diego Wineand Culinary Center, 200 Harbor Drive,and the Macy’s School of Cooking locat-ed in the Macy’s Home Store in MissionValley, 1555 Camino De La Reina. Tick-ets for the All-Star Mixologist after partyat the U.S. Grant will be sold at the door.Weekend getaway package deals areavailable with several participatinghotels downtown and in other areas ofSan Diego. For more information aboutthe festival lineup or to purchase tick-ets, visit www.worldwineevents.com.

Grub Sprawl is back again thismonth, hitting up its fifth location inLittle Italy on Nov. 14 from 6 to 10 p.m.for one night of hearty $5 dishes atsome of the neighborhood’s best eater-ies.

San Diego-based marketing andcommunications agency AlternativeStrategies will give participants thechance to try new, affordable dishes at10 participating restaurants in thecharming former fishing neighborhoodknown for some of the city’s best Ital-ian cuisine.

“We decided to do the Grub Sprawlin Little Italy this time around becauseit’s one of San Diego’s best culinaryneighborhoods,” said Lauren Kennedy,Alternative Strategies representative.“Last month’s Grub Sprawl in La Jollawas a huge success and we’re excited tooffer great Italian flavors in Little Italythis time around.”

The communications companydecided to hold the monthly gastro-nomic grub tour to showcase the grow-ing restaurant scenes in San Diegocommunities in a fun, affordable way.

“We were representing the ‘Taste of’events and thought these are reallyunique in that you can taste a lot offood choices,” said Kennedy. “This is a

bit different in that guests can choosethree or four spots from a variety ofrestaurants, see the menu beforehand,and sit down inside the restaurant for ameal.”

Despite the $5 price tag, restaurantsdo not skimp on the meals. The GlassDoor at the Porto Vista Hotel will offertwo satisfying options including baconbleu mussels atop linguini or a lasagnacupcake with truffled Portobello, ricot-ta cheese, mozzarella and garlic pestobread.

Other meal options include St.Tropez’s quiche Lorraine with saladand a toasted baguette, Caps Pizza andBar’s 7-inch pizza with three toppings,and Princess Pub & Grille’s fish andchips.

The Grub Sprawl tour has alreadymade successful stops in North Park,Coronado, Hillcrest and La Jolla withan increasing number of Grub Sprawlgroupies attending each month.

Participants can pick up a compli-mentary wristband and map at5:45 p.m. from The Glass Door at thePorto Vista Hotel, located at 1835Colombia St., for the chance to grubon good eats at some of the Little Italy’sbest restaurants.

For more information about GrubSprawl, visit www.grubsprawl.com orcall (619) 858-0322.

BY MARIKO LAMB | DOWNTOWN NEWS

Grub Sprawl is back —with an Italian flair

Indigo Grill will participate in the Little Italy Grub Sprawl on Nov. 14. Courtesy photo

Don’t feel like slaving away in thekitchen on Thanksgiving, only to beserving turkey leftovers for weeks?Here are a few alternatives to save timeand mess in the kitchen that could bebetter spent with loved ones onThanksgiving.

• Instead of being stuck in thekitchen all day, pick up professionallyprepared signature side dishes by Deb-orah Scott, executive chef of IndigoGrill. On Nov. 22 and 23, Scott will offersavory options, including butternutsquash soup, corn pudding and Indianbread pudding that are easy to reheatand ready to supplement any meal. Re-heating instructions are included in theorder and puddings are packaged inoven-ready containers. Orders must beplaced by Nov. 20 and the side disheswill be ready to be picked up on Nov. 22and 23 between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. Toplace orders, call Indigo Grill, locatedat 1536 India St., at (619) 234-6802.

• The Prado in Balboa Park is offeringa three-course Thanksgiving meal for$50 for adults and $13 for children.Starter choices include butternutsquash soup, baby beet salad orfarmer’s mix salad. Main entreesinclude choices of oven-roasted turkeybreast and turkey confit, red-winebraised beef short ribs, oven-roastedwhole Idaho trout, roasted pumpkinrisotto or a Thai-style yellow currychicken and red pepper pappardelle.

For dessert, choices include pumpkinflan, a chocolate decadence pyramid

or gingerbread spice cake. To makereservations, call (619) 557-9441. ThePrado in Balboa Park is located at 1549El Prado.

• For a more unconventionalapproach to Thanksgiving, Bertrandat Mister A’s is dishing out a moderntake on the traditional feast with athree-course prix fixe menu created bychef Stephane Voitzwinkler. Guests canchoose between hot and hearty soups,fresh salads or macaroni and cheesewith black truffles. Main dish optionsinclude an oven roasted Diestel turkey,pan seared white sea bass, slow roastedBrandt Farm prime rib or a 48-hourCreekstone braised short rib. For adivine ending, choose between Tahi-tian vanilla scented crème brulee,Julian’s Apple Tarte Tatin or a tradi-tional profiterole. The three-course din-ner menu will be available from 12:30to 9 p.m. for $60 per person. Children’smenus are also available for just $25.To make reservations, call (619) 239-1377.

— Mariko Lamb

BY LORALEE OLEJNIK | DOWNTOWN NEWS

Thanksgiving — without the messThe eighth annualSan Diego Bay Wine &

Food Festival hits thebayfront from Nov. 16-20..

Courtesy photos

Downtown Newsis now on Facebook!Follow us atwww.facebook.com/sandiegodowntownnews Chime in and let us know what you’re thinking!

No one would blame the Bangles ifthey were to rest on their laurels andtrot out greatest-hits-styled shows. How-ever, while most of their 1980s contem-poraries have long since faded away, theBangles continue to release great newmusic such as their latest disc, “Sweet-heart of the Sun.” The band stops in atthe House of Blues on Nov. 10 at 8 p.m.Rest assured, the Bangles will play alltheir old favorites as well, including“Manic Monday” and “Walk Like AnEgyptian,” but this is one show whereyou won’t mind hearing the new stuff aswell.

The Bangles, Thursday, Nov. 10 at TheHouse of Blues, 555 Fifth Ave. 8 p.m. 21and up. $20-$40. www.thebangles.com

You might not know his name, butyou’ve surely heard the guitar playingof bluesman Johnny Vernazza, whoappears at Patricks II on Nov. 12 at9 p.m. One of the hottest players in Cal-ifornia for more than four decades, Ver-nazza has performed with many topnames, but it’s his work with Elvin Bish-op in the 1970s that sealed his rep, play-ing on all the classics, including the ever-green “Fooled Around and Fell in Love.”A chance to catch a player of this caliberat an intimate venue like Patricks IIshouldn’t be passed up.

Johnny Vernazza, Saturday, Nov. 12,at Patrick’s II, 428 F St. 9 p.m. 21 and

up. www.patricksii.com

Somehow the words virtuoso andukulele don’t seem to go together, butthat perception changes as soon as youhear Jake Shimabukuro, who appears atAnthology on Nov. 19. In his hands,what may be a child’s toy to many, trans-forms into a concert instrument.Shimabukuro’s astounding fretwork issure to leave you dazzled with sets thatrange from Hawaiian classics to amaz-ing covers of such tunes as “BohemianRhapsody,” all of which showcase hisfluid style. No mere gimmick,Shimabukuro is easily in the same classof fret players as Tommy Emmanuel andPeter Sprague.

Jake Shimabukuro, Saturday, Nov. 19at Anthology, 1337 India St. 7:30 and9:30 p.m. 21 and up. $10-$49.www.anthologysd.com

Trumpeter Gilbert Castellanos isrenowned for his tribute shows, and hislatest, in honor of keyboardist HerbieHancock at Dizzy’s on Nov. 19, shouldthrill local jazz aficionados. Castellanoswill be joined by pianist Joshua White,drummer Kevin Kanner and bassistDavid Robaire for a run-through of Han-cock’s classic tunes. Hancock has had along, illustrious career, but this showwill center on his earliest music from thesixties and seventies. While songs like1980s hit “Rock It” won’t be part of theprogram, anyone who likes their jazzvintage and cool, will find much to enjoyat this concert.

