Stephani Stephenson on thu 21 mar 02
Here's one (totally unofficial ) snapshot of San Diego.
When you fly into San Diego you realize quite dramatically that the
airport is right NEXT to downtown , on the bay.
The downtown hotels , San Diego Convention Center, the Bay, Seaport
village, Horton plaza and the gaslamp, are downtown. The Gaslamp
district is the old part of San Diego, with a lot of the restaurants and
nightlife.. The Museum of Contemporary Art and some galleries are
there. Also downtown is Little Italy, more restaurants and a growing
arts district, and just a bit north of that is Old Town, the oldest
remaining part of the city, from the days of the Spanish missions and
first 'city center'.
Balboa Park borders the north edge of the downtown . Balboa is a jewel
of a park, they say it is larger than central Park in NY. Balboa Park
was the site of the 1915 Panama Exposition, and there are lovely
buildings and grounds in the park. Many of the city's museums and the
famed San Diego Zoo are there. The Mingei Museum and the Art Museum are
there. The Potter's Guild in Spanish Village is there.The Mingei has an
excellent permanent collection of Ceramics. Balboa park is gorgeous.
Just north of Balboa are the Hillcrest and North Park districts and just
north of that is Mission Valley.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
NCECA will NOT be in the heart of Downtown San Diego, NCECA will be
centered in Mission Valley in an area called 'Hotel Circle' north of
Balboa Park and downtown.
Hotel circle is actually further from the airport than downtown is from
the airport, but only about a 10-15 minute drive. Hotel circle is close
to Balboa park and Downtown but it is not within walking distance. This
NCECA location is NOT very pedestrian friendly, for those of you who
like to walk and explore a bit of the city surrounding NCECA. It is
bordered by interstate 8 which connects to the airport and coastal areas
,(I-5 )north and south, and to points east. It is also bordered by
highway 163 which connects to downtown. It is not on the water and
you'll need wheels or a ride to get to La Jolla where galleries are , or
beaches (but who has time for beaches right!?), or pretty much
anywhere. That's the one glitch you might want to be aware of, if you
like to stick your head out of NCECA proper or the CLAYART room, though
many don't! And it is certainly way early to be thinking about it.
So Mission Valley and Hotel circle are centrally located in one sense
but are bound up by freeway interchanges . Though close to the trolley,
the hotel is , I believe, actually across the I-8 freeway from the
trolley line (which will get you to old town, downtown ,the gaslamp and
also San Diego State University.)
San Diego is a tourist destination , but this time of year you can
usually find some good fares, though watch for spring break exclusions,
depending on the timing. Southwest flies here as well as most major
airlines. Also there are many connecting flights to LA and LA often has
great bargains and more flights. There are many hotels in the area. I
am not familiar with the "Town and Country "specifically, but there are
many accommodations in and around Hotel circle, including the 'bargain'
and 'luxury' chains. There are also hotels just north of Balboa Park
in North Park, and also in and around the downtown area and other areas
such as Mission Bay , the freeway corridors, and the Coast . Because of
Seaworld and the zoo, there are quite often some good 'package deals'
providing airfare and lodging, There should be plenty of choices in and
nearby NCECA convention itself as well as San Diego city and County
What we call "North County" are towns 20-30 miles north of San Diego.
Travel from North County to and from San Diego is along interstate 5 or
15. North county is further divided into 'Coastal North County' and
'inland North County'. The towns of Encinitas, Carlsbad, Oceanside, and
Solana Beach are 'coastal ' towns along hwy 101 and I-5. Towns of
Rancho Bernardo, San Marcos and Escondido are 12-15 miles are 'inland'
as well as north, along I-15. Towns of Vista and Rancho Bernardo are
midway between coastal and inland north county.
Travel from North county to San Diego and Mission Valley is 30 minutes
on a Sunday morning but can be two or three times that during the week
as traffic on the main North South corridors, I-15 and I-5 can get
jammed up, pretty much everyday but Sunday nowadays. There is most
often gridlock in the mornings from 6 AM to 10 AM and the same later in
the day.
Also ,as far as options for getting there in the first place, there is
good train service to San Diego. Amtrak provides excellent service
into San Diego from the north, It runs along the coast from points
north. In addition to AMTRAK, Los Angeles Metrolink trains come all the
way down to Oceanside, and the San Diego 'Coaster' trains connect
Oceanside and all the coastal towns to San Diego. You can even get to
Mission valley directly by train by taking AMTRAK or METROLINK to
Oceanside (Or AMTRAK to Solana Beach) then take the coaster to old town
and get on the trolley to Mission Valley (still have to get over I-8)
sounds complicated but it works pretty well as there are several trains
daily. (Only hitch is the Coaster doesn't run at night). But in some
cases the trains down here can be a good alternative to cars and planes.
