SDMTS Offers FREE RIDES On New Year's Eve + Extended Trolley and Rapid Service Hours

The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System-- SDMTS-- in an effort to promote safety and prevent DUI offenses and arrests, has announced FREE transit on New Year's Eve (after 6pm) and extended trolley and certain bus routes. We've long urged SDMTS to provide transit after bar closing hours, so here's our chance to show them that if they provide it, we will use it.

MTS will also run extra late-night service on all three Trolley lines (after 2am), plus extra service for Rapid 215 and 235, and Route 30. We also partnered with @lyft to give riders discounts on first and last mile connections from transit centers. https://t.co/516EfPpSbH pic.twitter.com/uNet6AHNMk

— San Diego MTS (@sdmts) December 30, 2019

For more information and schedules, check out the SDMTS site here.

Things To Do In San Diego: Monday, December 30, 2019-Monday, January 6, 2020

I decided to update the listings because a few more venues came through with events, the Casbah sold out, and a couple other things came up. We spent Friday at Safari Park and on Saturday I took a field photography class in Coronado which was interesting, but I really didn't get any pictures that I found interesting at all, just a bunch of Christmas trees at the Del. Saturday night I did merch for The Crystal Method at Music Box, and Sunday we had a dinner at one of our favorite spots, 777 Noodle House, and I interviewed The Cavemen at Soda Bar. Nova left to St. Louis today but it's going to be a short trip and she's only gone until Friday. I hope everyone has a safe and joyous New Year's Eve and start to 2020. Listings through Monday are after the jump.

Set Your Sights on the San Diego Zoo Safari Park

It is such an exciting time to be a member of the San Diego Zoo, which includes admission to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in Valley Center. While membership fees have been steadily increasing over the years (while losing perks on general membership like the free guest passes that came with every adult membership), it's still a worthy and worthwhile purchase for San Diego County residents (Zip Codes 91900–92899.) I'm shocked by how many locals gave up on the old "Wild Animal Park" years ago, so if you haven't been in awhile, it's time to reconsider. You want to make sure to have at least one family member at the Keeper's Level so your Safari Park parking is always free (as opposed to $15 per visit) and at that level, you get the choice of two adults in the same household or one adult + one guest every time you go to either park. The African Tram, Cheetah Run, and the Australian Walkabout are all included in admission.

More info and lots of photos after the jump.

Things To Do In San Diego: Friday, December 27-Sunday, December 29, 2019

It's mostly been a relaxing week but I should've done these listings earlier so I didn't keep my SoundDiego team waiting. But Exile on Kettner happened at the Casbah on Tuesday, Christmas was busy with family and we zonked out super early, and then Thursday I hung out with my cousin, sister, and nieces in PB at my cousin's hotel before diving into these listings. And I kinda have to say it was a little bit of a waste of time. I did them all the way through January 6th, but being the last week of the last month of the year and the first week of the new year, venue calendars just haven't been updated. So I'll have to go back and check for updates from Bar Pink, Whistle Stop, The Office, El Dorado, and several others next week. But for at least now, I've got a lot of the important NYE stuff up and I'll revisit when I get the chance. My dream of postings photos from about three dozen shows still hasn't happened, but maybe my time will free up while Nova's in St. Louis. Until then, listings through January 6 are all after the jump. Happy New Year from my little family to yours.

Things To Do In San Diego: Monday, December 23-Thursday, December 26, 2019

I told you last week that I would update the listings so you didn't have to scroll forever, so here's that. It's been a nice holiday stretch so far...I got to go to Silversun Pickups at the Observatory thanks to the generosity of Jeff giving me his ticket. On Thursday I went to the Casbah for Ziggy Shuffledust, then back to the Casbah for Mainsail and State to State on Saturday, and on Sunday we had our Casbah Christmas banquet at the Bali Hai and today I ran around town like everyone else in San Diego trying to finish up last minute shopping. I'd love to say that I'll get some updates this week, but if I'm being honest not if I can help it.
I hope everyone has a great holiday and you'll hear from me when you hear from me. xoxo

A Historic Day

Today was historic.
But nobody wins.
I attempted to watch the vote today and had the overwhelming sense that I don't live in the same country, let alone planet, as I heard some of the representatives speak.
It's a historic day, for sure.
But it is also a day of mourning, putting in stark focus just how fucked we are.

