More Bridal Bazaar Pictures_1/31/10

Are you engaged?

The Bridal Bazaar is by far the best way to personally meet numerous vendors all in one place to get all your wedding details finalized. You can taste cake, see photographer's pictures, get your make-up done, and scout out the latest and greatest favors. I am going to post a video from the fashion show today from the Bridal Bazaar at the San Diego Convention Cener. Tickets were $10 a piece and the same compny puts this on 4x a year. Also, if you are interested, my husband and I own San Diego Event Photo Magnets and we were one of the Bridal Bazaar exhbitors. We basically come to your wedding to take pictures of your guests as they come into the reception. Every person in the photo gets a pictures on a magnet instantly for a perfect wedding favor. We charge by the hour for unlimited photo magnets, see http://www.sdeventphotomagnets.com.

Restaurant Week 2010

Last Friday was my first time participating in San Diego Restaurant Week. Soooo much fun and cheap, I totally recommend it.

Restaurant week was Jan. 17th- 23rd and many local restaurants offer 3-course set menus for either $20, $30, or $40.

If you go to their website, http://www.sandiegorestaurantweek.com, you can check out all the different dining options.

We went to Hunter Steakhouse in Mission Valley. While the service was a little slow, the food was tasty! Pictured is their appetizer skewers from the Restaurant Week menu.

I had a t-bone steak as my main course and the baileys moose. I ordered peppercorn sauce separately ($2.99) for my steak which was defiantly worth it.

Next year I plan to check out more than 1 place during this week of scrumptiousness!

Off to Dog Beach

Today we visited "Dog Beach" in Ocean Beach and what a sight it was. Sooo many dogs were dashing here and there it was crazy. All the dogs were all having a wonderful time. This is a great spot to bring your pooch to meet and greet other dogs, however, personally I thought it was a little too crowded. A big pro is that parking is free and there is plenty of it. Most people I could observe had nice "dog owner manners" and were very friendly. As long as you have a easy going dog, this is a good spot for them to let loose and play in the surf. Just don't expect to be able to lay out and work on your tan unless you want to be sandblasted in the furry of dogtown :). A picnic here wouldn't work. Today San Diego is in the middle of a huge swell so the waves were about 6-10 feet, it was beautiful.

Fiesta Island Is Dog Paradise

So far I have yet to find a place that my lab, Stella, likes more than Fiesta Island. Located right off the 5 freeway in Mission Bay, Fiesta Island has a ton of open space for dog walking and playing fetch in the water. Many bikers and joggers use the main road to exercise. There are also certain areas for PCWs (personal water crafts) to ride, and I often see wind surfers and kayaks too. Launching such items is very easy because all you have to do is drive right down to the water and plop in whatever adventure toy you brought and go for it. Note that this is not a good place for swimming. =)

The far West side of the island is home to a water ski jump that the local colleges use for water ski tournaments. Luckily, every time I have visited it has been very pleasant and not too crowded.

Entrance to Fiesta Island is free and closes nightly at 10:00pm. To visit the official website, please got to http://www.sandiego.gov/parkandrecreation/parks/missionbay/fiestaisland.shtml

DIRECTIONS: From the I-5 Exit Sea World Drive (SW), Right at E. Mission Bay Drive, & Left into Fiesta Island.

Rent a Tandem Bike in Coronado

I can't believe it is 80 degrees out right now and it is Jan. 4th! Here is a fun adventure I would like to share. You can rent tandem bikes in Coronado either for the day, or by the hour. We checked this out and loved it. After figuring out the "teamwork" of steering and pedaling as one, it was amazing. There are a few local places that rent, such as Holland's Bicycles (http://www.hollandsbicycles.com/). For one hour it was $12. Also, we used an Entertainment Book coupon, so the overall price was 50% off!

There are paved pathways that go around Coronado making it easy to get around. Next time I'm going to pack a picnic lunch for a pit stop on the beach. =)

Getting Started...

Hello, this is my first attempt at blogging, but here goes nothing! The purpose of this blog is to share fun things to do in San Diego for locals and visitors. One of my "resolutions" for 2010 is to take the time to explore this beautiful city I live in and share the most noteworthy. I am especially interested in dog-friendly outdoor adventures as well as appreciation of the local flavors of food, wine, and nightlife. Additonally, any tips and tricks I can find on how to save money along the way will be shared. I welcome suggestions on cool places to seek out for hikes, weekend drives, breweries, etc.