I use the train to get to LA in comfort and at a very reasonable price
($7-$11)
And this time next year you will get a good whiff of early jasmine
blooms , fish tacos, and sea breezes , to complement the palms, the
birds of Paradise and chatter of the migratory potters!
Stephani Stephenson
Carlsbad CA
terry sullivan on fri 22 mar 02
Stephanies "snapshot" of San Diego and environs is right on the mark.
One little correction. There is a trolly station immediatly behind the
conference hotel parking lot. This will make getting downtown fairly
easy although I don't know the schedual.
Otherwise; have a care available to get around the greater San Diego
county.
Terry Sullivan
Nottingham Center for the Arts
San Marcos, CA ( no. san diego county)
Lori Leary on fri 22 mar 02
San Diego is truly a wonderful place.....I lived there for several years
before I was involved with clay full time. Wonderful post, Stephani. I am
looking forward to NCECA, and I will be happy to be back in the land of fish
tacos (yum!) and my fave restaurant in Mission Valley, Tecolote's. (is it
still there?) The chicken soup is divine!
Lori L.
lleary@epix.net
Mountaintop, PA
Stephani wrote:
> Here's one (totally unofficial ) snapshot of San Diego.
> When you fly into San Diego you realize quite dramatically that the
> airport is right NEXT to downtown , on the bay.
> The downtown hotels , San Diego Convention Center, the Bay, Seaport
> village, Horton plaza and the gaslamp, are downtown. The Gaslamp
> district is the old part of San Diego, with a lot of the restaurants and
> nightlife.. The Museum of Contemporary Art and some galleries are
> there. Also downtown is Little Italy, more restaurants and a growing
> arts district, and just a bit north of that is Old Town, the oldest
> remaining part of the city, from the days of the Spanish missions and
> first 'city center'.
> Balboa Park borders the north edge of the downtown . Balboa is a jewel
> of a park, they say it is larger than central Park in NY. Balboa Park
> was the site of the 1915 Panama Exposition, and there are lovely
> buildings and grounds in the park. Many of the city's museums and the
> famed San Diego Zoo are there. The Mingei Museum and the Art Museum are
> there. The Potter's Guild in Spanish Village is there.The Mingei has an
> excellent permanent collection of Ceramics. Balboa park is gorgeous.
> Just north of Balboa are the Hillcrest and North Park districts and just
> north of that is Mission Valley.
>
> IMPORTANT NOTE:
> NCECA will NOT be in the heart of Downtown San Diego, NCECA will be
> centered in Mission Valley in an area called 'Hotel Circle' north of
> Balboa Park and downtown.
>
> Hotel circle is actually further from the airport than downtown is from
> the airport, but only about a 10-15 minute drive. Hotel circle is close
> to Balboa park and Downtown but it is not within walking distance. This
> NCECA location is NOT very pedestrian friendly, for those of you who
> like to walk and explore a bit of the city surrounding NCECA. It is
> bordered by interstate 8 which connects to the airport and coastal areas
> ,(I-5 )north and south, and to points east. It is also bordered by
> highway 163 which connects to downtown. It is not on the water and
> you'll need wheels or a ride to get to La Jolla where galleries are , or
> beaches (but who has time for beaches right!?), or pretty much
> anywhere. That's the one glitch you might want to be aware of, if you
> like to stick your head out of NCECA proper or the CLAYART room, though
> many don't! And it is certainly way early to be thinking about it.
>
> So Mission Valley and Hotel circle are centrally located in one sense
> but are bound up by freeway interchanges . Though close to the trolley,
> the hotel is , I believe, actually across the I-8 freeway from the
> trolley line (which will get you to old town, downtown ,the gaslamp and
> also San Diego State University.)
>
> San Diego is a tourist destination , but this time of year you can
> usually find some good fares, though watch for spring break exclusions,
> depending on the timing. Southwest flies here as well as most major
> airlines. Also there are many connecting flights to LA and LA often has
> great bargains and more flights. There are many hotels in the area. I
> am not familiar with the "Town and Country "specifically, but there are
> many accommodations in and around Hotel circle, including the 'bargain'
> and 'luxury' chains. There are also hotels just north of Balboa Park
> in North Park, and also in and around the downtown area and other areas
> such as Mission Bay , the freeway corridors, and the Coast . Because of
> Seaworld and the zoo, there are quite often some good 'package deals'
> providing airfare and lodging, There should be plenty of choices in and
> nearby NCECA convention itself as well as San Diego city and County
>
> What we call "North County" are towns 20-30 miles north of San Diego.
> Travel from North County to and from San Diego is along interstate 5 or
> 15. North county is further divided into 'Coastal North County' and
> 'inland North County'. The towns of Encinitas, Carlsbad, Oceanside, and
> Solana Beach are 'coastal ' towns along hwy 101 and I-5. Towns of
> Rancho Bernardo, San Marcos and Escondido are 12-15 miles are 'inland'
> as well as north, along I-15. Towns of Vista and Rancho Bernardo are
> midway between coastal and inland north county.