A Tribute to Herbie Hancock, Saturday,Nov. 19 at Dizzy’s, 200 Harbor Drive.8 p.m. All ages. $15. www.dizzys-jazz.com

With a sound that takes in elements of

1980s rock, synths and dance rhythms,321 Stereo has been packing them in atlocal venues over the last year. The groupfinally releases its debut album on Nov.18, with a special performance andparty planned at the Stage. The key to 321 Stereo’s success is hook-filled tunes, like “Take Me Up,” withinstantly memorable melodies anddance-floor-filling beats. The band hasan arsenal of great songs that stand upwell alongside its influences like PatBenatar and Scandal, all with a modernpop edge. It won’t be long before 321Stereo are playing much bigger roomsthan the Stage.

321 Stereo, Friday, Nov. 18 at TheStage, 762 Fifth Ave. 7 p.m. 21 and up.www.321stereo.com

Serial tunesmith Mike Viola performsat the Casbah on Nov. 27 at 9 p.m. Hissongs can be heard everywhere fromMany Moore’s latest disc to the recentfilm comedy “Get Him To the Greek,”though perhaps his most recognizabletune is as a vocalist on the theme song tothe film, “That Thing You Do.” Violasang the actual vocals mimed to by thefictional Wonders. Anyone who enjoysclassic songwriting as practiced by the

likes of Phil Seymour, Fountains ofWayne or Marshall Crenshaw will wantto hear this gifted artist.

Mike Viola, Sunday, Nov. 27 at TheCasbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd. 9 p.m. 21and up. $20. www.casbahmusic.com

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT18 NOVEMBER 2011SAN DIEGO DOWNTOWN NEWS

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The Bangles, above,will please crowds with old

favorites as well as new releases.Below, Jake Shimabukuro cre-

ates a big sound with a littleukulele. Courtesy photos

The Bangles, ukeleles and trumpets, oh my

BY BART MENDOZA | DOWNTOWN NEWS

The epitome of classyIt’s nearing the end of the centenary

observance of Gustav Mahler’s death,and San Diego Symphony music directorJahja Ling marks the occasion with theorchestra’s first performance of the com-poser’s final completed symphony, theNinth, at 8 p.m. on Nov. 11 and 12; and2 p.m. on Nov. 13 at Copley SymphonyHall, Seventh Avenue and B Street, $20-$85, www.sandiegosymphony.com or(619) 235-0804.

The other side of classicSan Diego Repertory Theatre artistic

director Sam Woodhouse stages “TheGreat American Trailer Park Musical,” acomic fable about the search for love andhappiness at Armadillo Acres, a 1980strailer park. It plays Wednesdays throughSundays at the Lyceum Theatre Nov. 5 toDec. 4, 79 Horton Plaza, $29-$53,

www.sdrep.org or (619) 544-1000.

A show about a classicBroadway/San Diego presents “Come

Fly Away,” the Broadway musical revuethat brings together music made famousby legendary singer Frank Sinatra andthe choreography of Twyla Tharp(“Movin’ Out”). Performed with a live,14-piece big band and 15 dancers, Nov.8-13, San Diego Civic Theatre, 202 CStreet, $20-$79, www.sandiegothe-atres.org, www.ticketmaster.com or(619) 570-1100.

Bacharach’s new showThe Old Globe presents the world pre-

miere of Steven Sater (“Spring Awaken-ing”) and Burt Bacharach’s new musi-cal, “Some Lovers,” based on the classicO. Henry novel, “The Gift of the Magi.”The Academy and Grammy Award-win-ning Bacharach creates an originalscore promising your new favorite tunes.Plays Tuesdays through Sundays, Nov.26 to Dec. 31 in the Sheryl & HarveyWhite Theatre, Conrad Prebys TheatreCenter, Old Globe, 1363 Old Globe Way,$29 and up, www.theoldglobe.org or(619) 23-GLOBE.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 19NOVEMBER 2011SAN DIEGO DOWNTOWN NEWS

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envelope with long wooden poles,explaining that would not cause sparksthat could ignite the dangerous gas.

But treacherous storm winds onDec. 20 reduced the airship to a shred-ded pile of silk, aluminum frames andmiles of piano wire. It released thehydrogen that still may have remainedin the hull and had frightened city offi-cials. It looked like a giant had steppedon it.

Toliver, meanwhile, soon faced otherissues. Some investors complainedtheir shares of stock were unmar-ketable. One shareholder filed a law-suit, alleging problems with Toliv-er’s bookkeeping.

The city Health Department thenannounced the remaining hydrogenin the airship had become “highlyexplosive and exceedingly dangerous”to the community. Toliver was orderedto “abate the nuisance” by deflatinghis airship “forthwith.”

Toliver’s ambitions, in turn, weredeflated as well. As for his investors,they didn’t take too kindly to his failedattempt at a foray into the air travelbusiness.

On the evening of May 25,1912,Herbert G. Lewis, Toliver’s former sec-retary and chauffer — and, moreimportantly, a disgruntled stockinvestor — waited in the shadows asToliver and his wife returned homefrom an evening out. As they pulledinto their garage, Lewis emerged andshot them both to death. After thepolice captured him, Lewis admittedhis guilt, saying simply, “He ruined myhome; if I had not done it, someoneelse would have had to.”

Such is the dramatic end to the taleof Charles Toliver and his ill-fated air-ship.

HISTORYCONTINUED FROM Page 14

AAGPBL. “We paved the way for Title IX and

women being able to receive scholar-ships through athletics,” said Blair.

After a panel discussion with a few ofthe players, audience members watchedthe feel-good movie with admiration,alongside the real-life celebrities who rel-ished in the splendor of their glory days.

Behind-the-scenes Hollywood secrets

were uncovered during the Q&A discus-sion, revealing the baseballs used on setwere actually tennis balls covered inhorsehide to protect the actresses’hands; Geena Davis’ famous catch whiledoing the splits were actually the legs ofher male stunt double; and Madonna’sgrandiose catch in the outfield was actu-ally caught by a man behind her, andsubsequently dropped directly into herglove. The women praised Madonna forher toughness while doing take aftertake of sliding head first into third baseand defended coach Jimmie Foxx (on

whom Tom Hank’s character was large-ly based) for his professionalism and fair-ness both on and off the field.

All the movie characters were basedon composites, but the players workedclosely with director Penny Marshall todevelop the story. About 50 women wereactually featured in the film, but only afew were given minor speaking parts.The women were flown to Sony Picturesfor the movie premiere, having no ideawhat to expect of the finished product.

“The story will never grow oldbecause it’s baseball,” said Blair. “It’s his-

tory.” When asked about the highlights of

their baseball careers, many womenanswered with sentiments reflective ofthe progressive opportunity the leaguepresented them, the remarkable talentseen on the ball field, the avenue inwhich to carry out their professionaldreams and the treasured experience ofmeeting lifelong friends.

The women of the AAGPBL holdannual reunions and attend the MajorLeague Baseball All-Star FanFest. Formore information, visit www.aagpbl.org.

BASEBALLCONTINUED FROM Page 16

THE LIVELY

ARTSCharlene Baldridge

Things turn seriously classical — or not

There are several new happeningspots in the 92101 ZIP code. Here aretwo that are worth checking out thisholiday season.

The scene in Little Italy is about toget more colorful with the opening ofUnderBelly. The unusual name is a trib-ute to traditional Japanese ramen hous-es, specifically paying homage to theprized porcine underbelly cut, favoredby Tokyo’s revered gods of ramen.

