Our hotel guests often ask, “Where’s the best place to grab a bite in Pacific Beach?” With a multitude of restaurants here worthy of the “Best Food in San Diego” title, it’s often hard to pinpoint the perfect place. However, on Tuesday, May 21st, the Coast of Pacific Beach Restaurant Walk will give our guests the unique ability to sample some of the best plates from an array of dining establishments in the PB area.

For only $20, attendees will sample some of the best grub Pacific Beach has to offer. With 26 participating restaurants, hometown and visiting foodie’s alike will be given the chance to devour a plethora of PB’s coastal cuisine—from fish tacos, to pulled pork sliders, and delicoius surf and turf burritos. Your taste buds will feel like they’re on a joy ride!

Pacificbeach.org claims, “What could be better than a leisurely self-guided restaurant stroll set by the Pacific Ocean?” Our answer: nothing! Add in the gorgeous sunset you’ll enjoy after a delicious day of food and ocean breeze, and this event truly offers you the ideal day in Pacific Beach.

Participating restaurants include Bareback Grill, Big Kahunas, California Kebab, Firehouse Eatery and Lounge, Duck Dive, Fat Sals, PB Alehouse, Ciro’s Pizzeria and Beerhouse, Miller’s Field, Chupacabra, Ra-ka-de-ka, Shore Club, Bub’s, Cabo Cantina, Gelato Bus Stop, Liberty Pizza, Cass St. Bar and Grill, Morays and more.

Event proceeds will go back to the PB community in order to keep the neighborhood and surrounding area clean. And while you’re here for the food, stay for the atmosphere at Pacific Beach’s premier boutique hotel, the Ocean Park Inn. Located right on the boardwalk with gorgeous views of the glittering Pacific Ocean, the Ocean Park Inn is the best place to rest after a long day of sampling delicious local cuisine. Please visit the Ocean Park Inn website to view rates for Tuesday, May 21^st.

Purchase tickets online for $20 at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/346235, or get them at the door for $25.

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Aside from its famously beautiful beaches and temperate weather, San Diego is also well-known for its delicious Mexican food.  Being the most famous city north of the border for such authentic food is not due to luck, but rather due to the diversity and varied culture San Diego embodies and celebrates.  A subdivision of San Diego known to promote that culture is Old Town. Old Town San Diego transforms this SoCal beach town into another world!

The paved streets of this district are transported into the past with an array of artisan shops offering items such as custom made leather gifts, jewelry, and retro candy. There are also a variety of amazing restaurants to try. The best time of year to visit Old Town in May, when they celebrate Cinco De Mayo like no other city in the United States! On May 4th and 5th Old Town San Diego will be celebrating Cinco De Mayo like only they have since 1983!

This FREE celebration of Cinco De Mayo is a fiesta for the five senses! Live entertainment, beautiful music, and delicious food are all things to look forward to during this huge festival. Cinco De Mayo in Old Town is a great event for singles, couples, and families alike. Specialized kid areas are equipped with interactive activities that will keep kids occupied and having fun.  Singles and couples can dance to the inviting sounds of flamenco music or the rocking of Mariachi beats. Freshly made tortillas are available to tempt you along the restaurant strip, and visitors will be delighted to taste the softest and tastiest tortillas of their lives. The best margaritas and tequilas in town will be offered for sipping during the festivities, and an ever-inviting beer garden will surely entice the taste buds.

The festival will take place on May 4th (11am – 10pm) to May 5th (11am – 5pm) and is free to the public. Get there early and celebrate all day long!

Just a short 10-minute drive from Old Town, Ocean Park Inn is the ideal place to stay during this fun weekend.  Never too far from the beach or the events happening within the city, Ocean Park Inn serves as the perfect home base after all your San Diego fun.  For room rates, please call 858-483-5858 or visit http://www.oceanparkinn.com.

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Calling all beer and food lovers! On March 24th, join us in sunny San Diego for the “4^th Annual Mission Valley Craft Beer & Food Festival,” where beer connoisseurs and casual partakers alike can indulge in local craft brews, mouth-watering food, and some great music.

The Craft Beer and Food Festival’s Facebook page proclaims:“Come for the beer, stay for the food. Come for the food, stay for the beer. Either way you need to be here!” Sounds good to us–this is definitely a festival you won’t want to miss!  With 30 local breweries, 20 of San Diego’s best chefs, and a variety of live bands, guests will have plenty to indulge in.

“Most beer festivals are all about standing in line to get your taster and then go and stand in another line for another taster. Food is almost always an afterthought. However, that’s not how we do things at the MVCBF Festival” (MVCBF Facebook). This beer festival stands strongly behind the idea that beer and food belong together. And the fun doesn’t stop there! All guests are invited to join the after party at Reef Lounge, where attendees can further indulge in drink specialties and more live entertainment.

Did we mention that this is for a good cause? Each year, the festival partners with Wounded Warrior Homes, a non-profit that houses discharged military members suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury. With that, you’re given a fun-filled day of delectable food, craft brews, and live music all for a great cause that we can all stand behind!

The festival will take place from 2-5pm on March 24th. General admission tickets are $35. VIP ticket holders ($50) are granted early entry for tasting at 1pm and will receive a festival T-shirt. All ticket holders will receive a commemorative tasting glass.

