Downtown San Diego E-News
October 2009

In This Issue

Calendar of Events

* Indicates that this event is covered in more detail in this publication. 

October

November

  • 01 Sun: Savings time ends, turn clocks back one hour, 2am

  • 01 Sun: Komen Race for the Cure, Balboa Park, (858)573-2760 / www.komensandiego.org, 8am *

  • 01 Sun: Annual Fall Back Children Festival, main entrance 5th/Island, 11am-4pm, $5 *

  • 03 Tue: Downtown Sound Bites, Downtown Information Center, Shirley Horton, President Downtown San Diego Partnership, www.ccdc.com, noon-1pm *

  • 13 Fri: Kettner Nights, Kettner Blvd. www.taddsd.com

  • 21 Sat: Friends of San Diego Architecture lecture, New School of Architecture, 1249 F Street, www.friendsofsdarch.com / 224-8584, 9:30am *

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Film Festival Returns to the Gaslamp Quarter for Eighth Time

sandiegofilmfestival.gif

This major film festival which last year featured more than 75 films shown over four days has been expanded this year to five days.  The festival also includes many exclusive parties, panels and lounges that should not be missed.  For additional information or to purchase tickets www.gaslamp.org.

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Sixty Restaurants Participate in Taste of Downtown

On Thursday 24 September from 5pm to 9pm will be the tenth annual Taste of Downtown.  This year there will be 60 different eateries that will be offering their best items to sample.  A free shuttle service will be provided as the restaurants are spread out throughout downtown.  Tickets for the Taste of Downtown are $35 in advance and $40 on the day of the event.  It has sold out for the last six years in advance.  For additional information www.dtsd.org / 233-5008.

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Cannery Workers Tribute to be Unveiled

One of the Port of San Diego's newest pieces of public art is to be unveiled on Saturday 26 September at Cesar Chavez Parkway & Crosby Road.  The work is designed to commemorate the contribution that has been made to the area by the once great tuna industry that flourished here.  The unveiling of The Cannery Workers Tribute at Parque del Sol will take place at 10:30am.  It is a joint effort of the Port of San Diego and Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding/Continental Maritime.  For additional information 686-7246 / www.portofsandiego.org/public-art.

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Lunch & Learn Series Continues

The new Downtown Sound Bites Speaker Series is held on the first Tuesday of every month from noon - 1pm at the Downtown Information Center (DIC) in Horton Plaza.  The DIC is located just above the CVS drug store between Victoria's Secret and Sam Goody's.   You are asked to bring your own brown bag lunch to this free event and then listen and learn from a variety of interesting speakers all of whom will approach issues that are important to downtown's future.  A question and answer period will follow each presentation.  The event sponsor is CCDC and further information can be found at www.ccdc.com.  The opening speaker in the series was City Council President Pro Tem Kevin Faulconer on Tuesday 1 September.  There was a standing room only crowd as the councilman spoke and then answered various questions for the very large crowd.  The Tuesday 6 October speaker will be the Executive Director of the Gaslamp Historical Foundation Melissa Trew.  The scheduled speaker on Tuesday 3 November is Shirley Horton, President of the Downtown San Diego Partnership.

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Environmental Day at Air & Space Museum

 

 

 

On Saturday 10 October the Air & Space Museum in Balboa Park will have its annual environmentally-themed family day that is called Green Skills for Life.  The event will include a range of fun, hands-on and educational activities designed to help your children learn special skills to help you save money, energy and the environment around your home.  The event will run from 10am-2pm.

For additional information www.sandiegoairandspace.org/upcoming/greenskills.html.

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Walk a Mile in Her Shoes to be Held in October

High_Heels_OrangeRegistration is now open for the second annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes fundraising event that will be held Thursday 15 October in Downtown San Diego.  Men, women and children will walk in high-heeled shoes (provided by the YWCA) to bring awareness to domestic violence.  The walk is sponsored by the YWCA of San Diego County which will use 100% of the proceeds to support its Becky’s House domestic violence programs.  The event runs from 4pm to 7pm and starts at the park on 4th Avenue and K Street.  For additional information or to register for the walk visit www.ywcasandiego.org or contact Michelle Power, Special Events and Volunteer Coordinator, at michelle@ywcasandiego.org  / 239-0355 x 216.

 

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Friends of San Diego Architecture Continues its Annual Lecture Series

The Friends of San Diego Architecture kicked off its 2009-2010 lecture series with Modern Libraries in San Diego County on Saturday 19 September with Manuel Oncina who is both a noted designer of libraries and a member of the CCDC Board of Directors.  The series will continue on Saturday 17 October with Radicalizing the Local: Beyond the Politics of Style! given by Teddy Cruz, Professor Public Culture, UCSD.  The lectures all take place at the New School of Architecture, 1249 F Street at 9:30am on the third Saturday of the month eight times a year and are open to the public.  They are not held in June, July, August and December.  For further information 224-8584 / www.friendsofsdarch.com.

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Annual Memory Walk in Balboa Park

The Annual Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk will be held in Balboa Park on the morning of Saturday 24 October.  The walk is a major fundraising event for the Association every year.  To obtain further information or to sign up (858)492-4400 / www.alz.org/memorywalk.  The 5K walk begins at 8:30am at Park Blvd and President's Way in Balboa Park.