The happy hours have a great dealfor beer lovers. From 4 to 7 p.m. Mon-days through Fridays, the local draftbeers are buy one, get one free. The cre-ative juices behind this new additioncome from Consortium Holdings, bestknown for bringing us a number ofother downtown eclectic spots likeNeighborhood, Craft & Commerce,Noble Experiment and El Dorado.Although there are countless varietiesof ramen noodles served throughoutthe world, each is traceable to one offour basic foundations — and as such,three to four regional options (alwaysincluding a vegan alternative) will be

available along with assorted toppings,pork buns, gyoza and light appetizers.

One of the walls at UnderBelly fea-tures a 15-foot living version of AndyWarhol’s portrait of Mao Zedong, cre-ated by Black Lotus using more than3,200 individually planted succulents.In an era where large plasma TVscreens can be found at most bars, theowners of UnderBelly say they’re try-ing to swim upstream. Their philoso-phy is that a space should inspire con-versation and foster charisma,thoughtful dialogue and ideas. We’relooking forward to warming up a coolnight with this new dining adventure!

At the recently unveiled Hotel Palo-mar, Saltbox Dining & Drinking is aninnovative, gastro-lounge located at1047 Fifth Ave. City dwellers may rec-ognize this address as the former Suite

It’s allHappening!Marc & Darlynne Menkin

New adventuresin drinking and

dining

SEE HAPPENING, Page 25

HEALTH & FITNESS20 NOVEMBER 2011SAN DIEGO DOWNTOWN NEWS

When Thanksgiving rolls around,most fitness writers will caution you toavoid one day of gluttony and speak tothe evils of pumpkin pie, mashed potatoesand second helpings. The truth is, ifyou’re already conscious of what you eatand are in the habit of making goodchoices, you’ll probably do the same onthis day as well. Otherwise, your over-consumption might be just like any otherday in your life. I’m assuming you willsimply eat till your belly hits its limit andenjoy every bite of it. So go ahead andchow down. It’s what keeps me in busi-ness.

Instead, let’s talk about what you’llneed to do after the fact; that’s where Icome in. If your “calories-be-damned”attitude takes control of you like yourAngry Birds addiction, then let’s take ahard look at what you’ll need to do toeven it all out. According to the AmericanCouncil on Exercise, a typical Thanksgiv-ing feast can add up to about 3,000 calo-ries. To put it in perspective, a 160-poundperson would have to run at a moderatepace for four hours, swim for five hours orwalk 30 miles to burn off a 3,000-calorieThanksgiving Day meal. Who wants tolearn that lesson after the fact? If you planahead, you can minimize the effects ofyour overindulgences.

At Fit, we offer morning workouts onThanksgiving Day that are high-intensi-ty and fun. Our members participate in

cycling, weight training or hot yoga class-es to get their bodies revved up and readyto take on a few more calories than usual.Some come in for their last personal train-ing session before the big feast and otherssimply show up to do their own thing andget their pre-meal calorie burn, creatinga deficit, of sorts, to soon be replenished.

If you’re traveling out of townand away from your gym or tak-ing a brief break from whatev-er your regular workout reg-imen may be, you can alsooffset some of thosecalories by plan-ning activities thatengage the familylike flag football,golf (without thecart), or even a competitivegame of Wii sports. A simple strollaround the neighborhood to explore newterritory can burn off about 100 caloriesin 25 minutes, not to mention provide alittle stress relief that is sometimes need-ed when too many relatives gather in oneplace.

An event that has gained popularityover the years — and is a great way to geteveryone involved in a Thanksgivingworkout — is to participate in a TurkeyTrot. These 5K events not only get youmoving but also raise money for differ-ent charity organizations to help those inneed. Involving friends and family in therun will make it more fun and keep you

committed.Plus, you’ll be running for a cause that

is really more important than yourself.So this Thanksgiving, before you pack

on the calories, why not pack on a fewmiles? You’ll feel healthier for doing soand less guilty when you go for that sec-ond helping. Most importantly, rememberthe reason we celebrate Thanksgiving isto express our gratitude — not just forsmart phones, daily deals and the Back-street Boys touring with the New Kids onthe Block — but for our country, yourfamily, friends and pets and all the simplethings that make life great.

FIT SAVVYBy Connie Cook | Guest Columnist

Connie Cook “C2”

Fitness Director

Fit Athletic Club

This Thanksgiving, have your feast— and fitness, too

Newbreak CafeEstablished in 1993, Newbreak has

remained a well-known brand in OceanBeach. With two thriving locations inthe heart of Ocean Beach, Newbreakserves a delicious full flavor fare pairedwith amicable customer service andenthusiasm. For years, Newbreak hasbeen the local cafe for Obecians, tourists,and other San Diegans. Its family orientated and homey feel gives customers a reason to continuallypatronize Newbreak.

It serves delicious breakfasts, bagelsand homemade spreads, healthy options,sandwiches, wraps, smoothies, espressodrinks and much more!

For breakfast, enjoy hearty menuitems such as the well-known favorite,the Sunrise Sandwich, which is compiledof scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage andcheddar cheese on a bagel. The break-fast burrito is another delectable item,which includes eggs, bacon, onions,roasted chilies, and potatoes, served in awheat or flour tortilla with homemadesalsa and/or sour cream on the side.Birchirmuesli our yogurt and fresh fruitrecipe has been named as one of the “25things you must have before you die” bythe Union Tribune.

Savory lunch selections include thePesto Melt, which is a vegetarian’sdelight. Recommended on a Ciabatta, itincludes pesto tapenade, vine ripe toma-to slices, cucumbers, onions marinatedin balsamic vinegar, with melted moz-zarella cheese and sprouts. The Rockin’Turkey Wrap aims to please any hungryperson! A flavorful wrap is filled withroasted turkey, bacon, avocado, redonion, tomato, swiss or pepper jackcheese and lettuce. The Waldrof Wrap isanother tasty homemade sensation made up of diced chicken, granny smith apples, red grapes, walnuts in a light curried dressing served with shreddedlettuce.

Newbreak continues to pride itself inserving only the freshest products alongwith smiles and friendly service. New-break has many regulars who frequentthe cafe daily, but always welcomes toany new additions that come into town.With all of these delicious menu offer-ings, rich coffee, and premier espresso toserve the coffee connoisseur quite the fla-vorful latte, mocha, or macchiato, New-break maintains its mission…

“is to provide our guest the experienceof a full flavor of quality service, rich inthe aroma of smile and wrapped in arobusto blend of enthusiasm.”

Celebrating the historic love affairbetween Mexico and Ireland, Fiesta deReyes is hosting the popular "Fiesta delos San Patricios" on Saturday, Nov. 5,with the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick,America's oldest fraternal organiza-tion. The goal of the event is to eatgreat food, enjoy a drink with friendsand raise funds for Operation Caregiv-er which sends 'comfort kits' to U.S.Marines fighting at some of the mostisolated posts in the world.

Featuring traditional Irish musicand a blend of Mexican and Irish food,the celebration is a remembrance of"Saint Patrick’s Brigade," a legendaryartillery unit led by Irish immigrantswho became a one of the MexicanArmy’s most highly decorated brigadeduring the Mexican-American War.

Members of the Rose-RitchieAcademy of Irish Dance will performto traditional Irish music on the Fies-ta de Reyes stage after the FriendlySons of St. Patrick will serenade theaudience. The event features a specialmenu of $2 Guinness Stout, cornedbeef tacos and potato flautas.

Admission to this event is free. Theevent begins at noon and ends at 2p.m. Fiesta de Reyes is a plaza of 18shops and three restaurants withinOld Town San Diego State HistoricPark. Located at Wallace and Calhounstreets, Fiesta de Reyes is a one-blockstroll from the Old Town Trolley Sta-tion. Free parking is available in theCaltrans parking lot all day on week-ends. All shops are open daily from 10a.m. to 9 p.m. For more informationcall (619) 297-3100 or visitwww.FiestaDeReyes.com.

Everyone’s welcome to Old TownSan Diego State Historic Park for acultural gathering; Matayum (pro-nounced: May a tum, “gathering”).Friday, November 11th from 11 AMto 4 PM. Free event.

