Archive for February, 2009

San Diego Crowds Help Make Cycling History

Sunday, February 22nd, 2009 by The Best Places in San Diego

Great job San Diego!  Our outpouring of support for the Tour of California, which was seen around the world, made this the number one stage race for attendance in U.S. Pro Cycling history. The massive crowds that lined the entire 97 mile route from Rancho Bernardo over Palomar Mountain to the Finish Line in Escondido made up for the lack of crowds in Northern California, which was due to heavy rains during the first days of the nine-day race, and brought the estimated race attendance total to 2 million spectators.

Whenever I watched the Tour de France, I always got a good chuckle from crazy costumes some spectators wore as they ran alongside of the racing cyclists. (I’d also be petrified that one of the loonies would knock over the cyclists.) It turns out San Diego has its fair share of loonies looking to be seen on TV around the world.  The costumes ranged from sumo wrestlers to birthday suits but the one that stood out most for me was the guy wearing four-foot tall antlers on his head. He did a pretty good job sprinting alongside the cyclists as they reached the highest peak ever for the Tour of California. It was very cool to see a few inches of snow along the side of the road on Palomar despite temperatures being in the low 70’s at the bottom of the mountain.

Speaking of Palomar, in a post last week, I mentioned Lance Armstrong compared the climb of Palomar to the venerable Mont Ventoux stage of the Tour de France. Tonight, the editor-in-chief of Bicycling Magazine who wrote Positively False: The Real Story of How I Won the Tour de France with Floyd Landis, spoke with Jim Lasovic from NBC 7/39, and noted that Landis calls Palomar Mountain the best mountain for cycling in the world. (So, there you have it, two of the cycling world’s best riders praising our own Palomar Mountain.)

Not only is Palomar Mountain one of the best mountains for cycling in the world, but Bicycling Magazine rates San Diego as the #1 City for Cycling.

San Diego received great worldwide publicity from today’s final stage of the Tour of California. The TV coverage on Versus provided an overhead view of San Diego’s Wild Animal Park and continually made remarks about the big crowds that stayed well after the race had finished. Even one of the Versus analysts noted he is heading to the San Diego Zoo tomorrow.

I am so glad San Diegans made this event a huge success for our community. Let’s hope this  encourages the Amgen Tour of California officials to include San Diego once again in next year’s race!

(By the way, for those who saw the race on TV, if you were curious to know why the guy wearing the antlers had a Montana jersey, it was to cheer on the eventual Tour of California Winner, Levi Leipheimer, who is from Montana.)

If you have photos from today’s stage you want to share with others, let me know using the comments below and I’ll add them to this post!

Posted in Brains / Talent, Enjoy the Outdoors, San Diego Ranking | 1 Comment »

San Diego a Hotspot for Reality TV Contestants

Tuesday, February 17th, 2009 by The Best Places in San Diego

Do you have what it takes to be a star on Reality TV? Do you ever wish some talent scout or casting director would pluck you off the street for their next show?

It turns out San Diego is the place to be for a chance to be on Reality TV. The Union Tribune recently published “Reality TV Likes What It Sees in San Diego’s Talent Pool“.

A casting director quoted in the article kindly spoke of San Diego’s outgoing lifestyle: “I think of San Diego as an independent and life-loving city. People in San Diego are going out and doing things they enjoy, as opposed to being couch potatoes.”  That spirit and our proximity to Hollywood makes San Diego a prime spot for plucking soon-to-be reality stars out of obscurity.

Three of the latest stars plucked from San Diego made their debuts in the past week.

Sydney Wheeler, a model and part-time interior designer in San Diego, made her debut on the newest season of Survivor. (CBS Thursdays at 8PM.) She was picked while hanging out at Bar West in Pacific Beach.

Kris Klicka and Amanda Blackledge made their debut on the Amazing Race. (CBS Sundays at 8PM.) Kris was spotted by a CBS casting agent at the Ivy in the Gaslamp Quarter. They follow on the heals of San Diego contestant Mark Yturralde, who competed in the last edition of the Amazing Race. (By the way, you can follow Yturralde on Twitter.)