 

 

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Ninth Annual Monster Bash on Halloween

Considered by most to be the largest Halloween Party in San Diego this event is not for the faint of heart.  This ghastly gala will provide you the opportunity to party with the living dead.  It will take place just outside the Gaslamp Quarter on 7th Avenue between Market and J Street and on Island between 6th and 8th Avenues.  The main entrance will be at 7th and Market.  As in prior years there will be a costume contest with the grand prize being $3,000 cash.  There will be no need to drive after drinking at the event as there will be a free designated driver shuttle home service to anywhere in San Diego County from 9pm to 1am.  For additional information or to purchase tickets 233-5008 / www.sandiegomonsterbash.com.

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Komen Race for the Cure in Balboa Park

The Susan G. Komen San Diego Race for the Cure is a major fundraiser in the fight against Breast Cancer.  It will be held in Balboa Park at 8am on Sunday 1 November.  The actual start of the event is at 6th and Palm just outside of the park but most of the course is within Balboa Park.  The three mile course can be covered by either running or walking.  For additional information or to register for the event (858)573-2760 / www.komensandiego.org.

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Ninth Annual Union Bank of California Fall Back Festival

For the ninth year in a row the Fall Back Festival will be held on the day we turn back the clocks to standard time.  That is how the now traditional children's street festival got its name.  The annual event will be held in the area around the corner of 4th and Island Avenues in the Gaslamp Quarter from 11am to 4pm on Sunday 1 November.  The entrance fee is $5 a person with those who have not reached their second birthday free.  The primary gate is located at the corner of Fifth and Island Avenues.  All children under 12 receive a free hot dog at the festival.  Some of the activates at the festival include:

  • Pony rides
  • carriage rides
  • hayrides
  • traditional carnival games
  • face painting
  • Native American colorful sand building
  • bounce house
  • caricatures
  • family portraits

There will be many contests for children and adults including:

  • ice cream eating
  • spaghetti eating
  • bubble gum blowing
  • watermelon seed spitting
  • Pie eating

There will be many booths at the festival to include:

  • Firehouse Museum
  • Chinese Historical Museum
  • Police Historical Association
  • Women’s Historical Museum & Educational Center
  • La Mesa Historical Society
  • Museum of Making Music
  • Japanese American Historical Society

There will be three full stages:

  • Main
  • Cultural
  • Contest

For additional information and a more complete list of the activities at the event see gaslampquarter.org/events/fallback.php.  The festival benefits the Gaslamp Quarter Historical Foundation.

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Art of Photography Show Well Attended

Art Of Photography Show

The 2009 Art Of Photography Show is an exhibition of international juried competition of photographic art which opened Saturday 29 August and will continue through Sunday 1 November at the Lyceum Theatre Gallery located at the north end of Horton Plaza.  The Judge for the Show is the Curator and Head of the Photography Department at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.  She has been curator of photography exhibitions at museums and universities around the world and has written numerous books, catalogs, essays and articles on various aspects of photography. She is highly respected in the global photographic community,  The Opening Reception Gala was held on Saturday 29 August and was very well attended.  Among those in attendance were Dr. Irwin and Joan Jacobs who are considered by many to be San Diego's top philanthropists.  Additional information can be obtained at www.artofphotographyshow.com / (858)793-0900.  Virtually all the work displayed at the show is for sale.

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Voluntary Vessel Speed Limits Reducing Pollution

As reported in this publication several months ago the Port of San Diego began a voluntary vessel speed reduction program as part of its Clean Air Program to reduce air pollution around the Bay.  The second quarter of this year is the first full quarter since the program was implemented.  During the quarter 86% of all the cruise ships and 53% of all the cargo ships were compliant with the voluntary speed limit.  The overall rate of compliance was 69%.  The program asked cruise and cargo vessel operators to reduce their speed when traveling within the bay or an area that extends 20 nautical miles seaward from Point Loma.  The voluntary limits are 12 knots for cargo ships and 15 knots for cruise ships.  The difference in the speed limits is based on differing engine fuel efficiencies between cargo and cruse vessels.  Based on the rate of compliance it is estimated that there has been a 10% reduction in emissions from the participating vessels.  The Port keeps track of the vessel speeds by accessing data that all vessels transmit using automatic identification systems.  The data is tracked by an Internet-based monitoring system.

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Volunteers Needed For Children's Street Festival

The Gaslamp Quarter Historical Foundation is looking for volunteers to help with Fall Back, their annual children's street festival in the Gaslamp Quarter on Sunday 1 November.  The festival runs from 11am to 4pm and the volunteers are needed from one half an hour before opening time until one half hour after it closes.  There is a great variety of volunteer positions available.  Reserve a position early to insure that you get the position you want.   Volunteers will be provided several breaks during the day so that they can also enjoy the festival.  For additional information 233-4692 / www.gaslampquarter.org.  This festival benefits the Gaslamp Quarter Historical Foundation and would not be possible without the volunteers.

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Free Downtown Bus Tours
Free Downtown bus tours offer close-up views of downtown's unique neighborhoods and highlight recently completed and upcoming new projects.  All tours begin at the Downtown Information Center (193 Horton Plaza) just above the CVS drug store between Victoria's Secret and Sam Goody.  Reservations are required, please call 619-235-2222 for reservations or further information.

 

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Masthead & Disclaimer

All items in this publication are the opinion of the writer of the piece.  Any item without a named author is the responsibility of the editor. Any submissions for inclusion in this publication should be submitted to the editor.   All telephone numbers are in the 619 area code unless otherwise noted.

 

Editor,  Stan Marder, smarder1@alum.ups.edu

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