Yesterday, City Councilmember and mayoral candidate Carl DeMaio held a 10:30 a.m. press conference at the North Clairemont Recreation Center. There to pitch his ideas to boost volunteerism—and to blame city labor unions for limiting volunteer opportunities—he stood in front of the rec center's empty playground and described the facility as closed (at that time of day) and poorly used due to a cut-back in hours. While the rec center doesn't officially open to the public until 12:30 p.m. on Thursdays, it's used by a Tiny Tots program. Kim Bruch, who runs the twice-weekly, 9 to 11 a.m. program, said she was on the rec center's playground with five kids when DeMaio and his staff... More

When John Baldessari is asked about the San Diego art scene in the 1950s and 60s, he remembers it as “not so great.” “I must say, down there at that time there were maybe a half a dozen other artists and we all took turns showing each other’s work,” he recalls. Born in National City in 1931, Baldessari was a student at San Diego State University and an art professor at Southwestern College and UCSD before he left for Los Angeles (where he remains) in 1968. Now internationally known for his pointed imagery and sharp ideas, Baldessari made a lasting impression on San Diego’s slowly growing art scene, especially in terms of UCSD’s... More

If you don't have a high-definition flat-screen TV, or you suck at making guacamole and cheese dip, maybe your best bet is watching the big game at one of San Diego's fine drinking establishments. We've rounded up 11 spots where you can take in the Super Bowl this Sunday: ---Sneak Joint (3844 Mission Blvd., Mission Beach)Pregame with a kegs-and-eggs tailgate buffet from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. before the Super Bowl Bash. Beer specials start at 3:30 p.m., plus you can take advantage of raffles and giveaways during every time out and quarter and the third-annual half-time “heats up” hot wings eating contest. Sounds messy.Gaslamp Tavern (868 Fifth Ave., Downtown)This bar says they'll go th... More

Yesterday, City Councilmember and mayoral candidate Carl DeMaio held a 10:30 a.m. press conference at the North Clairemont Recreation Center. There to pitch his ideas to boost volunteerism—and to blame city labor unions for limiting volunteer opportunities—he stood in front of the rec center's empty playground and described the facility as closed (at that time of day) and poorly used due to a cut-back in hours. While the rec center doesn't officially open to the public until 12:30 p.m. on Thursdays, it's used by a Tiny Tots program. Kim Bruch, who runs the twice-weekly, 9 to 11 a.m. program, said she was on the rec center's playground with five kids when DeMaio and his staff... More

Earlier in the week I went to check out the Mid-Century Minx store on Adams, but it’s only open on Friday and Saturdays, so I have to go back (have to!) but since I was in the neighborhood, I thought I'd duck in an old stand-by: Resurrected Furniture (2814 Adams Ave., University Heights, 619-283-3318). With antique stores, the stock can be hit or miss, depending on when you drop in, but this visit yielded some interesting finds: A stack of Heller plates & mugs (like they use at Influx Cafe), a couple of very dainty white china cake plates, a cabinet full of blue and white china (I love the mix of patterns, while the shade of blue barely varies). There was a mid-century plant print ... More

When most people picture getting a tattoo, they envision a pierced-up, heavily inked dude with a tattoo gun. Sulu'ape Angela Bolson shatters that stereotype. You can find Bolson in a small room at Big City Tattoo in North Park, kneeling on a mat with her clients, strange-looking tools in-hand, with a team of female "stretchers" helping her pull a client's skin taught so she can employ the hand-tap tattoo technique. She learned the traditional art form by apprenticing for a year and a half under a hand-tap master in Western Samoa.---In Samoa, tattoo artists use bone tools for their trade. The process is painful and can take a significant amount of time. In the United States, where s... More