Archive for October, 2008

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Rancho Bernardo’s Cole Hamels Set to Win World Series

Monday, October 27th, 2008 by The Best Places in San Diego

Rancho Bernardo High School’s Cole Hamels, a 2002 graduate, will be the starting pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies’ in Monday night’s Game 5 of the World Series. Should the Phillies win the game, they will be the winner of the World Series. (I’ll be cheering for them since they’re my old hometown team!)

Cole Hamels is a 24 year-old left hander who won the MVP of the National League Championship when the Phillies beat the Los Angeles Dodgers to reach the World Series. Cheer him on tonight as he seeks to win his fifth game in this post season. The Phillies are odds-on favorites to win due to the strength of their #1 pitcher, who won Game 1 of the World Series.

Hamels is not the only major leaguer from Rancho Bernardo High School. All-Star Hank Blalock of the Texas Rangers is a 1999 graduate. They are just two of the 33 major league baseball players from San Diego who played in 2008.

Let’s cheer on San Diego’s own Cole Hamels as he seeks to secure the Phillies’ first World Series since 1980. Who knows, he may just secure the MVP of the World Series as well. The game will be at 5PM on FOX5.

Read more about Cole Hamels from the Philadelphia Phillies web site.

Posted in Brains / Talent, Started in San Diego | 1 Comment »

Stress Relief in San Diego Makes CBS Evening News

Sunday, October 26th, 2008 by The Best Places in San Diego

If you think it was life on our beaches or camping in our mountains that got featured as good stress reliever on the CBS Evening News a few days ago, you are not even close.

Think of something more drastic.  Something more smashing.  The newest business venture to help people relieve stress comes from the Smash Shack in downtown San Diego.

If you ever wadded up a piece of paper and threw it against a wall to vent your frustration and then started to pick up something heavier like a plate or drinking glass and felt like doing the same, the Smash Shack is just the place for you.

Have at it!  Bust those plates! Shatter those glasses! You can even obliterate your old cell phone. Day or night, the Smash Shack will get you properly geared up and provide you with the amo and the wall to let it all out.  For some ideas, here is the Smash Shack Menu of items.

So, if something ticks you off at work or if you need to get over your date from hell, just head over to the Smash Shack near the Gaslamp and have a smashing good time.

If it is still hard to fathom that someone made this simple concept into a great business, just watch this video from CBS Evening News.

Posted in Started in San Diego, Things To Do | 1 Comment »

Do You Want to Share Your Thoughts & Experiences with Others?

Saturday, October 25th, 2008 by The Best Places in San Diego

I started this blog back in February after a two week visit to the hospital for heart surgery. (A word to the wise: Wash your hands frequently and do whatever it takes to avoid random viruses, a few of whom like to attack the heart. I was one of the lucky ones to recover and am back to running several miles each week.)

I could have created a blog to share my thoughts and experiences on overcoming the challenges of being knocked off ones feet, adapting to circumstances, and then ultimately fighting for recovery. However, I personally was more moved by the appreciation I re-established during my two-week hospital stay for the great fortune we have for living in San Diego.

It dawned on me there are very few places in our country, if any, that enjoy many of the privileges we have living here in America’s Finest City. I wrote in my first blog entry that I had the great fortune of spending two weeks in probably one of the best hospital rooms in the country. I stayed in the same room Mother Theresa had stayed in when she had heart surgery. Every evening I enjoyed watching the sun set over the Pacific, with a view of the Torrey Pines Golf Course, home of the 2008 PGA U.S. Open Championship, in the foreground. Now, how many hospital rooms in the world can you think of that offer a view of a golf course, ocean, and beautiful sunsets?

Looking back on my 10 years in San Diego, I began to remember all of the great attributes that attracted me to San Diego in the first place. Hoping that others do not have to go through the challenging experience I endured to re-appreciate all of the great things about San Diego, I decided to create this blog to remind people what a great place we live in. I aim to write each post about something that makes San Diego unique or at least makes it stand out from other cities. So far, I have thoroughly enjoyed sharing my findings with others.

That brings me back to the question I asked in the title of this post. What about yourself. Do you have thoughts or experiences you would like to share with others? Do you tell your friends and family about things that you think others might have an interest in as well? Chances are, there are other people out there who can benefit from hearing about your experiences or who can learn from your knowledge.

Blogging has become mainstream. You hear every TV and radio personality telling you to check out their blog. If you think there must be too many blogs now that everyone is talking about them and thus yours will get lost in the shuffle, think again. People are always yearning to learn more or find someone else they can relate to. You might just be the person they are looking for.

