News and Views

Places to Visit North Country, California

2012-05-25T12:00:10Z

As exciting as downtown San Diego is, many people do not realize that North Country also has a lot to offer. If you are wondering where the elite like to hang their hat in California, this is where you will find many of them! It is areas in Carlsbad, Cardiff-by-the-Sea, Rancho Santa Fe, Del Mar and Solana Beach where you will find that $1 million is the average price for decent housing.

North Country is known for its beaches, lagoons, rocky reefs, tide pools and rolling hills, but in addition to natural beauty, there are some pretty outstanding attractions to enjoy as well.

Torrey Pines State Park – Here you can take your pick between the high road and the low road. A popular beach with lifeguards, showers and kid-friendly play area by a lagoon is where the low road will take you while the high road takes you to a coastal wilderness filled with sandstone canyons, pine forests, sea views and countless hiking trails.

San Diego Walking Tours

2012-05-23T12:00:16Z

When one thinks of downtown San Diego walking tours, they typically imagine museums, art galleries or nature trails. However, being as innovative as this city is, it should come as no surprise that very special tours are available to those that eat, sleep and breathe fashion. Sometimes going to a mall simply does not provide the shopping experience you are looking for. Whether you live in the area or you are visiting, you may not know where all the hottest boutiques are nestled away. Alternatively, if you are just getting into fashion, you likely have no idea what is in or out. These tours will help!

About

Garb San Diego is actually a sister entity of the well-known Bite San Diego, which happens to be a highly reviewed and respected food walking tour. Well, the founder of Bite San Diego just happens to be a bit of a fashion harder and thought it would be a brilliant idea to showcase the mass amount of emerging talent in the city.

These stylist-led tours venture through various neighborhoods of downtown San Diego, starting in a charming location known as Little Italy. This area is adored for its family owned Italian restaurants and quaint boutiques.

Energy Efficient San Diego

2012-05-21T11:00:29Z

When it comes to energy efficiency, downtown San Diego is a giant leap ahead of most other areas in the country. The city takes tremendous steps to save money and protect the environment, which are two things on the mind of most people these days. In 2001, the Energy Conservation and Management Division became affiliated with the Environmental Services Department to help realize the city’s long-term goals that were made for energy independence.

Objectives

The goal was to make San Diego a city to look up to for energy conservation and renewable energy resources. This is certainly being achieved! To accommodate this, the following objectives have been identified.

Conservation of energy
Management of energy use
Enhanced energy efficiency in all city facilities already in existence
Pursue energy independence by using renewable resources through self-generation
Complete major remodels where necessary in new facilities

Rooftop Bars in Downtown San Diego

2012-05-17T12:00:27Z

Even if you have been to a ton of rooftop bars elsewhere, there is nothing quite like the ones in downtown San Diego. Perhaps it is the diversity of cultures or the cool vibe that the bars bring to the table that make them so special. Of course, it certainly doesn’t hurt to have the city lights landscaped by mountains either! It does not matter where you go, you really cannot find a bad view here.

Stingaree
454 Sixth Ave
San Diego, CA 92101

Stingaree is about the hottest bar you are going find in the city. If the second floor seating and balcony overlooking the main level dance floor doesn’t get you excited, the dancers in neon-lit cages might. Everyone who is anyone can be seen here so please dress to impress. From spotlight DJs to bikini fashion shows, there is always something exciting happening here. Tables and VIP packages can be reserved ahead of time.

La Puerta in Gaslamp (Almost 1,000 Yelp Reviews!)

2012-05-14T13:00:54Z

When a restaurant in downtown San Diego manages to acquire nearly 1,000 Yelp reviews, you just know that there is something really special about them. It is a proven fact that although many people will take the time to leave a negative review when they have an unfavourable experience somewhere, it is rare that individuals leave positive reviews. So, when they do, others tend to take notice and wonder what all the fuss is about.

Location

La Puerta560 4^th Avenue
San Diego, CA 92101

Monday – Saturday 11:30 am – 2am
Sunday 10 am to 2 am

Brunch is served Sunday until 2 pm and happy hour is every day from 3 pm to 7 pm. Happy Hour offers half off drinks and appetizers. This is one of the few restaurants where you can find real food served all the way until 1 am!

Downtown San Diego: 1 Hour Away From Wilderness

2012-05-11T12:00:44Z

If you are longing for a nice strenuous hike in the wilderness, you will want to travel about 62 miles out of downtown San Diego for the day. Nestled in Julian is where you will find Volcan Mountain Wilderness Preserve, and some of the most spectacular views on the coast.

Getting There

Volcan Mountain Wilderness Preserve

1209 Farmer RoadJulian, CA 92036

Take Highway 78/79 to Main Street in Julian. Traveling north, this will turn into Farmer Road. Once you reach Wynola Road, turn right and make a quick left to get back on Farmer Road, and you can’t miss it.

