This Week in Street People: Commenters Must be Home for the Holidays

Here at My San Diego we don't like to make fun and/or pass judgment on the fine, upstanding San Diego residents who are profiled as "Street People" (we usually depend on the comments to do that for us) but this weeks Street Person, despite his affable half smile/frown that says "hey, I don't really want this whole big deal made out of my super professional job either", John Resnick, was ripe for judgment and yet only received a paltry two comments (so far).

Comment makers are either striking in solidarity, or on vacation. Resnick (the "Vibe Manager" at The Hard Rock Hotel in Downtown San Diego whose job is to "make sure the Hard Rock rocks") didn't get "Blocked" (As we will hence forth call a complete siege of people with opinions about if this person warrants any comments at all, as was done for the great entry on John Block, writer, screenwriter, hot or not? contestant).

I'm not jealous. I'm not. I am, a little. It's not like I'd turn down the opportunity to "let rock and roll destroy me." Nor would I turn down to opportunity to warrant an actual blog entry by one Cat Dirt.

A little more about Johnny "the vibe master" Master.

John Resnick describes his perfect San Diego weekend:"Riding my Harley up north on PCH, then back through the mountains, and getting home in time to go see a small concert with good friends. That'd be just about perfect."

John Resnick tells us the 10 songs he'd put on his perfect mix CD: 1. "Romeo and Juliet," Dire Straits2. "Just Like Heaven," The Cure3. "Bittersweet Symphony," The Verve4. "Like a Rolling Stone," Bob Dylan5. "Y Control," Yeah Yeah Yeahs6. "You Only Live Once," The Strokes7. "Lawyers, Guns and Money," Warren Zevon8. "Sweet Jane," The Velvet Underground9. "The Magnificent Seven," The Clash10. "Oh My God," Mark Ronson feat. Lily Allen

The man leads with Dire Straits, I mean that is a man you have to respect. I, personally, would have lead with Bob Dylan because he's totally hot right now. I guess that's why they pay John Resnick the big bucks.

Look we came to your school but that doesn't mean we have to be a part of your school

Washington Elementary School in Downtown San Diego went and opened their doors, campus and arms to a failing nearby private school and in return that nearby private school agreed to join the campus as long as they didn't actually have to interact with those "public school" kids.

From KPBS:
Teacher Jeannie Heffly says the former private school students belong to a special program on one side of the campus that offers field trips, small class sizes and enrichment courses including art, music and PE.

Don't worry though, this is just a misunderstanding. The parents of those private school kids have cleared everything up, you see, (those public school kids) have the same things they've always had. Us coming there hasn't changed their programs...

So you see, they aren't missing anything (like smaller classes and PE and field trips) because they didn't have them in the first place! So it's not like they need them now... they are just public school kids after all. We'll call this the "you don't even know what you're missing dumb poor people just be happy we'll let our kids on the same campus as yours" defense.

The Black Eyed Peas are too loud for Downtown San Diego

Yes, yes, San Diego is as cool as LA and yes, yes, Downtown San Diego is well on the way to being your one stop shop for an LA experience outside of LA. And yes, The Black Eyed Peas can party like it's 1999.

All that being said, San Diego still isn't ready for noise at all hours of the night. Get it together, Fergie, you're singing may be off the charts, but we're having none of those shinanigans in our fair city. Didn't any body tell you about the noise ordinance?

From Hecklerspray:

During their Tuesday gig to promote the opening of the Hard Rock hotel in the city, The Black Eyed peas - consisting of Fergie, apl.de.ap, Taboo, will.i.am, Conceited.com, Boba Fett and Haile Selassie - were bobbing away like an elderly pantomime troupe until San Diego police pulled their plug for exceeding noise levels."Fergie said they would close the show with 'Where Is the Love?" commented a hotel representative. "She said it was for our friends - the police - in the lobby."

Rachelle in the City: She goes and finds herself the Big O.

Rachelle in the City:
The Big O

Where does time go? It seems like just yesterday I moved to the San Diego area and already the weeks have flown by and Christmas is just around the corner. I am crossing my fingers my supervisor will let me return to New Mexico to visit my family for the holidays.

The bummer about working retail in a spa is you have to work 7 days a week, 362 days a year. This is the price I have to pay for now I guess, and hopefully it will pay off in the end. Though, a little hiss rises up in the back of my mind sometimes when I am stocking the shelves and it says, "you went to Stanford for this?"

Working and recovering from work has been my theme these past few weeks. I had Tuesday and then Sunday off last week. So weird.

