Get to Know San Diego

Balboa Park
2125 Park Blvd
San Diego, CA 92101

The Japanese Friendship Garden is a beautiful Zen garden in Balboa Park. It features a lovely koi pond, bonsai and more.

There is an admission fee, but the garden is well worth it. You can also become a member if this is a place you’d like to visit regularly.

The koi are quite friendly and used to people. On some days guests are allowed to feed the koi, which is sure to delight children as well as adults. (more…)

IKEA can be both fun and challenging to shop at. Fun because they have some really neat furniture and decor. Challenging because they really do have a path they want you to take through the store and it is hard to get away from that.

Much of the furniture is in a minimalist style. You buy it and assemble it yourself. My son’s dresser was purchased at IKEA, and I can tell you it is quite sturdy and was not too difficult to put together.

Don’t assume that minimalist means boring. Much of the furniture and decor are quite trendy. The children’s furniture and decor are also quite creative, sure to delight the little ones.

Displays are set up as rooms and you note where the boxes to buy the furniture is stored, and pick it up before you hit the registers.

If you get hungry as you shop, you can stop for a snack. There’s a little café located inside the store with a good selection of food. Don’t just think fast food. You can get full meals there if you want, sometimes even including salmon and other food you wouldn’t necessarily expect.

The selection at IKEA is not for everyone. If you prefer the big, elegant furniture that many other furniture stores carry, IKEA is probably not for you. But if you like cleaner lines you may love it.

2149 Fenton Parkway
San Diego, CA, 92184

Garden Road Elementary in Poway has been undergoing some improvements recently. It housed the students of Midland Elementary when that one was being built, and as of this writing they are still working on the improvements.

The playground equipment is new, put in over the summer of 2006. The kids clearly love it. (more…)

Fashion Valley is probably the most upscale mall in San Diego. It’s a two level mall that was upgraded several years ago. If you want to visit Tiffany’s, Sak’s or Coach, this is the place in San Diego to do so.

The food selection is often upscale as well, not so much fast food as in other malls, although there is some available. But if you want to sit down and eat, there are places to do that. (more…)

I’m a big fan of Renaissance Faires. I go a few times a year. One of the ones locally I make sure not to miss is the Escondido Renaissance Faire.

This is not as big as the Southern California Renaissance Faire, but quite frankly I like the location better. Felicita Park is beautiful, and the playground means that this Faire is just a little bit more fun for the kids. It’s really something seeing all these kids in Renaissance Garb playing there.

A Renaissance Faire is a great way for adults to have the excuse to dress up and act differently. That’s the main reason I go. The shopping is pretty good too, if you like items that at least look appropriate to Renaissance times.

The Escondido Renaissance Faire for this fall just finished up last weekend, but these guys do it twice a year, so you can count on another one in the spring, then again in the fall I would imagine. It was unusually busy on it’s last day… the people selling turkey legs (a very popular Faire food) actually ran out early in the afternoon. If you’ve been to a Ren Faire in the past, you know how horrifying that is to many a Faire goer.