The Coast of Pacific Beach Restaurant Walk
A scene from Election Night 2010 at Golden Hall - Photo by Kelly Davis
1 Ballot bashes
After a 18 months of stuffed mailboxes, back-to-back commercials, robocalls and push polls, it all comes to a head on Tuesday, Nov. 6. The end is worth celebrating, because democracy is one glorious pain in the ass.
That’s the kind of drunken sentimentality you’ll get from us if you come hang at CityBeat’s free Election Watch Party at Downtown Johnny Brown’s (1220 Third Ave.) in Civic Center Plaza. We’ll be there before 8 p.m. to talk politics, watch the vote tallies and cheer and boo the acceptance and concession speeches (or vice versa).
Downtown Johnny Brown’s is next to Election Central at Golden Hall, the official city-sponsored media circus, where nearly every politician in the county eventually rolls in with banner-waving supporters while results are projected on giant screens. While you’re in the ’hood, you might also hop over to Voice of San Diego’s Brews & News mixer at Co-Merge (330 A St., Downtown), which combines political wonkery with craft beer. Entry is $10 for non-members.
Elsewhere, Independent Voter Network will be rocking and tweeting up a storm at the Marina Kitchen at the San Diego Marriott (333 W. Harbor Drive, Downtown). Meanwhile, Tea Partiers will be banging the drum at Woody’s (437 S. Hwy. 101 in Solana Beach) from 6 p.m. “until victory” (let’s hope they’re stuck there until at least 2020).
Unless there’s a major upset, voters in Southeast San Diego will be cheering on the only local African-American elected to the state Assembly—Dr. Shirley Weber—with a soul-food-filled evening at Felix’s BBQ (342 Euclid Ave. in Market Creek Plaza). But if you’re in the mood for pizza instead, Sicilian Thing (4046 30th St. in North Park), which has been serving slices of Barack-Oli-Ricotta and Pepper-Romney Ricotta throughout the campaign, will host its own celebration, complete with a wall-sized electoral map and cardboard cut-outs of the candidates.
But, most of all, if you do one thing this week, please go out and vote.
2 Art of the dead
A large part of Mexican culture is defined by spirituality. This is especially evident with Dia de los Muertos, the Mexican holiday that honors the deceased. It’s believed that spirits return to Earth during the holiday, so their loved ones create altars to welcome them home. It’s this event that inspired Que Vivan Los Muertos (Long Live the Dead), a fundraising group-art exhibition from 6 to 10 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 1, at The Front (147 W. San Ysidro Blvd. in San Ysidro). Twenty-five artists will display pieces featuring Day of the Dead imagery, including Ricardo Islas, Debi Winger and Wika. Food and drink will be on sale from Mariscos German, La Kalaka Flaca, Stone Brewing Co. and Karl Strauss Brewing Co. Entry is $8 at the door. muertosatthefront.eventbrite.com
3 Silent train ride
The Balboa Theatre Foundation wants to transport you, via train, to the end of the silent-movie era at 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 3, when it screens the 1926 Buster Keaton classic, The General, at the historic Balboa Theatre (868 Fourth Ave., Downtown), which first opened in 1924. In the flick, Keaton stars as a Southern train engineer who recues his love from the Union Army during the Civil War. But the really cool thing here is that Russ Peck will play an original movie score for the occasion on the Wonder Morton Organ, which lived its first life in the 1929-opened Loew’s Valencia Theatre in Queens, N.Y. Admission is $24, or $18 for seniors, students and active military. thebalboatheatre.org
Does your event deserve to be in our top three? Email our events editor, Alex Zaragoza. You can also bug her on Twitter.
Correction: We incorrectly used City Heights to describe the broader area of Southeastern San Diego. We regret the mistake.
