Continuing the So Cal Transition

This semester has proved to be quite a dramatic change from my fall semester at ASU. I have had a great deal of fun trying to find a balance between my academic life and motivation to learn more about my new home city. This course and this blog in particular helped me to do a little bit of both and share it with all of you in Arizona.

What I have learned this semester is that home is what you make of it. While I loved my time living in the desert, I feel that I adjusted to my new surroundings by making an effort see the sights through the eyes of a local, or in my case, a new resident.

My efforts, in my opinion, have been successful more often than not. I have found some gems in the city that will no doubt be mainstays on my radar. Other times, there were a few strike outs, so to speak, that I can at least say I tried once even if I won’t be a returning customer.

I’ve tasted the flavors of local eateries, decided where the best beaches are and most recently, try my hand at water sports via skim boarding. I found my favorite barbershop and immersed myself in events around the town like the USNS William McLean boat launch. I’ve already hit up my new favorite Indian fast food place- Royal India- at least a handful of times since I discovered it.

If anything, I think this blog has taught me that searching for post topics shouldn’t be my only motivation for exploring the beautiful offerings of San Diego. This city has so much to offer to people of all kinds of interests. While the close proximity to the Pacific is a great amenity, San Diego has revealed to me a personality that is independent of the endless horizons that lie westward.

I hope that readers of this blog have had as much fun hearing about my experiences as I have had experiencing them. As the summer approaches, I strongly suggest a summer excursion to San Diego for adventurous spirits looking to escape the Arizona heat. It’s only a few hours drive away. Use this blog as a jump start for places to see during your stay, the amazing city of San Diego will guide you from there.

Mitch's Surf Shop

Since arriving in San Diego, I’ve wanted to get into water sports. While I eventually hope to try my hand at surfing, for now I thought I’d get into the water via skim boarding. Skim boarding is a beach activity where the boarder gains momentum by running toward waves and skimming atop the water of incoming waves.

I’d tried skim boarding a few years back on a woody (a skim board made of wood) while vacationing in Laguna Nigel, CA. I was much younger then but did get some experience with skim boarding.

This time, I did my research and took to the internet to learn more about the sport and how to go about getting into it. I found out that foamies (foam boards) are friendlier to beginner skim boarders and I also watched numerous youtube tutorials on how to properly skim board.

After looking up the kind of board I wanted, I set out to find a local retailer with the goods I wanted. Mitch’s Surf Shop in downtown La Jolla had the best reviews.

Mitch’s was fantastic. Though a small mom and pop operation, the customer service and selection were stellar. The shop itself is located just up the street from Marine Street beach (a stretch of shore said to be good for skim boarding). What I liked most about Mitch’s aside from the friendly and helpful staff, was the fact that Mitch himself is at the store each day. You get the sense, just by looking at Mitch, that he has been in the industry a long time and knows his products.

I ended up choosing a Victoria skim board in a lime green color as my inaugural board. One of the staff helped me get set up by advising me on which traction pads were best and even helped me out by adhering it to the board for me. While I did spend a pretty penny, Mitch threw in a couple packs of wax. The same guy who helped me with the traction pad taught me how to properly wax the skim board as well.

RATING

USNS William McLean Launches

Drive through San Diego and you will surely feel the city’s military presence. With a naval base, air force, coast guard and camp Pendleton all within driving distance of one another, one is never too far from one (or too far from hearing one). I live fairly close to the Miramar Air Force base and hear those jets all the time.

I got a rare opportunity to feel the patriotism that radiates around the naval base this week with the launch of a new replenishment ship. All of San Diego was invited to the event, but my family was treated to an up close and personal look at the ship moments before it entered the ocean for the very first time.

We stood just feet from the base of the ship as workers removed the last remnants of support before the ship was to slide into the bay. Sparks flew as the bases were removed and sounds of metal shavings echoed beneath the massive structure.

The ship itself was christened the William McLean as champagne was smashed against its side and a golden lever was pulled (which initiated the ship’s descent down a ramp that leaded to the Pacific.