American Indian Warriors Associ-ation (AIWA) Color Guard begins thecelebration with the presentation ofthe Colors, followed by Guest Speaker,California Congressman Bob Filner,and Ranking Democratic Member ofthe U.S. House of RepresentativesCommittee on Veterans' Affairs; Rec-ognizing the many Native Americanswho have served or are currently

serving our country. According toAIWA, “Native Americans have oneof the highest records of service percapita, of any ethnic group”.

Visitors will experience numerousvenues promoting the rich history ofNative American culture.

Ever wonder what it was like to beone of the first children in what weknow as the U.S.? Step back in time asyou gather with the first peoplethrough interactive exhibits, story-telling, and demonstrations. Discoverthe different medicinal uses of Califor-nia’s native plants.

Families will be introduced with

basket weaving, food demonstrations,tours of California’s native plants andtrees , artifacts, paintings, jewelry,artisans and craftsmen and muchmore preserving the rich heritage ofNative Americans.

The event is sponsored by theTafoya family, Tafoya & Son Pottery,Tafoya Jewelry, and San Diego HouseCoffee & Tea. The park is located onSan Diego Avenue and Twiggs Street,and is conveniently next to the OldTown Transit Center, with Coaster,trolley, and MTS bus service. For moreinformation call 619-574-0989.

Friendly Sons of St. Patrick holding thirdannual “Fiesta de los San Patricios”

A cultural gathering of the first people

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SAN DIEGO DOWNTOWN NEWS | NOVEMBER 2011 | PAGE 21

ENJOY THE COLORS & BEAUTY OF OLD TOWNThis page is made possible by these fine businesses.To find our how you can participate, call Mike at (858) 270-3103 x 112

Clay Walker (1924-2008)might have become an Ameri-can Picasso, but in the secondhalf of his life when his careerwas approaching a zenith, hechose to withdraw into the lifeof a recluse, shunning the com-pany of his contemporaries andturning his back on commercialsuccess to make art for art’ssake, and showing it to nobody.

Perry Meyer of Meyer FineArt, 2400 Kettner Blvd. Suite104, rediscovered Walkerthrough Walker’s widow Muriel,who currently lives in the houseWalker built in Vista. In thehopes of bringing Walker backinto the limelight, Meyerbecame the exclusive distribu-tor of Walker’s work. Meyer,who does not give evaluationsof artists readily, said Walker is“one of the best artists in thecountry. He was way ahead ofhis time.”

Meyer will be showing Walk-er’s art in two phases, in con-junction with the show “PacificStandard Time: Art in L.A.1945-1980.” Spearheaded bythe Getty Foundation, PacificStandard Time (PST), whichwill take place over the next sixmonths, is a collaboration ofmore than 60 galleries all acrossSouthern California, who areworking together to celebrate,commemorate and archive theformative years of the Los Ange-les art scene.

The first phase of Walker’sshowing at Meyer Fine Art will

run from Nov. 11 to Dec. 24,and will exclusively showcaseWalker’s work. The opening ofthe exhibit will run in con-junction with Little ItalyNorth’s Nov. 11 “KettnerNights” from 6 to 9 p.m.

The second phase of theWalker exhibition will runfrom Jan. 1 to April 1 and willfeature Walker, along withother prominent SouthernCalifornia artists from thesame period, like Barney Reid,Dan Dickey, Belle Baracean,Michael O’Mara and AllanMorrow.

Meyer is joining other SanDiego galleries — The Mingei,R.B. Stevenson, Museum ofContemporary Art San Diegoand Loft99 — all of which areparticipating simultaneouslyin PST.

A fascinating abstract artistwith a wide range of interests,Walker’s work is sometimesdefined by symmetrical designand pattern art characterizedby rich colors, juxtaposed oddshapes and diverse patternswith clear, clean lines. ANative American influence inthe form of north West Coastart can be found in his work,as can a strong tendency touse the landscape of thefemale body.

Walker often created darketchings, drawings and paint-ings featuring women whowere somehow socially impris-oned or suffering the ravages

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT22 NOVEMBER 2011SAN DIEGO DOWNTOWN NEWS

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A recluse and prolific artist makeshis posthumous mark on Little Italy

SEE ART, Page 24

Above, Clay Walker’spiece, “Hope: An Experi-ment,” begs questionsfrom the viewer, as doeshis work, “Lola The Lib-ber,” left. Walker lived inSan Diego toward theend of his life, after hebecame a recluse exceptto teach an art class atPoway High School.Photos by WILL BOWEN | Downtown News

SAN DIEGO DOWNTOWN NEWS | NOVEMBER 2011 | PAGE 23

PETS IN THE CITY24 NOVEMBER 2011SAN DIEGO DOWNTOWN NEWS

& Tender at the Se San Diego. Led byexecutive chef Simon Dolinky, this chicrestaurant has a fun, approachable feelthat’s all about sharing.

“Our dishes are meant to be sharedand encourage interaction and conver-sation. The cocktails work in tandemwith the food to enhance the overall din-ing experience,” said Dolinky. Foodieswill enjoy Dolinky’s appreciation forlocal San Diego purveyors and farm-fresh ingredients. Some of the standoutdishes we sampled include the Brusselssprout salad, shrimp ceviche tacos andthe short rib grilled cheese featuringmanchego cheese and sauce piquante.One of our favorite dishes was the lobstercorn dogs — the perfect blend of freshlobster flavor combined with a sweet andcrunchy corn-breaded exterior comple-mented with a tasty homemade gingerremoulade. After guests wrap up dinner,they can always head downstairs to Salt-box Lounge featuring an impressivecocktail list that runs the gamut fromProhibition-era classics to Saltbox orig-inals.

HAPPENINGCONTINUED FROM Page 19

Another hidden gem in LittleItaly is Kettner Nights, the bi-monthly popular art walk eventthat takes guests through the busi-nesses and studios on KettnerBoulevard. This month, the eventwill be held Nov. 11 from 6 to 9p.m. Take a creative photo with youand one of the artists in a freeze-frame action or dance pose. Thebest picture wins two tickets to aDowntown Amazing Race/ Scav-enger Hunt and a guided hikethrough the canyons near BankersHill and Balboa Park. Email us yourphotos at tours@wheretours.com

— Marc & Darlynne Menkin arethe co-owners of Where You Want ToBe Tours. Many of their tours andteambuilding scavenger hunts featuresecret Downtown areas. www.where-tours.com.

We want to hear from you!of aging on their physical beauty.

Another trend is the abstract landscapesdenoted by blobs of color that splash upagainst each other with energy, move-ment and ragged edges.

It is easy to wonder what an abstractartist like Walker is trying to say.

“I don’t try to figure out what an artistis trying to say, you could never figure itout,” Meyer said.

In his notes, however, Walker wrote,“My objective as a painter is to develop asignificant means of seeking out, clarify-ing and interpreting man’s inner nature

and the relationship of man to his envi-ronment.”

Born in Middleboro, Ky., Walker was adescendent of Dr. Thomas Walker of Vir-ginia, an explorer who helped discoverthe Cumberland Gap. When he was sixyears old, Walker’s family moved to Tole-do, Ohio. As a child, he always had asketchbook in hand and was interested

in education. An infantry man whotaught small arms and martial arts,during World War II, he was wound-ed and recovered in England, wherehe met his wife.

In 1950, Walker earned a bache-lor’s in painting from the University ofToledo and later a master’s from KentState, with time spent studying atOxford University in England andEcole des Beaux Arts in Paris.

In 1963, Walker moved from Texas,where he was the director of The SanAntonio Art Institute, to Los Angles inorder to join the art scene. After a stintteaching at Long Beach State andChouinard School of Art, he moved toSan Diego in 1968 and became arecluse — except for teaching parttime at Poway High School.

Meyer has a great deal of Walker’swork, from his notebooks to his actu-al etching plates, and allows the artpatron to sort though all of this tocontemplate what Walker was allabout from top to bottom.