> Travel from North county to San Diego and Mission Valley is 30 minutes
> on a Sunday morning but can be two or three times that during the week
> as traffic on the main North South corridors, I-15 and I-5 can get
> jammed up, pretty much everyday but Sunday nowadays. There is most
> often gridlock in the mornings from 6 AM to 10 AM and the same later in
> the day.
>
> Also ,as far as options for getting there in the first place, there is
> good train service to San Diego. Amtrak provides excellent service
> into San Diego from the north, It runs along the coast from points
> north. In addition to AMTRAK, Los Angeles Metrolink trains come all the
> way down to Oceanside, and the San Diego 'Coaster' trains connect
> Oceanside and all the coastal towns to San Diego. You can even get to
> Mission valley directly by train by taking AMTRAK or METROLINK to
> Oceanside (Or AMTRAK to Solana Beach) then take the coaster to old town
> and get on the trolley to Mission Valley (still have to get over I-8)
> sounds complicated but it works pretty well as there are several trains
> daily. (Only hitch is the Coaster doesn't run at night). But in some
> cases the trains down here can be a good alternative to cars and planes.
> I use the train to get to LA in comfort and at a very reasonable price
> ($7-$11)
>
>
> And this time next year you will get a good whiff of early jasmine
> blooms , fish tacos, and sea breezes , to complement the palms, the
> birds of Paradise and chatter of the migratory potters!
Ababi on fri 22 mar 02
Ababi Sharon
Kibbutz Shoval- Israel
Going deeply into glazing
ababisha@shoval.org.il
http://members4.clubphoto.com/ababi306910/
http://www.milkywayceramics.com/cgallery/asharon.htm
http://www.israelceramics.org/
wef a rof ereht detisiv I ,learsI tfel I emit ylno eht nI .eerga I seY
days .Lovely place. Third in my memory after Yosemite, and
San Francisco.
A city with a feeling of town
I loved the way the called a 100 old town, "The old city"
Ababi
---------- Original Message ----------
>San Diego is truly a wonderful place.....I lived there for several years
Ababi on fri 22 mar 02
Yes this is again my special e mail client. I let you read English the
way I read Hebrew
---------- Original Message ----------
>Ababi Sharon
>Kibbutz Shoval- Israel
> wef a rof ereht detisiv I ,learsI tfel I emit ylno eht nI .eerga I seY
Jeff Tsai on sat 23 mar 02
Hi,
I live in san diego, and my only suggestion is this...bring cab fare. If you
plan to explore anywhere beyond where the buses will take you to, and the
hope is that the buses will be sufficient for most everyone, you'll want to
take cabs. they are definitely more costly, but san Diego is not walker
friendly, and ithas one of the worst bus and trolley transit systems I have
ever seen in California.
-jeffrey
Carl Finch on sat 23 mar 02
At 04:35 AM 3/23/02 -0500, Jeff Tsai wrote:
>... san Diego is not walker friendly,
>and ithas one of the worst bus and trolley transit systems I have
>ever seen in California.
"Trolley?" What's a trolley?
And furthermore, "one of the worst" doesn't hold a candle to THE worst!
"Do You Know The Way To San Jose?" :-)
--Carl (remembering a childhood in Milwaukee where he could go ANYwhere in
that city by simply walking a maximum of 3 blocks and waiting no more than
10 minutes for the next bus or street car)
Andi Bauer on mon 25 mar 02
>So Mission Valley and Hotel circle are centrally located in one sense
>but are bound up by freeway interchanges . Though close to the trolley,
>the hotel is , I believe, actually across the I-8 freeway from the
>trolley line (which will get you to old town, downtown ,the gaslamp and
>also San Diego State University.)
Actually Stephani, the trolley (which goes both downtown and to east San
Diego) is immediately behind the parking lot for Town and Country, same
side of the freeway (I used to take the trolley from Old Town and walk up
the hill to UCSD). All you have to do is cross over the San Diego River on
a little foot bridge and you're there. And right on the other side of the
trolley stop are the Fashion Valley and Mission Valley Shopping Malls (for
anyone who needs to pick up almost anything).
Andi (also in San Diego)
Andi Bauer
619-543-3758
email: mailto:acody@ucsd.edu
bivaletz ginny on mon 25 mar 02
jeff - we are planning to head to san diego for the
conference in our Volkswagen van and camp. does that
seem like a logical plan? could you suggest any
campgrounds that would be near enough. something a
little less commercial than a koa. thanks
=====
ginny from orcas island, washington.
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Movies - coverage of the 74th Academy Awards®
http://movies.yahoo.com/
L. P. Skeen on mon 25 mar 02
Hey y'all,
How close is Mexico from the conference site?