My point is, my big plans of checking out cool cheap things to do around San Diego has been significantly delayed. However, that doesn't mean I haven't managed to squeeze in a few highlights to mention.

For Avery's birthday she made the long trip up to North County and we had lunch at this Japanese restaurant called Nozomi in Carlsbad. Their lunch specials are so delicious and complement that with some sake and it makes a perfect start to an afternoon (only if you don't have to return to work of course).

Afterwards, we were determined to find Geoff's friend's bar in Oceanside where she's a bartender so we could maybe score some free drinks. I had never been to Oceanside before and I don't think I will be heading back there soon, unless I want to shop at The Closet. Marines were everywhere and everything just seemed...sketchy. We finally found the bar called The Haunted Head and when we walked in all these dirty old men looked at us and since my friend wasn't working at the time we sort of looked at each other and agreed to head to the sports bar down the street instead. Oceanside has its own vibe going but it's definitely not my vibe.

My eldest aunt came into town on business and I was able to show her my apartment. She thought everything was "cute" and she took pictures of me standing in each area of the apartment so she could show my family back home.

We spent an evening in downtown San Diego having tapas at this place i kept telling Geoff over the phone was called "O" but was corrected by an irritated waiter who said the name was actually "Red Circle." What do I know. It was an alright place. They were playing some good music though...the kind I could see me and my girls getting down to. It was great to have family visiting me and I hope they come more often so I don't miss they so much.

Geoff and I declared we have gained too much weight since we got married and our goal is to start becoming more active in our daily rituals. Funny thing is that it's actually easier said then done. What better thing to do then get off work and curl up next to your loved one and read or watch TV together? I am looking forward to this coming weekend because Geoff and I are going to check out the exhibit on the Dead Sea Scrolls because we are scholarly like that. I mentioned it to Avery but she didn't sound to keen on going. I'm excited though.

The Reviews are Trickling In: Hard Rock Hotel is Okay

Not wonderful, not amazing, not "oh my freaking God Cindy Crawford was there! CINDY CRAWFORD!" just, "ehh, it's alright." The hotel doesn't "offically" open until December 12, so they do have some time to work out the kinks, and there are (apparently) some kinks. From Hotel Chatter.com

So far, guests have posted four reviews, averaging out at a 3.5 (out of five) overall rating. Though the hotel is living up to its "so stylish it hurts hype," guests are still feeling the growing pains of a three-week-old hotel. Here's a snippet of our favorite comments so far, ranging from the satisfied:

So many details of thought are immediately apparent in the design of this hotel. It is clearly a state-of-art building, showcasing the best in the industry. The hotel is very modern, truly a contemporary design dream come true!

to the irritated:

I learn from the first review that the official opening of the hotel is not until December. That would explain the maintenance guys running around doing stuff and finishing off the pool area.

to the downright nitpicky (we can identify):

the towels were those strange cotton towels that feel nice to the touch, but just seem to move the water around. The bathroom and halls smelled of rotten eggs---seems to be a ventilation problem. One elevator was out of service and there was no lighting in the spa/workout room one morning.

Homeless Shelter Opens at Ballpark

The San Diego winter homeless shelter is now open in Tailgate Park. From Sign On San Diego:

About 200 men and women with special needs, such as disabilities or health issues, were the first to enter the large tent erected in a parking lot next to the Padres' downtown ballpark. Volunteers conducted medical screenings and passed out toiletry bags and snacks. “I'm so grateful it opened,” said Stacy Neesen, who has multiple sclerosis and uses a wheelchair. “They go out of their way to get us out of the cold and off the streets.” The shelter will close March 14, four weeks earlier than last season, so the Padres can use the lot for its season opener.

There was some debate over where the shelter would be this year. Previous suggestions were turned down and/or contested by residents of the area.

Happy Holidays everybody!

The Telegraph over there in the UK sends some guy named Charlie Scott to hang out and have fun in San Diego

From The Telegraph (UK):

From the sensational surf and surfers to skateboarding and boardwalk strutting, this is the city as beach beautiful: girls cruise by on Rollerblades or bicycles, mothers pull babies in go-karts, students play Frisbee and eccentric oldies do the lot. The weather is sensational all year and where Los Angeles sprawls in a hectic, hazy hubbub, San Diego cruises along the Pacific, from glorious beach communities to the harbour and downtown area. The Zoo is rightly world-renowned (its Wild Animal Park, Sea World and a wild sealion colony are also good). The museums and galleries are also top-notch.