For further information, visitwww.plmeyerfineart.com, call (619)358-9512 or email info@plmeyerfineart.com.

ARTCONTINUED FROM Page 22

Petco and the Petco Foundation arecalling all animal lovers to take part inthe second annual National Pet FoodDrive to help pet parents in need providea healthy and plentiful holiday seasonfor four-legged family members. TheNational Pet Food Drive kicked off Oct.30, and will last through Sunday, Nov.13.

During the two-week drive, con-sumers can pick up extra food or litterduring their shopping trip or bringunopened cans or bags from home anddrop it into specially marked pet foodcollection bins located in each of themore than 1,100 Petco and Unleashedby Petco stores nationwide. Through-out the drive, Hill’s Science Diet willmatch, pound for pound, every bag ofdog and cat food donated, up to100,000 pounds.

“We believe no one should have togive up their pet companions due tofinancial distress, and our associatesand customers agree,” said Paul Jolly,executive director of the Petco Founda-tion. “Last year’s drive provided morethan 90 tons — that’s almost 200,000pounds — of pet food for families in

need, an incredible gift leading into theholiday season and such an easy wayfor people to help keep pets well-nour-ished and with the families who lovethem in tough economic times. Wehope to double that this year, so we’reasking the communities we serve to givea little extra and help us raise aware-ness for this important year-round pro-gram.”

Since the National Pet Food Bankprogram launched in March 2010,Petco and the Petco Foundation havecollected and donated nearly a millionpounds of pet food and litter to familiesin need. Each Petco and Unleashed byPetco store has collection bins availablefor year-round collection and each storepartners with a local food bank or ani-mal welfare group to ensure donationsare provided directly to economicallystressed pet parents in that store’s com-munity.

In addition to the opportunity todonate, Petco has also partnered withVolunteerMatch, the nation’s largestnetwork of volunteer opportunities, togive pet enthusiasts around the countryan easy way to volunteer in support of

the pet food drive, as well as find othervolunteer opportunities in their area.For the second year, Best Friends Ani-mal Society® will support the nationalfood drive by mobilizing its nationwidenetwork of volunteers to register for theevent and help drive awareness of theprogram.

To register as a food drive volunteer,visit www.petco.volunteermatch.organd select “Petco Foundation Pet FoodDrive.” Volunteer opportunities areopen from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Satur-days and Sundays throughout the petfood drive. Once registered, volunteerscan pick a Petco store location and vol-unteer time slot of their choice, and willbe eligible to sign up for other volun-teer opportunities in the future.

To learn more about the Petco Foun-dation and how you can make a differ-ence for animals in your communityand across the country, visitwww.petcofoundation.org. To learnmore about Petco or to find a locationnear you, visit www.petco.com.Other opportunities to spend time withyour furry friends this holiday season:

• Buck a Beer: Head to Rock Bottom

in downtown San Diego for a WinterWheat Beer Tapping Party. Brew masterJason Stockberger will be in the bar dis-cussing Rock Bottom's latest and great-est beer, Winter Wheat. Enjoy compli-mentary samples of the beer and foodfrom the winter promotional menu.

Mike Myrdal of Stepping Feet will beproviding live music. Rock Bottom SanDiego has teamed up with the San DiegoHumane Society (SDHS) and will bedonating $1 per Winter Wheat beersold to the SDHS along with auction-ing gift baskets. For information, call(619) 231-7000 or visit www.rockbot-tom.com/san-diego.

• Canine Cocktails: Join friends, bothfurry and not, at theIndigo Hotel, 509Ninth Ave., for a fallthemed canine cock-tails event. Enjoycocktails, treats andfood up on the ter-race.

For informa-tion, call (619)727-4000 orvisit www.hotel-sandiegodown-town.com.

— Contribution

This holiday, San Diego goes to the dogs

Pudgy Pet DangersDr. Raffy Dorian

Whether you have a pudgy pooch or a flabby tabby you need to get the poundsoff to add years to your pet’s life. It is estimated that least 40% of all dogs andcats are overweight. Being overweight is not just a cosmetic issue. Recently, aground breaking study revealed that pets fed fewer calories actually lived onaverage 2 years longer!

Just like us, obese pets are more likely to have health problems than their leanercounterparts. Obesity can lead to heart disease, diabetes, joint disease, respirato-ry disease, cancers and many other serious diseases. Many of us are guilty of giv-ing our pets table scraps and extra food. Excess caloric intake is the most commoncause of obesity in pets. Lack of exercise and certain diseases such as hypothy-roidism can also lead to obesity.

Fortunately, there are steps you can take to help your pet lose weight. See your vet-erinarian for an examination and possible blood tests to rule out underlying dis-eases. During the examination your veterinarian will use a body condition scoreto determine whether your pet is overweight. A quick test to check your pet for obe-sity is to try to feel your pet’s ribs on both sides of their chest. There should onlybe a small amount of fat over the ribs. If you cannot feel the ribs then your pet ismost likely overweight!

Ask your veterinarian about the appropriate amount and type of diet and treatsto feed your pet. Avoid table scraps and excessive treats. Exercise your pet at leasttwice a day to help your pet shed those extra pounds. Keeping your pet lean willhelp your furry friend live a longer, happier, healthier life.

FASHION 25NOVEMBER 2011SAN DIEGO DOWNTOWN NEWS

collection, they wowed the audiencewith their designs and larger-than-lifeheels. The climax of the collection wasthe dramatic entrance of Sofia on therunway showing off a mermaid gownthat she had modeled in the “Haus ofEstrada” collection at New York FashionWeek.

Upcoming events• Friday, Nov. 18: Melero Fashion Show

and Cocktails. Ruth Melero's uniquefashion sense at the exclusive cocktailand couture event featuring the mostglamorous collection of Europeancelebrity designer at the Westgate Grand

Lobby. 6 p.m., $25 per person,(619) 557-3655.

• Tuesday, Nov. 22: 32nd annual Charg-er Blood Drive presented by the SD BloodBank at the Town & Country Hotel.Gretchen Productions will present afashion show at 6:30 p.m. featuringChargers players and their families onthe runway wearing fashions from var-ious local boutiques. (619) 296-6393.

• Monday, Dec. 5: The fourth annualBest Dressed & Fashion Show by LeonardSimpson of Fashion Forward at RaminPorteymours Estate in La Jolla at 7 p.m.By invitation only.

Doggies Divine ProfessionalPet Grooming

Best Groomers in Town!HOURS: 9AM - 5PM Open 7 Days a Week

$5 OFF 1st Groom

619-276-25552555 Morena Blvd. Suite B. San Diego, CA 92110

LA JOLLA VILLAGE NEWSBEACH & BAY PRESSPENINSULA BEACONDOWNTOWN NEWS

SUBMISSIONSAnnouncements, photos andstory ideas are welcomed. Weask that content be sent atleast one week prior to publi-cation and include valid con-tact information.

OPINIONSThe opinions expressed on theOpinion Page do not neces-sarily reflect those of this paperor the San Diego CommunityNewspaper Group. To submita signed letter or guest col-umn, please e-mail the respec-tive publication’s editor (atright) or send to 4645 CassStreet, San Diego, CA, 92109.We reserve the right to edit forclarity, accuracy, brevity andliability.

COPYRIGHT© 2011All rights are reserved. Thisnewspaper is printed in theUnited States of America withsoy inks and recycled paper.Please recycle.

