SD for Free

A weekly SDFP column by John P. Anderson

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Dedicated to sharing the best sights and activities in San Diego at the best price – free! We have a great city and you don’t need to break the bank to experience it.

You can subscribe to this column and get an email whenever a new article in this series is posted.

Thumbnail image for SD For Free: Golden Hill Recreation Center

SD For Free: Golden Hill Recreation Center

by John P. Anderson 05.16.2013 Culture

By John Patrick Anderson

A weekly column dedicated to sharing the best sights and activities in San Diego at the best price – free! We have a great city and you don’t need to break the bank to experience it.

Golden Hill Recreation Center

Address: 2600 Golf Course Dr, San Diego, CA 92102

Date and Time: Monday – Friday 2 PM – 9 PM, Saturday – Sunday 10 AM – 3 PM

Best For: Exercise, relaxation, walking, getting outdoors

Increasingly, when you mention the neighborhood of Golden Hill you will get a reaction that indicates the person you are talking to either knows where it is or has a pretty good idea (e.g. “Somewhere south of Balboa Park, right?”) instead of a blank stare. However, even those who know where the neighborhood is likely don’t know where, or what, the Golden Hill Recreation Center (GHRC) is.

Located on the south-east portion of Balboa Park (just east of Golden Hill Park), the GHRC is nestled between 26th Street and the Balboa Park Golf Course, just north of Russ Boulevard.

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Thumbnail image for San Diego For Free: Brews & Views at Alcohol-Friendly Public Spaces in San Diego

San Diego For Free: Brews & Views at Alcohol-Friendly Public Spaces in San Diego

by John P. Anderson 04.25.2013 Culture

A weekly column dedicated to sharing the best sights and activities in San Diego at the best price – free! We have a great city and you don’t need to break the bank to experience it.
By John P Anderson

Address: Many locations across the city

Date and Time: Varies but generally either 8 AM – 8 PM or 12 PM – 8 PM

Best For: Beer drinkers, coping son-in-laws, well-behaved college students, responsible citizens and visitors of all stripes

San Diego is known for many things. Some prominent ones are sun, surf, an ideal climate, and beer. (If you enjoy reading about beer, read this article from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer that is the best list of top U.S. beer cities I’ve read.)

Once upon a time you could enjoy all of these things together but today we inhabit a safer, tamer, lamer, more responsible world and despite the love many San Diegans have for our local (and non-local) breweries it is not advised to consume their offerings whilst lounging on the golden sand of the Pacific. A ban on beach drinking was passed in San Diego a few years ago.

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Thumbnail image for SD For Free: Chicano Park Day – Saturday, April 20

SD For Free: Chicano Park Day – Saturday, April 20

by John P. Anderson 04.19.2013 Columns

By John P. Anderson

A weekly column dedicated to sharing the best sights and activities in San Diego at the best price – free!  We have a great city and you don’t need to break the bank to experience it.

  1. Address: Map for directions here (intersection of Dewey Street and National Avenue in Barrio Logan, 92113)
  2. Date and Time: Saturday, April 20 from 10 AM – 5 PM
  3. Best For: Good food, good fun, families, historians, artists
  4. Website: chicano-park.org/

This year Barrio Logan and Chicano Park have a lot of reasons to celebrate.  This Saturday, April 20th, at the annual Chicano Park Day from 10 AM – 5 PM presents an opportunity to do so.  Local residents and visitors will gather to celebrate the history and art of the park, as well as to enjoy time with friends and family.  Live dance and music performances will be on display and food and crafts will be available for sale as well.

This year’s Chicano Park Day will be the first since the park was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 23, 2013.  The 7.4 acre park was created in 1970 after local residents protested against a planned California Highway Patrol substation that was to be built on the site.

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Thumbnail image for SD For Free: A Tree! For Free! Whee! Yippee! For Who? For You! And Who? You Too!

SD For Free: A Tree! For Free! Whee! Yippee! For Who? For You! And Who? You Too!

by John P. Anderson 04.12.2013 Columns

By John P. Anderson

A weekly column dedicated to sharing the best sights and activities in San Diego at the best price – free!  We have a great city and you don’t need to break the bank to experience it.

