Downtown San Diego E-News
January 2010

In This Issue
 
Calendar of Events
* Indicates that this event is not covered in more detail in this publication.
 
December
20 Sun Bay Parade of Lights, www.sdparadeoflights.org, 5:30-9pm
21 Mon Poinsettia Bowl Battle of the Bands, Gaslamp Quarter, www.gaslamp.org / 233-5227
30 Wed Holiday Bowl 5K Run, North Harbor Drive at West Ash Street, info@kozenterprises.com / (858)268-1250, 9:45am
30 Wed Big Bay Balloon Parade, North Harbor Drive, www.holidaybowl.com, 10am
 
 
January
05 Tue Downtown Sound Bites, Downtown Information Center, www.ccdc.com, 12pm-1pm
08 Fri Kettner Nights, Kettner Blvd, www.littleitalysd.com / 358-9512, 6-9pm *
09 Sat Design of new Bayside Fire Station, Firehouse Museum, 1572 Columbia St, www.ccdc.com, 9-10:30am
thru Thu 25 Feb daily except Sun Exhibit of Illuminated Manuscripts, Central Library, 820 E St, Heidi Wigler 236-5807 / www.sandiego.gov/public-library/locations/wangenheim.shtml, 1:30-4:30pm
13 Wed State of the City Address, Mayor Jerry Sanders, Balboa Theatre, www.sandiego.gov/mayor, 6pm
15 Fri Silent Film Night, The General (1927), Copley Symphony Hall, www.sandiegosymphony.com / 235-0804, 8pm
15 Fri-17 Sun Jesus Christ Superstar, Civic Theatre, www.broadwaysd.com *
16 Sat Friends of San Diego Architecture Lecture, New School of Architecture and Design, 1249 F St, www.friendsofsdarch.com, 9:30am
16 Sat Multicultural Festival, Martin Luther King Promenade, www.ccdc.com, 11am-5pm
16 Sat Hungry Girl / Yoplait promotion, Horton Plaza, (617)939-8427, 1-5pm
17 Sun-22 Fri Restaurant Week, 200+ restaurants, www.sandiegorestaurantweek.com
18 Mon Horizons Downtown Book Club, The Piano Teacher by Janice Y. K. Lee, Horizons South Tower Lounge, 510 First Avenue, Heather Forward, hhumble@aol.com  7:30pm
20 Wed Chamber of Commerce free workshop, The Power of Strategic Alliances, 402 Broadway #1000, 4-5:30pm
20 Wed Aire Open House, 1014 Fifth Ave #120, info@bamcommunications.biz, 5:30-7:30pm
23 Sat-Sun 28 Feb daily except Mon Lost In Yonkers, Old Globe Theatre, www.oldglobe.org, Balboa Park *
24 Sun Bringin' It Bach, Classics for Children, Balboa Theatre, www.sandeigotheatres.org / 570-1100 / 231-2311, 2-3pm
26 Tue Chamber of Commerce free workshop The Art of Giving a Presentation, 402 Broadway #1000, 8-9:30am.
26 Tue Police Captain's Advisory Meeting, Central Division, 2501 Imperial Ave, www.sandiego.gov/police, 5:30pm *
27 Wed Quiet zone steering committee meeting, City Front Terrace, 500 West Harbor Drive, dpriver@aol.com, 7pm *
27 Wed & 28 Thu An Evening  Of Classic Lily Tomlin, Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave, www.sandiegotheatres.org, 7:30pm *
28 Thu Parkside Terrace affordable housing grand opening, 13th St and Island Ave, www.wakelandhdc.com, 11:30am
30 Sat & Tue 2 & Fri 5 & Sun 7 m La Boheme, Civic Theatre, www.sdopera.com *
31 Sun Bridal Bazaar, Convention Center, www.bridalbazaar.com, 10am-4pm
31 Sun Aire Open House, 1014 Fifth Ave #120, info@bamcommunications.biz, 2-4pm
 
 
38th Annual Bay Parade of Lights
 
The kick-off will be a fireworks display in the area of Shelter Island on Sunday 20 December at 5:30pm and it will be followed by the parade.  The theme will be Christmas at the zoo.  More than 80 vessels will take part in this years event.  Additional information is available at sdparadeoflights.org.
 
