San Diego Beach Blog

Whale Watch Festival at Cabrillo Monument

I did the Sunset Cliffs booth again this year at the Whale Watch Festival. The festival was packed as usual with long lines to get in. I was surprised how many people had seen the article in the Union Tribune this morning about the erosion problems in the Park.

The whale watching platform is the best place to view the action.  The park rangers said there were some sightings reported early in the morning on Saturday. 

I looked but could not see any.

By mid-morning the sailboats were just starting to appear in the bay.

I decided to go into the Lighthouse. The original kitchen and bedrooms are still there and it has it has a little herb and vegetable garden in the back.

This is one of the bedrooms with vanity table (above) and the kitchen below.

It must have had it's charms to live here out on the Point with views and beautiful light even though a little cramped inside the tiny lighthouse.
Sunday was sunny and mild and the crowds were even larger.  Scripps Institute of Oceanography gave some great presentations at the tidepools which is one of the highlights of the event.

This is right outside the visitors center and gift shop and is a great perch for viewing in all directions.

Back at the table we had some native plants on display and copies of the Park brochure. Most visitors were only here in San Diego for a couple of days but said they were planning on visiting the Cliffs to watch the sunset before leaving.

Mexico City

I had the chance to go with my husband Tom on a business trip to Telcel headquarters in Mexico City last month.  This beautiful cosmopolitan city is the oldest metropolis in the Americas. It was once a vast lake fed by the surrounding mountains. The altitude took a little getting used to.

These beautiful residences like this one in Polanco that was turned into a cafe and bookstore, are usually gated and hard to see into the lovely courtyards.

Chapultapec Park is incredible. One of the largest urban green spaces in the world with twice the land mass of Central Park.  It is also home to some fascinating museums.

 Chapultepec Castle and it's beautiful gardens is right  in the middle of Chapultepec Park.

 

The interior living quarters are maintained just as they were when it was last used by the Emperor Maximilian I and his wife Carlota in the 1860's.  It became the National Museum of History in 1944.

This was Queen Carlotta's bedroom, above and our bright guestroom below, inspired by  indigenous artisans' beautiful textiles. The Museo des Arts Popular gift shop had gorgeous fabrics, pillows, and decorative textiles made by local crafters.
  
It was such a fun trip. Next time I will definitely look up Maggie Galton who has a design studio specializing in mestizo crafts.

A Quick Trip to Chicago and Reminded of it's Architectural Awesomeness

Taken from the bridge at the Art Institute where you have great views of the city and end up across the street at Milennium Park

Millenium Park from the bridge.

Pretty even in late fall.  The orange beauty is a plant called Arkansas Blue Star.

The Palmer House was beautiful and a perfect place to stay, right in the middle of everything. The new public library, below, is grand and whimsical at the same time.

 

 

 

Rethinking Consumer Products to Save Money and Environment

Businesses seem to be putting a lot of thought into ways we can all save money and energy.  This article in the N.Y. Times talks about a smart thermostat coming to market this month.

If you have a small beach house you may be able to get away with a good looking  wood burning stove for the few months that get drafty in seaside San Diego.

Surfrider is coming up with some great programs for household water conservation that you can check out here. 

How Is the Market Doing ?

This is the hot topic, similar to the question "When will housing prices start to increase ?" which is asked almost as often and unfortunately does not have as simple an answer.

There are ways to monitor the housing market though and give some perspective.  One is inventory level, another is the price / rent ratio and the third is the foreclosure factor.

In Pacific Beach (92109) the inventory level is at 6.8 months which is pretty healthy.  This number is calculated by taking the number of active listings (233) compared to the number that have sold in the last year (410) and divided by 12 which equals 34 sales a month. This number is then divided into the total number of listings (233) for a monthly inventory of 6.8 months.  This is the length of time on average that it takes to sell a property in Pacific Beach. 

The price to rent ratio is another way to assess the health of a market.  Is it cheaper to buy a house than it is to rent it ?  This is calculated by taking the list price of a home and dividing this by one year's rent on a comparable home.  It is cheaper to buy when the ratio is below 15.   San Diego county as a whole is above 15 but not by much. 

Last is the foreclosure number.  RealtyTrac.com gives the number of foreclosures by zipcode. Pacific Beach they said, had 1 foreclosure in 794 units.  That is pretty low compared to 1 in 414 units in La Jolla and 1 in every 289 units in Carmel Valley.

 

This Week's Favorite Vacation Vibe

 
I love the pedestrian walkways in Mission Beach that run between the ocean and the bay.  They definitely remind me of Fire Island. 

 
This  wins the small space design award .  Always nice to have a couple of  separate living spaces too... a guest cottage AND  a studio over the garage can make a great place for a family reunion.

Beach Living

 
I like the way they set the priorities in this room.... that is the ocean out there by the way.

 
Turquoise accents seem perfect for a California kitchen.

 
This is it... one bedroom, but seems cozy enough.

 

Farmer's Market Goodies

 

We ran into a cool lady at the Hillcrest Farmer's Market who makes organic goat cheese popsicles.  The girls loved them, they're called viva pops and can be found at both the Little Italy (Saturday mornings) and Hillcrest (Sunday until 2) farmer's markets. They have wonderful flavors like strawberry/balsamic and lavender/honey. There is a store too at 3330 Adams Avenue.

Residents,City and Surfers consider Erosion issues on Sunset Cliffs

 
Sunset Cliffs is a hidden gem along the western side of Point Loma and a Master Plan was approved to protect it's natural beauty.   The park is a local favorite but slowly over the years it has attracted many more admirers and the City with help from the Sunset Cliffs Natural Park Council are working to manage the effects of erosion which inevitably wreak havoc on the gently sloping sandstone , called the Point Loma Formation.  

 

Uphill runoff is the main contributor of the erosion.  Some of the effects are turbidity  in the water which is not healthy for marine life on the coastal shelf  and  there is also the issue of  more rapid loss of the Cliffs themselves.

 
Revegation with the use of native plants is one solution.  This helps to absorb some of the runoff. Also creating a trail system with more winding paths that do not encourage water flow straight up and down the hill.  Reworking parking lots up the hill are also being considered.  These act as water conduits during the rainy winter months

 
 
Native plantings have many advantages... their roots are stronger and they look greener throughout the year and have longer blooming cycles and most importantly don't need extra water.   Sunset Cliffs Natural Park Council is a good resource for tracking the implimentation of the Master Plan.  They have a website :  www.sunsetcliffs.info .  It's a new site so suggestions are welcome.  Meetings are held monthly and the public is welcome to join.  Information about the native plants that can be used effectively by all residents who live on or near the Cliffs is available on the website and by contacting the Council. 

Annual OB Street Fair and Chili Cookoff : Awesome !

 Make good chili and they will come.

 
The dogs just wanted a little water... and they got what they wanted, this being OB.

 
The surfers were able to get to the waves no problem.

 
The judges had a hard time picking the best chili this year with 20 or more recipes to choose from.

 
 
 
And then there was the music !  Some of the best bands in San Diego came to perform on the beach near the beer garden.

 
The Ocean Beach Historical Society was one of the more popular booths as usual