Enter: Balboa Park

For me, the quintessential free activity in San Diego has always been going to Balboa Park. In fact I used to have birthday parties there when I was little. This public space can offer you whatever your heart may desire: free concerts, free museums, picnic spaces, IMAX movies, wildlife, culture, plants, flowers and lavish restaurants.

The park is always good for an impromptu picnic (my favorite location is on the grass near the lily pond, right in front of the arboretum). When you're done eating you can look for the koi fish and baby turtles in the pond or walk through the gorgeous, free, arboretum with its offerings of every plant imaginable.

Right across from the arboretum is the Timken Museum of Art. This is a smaller gallery, with only a couple of rooms, but admission is always free. They will even have special exhibits that are also free.

Balboa Park offers a handful of other museums too, including the Museum of Man, the Air & Space Museum, the Museum of Photographic Arts and the Natural History Museum. If you happen to be a Southern California resident, different rotating museums are always free on Tuesdays. All you have to do is check out the schedule on the park's website.

And if a picnic isn't quite up your alley, The Prado has a beautiful outdoor patio, a diverse menu and nice atmosphere. If you're aiming to enjoy a mostly free day, you can order happy hour (Tues.-Thurs. from 4 to 6 p.m., and 8 to 10 p.m., Fri. from 4 to 6 p.m. and 8 to 11 p.m., and Sat. from 8 to 11 p.m.) appetizers in the bar and get all of the luxury on the cheap.

Yet another (not really cheap but so worth it) option would be to leave the park through the main bridge on Quince Dr., cross Sixth Ave. and head to Extraordinary Desserts at 2929 Fifth Ave. The cake is amazing, artfully arranged on your plate and a whole meal all in itself.

The coffee is really good and the restaurant itself is small, with a twinkle light decorated outdoor patio to eat on. But, if substantial food is what you're in the mood for, cruise down Fifth Ave. a couple of blocks to 3172 Fifth Ave. and try Jimmy Carter's. Very tasty carnitas.

All in all, Balboa Park has a lot of personality and endless activities. It's the home of The Old Globe, there are free Organ Pavilion concerts during the summer, you can visit the International Houses, watch a puppet show, and oh so much more. It's worth at least a quick stroll. I will never get tired of visiting my favorite place in the entire city.

Very Expensive Flowers

I remember going to the flower fields in Carlsbad when I was in elementary school and it being amazing. The pictures of the flowers are full, vibrant, and in the middle of no where. It was something that was truly worth driving out there to wander around and look at. I also don't remember it costing any money.

It wasn't particularly sunny when I went, which took something away I think, but this can be easily overlooked. The first hiccup was discovering that they were charging ten dollars for admission. Nine if I had a AAA membership (which I do). Once inside, I found the atmosphere too different, unsettling, crowded, and grossly touristy. Again, tourism happens, it was a Sunday afternoon, so that too could be overlooked. The flowers weren't what I had expected from my focused, bright memories of this field. The rows of flowers were there, but they looked unhealthy. The rows weren't filled in as well as they could have been, they weren't pruned well, and were interspersed with dead, withered looking flowers.



The biggest change was the rows of condos that backed up the fields. I really don't remember that little eye sore, and it made the fields less enjoyable. Before, you felt like you traveled to the middle of no where almost, and had the opportunity to wander around these vast, dense flower fields existing all on their own. Now, it's very clear that it's this maintained, condensed, tourist trap.


The afternoon wasn't miserable, because the flowers are still pretty and novel. There are still hills covered in flowers, it just isn't something I would pay nine dollars for when I can see it all well enough from the road. This last weekend there was a special orchid exhibition, and rows of vendors peddling their various plants, which was interesting. They also had a small scale, sweet pea maze, and an astonishingly good middle school rock cover band.

The flower fields weren't what I expected, and I just can't find a reason for it to have been worth the admission cost. If there's nothing else to do, and it's an experience that you feel you need, it's a relatively enjoyable way to spend the afternoon. It's just not cheap and doesn't resemble the Technicolor dream-scape that I remember it being.

The Joys of Loitering in Seaport Village

Seaport Village is a classic tourist spot in San Diego. It's on the brink of downtown, has the water, a million photo op spots, and lots of gift shopping. Not to mention the fabulous carousel. This all means that of course, Seaport Village is really expensive.

One of the great things about San Diego is how much beautiful land there is. As long as you can get yourself somewhere--which is admittedly difficult sometimes--wandering around is always free. I think the most money I've ever spent at Seaport Village is the cost of an over-priced Ben & Jerry's ice cream cone. And that was only to get my parking ticket validated. Parking is of course a necessary evil and you will have to either find some amazing un-metered parking nearby or try and park in the lot. Downtown parking is always so frustrating.

Once you're there though, it's beautiful and peaceful, and there are always interesting people to watch. You can always count on any number of crazy performers to be lined up along the waterfront, peddling their talent, hoping for some spare change. The last couple of times that I found myself down there, there was a man standing just over the wall separating the little boardwalk from the water, making rock piles. No joke, he was squatting down, hopping around on the rocks in the bay, making very oddly balanced, crazy looking rock piles. It took some real talent and was fantastic to watch.

There are also always old men playing pianos, heavy on the synthesized drum beats, and various flutes, violins, and guitars. I could honestly sit on a bench facing the water, watching and listening to all of them for hours. Especially if I have someone to giggle with.

The best part of Seaport Village though I think, is the view from The Hyatt. You walk across the parking lot, and enter The Hyatt Hotel through the side doors. From there you walk down a shopping mall-type hallway to the elevators and go to the top floor. There you will find a bar and a viewing deck. You can see out over the water, all of Seaport Village, and most of downtown. The view is amazing.

One of my favorite, adorable bookstores is in Seaport Village too. The Upstart Crow is small, but not cramped and uncomfortable. It has two floors, with the upper being only children's books. It also has a little cafe section where you can buy coffee, browse, and then sit outside. It's the epitome of that corner bookstore where you don't feel lost and confused. In short, a great way to round out the day, and you don't even have to buy anything. Just browse and loiter, poke around, and not get told to leave. It truly is a very satisfying use of time.