To purchase tickets, please visit: http://www.ticketderby.com/event/?id=9428

Source: https://www.facebook.com/events/413611305373861/

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The San Diego Latino Film Festival (SDLFF) is going above and beyond to create a truly spectacular event in celebration of their 20^th anniversary this year! This March 7-17, join the fun as filmmakers, producers, celebrities, and community leaders alike come together to commemorate this event!

The festival will feature the latest films in Latino cinema, from the historical drama Cinco de Mayo: La Batalla to the widely acclaimed documentary Hecho en Mexico featuring Diego Luna! The SDLFF is promising a “unique and exciting film experience to audiences and participants” for this year’s event.

Looking to immerse completely in Latino culture? The SDLFF will span across the border into Tijuana, where the Centro Cultural de Tijuana will present films for the audiences of Tijuana as well.

Keep in mind–the party goes on long past the screenings! Every after party will include free transportation to and from the festival. Join the fun on Opening Night at Café Sevilla. Entrance includes 1 hour of hosted sangria, appetizers, and live music by Todo Mundo. On March 13th the party will move to FLUXX nightclub. Entrance includes a free drink ticket and live entertainment by Styletones. To close the festival, attendees will have the change to attend the “Closing Weekend After Party” hosted at the San Diego Air and Space Museum. Entrance will include a free drink ticket, live music and Dj’s to help you dance the night away in celebration!

After-partying not your thing? Allow us to suggest an alternative: enjoy some of  San Diego’s best Mexican food in Old Town! Hop on the trolley from Hazard Center over to some of our favorite Old Town restaurants like Café Coyote, Casa Guadalajara, or Old Town Mexican Café. Sit back and relax as you indulge in a margarita… or two!

General Admission tickets are $10.50 per film. Students, seniors, Military and MACSD Members may receive a discount. For more information on the event and ticket pricing please visit www.sdlatinofilm.com.

Opening Day is March 7th, 2013. The festival runs from March 7-17 at the Digiplex Mission Valley Cinemas at Hazard Center, a short drive from your favorite San Diegan accommodations at Ocean Park Inn!

For information on room rates, please give us a call at 858-483-5858 or visit http://www.oceanparkinn.com.

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A new year and a new season once again fire up the hopes of a banner fishing year! As of March 1st this year bottom fishing for the usual species opens once again, which means there’s no longer a need to make the runs into Mexican waters to catch rock cod, lingcod, white fish and such. Given the unsettled state of fishing in Mexican coastal waters, it saves a few headaches too. While officially the only thing that’s needed to fish in Mexico is a Mexican fishing license, we have been advised that the smart thing to do is bring a passport or passport card with you when you fish, just to avoid any potential issues.

On the local front, the bottom fishing should remain steady through the spring until the kelp beds kick into gear and the barracuda begin to show—hopefully this year with bonito as well! Until that time, the usual assortment of tasty bottom critters should keep any angler busy enough and provide plenty of fine table fare. Red rock cod, or red snapper as they are called locally, are the featured target, but you’ll run across plenty of brown rock cod, starry rock cod and a host of other species like cabezon, greenlings, white fish and lingcod. There have been a few regulation changes regarding the number of some of these species you can keep, so make sure you’re up to date on the latest information by visiting the DFW Web site at http://www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/sportfishing_regs2013.asp.

Keep in mind that in this colder water there are a few opportunities for the stout of heart that can produce a true So Cal Trophy. During the colder months, we regularly see schools of homeguard yellowtail–the largest of the species we encounter here in San Diego. Often these fish can run as high as 45 pounds. While the percentages are a long shot, the payoff is huge for those patient enough to try. There are days when the fish show readily, but most days you won’t even know they’re there. On those occasions when they go off, usually with a squid run, the bite should last a few days. Bear in mind there is no way to plan to target these fish with any reliability. If a squid run happens, that’s your best bet, but they are hard to predict. In these situations, white seabass also take advantage of the smorgasbord and fish upwards of 60 pounds are not unheard of.

The other species that is normally targeted this time of year is halibut. Again, it’s a low percentage game, but worth it if you put in the time. Sand bass should begin showing sometime in March as they start their spawn on the local sand flats. New regulations exist for these guys as well, finally protecting a valuable local game fish. Calico and sand bass must now be a minimum of 14 inches to keep with a bag limit of no more than five. Smart and conscientious anglers will keep fewer and release all fish over 16 inches as well. While the fish are okay table fare, they are worth far more as game fish than food.

Offshore the only real option this time of year is blue sharks, which show in excellent numbers even though the water seems a bit chilly. Occasionally you might encounter a mako as well, but they usually don’t show until much later in the spring when the water warms to around 63 degrees consistently. Keep in mind that whales are a common site while shark fishing almost year round, and dolphin and porpoise also make frequent showings as well.

Runs into Mexico to fish around the Coronado Islands will produce the same types of fish, only limits are different. Frankly, the longer run doesn’t necessarily equal more production either, so make your decision wisely. March is generally too early for yellowtail to show in earnest at the islands or the Rockpile and your odds of finding them are better locally unless a bite breaks wide open. Just make sure to ask your captain and crew what your options are before you book and again before you leave the dock in case something changes!

Our season is just beginning, and it will only get better from here!

Contact our Guest Blogger Paradigm Shift Charters by visiting their website, or giving them a call at 619.400.9521!

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