PHOTOGRAPHERSDON BALCH, JIM GRANT, PAUL HANSEN, MIKE MCCARTHY

CONTRIBUTORSBART MENDOZA, BIANCA KOCH,CAROL OLTON, CHARLENE BALDRIDGE,DIANA CAVAGNARO, HOLLY BEEDLE,JOHN FRY, JOHNNY MCDONALD,JUDITH GARFIELD, KAI OLIVER-KURTIN,LEE CORNELL, LORALEE OLEJNIK,MANNY LOPEZ, MEAGHAN CLARK,NATASHA JOSEFOWITZ, NEAL PUTNAM, NICOLE SOURS-LARSON, RACHEL

HUTMAN, ROB STONE, SANDY LIPPE,SCOTT HOPKINS, SEBASTIAN RUIZ,TAWNY MAYA MCCRAY, VINCENT ANDRUNAS

PUBLISHER JULIE HOISINGTON

MANAGING EDITOR KEVIN MCKAY (x131)

BEACH & BAY PRESS bbp@sdnews.comPENINSULA BEACON beacon@sdnews.com

EDITOR KENDRA HARTMANN (x133)DOWNTOWN NEWS downtown@sdnews.com

LA JOLLA VILLAGE NEWS ljvn@sdnews.com

REPORTER MARIKO LAMB (x132)

reporter@sdnews.com

PRODUCTION ANNA MAGULACCHRIS BAKER

ADVERTISING SALES MIKE FAHEY (x117)

MICHAEL LONG (x112)

HEATHER ADAMS (x115)

DEBORAH VAZQUEZ (x118)

SONYA GODETTE (x136)

MAURICE SAMUELS (x123)

LEGAL / CLASSIFIEDS KIM DONALDSON (x140)

ACCOUNTING HEATHER GLYNN (x103)

PATTY ANGLEY (x120)

1621 Grand Ave., 2nd Floor, Ste CSan Diego, CA 92109

(858) 270-3103 Fax: (858) 713-0095

Thread ShowThe Thread Show, held on Oct. 9 at

the Horton Plaza Event Center, drewshoppers in droves. Opting not to have afashion show this year so they could addadditional booths, organizers managedto make the venue a fun afternoon withone-of-a-kind, wholesale and bargainitems. Clothes, hats and jewelry were

just a few of the greatthings for sale.

Premium tickets,complete with a

gift bag worth $30, were sold this yearso shoppers could start their huntingone hour before everyone else. In con-junction with nonprofit Plant-It 2020,a tree was planted for each ticket sold,giving shoppers some good karmaalong with their good finds.

A wellness lounge with complimen-tary massages, free mini manicures anda clothing swap greeted shoppers, andone section of the event featured an artgallery where visitors could witnessartists painting all day.

Some favorite standouts of the daywere ABBL Swimwear with matchingaccessories, Micha Design with vintageand one of-a-kind pieces, One/2’s eco-friendly or re-purposed items and Camel-lia’s beautiful wedding flowers. LoveTatum designs created incredible jewel-ry with taking semi-precious stones and24kt Gold using a technique developedby NASA.

For dates and times of the next showscheck out www.threadshow.com.

Boho chicThe Westgate Hotel and Zandra

Rhodes presented a luncheon and fash-ion show on Oct. 20. The theme for thecollection was Boho Chic, bringingRhodes’ designs direct from Londondown the runway. Rhodes’ specialty

— beautiful, flowing, sophisticatedsilk textile prints — was accentedwith jewelry from Adele Marie andAndrew Logan and hats from

Designer Millinery. The hair andmake-up reinvented the Bohemian lookfor models and TV Stars such as Angie

Lee (Ch.8-CBS),Pat Brown (10News), MeganT e v r i z i a n(NBC) andItica Milanes

(10 news).

International food consultant andcookbook author Jeanne Jones createdthe delicious luncheon, and Larry Whiteperformed on the piano while patronsdined. Proceeds from the afternoon ben-efited The American Friends of the Zan-dra Rhodes Museum, which featuresexhibits of British fashion and textiledesigners. Currently, the museum isshowing “Rebel on the Row,” by TommyNutter.

After the show, guests were able to goback stage and try on the fabulous piecesof work. If you missed this terrific fash-ion show and would like to see thesebeautiful creations, make an appoint-ment by calling the Zandra Rhodes Stu-dio at (858) 792-1892.

Exhibit AmbushExhibit Ambush came to Horton

Plaza Event Center on Oct. 22, bringingemerging fashion designers and artists.Executive producer Antoinette LoveRansom created the event for a multi-sensory fashion and art show, whichbegan with a VIP social hour. Guestsenjoyed artwork by Souldriven whilewatching live painting and perfor-mances by a Michael Jackson imperson-ator and Rock So Fresh.

The main event — a fashion showhosted by Yara Sofia from Ru Paul’s DragRace, whose goal is to design a clothingline with costumes — began with theglamorous gowns of Andre Soriano,inspired by past Hollywood sirens likeJean Harlow and Marlene Dietrich. Thechic outfits of Molly B were accentedwith the must have leather accessoriesfrom Jimothy at Chi Stylezs.

The finale featured the “Haus ofEstrada,” featuring the designs of JesusEstrada from Project Runway and hisbrother Antonio Estrada. Having justreturned from New York Fashion Weekshowing their Spring/Summer 2012

FashionFiles

Diana Cavagnaro

Threads get Bohemian and dramatic Pat Brown from 10 Newsenjoys wearing a ZandraRhodes creation at the“Boho Chic” luncheon andfashion show on Oct. 20.

DIANA CAVAGNARO | Downtown News

Superstar Yara Sophia (left)struts her stuff and a model wearing Hausof Estrada creations works it on the Exhibit

Ambush runway. DIANA CAVAGNARO | Downtown News

PAGE 26 | NOVEMBER 2011 | SAN DIEGO DOWNTOWN NEWS

BUSINESS 27NOVEMBER 2011SAN DIEGO DOWNTOWN NEWS

Restaurant gives to thosewho melt your heart

The Melting Pot Gaslamp is againgiving back to the community thisholiday season with its eighth annual“Thanks and Giving” campaign — achance for restaurant patrons to con-tribute to St. Jude Children’s ResearchHospital with the simple scribble of apen.

Until Dec. 31, guests will see anextra line on their bill to give a smallmonetary donation to St. Jude, aninternationally renowned child can-cer and catastrophic disease treatmentand research facility.

Since becoming a partner in 2003,The Melting Pot Restaurants, Inc. hasgenerated more than $6 million tosupport St. Jude’s medical researchand help families pay for treatmentnot covered by insurance.

The Melting Pot also offers year-round support for the research hospi-tal through the sale of signaturechocolate fondue bars. For every $5chocolate bar sold, $1 benefits thehospital.

“Through these collaborative effortsamong all of our restaurants, each ofour guests have an opportunity to

make a significant impact in helpingSt. Jude children fight cancer,” saidBob Johnston, president and COO ofThe Melting Pot. “Our family ofrestaurants and employees are veryexcited to know that their dedicationand hard work touches the lives of somany children.”

The Melting Pot Gaslamp is locatedat 901 E. Fifth Ave. For more informa-tion or to make reservations, visitwww.meltingpot.com or call (619) 234-5554.

Spare change for change

The Downtown San Diego Partner-ship, in support of the Ending Home-lessness Campaign, has installedDonation Stations — meters thataccept spare change and credit cards— in downtown.

Part of the “Movin’ Home” pro-gram, the money collected from themeters will help pay for move-in kitsfor the homeless that transition fromthe streets to supportive housing.

The organization will eventually setup 25 stations around the downtowncore.

For more information or for loca-tions of the donation stations, call(619) 234-8900.

Spotlight on Seaport

Village Hat Shop owner Fred Belinskywas one of the first — if not the first —tenant in Seaport Village, opening up shopat the bayside location in 1980 onemonth prior to the grand opening of thevillage itself.

The former university instructor movedhis wife, golden retriever and three-month-old son across the country fromMichigan to bargain on a business ven-ture that he originally knew little about,only that it was wildly successful at thetime.

“Hats were selling well nationally in1979 and 1980,” he said. “Specifically,Western hats were hot. The TV show ‘Dal-las’ and the John Travolta movie ‘UrbanCowboy’ were driving cowboy clothing,hats included.”

