Miss San Diego

---

Is that a question or a title? From last year's visit: Is it a beauty contest, or the fact that visiting San Diego is always a treat? One place I have always wanted to visit is Black's Beach. Black’s Beach is one of the coast’s only nude beaches. It’s not technically legal, but nudists still flock to the area, typically gathering at the north end past the Glider Port Trail. Surfers dominate the other end of the beach, and visitors will find restrooms and showers at either end. It’s a bit of a hike to get there, but it’s worth it if sunbathing freely is important to you. Are you listening,Webb??
Another interesting place to visit is the Tivoli. While everyone else hits up the newest bars in town, check out the oldest haunt instead. Tivoli Bar & Grill opened in 1885 and once housed a brothel upstairs. You can order a drink from the original bar, which was constructed in Boston and transported to San Diego via boat over the course of three to four months. The bar also still has the original cash register and safe. I like "old school" places.
The Little Italy neighborhood—a charming and walkable area in downtown San Diego—is the city's oldest business district, dating back to the 1920s. It's a great place to dine on Italian food at casual and elegant restaurants, some with lovely outdoor patios. Visitors also enjoy sipping on an espresso in local cafés, exploring small shops, and checking out annual cultural events such as the Mission Fed ArtWalk in late April and Taste of Little Italy in the middle of June. Saturdays are reserved for a great Farmer's Market here.

Another great place to eat: Liberty Public Market is a 7-day a week Public Market and event venue offering the best of what the region has to offer. Showcasing a rustic environment with prepared foods, beer, wine, specialty cocktails, produce, fish, desserts and pastries, pastas, arts and crafts, a test kitchen, pop up dinners, and educational driven events. MISSION STATEMENT: Liberty Public Market’s goal is to be the central marketplace of the region where locals and visitors alike, can immerse themselves into the work of the best artisans around. We pride ourselves on being a forward thinking marketplace on the west coast and aim to offer accessible, engaging, and authentic experiences through use of every sense while exploring the market.
Many years ago, San Diego revitalized the downtown (Gaslamp) area with the addition of Petco Park, home of the Padres. New business and residential developments followed, along with a general clean up and rebirth of the dining and nightlife scene. On my last several visits, this area has once again become a little "seedy" or sketchy" due primarily to homeless, and troublemakers. I find it better to stay just outside of the Gaslamp District, and take the tram to the ballgame or dinner.
Both Little Italy and Capitol Hill are great places to dine. Limiting myself to just Gaslamp District means mostly beer and fried food emporiums. If I am going to be near the ocean, I prefer having seafood.
The motorized scooter and bike rentals are yet another issue here. Last year on my annual visit, they were ALL stolen, gone!! I assume the perpetrators found a way to circumvent the electronics and security. Yet, I have seen these rental programs work well in other cities, like DC, Chicago, Seattle, and Paris. Mostly, I prefer watching my Giants here in San Diego since I prefer the weather, and the stadium. Petco has mastered the one thing that Oracle (ATT, PacBell, whatever it is called now) could not, due to space limitations. That would be large concourses! What a pleasure to stand in line for food, or rush to the boys' room between innings. See you in San Diego! 2023: The food at Petco, and the surrounding Gaslamp area is great! We often thought about making San Diego our retirement home. I will see two friends, one of my oldest and dearest friends, and a new friend that I met in Iraklio, Crete. Scratch that, one has Covid, and the other has a big party to attend. Go Giants!

---