Scott stayed at The W (W Hotel rooms range from "Wonderful" to 'Extreme Wow'. ), at The Diamond Head Inn (It encourages you to cook and make the most of the beach until the sun sinks into the Pacific.), and Tower 23 (There's no pool. The bar gets very noisy and the surfer dude service can irritate.).

It looks like if you're looking for a real party head downtown (rooftop bars unite!) and if you're looking for a deal with some surf attitude head to the beach (go beach!).

Seriously, how did this guy get his job and where can I apply. I'm going to walk into the Editors office over at The Union Tribune and say "I'd like you to pay me money to travel around having fun. Thank you." Heck, pay me to "travel" around San Diego and stay in San Diego hotels and I'll take it. Charlie Scott... you lucky, lucky bastard.

Nobody wants the homeless people, surprise, surprise.

Well, perhaps San Diego isn't all acupuncture and massages for their displaced. It's that time of year again, when people are supposed to get all giving and charitable and when the weather gets a little colder. It's also the time of year when San Diego opens it's winter homeless shelter. But not this year. Sign on San Diego reports:

Since 1999, the winter shelter was in Barrio Logan. But protests and Councilman Ben Hueso, who represents the area, persuaded the council on Oct. 16 to move the shelter to 11th Avenue and G Street, an East Village neighborhood undergoing rapid gentrification. That caused a stir among residents there, and they successfully argued to have the council reconsider its decision. The council yesterday voted unanimously to put the 200 beds under a tent in a paved lot near Petco Park known as Tailgate Park despite looming issues.

It's not an easy decision to make, nor an easy responsibility to have, but perhaps someone has to step up and offer shelter. Blackwater? Can you hear us Blackwater?

You know, San Diego has an awful lot of local band talent itself

The Hard Rock Hotel San Diego launched it's "Battle of the Bands" contest today. One lucky band will win the chance to perform at the Grand Opening Party on December 12. The headliner for this opening will be The Black Eyed Peas. The Hard Rock has partnered with AudioStreet.net which is hosting the battle of the bands. For more information click here.

The Hard Rock is looking for an independent artist and apparently AudioStreet.net is a forum for just such an artist or group. The opening will celebrate the property in downtown San Diego that also boasts Nobu restaurant, Maryjane's Coffee Shop, Sweetwater Saloon and Moonstone Lounge from nightlife impresario Rande Gerber, Rock Spa and Folsom music venue.

FYI Hard Rock (if you're listening) San Diego has a lot of local music, many of which are independent and on top of that REALLY GOOD. I don't mean to be a stickler, but what if we made it a SAN DIEGO BAND contest? (You won't be hurting for talent) Just saying...

FFFFriday! And San Diego is in The New York Times

The part of The New York Times that thinks it's so easy to just go out and get a second home in San Diego. (Oh Honey, I feel like a condo that over looks the harbor, can we get one of those today? Sure, whatever, take the check book.)

Escape. Many, many people have discovered our little city by the sea and are now calling it their "home away from home." In fact many of them are flocking to downtown and Coronado, where they buy 1.1 million dollar condos and walk around on weekends looking for the best place to get brunch. Why do they come here?

Weather, in fact, is almost everyone’s first reason for buying a second home in San Diego. Midwesterners and Easterners have bought homes to escape the brunt of winter, while Arizonans — dubbed Zonies here — and some desert-dwelling Californians have purchased homes to escape the triple-digit temperatures of summer and bask in the cool ocean breezes.

You see downtown San Diego has changed. According to the NY times:

“Not long ago, downtown San Diego was a Navy town, full of brothels,” he said. “Now it’s a modern city on the water.”

We were a brothel city but now we are a condominium city. A condominium city that, apparently, needed a few time shares as well.

Also downtown is a new Hard Rock Hotel, a condominium “lifestyle hotel” with 420 rooms.
The owners have access to their rooms up to 28 days a year. The rest of the time the room is rented, and owners get a portion of the proceeds.

But be careful what you wish for San Diego because with the brand new revitalized downtown AND the crazy time share hotels you're also going to get this girl.

“And it has Nobu,” she said, referring to a high-end Japanese restaurant that will be in the hotel. “Everyone’s looking forward to that.”

I know we'll never BE L.A. but I sure hope we're going to be able to keep out the SUPER LA-ins (except Britney, cause that's a train wreck I'd love to stare at while she gets lost in Horton Plaza. How come there are so many levels y'all?)

Yes that's Brit Brit leaving NOBU in LA. I am... shameless.