Here in San Diego, there are blogs about communities (such as San Elijo Life or La Mesa Real Estate), moms (Mel, A Dramatic Mom in La Costa), food (places to eat out and easy recipes), dealing with life in one’s 20s (Girlola) and much more.

What do you have to share? — Viewpoints on politics? Knowledge on economics? Advice on dating? Experiences as a Taxi Driver? (There’s actually a San Diego Taxi Blog.)

If I’ve wet your appetite at all to start your own blog, why don’t you start by meeting some of the local bloggers. The San Diego Meetup group for bloggers, SD Bloggers, is getting together on Tuesday, October 28th in downtown San Diego. Over 225 members have joined since its inception a year ago. You will meet about a 100 of them on Tuesday. They are a friendly group and drinks are free for the first hour courtesy of Integral Impressions, owned by one of our fellow bloggers. Sign up to attend the SD Bloggers meet-up and get some inspiration to start your own blog!

Posted in Things To Do | No Comments »

BMW Oracle Racing Home Ported in San Diego this Fall

Thursday, October 23rd, 2008 by The Best Places in San Diego

For the next couple months, we will see one of the fastest sailboats in the world navigating San Diego Bay.  The BMW Oracle Racing Team is in town with their brand new trimaran boat. The 100 foot sail boat with 148 foot mast is docked behind the San Diego Convention Center.

The America’s Cup competitors from BMW Oracle will be working to acclimate themselves to the new boat as they prepare for the next racing season.  You can read more about the planned stay in San Diego from the Valencia Sailing blog and view pictures of recent practices held in San Diego Bay on the BMW Oracle Racing Team web site.

I know who I’ll be cheering for – BMW Oracle.  Hopefully, you’ll cheer for the ‘home team’ as well!

Posted in Brains / Talent, Enjoy the Outdoors, Things To Do | 1 Comment »

Balboa Park 13th Best Park in The World

Tuesday, October 21st, 2008 by The Best Places in San Diego

The Project for Public Places is a New York based non-profit that works with communities around the world to develop quality parks and public squares.  Since their beginning in 1975, they have worked with over 2,000 communities in 26 countries.

With that said, it is quite impressive they ranked our own Balboa Park, the 13th Best Park in the World and 4th Best Park in the United States.  If you haven’t been to Balboa Park lately, it’s time to learn more about the park in your backyard that is the envy of communities around the globe.

Take advantage of this unique gem.  And, if you hear someone complaining San Diego doesn’t have the amenities of a world-class city, send them this link and tell them stop looking in someone else’s backyard and to appreciate that we are living in a special place.

The Project for Public Spaces put together lists in 2004 of both the Best Parks and the Worst Parks in the World. These parks are used as examples on what should and should not be done to create a wonderful park to be enjoyed by local residents. Although there is always room for improvement (like making Balboa Park #1), we do have something to hang our hat on.

Posted in Enjoy the Outdoors, San Diego Ranking | No Comments »

Roger Hedgecock to go Nationwide

Monday, October 20th, 2008 by The Best Places in San Diego

Whether or not you like his point of view, former San Diego Mayor and current Radio Talk Show Host, Roger Hedgecock, will be heard nationwide every weekday night from 6PM – 9PM Eastern Time starting January 5th.

In recent years, Roger Hedgecock became a more popular figure nationally as a guest on nationally syndicated conservative talk shows and as a fill-in for Rush Limbaugh.  Hedgecock will now have his own show broadcast nationwide from San Diego.  He will be replacing the time slot currently held by Michael Reagan, the adopted son of former President Ronald Reagan.

To learn more, read the Radio America press release and visit Roger Hedgecock’s web site.

Posted in Started in San Diego | No Comments »

San Diego Designed Predator Wins Battle

Sunday, October 19th, 2008 by The Best Places in San Diego

In previous posts I’ve mentioned how the San Diego designed and built, unmanned drones assisted in wildfire fighting efforts and performed environmental research.  As was noted in those articles, the unmanned drones were originally built for use in the military.

Last week’s episode of 60 Minutes provided the closest look yet at the military uses of the unmanned drone.  More specifically, the feature story notes how the Predator won the Battle for Sadr City and set the stage for the current success of the U.S. Military Surge in Iraq.

If you missed the episode, here’s the video.

60 Minutes has a separate video that provides more background information about the Predator.

To learn more about the Predator and the Global Hawk unmanned drones and their connection to San Diego, visit the previous posts noted at the top of this article.