Last summer, I wrote about the TLC reality TV show “Must Love Kids“, which was made up entirely of San Diego contestants and filmed throughout the county.

The UT article notes several more San Diego residents who have become reality TV stars, including contestants on Project Runway, Top Chef, American Idol, and The Bachelor. For those who have the time and knowledge, it might be interesting to post a list of all the San Diego based contestants below to see how many San Diegans got their 15 minutes of fame on Reality TV.

Will you be the next Reality TV contestant to get plucked out of San Diego?

Posted in San Diego Ranking, Started in San Diego | No Comments »

College Filmmakers From San Diego Produce Documentary Seen Around the World

Monday, February 16th, 2009 by The Best Places in San Diego

A camera purchased on eBay + three college students with an interest to visit war torn Sudan and Uganda = 5 million viewers, the launch of a World Tour, and the establishment of a major non-profit to change the plight of children in northern Uganda and other war-torn areas of the world.

Three friends, Bobby Bailey, Laren Poole, and Jason Russell set out to find a story to tell the rest of us about atrocities in Sudan. What they came back with is the attached video called “Invisible Children”. It’s an hour long but I implore you to make the time to watch it with family, friends, and coworkers.

The children you will meet in the movie ask the filmmakers not to forget them. They hold hope that the ‘tape’ being made of them can be used to tell their story to the world.  That story is the brutal torture and kidnapping of children ages 5 – 12 for service in the Lord’s Resistance Army. You will see and hear the stories of children who gather together at night to sleep in the middle of town with the hope they do not become the next victim. You will also meet those who have escaped their captors but must exorcise the demons now stuck in their heads.

I was impressed with the maturity and communication skills of the elementary school age children interviewed for the film. This is one heck of a documentary created by college aged kids in 2003.

Starting with one showing at a San Diego community center, the work of these filmmakers, which includes some follow-up documentaries, is finally starting to receive some mainstream attention. Up until now, their films have been shown in schools and churches around the country.

As ‘Invisible Children’ gained momentum, donations from viewers wanting to help the children started pouring in. ‘Invisible Children’ is now a San Diego based non-profit that provides help to the Sudanese refugee camps in Uganada, provides educational materials, instructors, and scholarships for the children of northern Uganda and sells products made by former child captives. Their amazing grass roots story is told in the February issue of Success Magazine.

This week, ‘Invisible Children’ began their international tour to promote their cause to an even wider audience. I hope you will take the time to learn more about Invisible Children and consider following their blog.

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

San Diego Addition to Tour of California Makes For “mini Tour de France”

Monday, February 16th, 2009 by The Best Places in San Diego

When Foreign Cycling Team Managers start referring to the Tour de California as a “mini Tour de France”, you know this four-year old bike race has finally come of age.

America has made many attempts over the years to create a bike race on our soil that would be respected among the cycling elites around the world. There have been many fits and starts. I got to see some of the attempts first-hand growing up in Wilmington, DE during the 1980s. Wilmington was frequently both the start and end points for the Tour de Trump, sponsored by The Donald, and then the Tour du Pont.

If any readers remember those races, I’ll never forget sitting at the bottom of Monkey Hill during time trials. The cyclists would head down the street that changed from blacktop to cobblestone and then made a 90 degree right turn.  Making the 90 degree turn while heading downhill on cobblestone was as nerve wracking for the spectator to watch as it was for the cyclist who had to navigate the corner. It was even worse during a couple of the years when there was a light drizzle making it nearly impossible to make a clean turn going any faster than a snail’s pace. We, the spectators, could always tell when a spectacular crash was impending just by judging the speed of the cyclist heading down the hill. (We tried to warn them to no avail. One even took out a street sign well after his body had left the bike.)

Unfortunately, sponsorship eventually waned and the race disappeared.

Anyways, back to the point of this post. The 2009 edition of the Amgen Tour of California is the fourth year of the newest attempt at creating an internationally respectable race in the States.

This is the first year San Diego is being added to the route. For a first time site, it is impressive the San Diego route will serve as the final stage of the nine-day race.