  1. Address: Your house
  2. Date and Time: Soon – if you send in your application. Don’t delay, apply today!
  3. Best For: Tree huggers, tree lovers, bird lovers, people lovers (Basically anyone that doesn’t own a parking lot)
  4. Website: http://www.urbancorpssd.org/FreeTree.pdf

Like trees? Love trees? Indifferent to trees but your spouse or children like them?  Have I got news for you! If you live in the City of San Diego and own property, you can have a tree planted in your yard for free.  Yes, 100% free.  The tree itself, the digging, calling the utilities, putting it in the ground, everything.  All you have to do is agree to provide a bit of water each year and try to keep it living and healthy.  The cost per year for the watering is estimated at $3.  $3 a year for a beautiful, living addition to your yard and street.

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Thumbnail image for San Diego For Free: Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcala – California’s First Mission

San Diego For Free: Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcala – California’s First Mission

by John P. Anderson 04.04.2013 Culture

Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcala

A weekly column dedicated to sharing the best sights and activities in San Diego at the best price – free! We have a great city and you don’t need to break the bank to experience it.

Address: 10818 San Diego Mission Road, San Diego, CA 92108 (Mission Valley / Grantville)

Date and Time: 9:00 AM – 4:45 PM Daily are the Visitor Center Museum and Gift Shop hours. To schedule a tour or for tour information call 619-283-7319 or send an email to tours@missionsandiego.com.

Best For: History, culture, religious studies

Website: www.missionsandiego.com

Sited along El Camino Real (The King’s Highway) are the twenty-one California Missions, historic sites that played a major role in the settlement and exploration of the West by Europeans. The chain of missions begins in San Diego and stretches north to Mission San Francisco Solano in Sonoma and roughly follows the modern Highway 101.

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Thumbnail image for San Diego For (Mostly) Free: Second Saturday with Suzie’s Farm and Hamilton’s Tavern

San Diego For (Mostly) Free: Second Saturday with Suzie’s Farm and Hamilton’s Tavern

by John P. Anderson 03.21.2013 Food & Drink

A weekly column dedicated to sharing the best sights and activities in San Diego at the best price – free (or ‘mostly free’ as in today’s offerings)! We have a great city and you don’t need to break the bank to experience it.

Address:

  • Suzie’s Farm – 2550 Sunset Avenue, San Diego, CA 92154 (Tijuana River Valley / Nestor),

Date and Time: Suzie’s Farm Tours – 2nd Saturday of the month, 10 AM – 11:30 AM.

  • Hamilton’s Tavern – 1521 30th Street, San Diego, CA 92102 (South Park)

Date and Time: Hamilton’s Tavern – 2nd Saturday of the month, 5 PM – 8 PM.

Best For: Organic veggie lovers, farmers-at-heart, beer enthusiasts, weekend warriors

The Second Saturday of each month a couple of San Diego’s finest commercial institutions have unique events that make for a fun day.

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Thumbnail image for San Diego For Free: The Natural History Museum – Balboa Park

San Diego For Free: The Natural History Museum – Balboa Park

by John P. Anderson 03.14.2013 Arts

A weekly column dedicated to sharing the best sights and activities in San Diego at the best price – free! We have a great city and you don’t need to break the bank to experience it.

The Natural History Museum – Balboa Park

Address: 1788 El Prado, San Diego, CA 92101 (Balboa Park)

Free Hours: First Tuesday of each month from 10 AM – 5 PM (Free for San Diego County residents and active-duty military, with ID)

Best For: Children, the naturally inquisitive, the curious, those looking for a break from the computer

The large white museum just off Park Boulevard in Balboa Park houses the San Diego Natural History Museum. If you’ve been to the zoo or museum campus of Balboa Park you’ve probably noticed the large structure and if you haven’t been inside yet you should take a visit. There is sure to be something of interest to you whether you are aged 5 years or 50.