 
Poinsettia Bowl Battle of the Bands in the Gaslamp Quarter
The marching bands from each of the competing schools in the Poinsettia Bowl will be in a musical showdown on 5th Avenue just prior to the big game at Qualcomm Stadium.  it will take place on Monday 21 December and for additional information www.gaslamp.org / 233-5227.  The teams to compete in the Poinsettia Bowl have yet to be determined.
 
 
Five Kilometer Holiday Bowl Run
The Holiday Bowl 5K kicks off at 9:45am on Wednesday 30 December from North Harbor Drive at West Ash Street.  The run ends at the G Street Mole next to Embarcadero Park North.  Early registration ends on Sunday 27 December at 9am.  For further information info@kozenterprises.com / (858)268-1250.
 
 
Billed as "America's largest Balloon Parade" The Port of San Diego Big Bay Balloon Parade returns to downtown on Wednesday 30 December just after the 5K Holiday Bowl Run and just prior to the Holiday Bowl Game itself.  Harbor Drive will be restricted on that day starting at 7:45am.  The actual start time of the parade is 10am.  For additional information www.holidaybowl.com.
 
 
 
Lunch & Learn Series Continues
The 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 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 next scheduled event in the series is on Tuesday 5 January and the featured speaker will be Jimmy Parker, Executive Director of the Gaslamp Quarter Association who will present an up to date insiders view of what is happening new in the Gaslamp Quarter.
 
 
 
Help design a New Downtown Fire Station
Downtown residents, businesses and property owners are invited to attend a community meeting to kick off the design of the new Bayside Fire Station which will be located at the southeast corner of Cedar Street and Pacific Highway.  The meeting will include presentations by the project's design team that is headed by architect Rob Quigley and public artists Chuck Moffit, Ingram Ober and Marisol Rendón-Ober.  A question & answer period and then a comment session will follow the presentations.  It will take place on Saturday 9 January from 9 to 10:30am at the San Diego Firehouse Museum, 1572 Columbia Street.  Registration for this event is not required.  Any advanced questions can be sent to events@ccdc.com and further information can be found at www.ccdc.com.
 
 
Annual State of the City Address
Mayor Jerry Sanders will give his annual State of the City Address at the Balboa Theatre on Wednesday 13 January starting at 6pm.  The theatre is located on the northeastern edge of Horton Plaza at 868 Fourth Avenue at the corner of E Street.  Immediately following the address there will be a reception at the US Grant Hotel with a no host bar.  For additional information www.sandiego.gov/mayor.
 
 
Friends of San Diego Architecture Continues its Annual Lecture Series
The Friends of San Diego Architecture continues its 2009-2010 lecture series with  The San Diego Housing Ladder: Integrating Opportunities for All on Saturday 16 January.  The speakers will be Susan Tinsky and Elizabeth Morris who are housing experts.   The lectures all take place at the New School of Architecture and Design, 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.
 
 
To help celebrate San Diego's diversity the Twelfth Annual Multicultural Festival will be held on Saturday 16 January.   This family-friendly festival will showcase San Diego's cultural diversity.  At the festival will be live entertainment, food stations, vendors, educational booths and other activities.  This event is free and open to the public and is held along the Martin Luther King Promenade between Market Street and Fourth Avenue starting at 11am and ending at 5pm.  Additional information www.ccdc.com.  Last years festival was attended by more than 25,000 people.
 
 
New Urban Performance Co-Operative Opens
The new Aire fitness center is located at 1014 Fifth Avenue.  Its main focus is on classes including yoga, pilates cycling and indoor rowing.  They are extending an offer for downtown residents to see what they have to offer at two open houses on either Wednesday 20 January from 5:30-7:30 or Sunday 31 January from 2-4pm.  During the open house  guests will be able to checkout the facility while enjoying wine and appetizers, as well as a chances to win raffle prizes.  If you plan to attend RSVP to info@bamcommunications.biz.
 
 
Parkside Terrace will be opening on Thursday 21 January.  It is a six-story building with 76 affordable units and 13,000 square feet of commercial space that will be occupied by the East Village Community Church.  The developer is Wakeland Housing.  It is located at 13th Street and Island Avenue.  For further information www.wakelandhdc.com.
 