What makes it more impressive is the amount of attention the San Diego route is getting from the international press and foreign cycling teams who will be competing in the race.  The Norwegian cycling web site Syklingens Verden quotes one of the team managers saying “This year’s California is kind of like a mini-Tour de France 2009″ as a result of adding the San Diego stage. The team manager went on to compare the climb up to Palomar Mountain to the venerable Mont Ventoux stage of the Tour de France, the king of all cycling races.

Palomar Mountain is the centerpiece of the final stage in San Diego. At a summit of 5,123 feet, Palomar Mountain will be the highest peak ever included in the Tour of California.

The Tour of California will get an extra boost of attention with Lance Armstrong’s return to racing. In an interview with Velo News, which is posted on the fan web site for his Astana Team, Armstrong noted, “The first time I ever rode Palomar Mountain was in 1987. It’s been 22 years since I did it for the first time. I’ve done it many times since then. It’s an epic climb, I should say it’s a real climb.”  Armstrong is one of the most respected climbers in cycling and to have him call the Palomar climb ‘epic’ has the whole world watching this final Stage 8 in San Diego.

The cycling world’s largest contingent of fans are in Europe. For the first time, those fans will be able to watch American’s premier race during Prime Time in Europe. The Tour of California will be carried live by Eurosport.

So, get out there and cheer San Diego. The bike race in San Diego will be the most anticipated stage of the most prominent race in America and it will be seen live around the world.  This is San Diego’s big opportunity to make a lasting impression and encourage the world to come and visit one of the world’s best cities!

Visit the San Diego stage map for the Tour of California for more details.

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

Learn More About San Diego’s Rich Black History

Saturday, February 14th, 2009 by The Best Places in San Diego

Today, San Diego has a relatively small African-American population (5.5%) when compared to the nation as a whole (12.8%). So for some, it may come as a surprise that the San Diego African American community has a rich heritage that is known well beyond our area. So, if it is a surprise to you, incorporate some of the following activities during February as our nation celebrates Black History Month.

Blacks were among the earliest settlers as Americans headed west to explore California in the mid-1800s. Some of the earliest black settlers made their way to the mountain town of Julian during its Gold Rush.  You can learn about the black history of that period by participating in the Black Historical Tour of Julian on weekends, year-round at 2PM. One of the tour stops will be the Historic Robinson Hotel (now known as the Julian Hotel). This hotel, started by a freed slave who headed west, is the oldest continually operating hotel in California.

Did you know the last Governor of Alto-California before our area became a part of the United States was of African-American ancestry?  Did you know the last cavalries of Buffalo Soldiers, when we had a segregated military, were stationed in the outskirts of San Diego? How about the fact that San Diego’s East Village became known as the ‘Harlem of the West’ from the late 1920’s to early 1940’s when legendary Jazz and Blues Musicians, including Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, and Nat King Cole hung out and entertained local audiences? You can learn about this rich history by visiting the Museum of San Diego African American History, taking a Harlem of the West tour, or driving out to Campo to visit the Gaskill Brothers Stone Store Museum. You will also find that the Black History Museum in the East Village offers a number of tour options to explore black history in San Diego.

If I have wet your appetite to learn more, start with the research and publications on San Diego Black History from the San Diego Historical Society. You should also consider taking a look into local events taking place to celebrate Black History month. Here are two sources to get you started:

San Diego Black History Events at the University of California, San Diego – Several events are taking place each week including forums, music and dance workshops, and a free family day at the Birch Aquarium.

San Diego Black History Events at San Diego State University – Lectures, Plays, and Films are on tap throughout the month.

I was quite surpised to learn the extent of Black History in San Diego. I hope you will enjoy the rich history our area has to offer as well.

Posted in Things To Do | No Comments »

The Perfect Way to Spend a Winter Saturday in North County Inland San Diego

Friday, February 13th, 2009 by The Best Places in San Diego

img_9778-mediumSorry I’ve been ‘off-air’ for a couple weeks. I’ve been busy working on my San Diego Travel web site. There is a lot I want to write about. Today I am going to write about an experience I had been looking forward to for a nearly a year. Even with the extended length of anticipation and high expectations, I was not disappointed. Not only did I end up having an enjoyable Saturday morning, but I found a thrilling stretch of San Diego roadway and came to realize how easy it is to put together a perfect, inexpensive family outing during the lull of winter.