History

A residential development threatened 220 acres of pristine wildlife habitat back in 1987. A group of concerned citizens developed the Volcan Mountain Foundation (VMF) in 1988 to protect one of southern California’s last relatively untouched areas.

Father Joe’s Villages Reopens Downtown San Diego Restaurant

2012-05-09T11:00:35Z

Anytime you can get a fantastic meal and help out a worthy cause, you satisfy both your stomach and your heart while making a lot of people very happy. Although it seems that it is hard to find a truly worthwhile cause sometimes, there is one in downtown San Diego that gets a standing ovation; Father Joe’s. The restaurant to benefit this nonprofit was shut down for a short time, but it’s back and better than ever!

Who is Father Joe?

One reason this organization is operated with such passion is due to its founder, Joe Carroll. This is your typical poor kid from the Bronx story, but rather than seeking fame and fortune for himself in California, he exhausted his efforts into helping others.

What Does $21,000,000 Purchase in Del Mar or a Castle on the Rhine?

2012-05-08T18:23:48Z

Can you imagine waking up in this fantastic castle? Click the photo for a full sized view.If you had $21,000,000 to spend on a home, would you want to purchase in San Diego or some other wonderful place in the world? One of the advantages we have at Sothebys is the ability to compare and contrast luxury properties around the world.

Del Mar offers oceanfront living and you could actually purchase a $21,000,000 home on the beach. What would the home look like? Such a Del Mar home, currently offered at $21,000,000 has 2800 square feet with a guest house and 1/2 acre of oceanfront living.

Now take a look at this castle on the Rhine. Same basic price but lots of amazing history. Built over 1000 years ago, this castle has seen an unbelievable amount of history. History we all read about when we were in school.

Imagine living in this fortress tower built in 1044 A.D. and located on the romantic Rhine River. You could get lost in this home. Over 15,000 square feet of living space, plus over a 1,000,000 square feet of property (32+ acres) would allow you to invite 500 people to a wedding or 40 people to a seminar. You could arrive in your own helicopter and land on the helipad. If you are a "green" person you would have over 5000 of your own trees. It would take you some time to wander through the 38+ rooms. You have your own chapel, pub with fresh beer on tap (it is Germany after all), indoor swimming pool and views, views views. Actually this is an awesome property and will be perfect for the right person who is looking for privacy, space and history. Remodeled so you think you are living in the old world, but in reality you have everything you might need or want in today's world.

Over 38+ rooms will give you plenty of room. Click photo to see the full sized view.Sometimes it is very hard to express in words how beautiful a property is and how exciting it would be to own. Obviously you would need a lot of money to purchase a home like this, but how wonderful and satisfying to be the owner of such a stunning estate. If you would like to review the brochure for this stupendous property just visit our link at The Dream Castle in Europe.

Contact us for further information. We will be happy to connect you with the German Sothebys estate agent for this unbelievably beautiful home.

This is a series of articles by Sharyn and Victoria Crown, Downtown San Diego real estate brokers.

8 Great Kid-Friendly U.S. Cities

2012-05-07T14:13:01Z

Do you ever find yourself complaining that there is absolutely nothing in your city that caters to children? Are you looking for a place to go for a family vacation that kids will actually enjoy? Perhaps you are ready to start a family, but want to move to the perfect place with plenty of opportunity for education and fun. Whatever your situation is, below are some of the most kid-friendly U.S. cities that your children are sure to enjoy.

San Diego, California

As we already know, here is a city that has it all for both adults and kids. In addition to the beaches and water activities for kids, there is LEGOLAND, a safari park, countless museums, phenomenal schools and more parks and recreational areas then you could ever ask for. The new library in downtown San Diego will also be catering to children with plenty of afterschool programs and even activities for little ones. Not to mention, it is a melting pot, so children have the opportunity to be exposed to many cultures.

American Comedy Co. Opens in San Diego

2012-05-07T11:00:20Z

Downtown San Diego has always been the place to go to satisfy your need to laugh, and now that the American Comedy Co. has opened, things will never be the same again. Although the city does have three other major comedy clubs in town, this one in the heart of Gaslamp Quarter is attracting quite a crowd.

Comedy mastermind Justin Hollister saw that the city had huge potential for a customized comedy club, so he moved his family there, and planned the opening. He holds auditions at the end of the month to scout out new talent. Don’t think you will be seeing a lot of amateurs though, the line-up already consists of Ari Shaffir, Doug Benson, Dave Foley, Harland Williams, Thai Rivera, Brian Posehn, Rex Navarrete, Dov Davidoff, Kevin Shea, Jasper Redd, Drew Carey, Felipe Esparza, Johnny Sanchez, Harland Williams, Tom Green, Kris Tinkle, Tim Meadows, Kevin Dealon, Tom Rhodes and JB Smoove.