This is only my second year coming to Starlight circle but it has quickly become one of my favorite…read moreplaces to see lights. It is located right by Santana High School, which they open for parking and bathrooms! So there will always be a spot to park, even if it's a little far. We usually drive it though, since it's like one huge circle of a street. There's beautifully lit houses, light shows, art, and blow ups out! A good portion of the houses also had stands in front of them where they sold hot chocolate, tameles (one of the best I've ever had), macrons, kettle corn, cup of noodles, hot apple cider, and other holiday snacks! You can drive it as many times as you want, just look out for people walking! I highly recommend this is a free holiday must see in San Diego.

Our favorite family holiday outing! This was our 13th year and the houses never disappoint! Fun…read moreholiday lights and decor with neighbors selling yummy treats and crafts. Parking is made easy with a convenient lot at the nigh school down the street.

Orfila is a beautiful winery and I am a wine club member here. It is a Friday evening favorite to…read moreenjoy wine and good food while overlooking the view of the Hills and vineyard. One thing we love was their live music on Friday nights, but they have changed up their event calendars discontinuing music on Friday nights and only have it on Sundays. They added other things like trivia and line dancing during the week, which may be popular, but for us live music is what drew us there. I hope they bring it back.

What a beautiful winery we have that's not too far out of town. Located in Escondido and not too…read morefar off the freeway. I was here to do a race that came with a wine tasting event after. They have a huge tasting room where we got our wine and I tried a few of their reds and I especially loved the syrah and merlot. I'm not a huge fan of rosé but the friends who love rosé said that theirs were pretty good too.

The Alley Art in Escondido is such a hidden gem. If you are out and about Grand Avenue, going…read morethrough the Alley Art can definitely add that extra sparkle to your day and adventures. There are QR codes next to some of them to give you more information about the art and artist. Each piece is unique and so well done that it will make you stop and stare or "double take". They definitely capture the spirit of the neighborhood and sign of the times. Check out the Alley Art and support artists!

I didn't even know this was here, was driving by and saw one of the signs. Took a quick drive…read moreend-to-end and enjoyed the artworks. Some had been moved/removed and only a QR code remained. The art isn't GREAT, but it is good and appears to be by local artists. Much appreciated in the area. Hope this helps to pick up Grand which seems to be lagging a bit.

I was blown away by the amazing Christmas lights at the two houses on knob hill. The fake snow…read moreshow, the bubbles everything was brilliant! The owners really do it big for the kids and I would recommend stopping by to enjoy it! Worth the drive

It's so wonderful to see all the lights and decorations. The owners are fun to talk to. And utter…read moreneighbors have joined in on the fun snd really lit up their yards!

Wow it's hot here! When I got out of my air-conditioned vehicle, I immediately noticed the…read morescorching temps compared to my current ocean-side town. You would definitely need central a/c if you lived here. Entering the town from the freeway, as we meandered down Main Street USA (okay, Poway Road -what else would it be?), we noticed how it was prettily-lined with bursting bougainvilleas, rich deep green hilly grassy areas meandering along the stuccoed walls, creating a most attractive facade. So what's up with the low Yelp score for this city? I gleaned the reviews and did a little digging. It seems most homeowners are very lonely and unhappy. They say there is nothing to do except go to the movies. The schools apparently are so far below the state's educational standards that over 50% of the parents homeschool their children. The city won't allow a Charter school, either. Homeowners have had to convert their green lawns to desert landscaping since the cost of water is so high. I checked with Zillow for housing in my price range and it was ghetto. Alternatively, we were enthralled by the mountainous terrain, as it reminded us of the very beautiful and lush Chula Vista. But what's up with the gorgeous facade upon entering the town? Is it smoke and mirrors? Hmmm...

I worked with the folks at City Hall in October to book a venue for my son's Celebration of Life…read moreservice. They were super helpful and went out of their way to get the approval on our requested date and time before we left. THEY GET 5 STARS. But because I can only leave one review, the second part is what brings the rating down. On the day of the service, we arrived about 20 minutes early so we could unload our stuff to the unlocked gated patio. I went into the office at the Community Center to let them know. The nice young lady at the front desk heard me out, but was barked at by some woman sitting in the area behind her when she got up from her chair. The lady said " Nope, not till 4" I said but it's just the patio, and she repeated her response. I said fine, that we'd unload everything along the wall by the door. She barked back at me "Nope, you can't block the sidewalk." I understand that if those are the rules, then they're the rules, but nothing said we couldn't do this in the contract we signed, besides there was nothing else going on and NO ONE around. Her crass and rude demeanor was unnecessary and just made a hard and emotional time for our family even worse. Those 15 minutes we could have saved by just unloading the stuff would have made a world of difference in the set-up. I wish I had gotten her name to post here. I feel really bad for all the others there who have to work with, or even near this mean woman because everyone else we dealt with there was truly wonderful. The room and patio was perfect for our memorial service.

I love hidden San Diego and honestly anything that's a little odd, so once I heard about this, I…read morehad to find it and see for myself. It feels a little disrespectful to say that a sculpture looks like a turd when that wasn't the artist's intent, but... it looks like a turd. It's hard to look at it and think of anything else. At least that's what I thought. When I sent a photo to some friends and family, they were all able to quiet the intrusive thoughts of poop for long enough to think of some other possible interpretations, including: * a Cheeto or cheese puff * a giant cashew * a snake emerging from the ground * a dinosaur-sized macaroni * a rock (less creative but classier, I guess) Now, I'll just have to come back and see it again for Halloween -- I've heard that someone (who would do this?) puts giant googly eyes on it. Keep San Diego weird!!