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Thumbnail image for San Diego For Free: City Farmers Nursery – Plant Paradise in City Heights

San Diego For Free: City Farmers Nursery – Plant Paradise in City Heights

by John P. Anderson 03.07.2013 SD for Free

A weekly column dedicated to sharing the best sights and activities in San Diego at the best price – free! We have a great city and you don’t need to break the bank to experience it.

City Farmers Nursery

Address: 4832 Home Avenue, City Heights CA 92105
Hours: Monday – Saturday 9 AM – 5 PM, Sunday 9 AM – 3 PM

Best For: Gardeners, do-it-yourselfers, fresh produce eaters, learners

Serving San Diego for over 40 years, City Farmers Nursery is a one-of-a-kind destination in the heart of San Diego. The nursery features a wide selection of plants including sections devoted to California native plants, butterfly gardens, fruit trees, garden selections, and many more. All of the plants in the nursery are raised organically and the staff is extremely helpful and knowledgeable. If you are buying a plant at City Farmers you can be confident it will grow in your yard – they test every product on-site and don’t sell plants unless they are proven to be well-suited for the San Diego climate.

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Thumbnail image for SD For Free: Lake Miramar – Great for Bicycling, Running, Rollerskating

SD For Free: Lake Miramar – Great for Bicycling, Running, Rollerskating

by John P. Anderson 02.28.2013 Columns

A weekly column dedicated to sharing the best sights and activities in San Diego at the best price – free!  We have a great city and you don’t need to break the bank to experience it.

  1. Directions: From Interstate 15 southbound: take Mira Mesa Boulevard east, turn right on Scripps Ranch Boulevard, then left on Scripps Lake Drive. The reservoir entrance will be on your left.  From Interstate 15 northbound: take Carroll Canyon Road east, turn left on Scripps Ranch Boulevard, then right on Scripps Lake Drive. The reservoir entrance will be on your left.
    1. Map link for directions
  2. Free Hours: 5:30 AM to 6:30 PM and beginning March 10th 5:30 AM to 8:00 PM
  3. Best For: Bicycling, walking, running, chatting with a friend, enjoying a cool breeze

Nestled comfortably below hillsides topped with the suburban dream, Lake Miramar (officially Miramar Reservoir) is a great place for getting some fresh air and exercise.

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Thumbnail image for San Diego For Free: Japanese Friendship Garden – 3rd Tuesday of Each Month

San Diego For Free: Japanese Friendship Garden – 3rd Tuesday of Each Month

by John P. Anderson 02.14.2013 Culture

A weekly column dedicated to sharing the best sights and activities in San Diego at the best price – free! We have a great city and you don’t need to break the bank to experience it.

Location: 2215 Pan American Road East, San Diego, CA 92101 (Balboa Park)

Free Hours: 3rd Tuesday each month, from 10 AM – 4 PM (free admission for San Diego County residents only)

Best For: Contemplation, relaxation, plant admiration, walking, breathing deeply

Website

Just south of the Plaza of the Neverending Debate (aka Plaza de Panama) in Balboa Park you can find the Japanese Friendship Garden (JFG).

From street level the entrance to the garden can be found by looking for the tea pavilion, just north of and next to the Spreckels Organ Pavilion. The garden is currently undergoing a large expansion (adding 9 acres to the existing 2.5 acres of walking paths and botanical beauty). It is also the start of cherry blossom season and a great time for a visit. I would guess that the weather will ideal regardless of when you may visit. This is San Diego after all.

The JFG is a symbol of friendship between San Diego and Japanese sister city Yokohama and was established in 1990.

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Thumbnail image for San Diego For Free: Padres FanFest – This Saturday, February 9th

San Diego For Free: Padres FanFest – This Saturday, February 9th

by John P. Anderson 02.07.2013 Culture

A weekly column dedicated to sharing the best sights and activities in San Diego at the best price – free! We have a great city and you don’t need to break the bank to experience it.

Location: Petco Park - 100 Park Boulevard, San Diego, CA 92101 (Downtown)

Free Hours: Saturday, February 9th from 10 AM – 4 PM

Best For: Baseball fans, the perenially optimistic, those with an affinity for brown and/or retro clothing, families

Website

The San Diego Padres had an eventful off-season and are gearing up for spring training and the home opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday, April 9th.