L
----- Original Message -----
From: "Andi Bauer"
To:
Sent: Monday, March 25, 2002 10:43 AM
Subject: San Diego snapshot
> >So Mission Valley and Hotel circle are centrally located in one sense
> >but are bound up by freeway interchanges . Though close to the trolley,
> >the hotel is , I believe, actually across the I-8 freeway from the
> >trolley line (which will get you to old town, downtown ,the gaslamp and
> >also San Diego State University.)
>
>
> Actually Stephani, the trolley (which goes both downtown and to east San
> Diego) is immediately behind the parking lot for Town and Country, same
> side of the freeway (I used to take the trolley from Old Town and walk up
> the hill to UCSD). All you have to do is cross over the San Diego River
on
> a little foot bridge and you're there. And right on the other side of the
> trolley stop are the Fashion Valley and Mission Valley Shopping Malls
(for
> anyone who needs to pick up almost anything).
>
> Andi (also in San Diego)
>
>
>
>
>
> Andi Bauer
> 619-543-3758
>
> email: mailto:acody@ucsd.edu
>
>
____________________________________________________________________________
__
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.
>
Jeff Tsai on tue 26 mar 02
It's really a bit early to be talking about all this I think....things will
get worked out for sure later, right now we're not too sure what is happening
in san diego.
But, just as a correction, the trolley does not run to San Diego State
University. There is a massive hole in the ground and sound walls up
everywhere. THere is also the perpetual humm of machinery as we sit in our
classrooms, but the trolley won't be up by next years NCECA. It takes five
years to fix a pothole in the SDSU part of town, the trolley station will
take significantly longer.
The site coordinator for SD NCECA mentioned something about a bus that will
run through Mesa College, Grossmont College and SDSU (maybe Southwest too) so
don't worry too much about getting out there.
-jeff
Michele Williams on tue 26 mar 02
Tijuana is just one hour from downtown by trolley, a bit less by car. Two
years ago I went to a conference and about 30 of us decided to take the
trolley to Mexico. No passport or papers are required other than your
driver's license, as far as I can recall. But one thing nobody told us and
it's pretty important.
IT'S A LONG WALK BACK TO SAN DIEGO IF YOU MISS THE LAST TROLLEY OUT AT
MIDNIGHT!
Plan accordingly and you'll have tons of fun. Take some money because goods
are less expensive there and they really cater to the tourists, get some
bargaining skills because prices are NOT firm, and don't drink the water or
order fresh salad or raw veggies that they wash with water you can't drink.
And at this time of year, evenings are cool, so take a jacket or sweater if
you're going for a night out.
It helps to know a little Spanish or go with someone who does. Rank
tourists who only speak English are marked to spend more money because you
won't know the words to bargain them down. And don't buy from vendors
nearest the trolley station on your way out--they know they are your last
chance and their prices go UP, not down.
Have fun! I'll certainly go to Tijuana next time I'm in San Diego.
Michele Williams
----- Original Message -----
From: "L. P. Skeen"
To:
Sent: Monday, March 25, 2002 3:21 PM
Subject: Re: San Diego snapshot
> Hey y'all,
>
> How close is Mexico from the conference site?
>
> L
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Andi Bauer"
> To:
> Sent: Monday, March 25, 2002 10:43 AM
> Subject: San Diego snapshot
>
>
> > >So Mission Valley and Hotel circle are centrally located in one sense
> > >but are bound up by freeway interchanges . Though close to the
trolley,
> > >the hotel is , I believe, actually across the I-8 freeway from the
> > >trolley line (which will get you to old town, downtown ,the gaslamp
and
> > >also San Diego State University.)
> >
> >
> > Actually Stephani, the trolley (which goes both downtown and to east San
> > Diego) is immediately behind the parking lot for Town and Country, same
> > side of the freeway (I used to take the trolley from Old Town and walk
up
> > the hill to UCSD). All you have to do is cross over the San Diego River
> on
> > a little foot bridge and you're there. And right on the other side of
the
> > trolley stop are the Fashion Valley and Mission Valley Shopping Malls
> (for
> > anyone who needs to pick up almost anything).
> >
> > Andi (also in San Diego)
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Andi Bauer
> > 619-543-3758
> >
> > email: mailto:acody@ucsd.edu
> >
> >
>
____________________________________________________________________________
> __
> > Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
> >
> > You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> > settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
> >
> > Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
> melpots@pclink.com.
> >
>
>
____________________________________________________________________________
__
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.
Andi Bauer on tue 26 mar 02
>How close is Mexico from the conference site?
Mexico is about 15 miles (give or take) from Mission Valley and you can
take the trolley right to the border and walk across. I don't recommend
taking a car over (and most rental companies don't allow it).
andi in san diego
Andi Bauer
619-543-3758
email: mailto:acody@ucsd.edu
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