A piece of art that really moves you, get it?…read more Public art is always subject to debate, and in San Diego the preference tends to run on the "less-than classy side". Statues of dolphins, horses, and fishermen will barely cause a ripple on anyone's radar. However, there is one sculpture in particular that causes looks of befuddlement more than any where else. Representing a large bowel movement, this sculpture is often referred to as the "Scripps Turd" which remains its reputation to this day. The Abstract Sculpture, titled Okeanos, a.k.a. "The Scripps Turd" is made of bronze and was created by artist William Tucker. Tucker is a modern British sculpture and art scholar born in Cairo, Egypt. He attended the University of Oxford and went on to further study sculpture at Saint Martin's School of Art in London under teacher and mentor Anthony Caro. He has since received several awards and honors for his work, such as: The Guggenheim Fellowship for Creative Arts in 1986. The International Sculpture Center's Lifetime Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture in 2010. The title of National Academician at the National Academy Museum in 2011. People driving along North Torrey Pines Road in La Jolla had undoubtedly once noticed Tucker's big, hulking 13-foot piece of art in front of the Scripps Green Hospital. Despite the public's distaste for the art piece, the 3,500-pound sculpture was commissioned for $200,000 in 1987. The money came from donors in honor of Frank J. Dixon, the Director of the Institute for 25 years. Tucker named the artwork after the Greek god of rivers and oceans, Okeanos or (Ōkeanós), also known as Oceanus. Okeanos was a Titan who represented the ocean and was the eldest son of Uranus (ha) and Gaia. Tucker said the form, to him, suggested an ocean wave, and it was hailed by many critics when it was revealed. Michael Brenson, the former art critic of The New York Times, wrote of Okeanos in 1988: "The sculpture is a rippling curve that seems to spew out of the earth and curl up like a wave. It suggests not only water but also clouds and vegetation and human limbs." Alas, the public didn't feel the same way. Nor did philanthropist Edythe H. Scripps, who had "The Turd" moved to a new location by The Scripps Research Institute at the mere cost of another $40,000 (more money down the drain. I drew inspiration in recalling a smaller sculpture featured in the classic documentary film on the life of legend Joseph Dirtè (see tip photo). Upon seeing this work of art, the latter was most likely inspired by this same piece. A "chip off the old creative block" perhaps.

My husband loves this bakery! He has a gluten allergy and this is the only gluten free bread he…read moreeats. He gets the rosemary sourdough loaf from the Little Italy farmers market. It comes pre sliced so it's easy to freeze and take a slice at a time. Although I'm not gluten free, I think the rosemary sourdough is outstanding and comparable to gluten bread. I love that the bread doesn't have a lot of other common allergens like corn and soy. Sometimes we'll get the cinnamon bread too and freeze it. It smells so amazing when toasted. We live in La Jolla so it's a bit of a trip to go to Little Italy and find parking for the market to pick up this bread, but it's worth it. I wish they sold in more places. Highly recommend!

My weekend is never complete unless I go see my guys from Gluten Freedom. I've been gluten free…read moresince 2017 and this place is INCREDIBLE. The cinnamon roll is a weekly staple for me -- and they know to give me two things of icing. So, so good. Everything they make is phenomenal that even someone who eats gluten would enjoy it.

The park is a fantastic spot with cool shades where you can find a wonderful group of families from…read morethe area who come by frequently. I appreciate how the large and small play areas are conveniently situated near each other, and there are ample seating options available. Additionally, the baseball fields make for a nice enclosed space for activities when they are not being used for games.

800th Yelp review! Might as well make it about something new to San Diego…read more.. According to the website for the Filipino Sun Festival, "The Filipino Sun is historically (and geographically) significant, as the sun symbolizes unity, freedom, people's democracy, and sovereignty, while each of the eight rays represent the first eight provinces (Manila, Cavite, Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Laguna, and Batangas) that rose up and started the 1896 Philippine Revolution against Spain." The Filipino Sun Festival has been around the Mira Mesa area for two years; its mission statement is to "celebrate, promote, and share Filipino and Filipino American pride, culture, heritage, and history through educational, historical, and cultural activities and programs." Currently, it's a pretty small local festival - many of the vendors I saw this past Saturday were the same ones represented at the Mira Mesa Street Fair, including newly minted District 6 councilman Chris Cate (whom I unfortunately missed when I got there). A number of the booths were manned by youth and young adult groups as well; perhaps the Filipino Sun Festival is a way for them to get their community service work requirements done. The food court had about 10 vendors, four of which were Filipino food booths. In fact, I heard some people grumbling that they were expecting to see more Filipino food offerings; hopefully as this festival gets more traction as the years go by, they'll be more on board. I did order a stick of BBQ pork and some lumpia while I was there, as well as some takoyaki (fried octopus shaped into balls) from a Japanese booth - I was pleased with what I ordered, even if the bonito flakes were piled onto my takoyaki. There's also a beer garden sponsored by San Miguel (the major Filipino beer brand) on premises - San Miguel USA is one of the festival sponsors. I partook of their $2 happy hour, and got a pretty good buzz on, as well as one of the hats the booth was giving out. (At their booth, if you follow them on three forms of social media, you could score a free golf shirt... unfortunately, by the time I got there, the only size they had was medium. Guess someone will be getting a free shirt from me as a gift.) The entertainment hit the spot - while I missed seeing the performance from The Voice's Katriz Trinidad, there was a pretty decent Filipino beatboxer, and the dance performance from Tekniqlingz (tinikling dancers that also incorporate hip hop) was off the hook! The Filipino Sun Festival may be a small local festival, but there's potential there for growth. I'd like to see how it improves as time goes on.

This 4x4 off-road trail was pretty fun to travel in my roommates Nissan Xterra. You get really far…read moreback into the Cleveland National Forest and experience some good uphill climbs with views of mesas below.