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Thumbnail image for San Diego For Free – Power-Pact-Duo in South Bay: U.S. Olympic Training Center and South Bay Power Plant Implosion

San Diego For Free – Power-Pact-Duo in South Bay: U.S. Olympic Training Center and South Bay Power Plant Implosion

by John P. Anderson 01.31.2013 Culture

A weekly column dedicated to sharing the best sights and activities in San Diego at the best price – free! We have a great city and county and you don’t need to break the bank to experience it.

US Olympic Training Center

Location: 2800 Olympic Parkway, Chula Vista, CA 91915-6000

Free Hours: Guided tour on Saturdays at 11 AM (walk-in only). Self-guided audio tour daily from 9 AM to 5 PM and the audio is provided through cell phone at 619-215-9070

Best For: Athletes, wannabe athletes, future Olympic hopefuls, armchair Olympians

Website here. Go here for tour info.

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Thumbnail image for SD For Free: Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines

SD For Free: Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines

by John P. Anderson 01.27.2013 SD for Free

When: 11:10 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 28

Ever been to a professional golf tournament? Ever been to the Torrey Pines golf course?  The answer to both questions for me is no, but I intend to change this Monday.  Due to inclement weather over the weekend, specifically heavy fog, the tournament was delayed from finishing on Sunday and tournament organizers announced free admission for Monday’s conclusion.  Quite a discount from the $40 regular price for a daily pass to the event.

Additionally, parking will be free Monday at the Torrey Pines gliderport (Lot A) until the lot is full per the tournament twitter account .

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Thumbnail image for San Diego For Free: Get Lost in the Map & Atlas Museum of La Jolla

San Diego For Free: Get Lost in the Map & Atlas Museum of La Jolla

by John P. Anderson 01.24.2013 Culture

A weekly column dedicated to sharing the best sights and activities in San Diego at the best price – free! We have a great city and you don’t need to break the bank to experience it.

Location: 7825 Fay Ave Suite LL-A, La Jolla, CA 92037 (Located in lower courtyard of building)

Free Hours: Wednesdays & Thursdays, 1st and 3rd Saturdays of each month. Also by appointment for groups – call 855-653-6277

Best For: Travelers, geography whizzes, explorers, navigators, the lost

Website: mamlj.org

As the first month of a new year comes to a close you may still be thinking about (or drafting) resolutions for 2013. If those resolutions include a goal to travel somewhere the Map & Atlas Museum of La Jolla may be a good resource for you to further ponder a destination. The museum has a wide variety of maps dating from the 15th through the 20th century and is sure to inspire even the biggest homebody to sail for distant seas.

I received a copy of Maphead by Ken Jennings (of Jeopardy fame) for Christmas in early December and had just finished the book when I saw an article about the Map & Atlas Museum in the San Diego Reader. I decided I had to go and visited later that month.

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Thumbnail image for SD For Free: Brunch with Mayor Bob

SD For Free: Brunch with Mayor Bob

by John P. Anderson 01.17.2013 Columns

A weekly column dedicated to sharing the best sights and activities in San Diego at the best price – free!  We have a great city and you don’t need to break the bank to experience it.

  1. Location: City Hall Lobby – 202 C Street, San Diego, CA  92101 (Downtown)
  2. Free Hours: 1st Saturday of each month from 9:30 AM to Noon, starting February 2nd
  3. Best For: Pardon requests, autograph seekers, the politically active, pothole complaints
  4. Website: http://www.sandiego.gov/mayor/

In addition to many other items in his first State of the City address on January 15th, newly elected mayor of San Diego Bob Filner announced  that he will hold ‘open hours’ on the first Saturday of each month to be available to the public.  These open hours will take place in the lobby of San Diego City Hall and run from 9:30 AM to Noon.  Residents don’t need an appointment and are welcome to come and share whatever is on their mind.

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Thumbnail image for San Diego for Free: Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego

San Diego for Free: Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego

by John P. Anderson 01.10.2013 Arts

A weekly column dedicated to sharing the best sights and activities in San Diego at the best price – free! We have a great city and you don’t need to break the bank to experience it.