After only one short year of selling cow-boy hats like crazy, “it happened,” he said.“It’s legendary in the hat industry. Oneday in April 1981, people stopped buyingWestern-style hats. It was as if anannouncement came down from theheavens, ‘Ye shall not buy a cowboy hat.’”

And then, it was over. Well, just the cowboy hat phase. Belin-

sky, the son of a merchant, knew that fadsfade and he would have to roll with the

tide.“The good news was that

my location, Seaport Village,was a winner,” he said. “Thebad news was that the décorof the shop, the hand-carvedcowboy hat signs, the businesscards and letterhead, the fix-tures, the inventory — all thatI knew about hats — was builtaround a single style that wasno longer selling.”

So he became immersed inthe hat world, checking outmerchandise at the Los Ange-les Mart, flying to trade showsacross the country and walk-ing the streets in New York City’s millinerydistrict finding out everything he possiblycould about the accessory he was deter-mined to sell. He and his wife, Tina, eventraveled to China, Korea and Ecuador tocheck out hat manufacturing hubsaround the globe.

He changed the Western theme of thestore to include a wider variety of stylesranging from sophisticated to silly.

By 1997, he had four stores in Califor-nia, a couple of warehouses and was test-ing out a new sales channel via the

Internet. Belinsky attributes part of the Village

Hat Shop’s success to the wide variety ofstyles offered by his shop — more than1,000 different styles, not including colorsand sizes.

“This breadth of selection, an early corevalue, is not the only thing that distin-guishes us from the pack. One importantdifference is that we are for real. You knowthis when you come to our store,” he said.“We know our products and we know thefundamentals of being good merchants.”

— Mariko Lamb

Hats off to Village Hat Shop

Fred Belinsky and his Village Hat Shop were one of thefirst tenants of Seaport Village in 1980. Courtesy photo

BUSINESSbriefs

2400 Kettner Blvd. Studio 233, San Diego 92101858.204.2636 www.pauladesjardins.compadesjardins@sbcglobal.net

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WHO’SWHO?? BUSINESS PROFILES

EcopitOur professional Auto Detailer team

is dedicated to provide our customerswith high quality Auto Detailing services atcompetitive prices whilemaintaining an eco friendly environ-ment. By choosing our services youhelp save an average of 40 gallons ofwater to the environment each timeyou visit us.

“Time is Money” Because time ispriceless, our detailing stations “Pits”are conveniently located at shoppingmalls, corporate office buildings andresidential communities parking lots,so you get the most out of your time!

Our Pit locations are carefully select-ed so on your next visit to the mall youcan park your vehicle close to mainentrances and leave it on a safe loca-tion. This will save you time.“Water is Life”

Because water is our most preciousresource we are proud to announce wehave helped save over 2 million gallonsof fresh water to our environment,thank you to all our loyal customersformaking this possible! Yes our advancedECO-CLEAN formula is designed to let

us wash a vehicle with less than a quartof water per service, ECO-CLEAN also is100% biodegradable and non toxic,this means no harsh chemicals areused to clean your ride and therefore nohazard residuals dumped in our planet.

Electric Bike CenterStop by Ivan Stewart's Electric Bike Center, San

Diego’s premier electric bike retailer, where we special-ize in electric bicycle sales, rentals and repairs. Ourinventory is all handpicked, and we retail only top ofthe line brands including eZee, Hebb, Sanyo and JuicedRiders. Whether you are looking to rent and cruisethrough Balboa Park, or desire a green and economicalternative method of transportation to and from work,Ivan Stewart’s Electric Bike Center offers all of your bik-ing solutions. Riding an electric bike requires no license,

registration or gasoline, and gives you the option topedal or electronically cruise through town. The type ofbiking experience you want is literally at your fingertips.Join us every Saturday at the Little Italy Mercato from9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., or cruise by the shop located at2021 India Street in the heart of Little Italy. We areopen Tuesday through Sunday 10:00 a.m. until 5:00p.m. If you have any questions or would like to take aFREE test ride, call us at 619-564-7028, visit us onlineat www.iselectricbikecenter.com, tweet us at @eBike-SanDiego or visit our Facebook for upcoming deals andspecials.

Paula Des JardinsPaula Des Jardins, a Philadelphia native received her

BFA from Rosemont college, and furthered her figurativestudies at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.

Her subsequent move to Asia offered both a new per-spective and palate as she continued her passion forpainting. Tinges of that exotic environment can be seenin her contemporary abstract pieces. Her work is inter-nationally renowned for her brilliant use of color, tex-ture, light and powerful brushstrokes.

Happily living in San Diego for the past 10 years, DesJardins is part of the downtown art community with aworking studio in Little Italy. As described by Touch-stone Gallery Hong Kong, her work is “… Modern artthat will endure.”

Selected exhibitions include Tokyo museum of Art

Tokyo, The Square Gallery London, Tensho Gallery Van-couver, Touchstone Gallery Hong Kong and WoodmereArt museum Philadelphia PA.

Representative corporate collections include ABNAMRO Hong Kong, China World Trade Center BeijingChina, Four Seasons Riyadh Saudia Arabia, HyattRegency Hotel Hong Kong, IBM Chicago IL, Macau Golf& Country Club, Macau, Prudential Insurance Compa-ny Chicago IL, Schloss Hotel Austria, UMASS Memori-al Medical Center Boston MA, and the Venetian HotelMacau.

“Des Jardins…has an impressive range of invention.”-The Philadelphia Inquirer

“Des Jadin’s works have a palpable energy”- The Courier Times

“Paula’s works are active and powerful.”- Décor & Style

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Downtown · “Park Place”You’ll want to see this amazing 21st-floorresidence with spectacular Southwestwater views to Coronado and PointLoma! This popular split bedroom/ bathdesign enjoys a 2-sided fireplace, viewterrace, dual parking, & upgrades galore!Furnishings negotiable!For full details in a recorded message,

call 1-800-709-1995, Ext. 5209

Downtown · “CityMark”Priced to sell, this fabulous 2-bedroomrow home is unlike no other! It featuresan oversize patio, 2-car parking withdirect access, a warming fireplace, &gleaming granite kitchen. Hardwoodfloors, too!For full details in a recorded message,

call 1-800-709-1995, Ext. 5559

Downtown · “Electra”One of the preferred floor plans at downtown’s one-of-a-kind luxury community, this 22nd-floor, south-facingbeauty enjoys gleaming wood floors anda den area in addition to approximately1550 square feet, dual bedrooms andbaths, & sweeping views!For full details in a recorded message,

call 1-800-709-1995, Ext. 5629

Downtown · “Atria”Take advantage of this amazingly low-

priced studio in the heart of the Marina

District! This hip, urban residence is ideal

for first-time buyers looking to begin

their homeownership journey!

For full details in a recorded message,

call 1-800-709-1995, Ext. 5689

Downtown · “Park Terrace”You’ll be amazed at the Southwest-facing corner views of the CoronadoBridge and the ballpark from this 2-bedroom/ 2-bath residence, SHORT-SALE priced to sell! A large terrace anddual parking, too! Sold for $425,000!For full details in a recorded message,

call 1-800-709-1995, Ext. 5489

Downtown · “ParkLoft”You'll want to see this authentic loft residence in Downtown's premier, EastVillage community near Petco Park! Itboasts 10-foot, cement ceilings, exposedductwork, remodeled baths, and approx.. 39 linear feet of organized storage! Sold for $415,000!For full details in a recorded message,

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

Downtown · “Palermo”Don’t delay on this corner unit residence

with lots of sunny windows and dual

parking, short-sale priced to sell! Dual

bedrooms and baths, too!

For full details in a recorded message,

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

Downtown · “Electra”Take advantage of this super short-saleat one of Downtown’s most unique anddesirable luxury communities! Activecity views, a split master suite design,and a spacious private terrace completethis pretty picture!For full details in a recorded message,

call 1-800-709-1995, Ext. 5429

Downtown · “Acqua Vista”Absolutely pristine, this adorable 1-BR in

the heart of Little Italy features a

massive wall of windows looking onto

the city streets, a resort-style

community & a price under $170,000!