What I didn’t expect was how quickly the ship actually slid down the ramp and into the sea. The entire trip probably took less than a minute. Myself and thousands of spectators watched as the McLean speedily receded from the location where it has spent the last two years being built.

The navy band played as streamers were released from the bow of the ship. And a great fireworks display marked the occasion as one to be remembered.

I really didn’t know what to expect from the ship launch. Leading up to the event, I did search Youtube for videos of other ship launches. When you see it online, you think, “once you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all.” In fact, I was pleasantly surprised by how much we were able to see into the process leading up to the launch. The experience far exceeded my expectations and I’d recommend that everyone attended at least one boat launch in their lifetime.

RATING 

V's Barbershop Del Mar

Who knew how hard it could be to find a decent place to get one’s haircut? Honestly, I never thought it would be as much of a challenge as it has been since I moved to San Diego.

When I lived in Arizona, I had it good, in terms of a regular place to get my haircut and achieve great results. A place called V’s barbershop got the job done every time I needed a trim. What is so great about V’s is the atmosphere coupled with experienced barbers.

Walk into V’s and you are transported to the early 1920s with black and white tile floors and mahogany paneling greeting you upon entry. A shoe shine station and old fashioned memorabilia cloud the walls creating a historic nostalgia that makes visitors feel like they are in for a unique treat.

Aside from the décor, V’s at Kierland in Scottsdale, the company’s flagship store, the people who run the place are a cast of characters with the cutting chops to match. Usualy when I went into V’s, Russian accents abound. The authentic barbershop experience was definitely completed by the Russian voices that breathed life into the place. I din’t think I’d ever been unsatisfied with a haircut from V’s in Arizona.

Fast forward to my relocation to California. Although supercuts and sports clips lurk at every shopping center, there really isn’t an experience that compares to what I used to have in Arizona. I tried one of the chain places a month or so back and ended up with a mini faux hawk that wasn’t what I asked for nor was it even.

I had pretty much lost all hope of finding a decent place after searching the internet. Luckily, I experienced a moment of genius. I went to the V’s barbershop corporate site to see where they had additional locations. To my surprise, a V’s barbershop opened in Del mar just one week ago. The recent opening was the reason I couldn’t find the location during previous internet searches.

I made the 15 minute trek out to Del Mar and upon entering the V’s barbershop, I was home again. My stylists did a great job evening out the crazy do I received from the previous place I visited. The style of the paneling, pictures and old-fashioned barber chairs was exactly like that of the V’s back in AZ. Needless to say, my search is over.

RATING 

Vallarta Express

Yelpers beware. Food may not appear as tasty as reviews promise. 

I know food reviews are primarily personal opinions about how a particular dish or restaurant appeals to a person's individual tastes. Apparently, my taste differs significantly from those of reviewers online.  

I frequent the web site Yelp.com quite often. It is one of the easiest places to get info quickly about a restaurant or place in town- phone numbers, web site, hours, and reviews all in one place. 

Sometimes the reviews are spot on and other times flat out wrong. Unfortunately for me, this week is was more the latter than the former. 

I sat behind my keyboard with all the intentions of finding the best mexican take-out according to the world wide web. What I found was Vallarta Express, an authentic mexican eatery with a 24 hour operation schedule and a bunch of menu items that I wanted to try. The consensus on Yelp was that the carne asada fries were a must try. Granted, it is not a typical dish, but perhaps Vallarta Express knew something that I didn't. 

Vallarta Express is located in Clairemont, a suburb of San Diego. It is in a shopping centers that is anchored by a Target, Home Depot and Ralph's grocery store. Literally, within two block of Vallarta Express, are many other mexican eateries dotted along the street. Vallarta stood out because of its long line of cars backing up in to the main road. 

The food came out quick. I ordered two shredded beef enchiladas, a chile relleno and  taking a cue from yelpers, the carne asada fries. 

The enchiladas had good flavor and were seasoned well, but the texture of the corn tortilla wasn't exactly like anything I've ever had before. And that is not a good thing. 