Locations: 700 Prospect Street, San Diego, CA 92037 (La Jolla), and 1100 Kettner Boulevard, San Diego, CA 92101 (Downtown)

Free Hours: 3rd Thursday of each month from 5 to 7 PM. The museum is always free to those 25 and younger and to military and their families.

Best For: The curious, the bold, the beautiful, the pensive, the happy

Website – click here.

With a building on the coast in La Jolla and downtown San Diego the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD) has prime locations to display their collection. The museum has a mission of serving “diverse audiences through the exhibition, interpretation, collection, and preservation of art created since 1950″.

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Thumbnail image for The Children’s Pool in La Jolla – Visit the Harbor Seals

The Children’s Pool in La Jolla – Visit the Harbor Seals

by John P. Anderson 12.27.2012 SD for Free

San Diego For Free: Children’s Pool in La Jolla

A weekly column dedicated to sharing the best sights and activities in San Diego at the best price – free! We have a great city and you don’t need to break the bank to experience it.

Location: La Jolla, map here

Best For: Wave watchers, seal gazers, sandy feet aficionados, soul searchers

Near downtown La Jolla is the Children’s Pool, a small beach protected from ocean waves by a sea wall. The wall was built in 1931 to create a calm area of water for swimming. Today the Children’s Pool is the center of a battle between those wishing to see it refurbished and preserved as a swimming area and those that advocate for protection of the harbor seals that have established a home at the Children’s Pool in the past two decades.

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Thumbnail image for San Diego For Free: Hike on Cowles Mountain for the Winter Solstice – December 21st

San Diego For Free: Hike on Cowles Mountain for the Winter Solstice – December 21st

by John P. Anderson 12.20.2012 SD for Free

San Diego for Free is a weekly column dedicated to sharing the best sights and activities in San Diego at the best price – free! We have a great city and you don’t need to break the bank to experience it.

Location: San Carlos, hike starts at the trailhead near the intersection of Golfcrest Drive and Navajo Road

Best For: Restless spirits, insomniacs, hikers, walkers, strollers

Date & Time: Friday, December 21, 6 – 7:30 AM

Website : Here.

This Friday, December 21st is the Winter Solstice - the shortest day of the year and a date held sacred and marked on calendars (both paper and stone) since time immemorial.

To celebrate the date the Canyoneers volunteer hiking group is leading a trek up Cowles Mountain in the pre-dawn stillness to view sunrise from a Kumeyaay solstice observatory about halfway up the mountain.

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Thumbnail image for SD For Free: 3 Sisters Falls Hike – Adventure in East County

SD For Free: 3 Sisters Falls Hike – Adventure in East County

by John P. Anderson 12.13.2012 Columns

The Three Sisters Falls trail is a moderate to difficult hike located north-west of Descanso in east San Diego County. Although today is a rare day of heavy rain in San Diego and not advised for strenous hiking in the backcountry keep this hike in mind for sunnier days ahead, especially during the early spring when the falls are likely to be heavier due to more rain and melting snow-pack.

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Thumbnail image for San Diego For Free: December Nights at Balboa Park – The Biggest Celebration in Town

San Diego For Free: December Nights at Balboa Park – The Biggest Celebration in Town

by John P. Anderson 12.06.2012 Culture

A weekly column dedicated to sharing the best sights and activities in San Diego at the best price – free! We have a great city and you don’t need to break the bank to experience it.

December Nights – The Biggest Celebration in Town

Location: Balboa Park

Best For: Revelers, families, holiday cheer, San Diegans both native and adopted

Date & Time: Friday, December 7 (5 – 10 PM), Saturday, December 8 (Noon – 10 PM)

Website

This Friday and Saturday mark the 35th annual December Nights celebration in Balboa Park. The event is expected to draw more than 300,000 people over the two-day stretch and is a great time to visit Balboa Park since most of the museums and other sights are free to visit. Additionally, there are is wide assortment of food and drink to enjoy and presentations of song and dance to take in.

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