 
New Police Captain For Central Division
The San Diego Police Department's Central Division Headquarters that is located at 2501 Imperial Avenue and serves downtown as well as other sections of the city has a new Captain.  He is Mark Jones and he will be continuing the Captain's Advisory Board Meetings.  They will be held on the Fourth Tuesday of all odd numbered months (January, March etc.) in the Community Room of the Central Division Headquarters at 5:30pm.  The next meeting will be on 26 January.  The previous Captain, Chris Ball, has moved to another job with the department.  The Central Division has established a trailer adjacent to the newly opened downtown winter homeless shelter at 15th Street and Island Avenue.  It will be manned 7/24 until the homeless shelter is closed in the spring.  For additional information www.sandiego.gov/police.

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Quiet Zone Meeting Well Attended
On the evening of Tuesday 8 December a meeting on the quiet zone was held at City Front Terrace.  There was a turnout of over fifty people at the meeting.  Covered were several items related to the long time attempt to create the largest quiet zone for interstate railroads in any urban area in the US.
 
The meeting was called by David Priver who is the Community Affairs Committee Chairperson at City Front Terrace.  He is also a long time elected member of the Centre City Advisory Committee (CCAC) which is part of Centre City Development Corporation (CCDC).  CCDC is the city's redevelopment agency for downtown.  In attendance at the meeting were several leaders of CCDC including the Chairperson of the Board of Directors, Fred Maas.  He has also been acting as the President and Chief Operating Officer for more that a year since the sudden departure of Nancy Graham.  Also at the meeting were:
  • Frank Alessi, Executive VP and CFO CCDC (the second longest serving member of CCDC he has been with the organization for over thirty years)
  • Derek Danzinger, the VP of Marketing and Communications CCDC
  • Joyce Summer, acting community outreach person CCDC and long time chair of the CCAC
  • Gary Smith, President Downtown Residents Group (DRG) that is the resident's planning group for downtown
  • James Lawson from the office of City Council Person Kevin Faulconer
  •  Representatives from downtown hotels and the following developments:
    • Breeza
    • City Front Terrace
    • City Walk
    • Crown Bay
    • Discovery
    • Electra
    • Harbor Club
    • Marina Park
    • Park Row
    • Pinnacle Marina Tower
    • Renaissance
    • The Grande Santa Fe Place
    • Watermark
The meeting covered the history of the attempts to create the quiet zone as well as other attempts to squelch the train horn noise that has been going on for many years.  Four sub-committees were formed to carry this effort forward.  The committees are:
  • Steering
  • City Council Liaison
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Media / Communications
If you care to volunteer for any of the committees please contact David Priver, dpriver@aol.com.  The next quiet zone meeting was scheduled for Wednesday 27 January at City Front Terrace at  6:30pm.  The complete detailed minutes of the 8 December meeting can be obtained by writing to David Priver dpriver@aol.com or the editor of this publication, Stan Marder smarder1@alum.ups.edu. 
 
 
Horton Plaza Ice-Skating Rink To Close
Want to experience ice skating in the heart of downtown while benefiting a great cause?  Come to the Horton Plaza ice rink as the proceeds benefit the Peckham Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Rady Children's Hospital.  The rink will be open for its annual run until Sunday 10 January.  It will be open daily except for being closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Days.  The cost is $12 for adults and $10 for children and includes skates.  For additional information www.sdice.com.

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Port Bus Tours
The Port of San Diego is offering a new series of free bus tours that will take members of the public along the tidelands and behind the scenes of the working waterfront.  Participants can now choose to start their tour in either Chula Vista or Coronado.  On the two-hour tour, the public will learn about San Diego Bay and what the Port and its tenants are doing to protect the tidelands.  On the tour you will also become familiar with Port operations, see shipbuilding and repair facilities, and get an up-close look at the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal and the National City Marine Terminal.  Many of the areas on the tour are normally off-limits to the public due to security concerns.  The tours start at 9:30am and run to 11:30am and are available on the following dates:
 
Starting in Chula Vista: -
  • Wednesday, January 20
  • Wednesday, February 17

Starting in Coronado:

  • Tuesday, January 12
  • Tuesday, February 9

Space is limited so early reservations are suggested.  Make your reservations online  www.portofsandiego.org/tours or by calling 686-8008.  Due to shipyard security restrictions, participants must be 18 years or older and must also show proof of US citizenship or permanent residency.

 
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 235-2222 for reservations or further information.
 
 

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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