Posted in Brains / Talent, Military Presence, Started in San Diego | No Comments »

Wall Street Journal Names Carmel Valley Company Top Small Workplace

Saturday, October 18th, 2008 by The Best Places in San Diego

Congratulations go out to ATA Engineering in Carmel Valley.  They made this year’s Wall Street Journal list for Top Small Workplaces.  Only 10 companies nationwide earned the honor.

ATA Engineering, founded in 2000 and now employing 84 personnel, solves complex mechanical and aerospace engineering challenges.  Their work includes help in the development of the International Space Station to assistance on the design of amusement park rides.

So, what does ATA Engineering do that makes it a Top Workplace? The Wall Street Journal cited 100% Employee Ownership, managers and executives being paid on the same payscale as engineering staff, all employees earning the same percentage of their salary for bonuses, and allowing many employees at all levels to be a part of company decisions from hiring new employees to determining where the offices should be located.

So, congratulations go out to ATA Engineering for setting an example for small companies across the country.  Visit the ATA Engineering web site to learn more about the company and view their engineering opportunities. Maybe you can become a member of one of the Top Workplaces in America.

Posted in Brains / Talent, San Diego Ranking, Started in San Diego | No Comments »

Step Back in Time at the Fall Harvest Festival

Wednesday, October 15th, 2008 by The Best Places in San Diego

Go where Hollywood goes to get their fill for farming life.  Every year, the Antique Gas and Steam Engine Museum hosts a Harvest Fair the last couple weekends in October. It’s the same museum Hollywood turns to for farm equipment they use in movies such as L.A. Confidential, Mulholland Falls, and Pearl Harbor.

Spread over 50 acres in Vista, you will get to enjoy live entertainment, wagon rides, tractor games, demonstrations of antique farming equipment, watch a blacksmith, and of course, eat food from the farm.

This is a working farm manned by 1,100 volunteers. You’ll get to see them harvest the crops and bring them to the kitchen to make delicious food. Teach your kids the farming way of life or explore it for yourself.  The Harvest Fair runs the next two weekends from 10AM – 4PM.  Here are the directions to the Vista Gas & Steam Engine Museum from Google Maps. Have fun.

Posted in Enjoy the Outdoors, Things To Do, Volunteers | No Comments »

Are San Diegans Too Modest?

Tuesday, October 14th, 2008 by The Best Places in San Diego

The results for America’s Favorite Cities survey are in!  If you recall, I encouraged my readers back in March to make San Diego #1 on the Travel & Leisure magazine survey. I’m not sure what to think after reviewing the results.

San Diego failed to receive any top rankings out of 45 categories.  We were only competing against 25 other cities. However, we did finish #2 for Ideal Weather, Attractive People, and Perfect Place for a Family Vacation.  My more compelling concern is that it was the scores given by San Diegans that contributed to our poor rankings.

To be fair, San Diegans did score our city better than non-San Diegans…barely.  Out of 45 survey questions, we gave ourselves a cumulative 2 extra points.  (Each question had the potential for 5 points.) Unfortunately, other cities thought much more highly of themselves, helping to propel their cities to higher rankings.

If you were to compare the city rankings based only on what residents gave to their own city, San Diego gave up a whopping 15 cumulative spots in the rankings in comparison to what outsiders thought about San Diego.

That begs the question, ‘Is this a good thing because San Diegans are too modest to gloat about ‘America’s Finest City’ or is it a bad thing because we lack self-esteem about our own city?’.

Here are the categories where we gave up the most in rankings – Public Parks and Outdoor Access, Classical Music, Farmers’ Markets, Stylish People, Public Transportation and Pedestrian Friendliness, and Christmas Destination.   (Hmmm … Stylish People … maybe we are so caught up in trying to keep up with the Jones’s that we don’t take the time to appreciate what we do have.  Maybe this is indicative of us losing sight on what a great place we live in and it takes outsiders to point it out to us.)

Here are the categories where we flat-out scored ourselves worse than outsiders – Historical Sites and Monuments, Late Night / Club Scene, Traffic, and Affordability, not to mention some crossover categories from the previous section, including once again Stylish People, Classical Music, and Public Transportation.

I’m hoping we are a bit too modest but part of me thinks we are so caught up in ‘keeping up with others’ that we forget to appreciate what we do have.  Hopefully, I can help improve our perception of San Diego with this blog.  I’m also working on a special project that I will introduce in the coming weeks to improve our city’s image.

I’d be curious in hearing your thoughts on why we may have scored ourselves so low in comparison to how other cities thought about themselves.

Posted in San Diego Ranking | No Comments »

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