Last spring, I began my research to build the best tourist web site in San Diego. One of my surprise findings was the opportunity to see hawks and eagles in the wild with the help of guides in Ramona. I love visiting wildlife at the Zoo and Wild Animal Park but seeing large birds of prey in a relatively small enclosure just doesn’t seem to provide the majesty I always imagined for the national birds of the United States (bald eagle) and Mexico (golden eagle). To have the opportunity to see them up-close in the wild was something I couldn’t wait to experience. The only problem was, the Hawk Watch event is only offered on Saturdays during the months of January and February.

When January finally came around, I couldn’t wait to make the drive into Ramona. But no sooner did I start heading into the hills when my transmission started to die. It turned out I would have to wait another week to make my visit as I needed a new transmission.  (I was incensed that the transmission could not wait a half- day before conking out.)

Not only did I not make it that Saturday but my plans to visit on the subsequent Saturdays fell through at the last moments. (At least one of them was due to the fortunate opportunity to tour the USS Ronald Reagan, which I’ll write about in the coming days.)

OK. I’ll get back now on how to create the perfect family outing in San Diego’s North County Inland area.

Start your cool, crisp San Diego morning driving into the nearby countryside. The open fields and old farm homes eases any tension you may have built up during the week. Enjoy a warm welcome from the folks at the Wildlife Research Institute. They’ll offer morning refreshments as you take a look around their gift shop and wait for the outdoor presentation to begin at 9AM. (The event is free!)

img_9781-medium1As you gather around the founders, Jeff and Dave, you will see their staff has captured about a half dozen red tail hawks, falcons, and other birds of prey. As part of their studies, they place tracking devices on these rare birds to track their movements in the wild. One-by-one, the huge birds with wide eyes, sharp beaks, and wings spread to show their strength, are brought out to be tagged. The crowd gets a ‘bird’s eye’ view (pun intended) as guests get the opportunity to take pictures at nearly point-blank range.

You will learn about the basic differences between the varieties of hawks, their status in the region, and the efforts to help their populations grow.  Jeff and Dave have a lifetime’s worth of stories to share and easily answer countless questions from the gawking onlookers.

Later, Jeff and Dave take guests further down the road where visitors can watch the birds circle overhead or perch themselves on top of the various rock formations spread throughout the Ramona grasslands.  It is an enjoyable morning that visitors will not soon forget, for it is an unusual opportunity that most people in our country will never get to experience.

A few things I learned:

  • When you see a crow or raven chasing a hawk, don’t worry. Crows are the prey and they know it. So, they try to intimidate the hawks. Usually, the hawks just want to be left alone. But, if they get too annoyed, the crows better watch out.
  • When you see a hawk circling, look for colors. If see red, it’s probably a red-tail hawk. If you see white, it is probably a bald eagle and not a golden eagle. Eagles also fly very gracefully without movement of their wings. If you see a bird with a bit more of a forward angle to its wings and a constant movement (as though it is trying to balance itself), this is probably a turkey vulture.

So, how should you spend the rest of your Saturday? First, head into Ramona for lunch. It is just a few miles east on SR-67. After lunch, continue towards the opposite end of Ramona and make a left on SR-78. Within four miles, you will find yourself driving around hairpin turns along the side of a mountain with a panoramic view across a river bed to mountains on the opposite side of the valley. It will be the type of drive you see in car commercials. This will last for about five miles before you arrive in the San Pasqual Valley.  Despite my love for driving, this was my first time driving this stretch of road. I’ve driven throughout our county but never new about this particular route. It is by far my favorite short drive in San Diego. It is all the more beautiful during this time of year when the winter rains turn the hillsides bright green.

Once you are in the San Pasqual Valley, you can visit the San Diego Archaeological Center, San Pasqual State Historic Park, Wild Animal Park, and the award-winning Orfila Winery. After passing these attractions, you will only be a few miles away from highway I-15.

Before I forget, here are some more details about the Hawk Watch at the Wildlife Research Institute that I wrote about in my travel web site.

San Diego has a lot to offer. Take advantage of it!

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