Dia De Los Muertos in Old Town San Diego

November 2, 2015 Comments Off read California, Pacific, Travel, USA, West

The Day of the Dead has been celebrated in Old Town San Diego for over 200 years. In the 1800s, it was a quieter occasion than it is today. People dressed in black and walked slowly and quietly to the chapel with lighted candles to honor the dead. Fresh flowers were hard to find at that time, so people used paper flowers to decorate, which is a tradition that has carried on to this day. Today in Old Town, people still remember the dearly departed by building altars to honor them, but there’s also live music, face-painting, altar tours, and even a street fair! You can also learn to paint your own sugar skulls, paper mache masks, and craft paper flowers–but if you’d rather not, you can support local artists and buy some at the Bazaar del Mundo, the bright and beautiful promenade. The heart of the event, however expanded, remains remembrance, community, and celebration: a way to honor and offer hospitality to the spirits of your loved ones with your friends, family, and neighbors, to revel in the joy of life while acknowledging that it is fleeting.

Little Italy Festa in San Diego, CA

December 1, 2014 Comments Off read Attractions, California, Pacific, Travel, USA, West

On my most recent trip to San Diego, it was really important to me to maximize the amount of time I spent with my dad, so unlike non-family trips, I didn’t have every day planned down to the minute. Instead, I played it by ear so we could do whatever the group found most appealing. As it turned out, Little Italy Festa was that weekend, so the four of us made an afternoon of it. This year marked Little Italy Festa’s 20th anniversary, and they did it up right with chalk drawing competitions, bocce ball, live music, cooking demonstrations, and tons of dining al fresco. I can’t emphasize it enough: this is an opportunity to eat as much pizza as you would like in the street while waiting in line for more pizza. It’s like a dream come true! I am not making this up: after we left Little Italy Festa, we went out for more pizza. Because while the street pizza was decent, it didn’t compare favorably with the prospect of Lefty’s, which, with its perfect thin crust, zesty sauce, and spicy sausage, is a taste of my hometown. The grape stomp contest was highly entertaining (the young girl won, which surprised me, as I believed that she was have been at a disadvantage owning to her smaller stature) and the only thing that could have improved it would have been if there was a freshly-foot-squeezed grape juice guzzling competition immediately afterward. Visitors were encouraged to vote on their favorite chalk art, but I couldn’t decide. I loved how many different takes there were on Italian culture, and found it both sad and beautiful that they are impermanent by their nature. It was a reminder to appreciate things while they last.

Spotted on the Roadside: Unconditional Surrender in San Diego, CA

November 7, 2014 Comments Off read California, Pacific, Spotted on the Roadside, Travel, USA, West

As with other giant public art statues, there’s no pleasing everyone. Unconditional Surrender, a statue recreating the famous Life magazine 1945 WWII photograph, was placed in San Diego in 2007 as a temporary loan, which was set to expire in 2012. Critics called it an eyesore and a waste of money, so it probably really burned their buttons when the Midway aircraft carrier museum next door raised $600,000 for an exact painted bronze permanent replica to replace the fiberglass one that was leaving. I know you’re wondering, so FYI, I did manage to resist the urge to peek up the giant nurse’s skirt, because I am not a total animal. I even managed to resist a photo op that made it look as though I were being crushed below her heel. Honestly, I don’t even know who I am anymore.

Spotted on Tuna Lane in San Diego, CA.