mondomedeusah recommends SanDiego as the place to be...

Introduction:

Located two hours south of Los Angeles, and bordering Tijuana, Mexico, San Diego is a sizzling combination of coastal culture and urban sophistication. The rejuvenated downtown -- home to nightclubs, lounges, restaurants, galleries, boutiques -- buzzes with multiculturalism and California cool. Several other commercial and residential neighborhoods reflect both beach and cosmopolitan lifestyles.

Accomodation:

Upscale:
Hotel Solamar ( www.hotelsolamar.com )
Prava ( www.pravahotel.com )

Midrange:
Days Inn - 833 Ash Street, San Diego, California 92101
Comfort Inn - 660 G St, San Diego, CA 92101

Inexpensive (under $100 USD):
La Pensione - ( www.lapensionehotel.com )
Downtown Hostel ( http://sandiegohostels.org/downtown.htm )

Clubs / Clubnights:

Candelas Lounge - ( www.loungecandelas-sd.com ) - Tremendously eclectic music from Thursday through Sunday. DJs Dex, Hugh, Nanami and Matsu, Duane and Halo and frequent guest DJ Harvey spin the sonic spectrum. Check the site for the "Online Mixes" section.

Kava Lounge - ( www.kavalounge.com ) - In vicinity of the city's hot Little Italy neighborhood. Owned and operated by a very hip crew.

Airport Lounge - 2400 India St., Little Italy; (619) 685-3881- Trendy, aviation-themed bar with minimalist, space-aged design theme. Very much like the hip clubs in Scandinavia.

Air Conditioned - ( www.airconditionedbar.com ) - Hip spot with great DJs and great people in the city's North Park section. Down-to-earth vibe perfect for dancing and drinking.

On Broadway - ( www.obec.tv) - A downtown superclub that attracts superstar DJs and huge weekend crowds.

Record Shops:

Elevator Records ( www.elevatorrecords.com ) - Huge selection of all styles of dance music.

San Diego Record Show - ( www.sandiegorecordshow.com ) - A quarterly event for serious crate-diggers and vinyl junkies. Lots of vendors peddling the hot wax. Where you'd likely find the Beyond Jazz crew if they came around.

M-Theory Records - ( www.mtheorymusic.com ) - Mostly alt-rock and electronica.

Off the Record - 2912 University Ave., North Park (619) 298-4755.

City Magazines:

944 San Diego
www.944.biz
FREE at various local boutiques. Lost of nightclub and restaurant profiles.

San Diego Reader
www.sdreader.com
Largest circulation FREE weekly newspaper. Found at various convenience stores and street boxes. Lots of nightclub and restaurant profiles, and events listings.

Info Sites:

Convention & Visitor's Bureau ( www.sandiego.org )

Sign On San Diego ( www.signonsandiego.com )

Weather:

From the Convention & Visitor's Bureau:
San Diego enjoys beautiful weather year round with an average daily temperature of 70.5 degrees Fahrenheit (21.4degrees Celsius). A marked feature of the climate is the wide variation in temperature within short distances due to the topography of the land. You can enjoy coastal, mountain and desert environments all in the space of one day.

Food:

- Candelas Restaurant (Nouvelle Mexican)
- Pacific Coast Grill (Californian)
- Blue Point Coastal Cuisine (California Seafood)
- Rama (Thai)
- J Bar at the Hotel Solamar (Rooftop bar and dining)
- Cafe Chloe (Bistro)
- The Mission SOHO (great breakfast and lunch spot - American, Latino-inspired cuisine)
- Cheap Mexican food is available at nearly every corner
- Cool coffeehouses abound, including many NON-Starbucks establishments

Transport:

Public transportation consists of buses and trolleys.

San Diego International Airport is 10 minutes from the city's downtown.

In the Gaslamp District (downtown) cabs and pedi-cabs are readily available.

Do's:

Old Town - ( www.oldtownsandiego.org ) - Preserved, historic buildings reflect the city's strong affiliation with Mexican culture.

Visit any of the beach areas - ( www.a-zsandiegobeaches.com ) - La Jolla Cove, Del Mar, Solana Beach, Mission Beach, Ocean Beach, Pacific Beach. All are great for either a nice long walk or a good surf or swim.

San Diego Bay - Talk walk along the water or hop on a boatride.

San Diego Zoo - ( www.sandiegozoo.org ) - One of the world's most famous zoological centers.

Balboa Park - ( www.balboapark.org ) - Museums, restaurants, and people-watching

Petco Park - Take in a baseball game at the new ballpark (April through September)

Anything Else?

San Diego is a vast, beautiful city. Downtown is hot right now, but definitely consider renting a car to take in ALL the possibilities.

Contacts:

Gerald Poindexter
dextravel@aol.com

courtesy BeyondJazz

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