Some comic relief from The Daily Show (but also exceptionally depressing)

Things To Do In San Diego: Tuesday, December 17-Sunday, December 22, 2019

I wish I could say I took advantage of some of the great shows in San Diego last week, but we cut out of Pete Yorn early on Tuesday and I had this (literal) pain in my neck that left me feeling nauseous. It's still bugging me, but not quite as bad, so I've tried to get back into the real world. On Friday, Nova had her winter band recital and then we took her, a friend, and my nieces to the ALT949 Family Night at Sea World. You know, I really have conflicted feeling about the place which maybe I'll get into on another post, but it was a fun night and my sister and uncle joined in the fun, so it was a nice night and the lights everywhere in the park are pretty magical. On Saturday, Nova and I went on an adventure while Darren worked, catching the bus to La Mesa for Holiday in the Village, then getting on the trolley for a stop to eat at Carnitas Uruapan where Darren met us and drove us to the Zoo for Jungle Bells, after which we took the bus home. On Sunday we took our dog to Fiesta Island for the sunset and then attempted to catch the Holiday Boat Parade in the Big Bay but we didn't plan ahead enough and just couldn't find a place in time. I guess I shouldn't be surprised the poor kid caught some sickness and missed school on Monday. This week has some sweet offerings but now with the sick kid, who knows how the week plays out. I did listings through December 26th this week, and I'll go in and update so it's not such a pain in the ass to scroll later in the week. In the meantime, sleep well, drink lots of fluids, wash your hands, and do whatever it takes to avoid that icky winter bug.

Friday: Catch TALK TALK SHOW with musical guest Heavy Hawaii at The Loft UCSD

TALK TALK SHOW is a live improvised all green variety show featuring bizarre guests and musical acts. The show celebrates absurdity through bizarre segments. Starring Matt Hoyt as Tim Talkerson and Casey Butler as Chet Giggery. With art direction and design by artist Jason Sherry. This episode‘s special musical guest is Heavy Hawaii.

Fri Dec 13th at the Loft at UCSD. Doors 7:30 Show 8pm. $10. UCSD students get in free.

Things To Do In San Diego: Tuesday, December 10-Monday, December 16, 2019

Sorry for the grumpy post; I'll try to make it up to you. It was a moderately busy week...I went to Angel Olsen at the Observatory on Tuesday and then after caught The Make-Up at the Casbah, and closed the night with my pal Tim Fears at the Ken Club. My uncle decided to drive from South Bend, Indiana to San Diego, so we met up on Wednesday night at Coyote Cafe in Old Town, and then at my parents' house on Thursday for more family fun. There were some amazing shows that night and I missed every single one of them. On Friday I was motivated to head to December Nights, so Nova and I packed bags of snacks and treats and caught the bus, except San Diego is the only city in the world that decides to shut down buses when there's a major civic event, so we rerouted all the way around Balboa Park and ended up at City College and still had to hike up the hill. We certainly got our steps in that night. We watched the Gay Mens Chorus in the Organ Pavilion and mostly wandered around through a few of the museums. I definitely recommend checking out the Timken, which is especially pretty right now. Later that night, me and Jake caught up at the Ken Club. On Saturday, we kept the Christmas spirit going and went to the OB Holiday Parade before I had to work at the Casbah for The Bronx. I didn't get home from work until 2, so Sunday was a super lazy day until we motivated to meet the fam in Coronado for the Big Bay Boat Parade. Of course it started pouring, so we mostly watched from our table at Village Pizzeria (quite possibly the most overpriced pizza in San Diego). On Monday I went to the Nicely EP Release show at the Casbah and then to Blonde after, so I apologize for my super rant. Sometimes, the filters are off. Anyway, here are your listings for the week. After the jump.

Things To Do In San Diego: Tuesday, December 3-Monday, December 9, 2019

Duck-Billed Platypus at San Diego Zoo Safari Park

I really could've used another week of holiday, but it was such a great chill week. It rained a ton, so Nova and I did some deep house cleaning and lots of movie watching. On Thanksgiving we zipped up to the Safari Park and the heavy rain and the holiday made for a mostly empty park, which meant we got to walk into the new duck-billed platypus exhibit with no wait, and actually got to hang out and watch the two in action for almost an hour before we had to call it a day to get to Chula Vista for the Thanksgiving feast my mom single-handedly prepared. On Friday the weather had mostly cleared and we met my sister at the Zoo and I got a good night's sleep so I could be up and ready for the inaugural North Park Live! I couldn't have been happier with the way it went. I had my bike so I did several loops between all five venues I booked, and all of the businesses seemed to be bustling and busy. My sister came to meet me with the kids, so we all wrapped the event with dinner at Tamarindo and called it a day. It had been while since my last show, so when Sunday rolled around, I was happy to catch Mikal Cronin and Shannon Lay, and then had aftershow drinks at Black Cat Bar. Normal life kicked back in on Monday, so here's the week's listings. I've got a show or event every night this week, but truth be told, I've learned to lower my expectations and might skip a couple. Full listings though Monday are after the jump.