For full details in a recorded message,

call 1-800-709-1995, Ext. 5709

Downtown · “La Vita”You’ll want to see this super 2-bedroom

in popular Little Italy community,

featuring two decks for a total sq.

footage of almost 400!!! Dual parking

spaces and an ambient fireplace, too!

For full details in a recorded message,

call 1-800-709-1995, Ext. 5239

Downtown · “Watermark”This well-priced residence in recently

renovated community enjoys a west-

facing orientation, a private terrace

looking toward the Old Police Quarters,

and dual parking spaces!

For full details in a recorded message,

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

Downtown · “Electra”Life is good at Downtown's tallest luxuryhighrise at this split bedroom,

west-facing residence with oversize terrace! Electra features it's own

little bit of history, built around the historic SDG&E Station B!For full details in a recorded message,

call 1-800-709-1995, Ext. 5099

Downtown · “ParkLoft”You will love this classic, street level loftcomplete with approximately1500 square feet, high ceilings, sunnycorner location, recently remodeledbaths & exposed ductwork and cementceilings! Dual parking + storage, too,with dual entrances, one off the street-ideal for dog-walking!For full details in a recorded message,

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

Downtown · “Union Square”Don't delay on this well-priced 2-BR withfull-size loft and private roof deck! You'lllove the soaring 2-story ceiling in livingroom, granite countertops in kitchenand baths, & dual side-by-side parkingspaces!For full details in a recorded message,

call 1-800-709-1995, Ext. 5059

Downtown · “Pacific Terrace”This fabulous new listing is a greatopportunity to own a 2-BR residence in

the heart of the Marina District with lowHOA fee, dual side-by-side parking

spaces, and upgrades that include stone& hardwood flooring! Priced to sell!For full details in a recorded message,

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

Downtown · “Gaslamp City Square”Motivated seller has priced this upgraded studio for a quick sale! It features a unique, courtyard-level terrace, new carpet and paint, stoneflooring, new stainless appliances, andgranite surfaces in kitchen and bath! For full details in a recorded message,

call 1-800-709-1995, Ext. 5649

Downtown · “Sam Fox”Owned by the developer of this historically-significant community, this'true' loft enjoys windows to the vibrantcity, cement floor, and exposedductwork! Stone surfaces grace thebathroom and kitchen and the versatilefloor space offers the buyer the ability tomodify per his/her desires! For full details in a recorded message,

call 1-800-709-1995, Ext. 5609

Downtown · “The Grande North”The lowest price for this floor plan in the

community, you'll want to see

this 2-BR/ 2-BA beauty with lovely city

and bay views, an ambient fireplace, and

oversize private view terrace! Sweet!

For full details in a recorded message,

call 1-800-709-1995, Ext. 5149

Downtown · “City Front”New on the market, take advantage ofthis street-level town home in classicbrownstone-style community withaccess from the street as well as thecommon areas! Do some upgrading andtake advantage of great pricing for over1500 square feet and dual parkingspaces!For full details in a recorded message,

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

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

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PAGE 28 | NOVEMBER 2011 | SAN DIEGO DOWNTOWN NEWS

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

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

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

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

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

Downtown · “Union Square”Call to see this rare, 3-BR/ 2-BA in impec-

cable condition complete with granite

kitchen and bath countertops, a private

terrace, and dual parking spaces. Located

in an FHA/VA approved community!

For full details in a recorded message,

call 1-800-709-1995, Ext. 5449

Downtown · “The Grande”Stop here for the ideal first-time buyer orsecond home opportunity in oneof Downtown's most desirable residential communities! Across from theWaterfront, this beautifully presentedone-bedroom has it all for a bargainprice! For full details in a recorded message,

call 1-800-709-1995, Ext. 5589

Downtown · “The Mark”Ideal for first-time buyers, this unique 1-BR in sought-after community boastsalmost 1000 square feet, a corner location and no shared walls, affordingadded privacy! You’ll love the dual terraces, banks of sunny windows & thegleaming granite and stainless kitchen! For full details in a recorded message,

call 1-800-709-1995, Ext. 5189

Downtown · “Renaissance”Boasting soaring 20+ foot ceiling in theliving/dining area, this elegant townhome features 2 or 3 bedrooms, 3 baths,street access + access from the interiorof the community, dual parking, and over2300 square feet of upgrades. Stunning!For full details in a recorded message,

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

Downtown · “CityFront Terrace”There is nothing comparable! Situated inthe Marina District’s only brick community, this street-level town homeis reminiscent of a European chateau!Totally remodeled and re-crafted, itenjoys top-quality everything + dual terraces and dual parking.For full details in a recorded message,

call 1-800-709-1995, Ext. 5719

SALE

PENDING

Downtown · “The Grande North”Boasting sweeping Northwest water

views from its 30th-floor perch, this

stunning, two-bedroom + den features

over 1600 square feet and upgrades

galore! Don’t miss out!

For full details in a recorded message,

call 1-800-709-1995, Ext. 5349

Downtown · “City Walk”You’ll love life in this pristine town homein popular mid-rise community in theheart of the Marina District! Enjoy relaxing or entertaining on one of yourtwo private terraces and descend only afew stairs to the street level-no elevatornecessary-to walk the dog! Low HOAfees, too!For full details in a recorded message,

call 1-800-709-1995, Ext. 5639

SALE

PENDING

Downtown · “Harbor Club”This spectacular 'bubble unit' on the33rd floor of the Marina District's premier, resort-style residential high-riseboasts a completely remodeled interiorwith the finest of finishes and phenomenal, 180-degree water views!For full details in a recorded message,

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

This incredible 20th-floor residence with panoramic water views has been

remodeled from top-to-bottom in a warm Moroccan-style theme. Super special with

dual terraces and parking, plus pitted Venetian textured walls, gessoe-finish doors,

and Byzantine lighting!

For full details in a recorded message,

call 1-800-709-1995, Ext. 5269

Downtown · “Harbor Club”If you’re seeking a privileged lifestyle in the Marina District’s premier, resort-style

community with unbeatable, 360-degree views, privately keyed elevator access, over

4000 square feet of gleaming granite and the best of everything, don’t delay! 38th-

floor penthouse living + 5 secured parking spaces help make this residence super

special!

For full details in a recorded message,

call 1-800-709-1995, Ext. 5399

Downtown · “Watermark”Elegant and spacious, this premiumNorthwest corner residence in theMarina District’s landmark residentialcommunity boasts an expansive terrace,stunning views directly into PantojaPark, 2 bedrooms PLUS a full-sizeden/office, and 2.5 baths! Two securedparking, too! For full details in a recorded message,

call 1-800-709-1995, Ext. 5419

SALE

PENDING SALE

PENDING SALE

PENDING

Downtown · “Horizons”Boasts sweeping views to the Bay andcity skyline, this lovely 2-BR/2-BA resi-dence features an ambient gas fireplace,private view terrace, and dual parkingspaces! Enjoy the lifestyle afforded at thispremium Marina District locale!For full details in a recorded message,

call 1-800-709-1995, Ext. 5679

Downtown · “Alta”You’ve seen nothing like this re-craftedpenthouse in one of downtown’s mostexciting residential high-rises! You’ll lovethe sweeping south-facing views, top-of-the-line finishes, custom appointments & dual parking, for starters! For full details in a recorded message,

call 1-800-709-1995, Ext. 5319

Downtown · “Watermark”This top-floor penthouse beauty enjoysa sunny interior, a gleaming remodeledgranite and stainless kitchen, lovelyurban views, and almost 1800 squarefeet! How about 3 full bedrooms, all withwalk-in closets (2 in the master!) and twoand a-half baths?For full details in a recorded message,

call 1-800-709-1995, Ext. 5329

SALE

PENDING

Downtown · “Pinnacle”

SOLDSOLD

SALE

PENDING SALE

PENDING SALE

PENDING