On August 30th, 2008, I visited Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, Calfornia, about 25 minutes north of down town San Diego for a day at the races, Microbrew festival, and Devo concert.  I arrived at the racetrack around 2 pm and made our way to the Clubhouse main entrance.  Upon entering I have to say we were overwhelmed by the sheer number of people inside of the gates.  We also felt a bit uncomfortable because we appeared to have under-dressed for the event.  My husband was in a button up shirt and I was in a skirt, but we were instantly trumped by the Prada bag toting women adorned in Vera Wang dresses and men in their finest polos.  There were well-dressed people toting drinks as far as the eye could see, and we first made our way to the lawn area where the horses getting ready to race were being shown.  Having no knowledge of horse racing or betting, saying I was confused regarding what was going on is an understatement; I had absolutely no clue.  I spent about 10 minutes admiring some overly ripped equine specimens and their midget handlers, and set off to explore other parts of the track. Read the rest of this entry »

Every year from mid June to the 4th of July, the Del Mar Fairgrounds are transformed into the fairgrounds for the annual San Diego County Fair. Each year has a particular theme to which the fair is geared, for example, the 2008 fair season is designated as “Summer of Sports” and there will be many vendors, activities and exhibits geared to local sports at all levels from youth to professional. For the most part the grounds are open from 10 am to 11 pm, and this is true for all of the exhibit halls, food vendors and rides/attractions. Read the rest of this entry »

The best day of the week to visit Balboa Park is Tuesdays. Every Tuesday of the month, a different set of 4 to 6 museum offers free admission; donations are accepted. This is a great way to experience Balboa Park because your day’s itinerary is already planned out for you. The featured museums are often located in all areas of the park, allowing you the time to admire all of the Spanish architecture and beautiful landscapes. Plan to spend an entire day in the park, and get there early, as some of the museums close as early as 3 pm. Read the rest of this entry »

Located in Point Loma, the Carbrillo National Monument is a great spot to take memorable pictures of the downtown area as well as Coronado Beach. The park is open 365 days a year from 9:00 am to 5:15 pm, and the entrance fee is $5 per car, which is good for entrance to the national park for the following 6 days. In addition to a great lookout point for amazing San Diego pictures, the park also offers tide pools, a two-mile walking trail through a coastal forest, a visitors center and the original lighthouse structure and keeper’s quarters for San Diego’s first lighthouse. Read the rest of this entry »