The chile relleno was a strike out from the beginning. Super soggy exterior batter, not-so-fresh pepper and practically no cheese in the stuffing set the stage for a let down from the get go. 

The only moderately appealing dish, low and behold, was the yelper's suggestion of carne asada fries. Possibly the most american dish on the menu, the dish's foundation of super delicious fries were cooked to a crisp with mexican toppings loaded on top. Guacamole, sour cream, carne asada, tomatos and cheese made the dish difficult to eat, but I powered through the mess to get the flavor. 

While I don't see myself going back to Vallarta Express in the near future, the experience did teach me take online reviews with a grain of salt. 

RATING

Indian Food Fast

I love to eat. Like any college student my age, a good meal on the go and for a good price is the ultimate find. More specifically, I love Indian food. I don’t know what it is exactly about Indian food that gets my mouth watering, but, for me, a good chicken tikka masala is where it’s at.

I love Indian food so much that I have been known to buy Indian fare from a box at the grocery store. While red lentils from an aluminum, vacuum-sealed bag will cure an Indian food craving, it is certainly not gourmet.

Recently, I started researching the San Diego area for good Indian food. While a few places do have pretty good reviews out on the web they are a bit of a drive for me. So, you can imagine, how excited I was to find an Indian fast food joint within a stone’s throw of my place in UTC. Royal India Express is actually located in the food court of the Westfield UTC mall. I know what you are thinking…food court? But wait, this isn’t some no name new-to-the-market experiment. Royal India is actually one of several restaurants owned by the Royal India Group, which is headed by the Kambo Brothers. A little web surfing revealed that they are actually well-established in the So Cal dining circle.

Royal India Restaurant is the Kambo’s fine dining spot located in downtown San Diego, they have a catering business called Royal Catering Concepts, a Royal India cocktail lounge and a couple Royal India Express locations sprinkled around San Diego.

Upon reaching the Royal India Express counter, we were greeted with a sample of chicken tikka masala over white basmati rice. The sample was delicious and so we continued to order. I had a two-side combo with white rice. My sides were chicken tikka masala and beef samosas. The samosas didn’t disappoint, but the real star was the chicken tikka, which was richly seasoned without being too overly spiced. I would certainly recommend Royal India Express to any Indian food appreciator. And if the food court ambiance isn’t your style, you can get your Indian fix to go.

RATING 

5 out of 5

Tsunami Comes Ashore

As Japan struggles to put its broken country back together, the world (including myself) is watching with wide eyes and heavy hearts.

After learning of the tragedy that struck Japan late in the evening on Thursday, the enormity of the situation had barely sunk in before news about a possible tsunami on the west coast of the U.S. was making headlines.

Living about 3.5 miles from the La Jolla coast, I wasn’t too worried about my home and family because the likelihood of a tsunami reaching that far inland is bleak. However, the constant interviews with tsunami and earthquake experts on CNN, FOX, and every other channel, did begin to jolt my inner belief that I was safe. The news that the Hawaiian Islands would be the first hit by a tsunami forced me to stay awake into the early morning hours for curiosity of what impact the tsunami would have to a coast within closer proximity to the quake.

I breathed a sigh of relief when around 5 am PST, the tsunami struck the Hawaiian islands with little to no damage. My logic was that over the distance the tsunami would have to travel from Hawaii to the California Coast, it would surely loose steam by the time it reached my state (naïve thinking, I know). All in all, the California coast did experience some damage from the Tsunami and one casualty (a photographer who got caught in the tsunami near the coast of northern California. Here in southern California, though, the impact was nothing more than elevated water levels and interested individuals highlighted on the news for being at the beach when the tsunami was supposed to occur.

All in all, California got off easy this time. Japan on the other hand, sadly not so much. Like people all over the world, I keep turning on the news only to find that the number of casualties from Japan’s tsunami is continuously rising. The tsunami (as with any natural disaster) has made me realize how fragile life is. Really, it shouldn’t take a natural disaster for people to re-evaluate their appreciation for life. This tragedy has reminded me that I have no control over what will happen tomorrow and that I’d better live each moment to the fullest.