San Diego Best Attractions

I went to the Malibu Rum Station Invasion private party with Taio Cruz and DJ Skribble last weekend. It was so much fun! They had free Malibu Rum drinks with both the Malibu Coconut and Malibu Black liquor. The Malibu Black has twice as much alcohol as the coconut but it still has a smooth flavor. I had it with ginger beer and diet coke and both were good. They also had a few tray passed hors d’oeuvres.

The party didn’t have as many people as I was expecting but it was fun. They had a photo booth with props, music, and a dj booth where they recorded you doing your own dj scratching. They had women in bikinis running around to get the party going. In the early part of the night they played volley ball with a beach ball with the guests and as the dancing got going they danced with everyone. The venue was nice and had a balcony overlooking the ocean.

I had a fantastic time dancing to DJ Skribble and when Taio Cruz came on I got close enough to touch him. If this party comes to your city I highly recommend going!

Knott’s Soak City is in Chula Vista in the southern part of San Diego. It isn’t as big as some water parks, but it will definitely give you a fun place to cool off during the summer. It has about 15 different water slides, 2 multi-person rides, a wave pool, a lazy river, a giant climbing water jungle gym, games, souvenir shops, and food vendors. There are a lot of lounge chairs available around the park to put your towels on. Pool-side cabanas and lockers are available to rent, as well.

Parking is $10 and you are not allowed to leave the parking area once you are in. You cannot bring food or drinks into the park but you can leave them in your car and eat in the parking lot. This may be a good idea if you have a lot of kids, as food is pricey in the park. There are a few food choices (Subway, Panda Express, etc) close to the exit you take to get there so that may be an option if you don’t want to bring food from home.

You can’t bring your own rafts from home.

Lines get long in the middle of the day so it is best to get there early, or come after 3pm when the lines die down significantly.

If you sit in the raft with your butt in the hole on the lazy river it is easy to spin around, which I find super entertaining.

Food portions are large enough to share.

If you get there when it opens go right to the Pacific Spin and Coronado Express before the lines get too long and then spend the busiest part of the day in the wave pool and lazy river.

Soak City is only open May- September.

Look for coupons in the local coupon magazines

Don’t forget:

Sunscreen, towels, bathing suits, a change of clothes, sunglasses, hats, money, and possibly stuff to wash yourself with in the showers after you’re done for the day.

Official Soak City Website

Name 5 high profile Asian American Actors in Hollywood. Now name 5 Asian American popular musicians. Could you do it? Chances are you had a hard time, unless you happen to be in the industry or go out of your way to find out who the popular Asian Americans are. Sadly, many Americans will name William Hung or Tila Tequila as the only Asian American music stars they have heard of.

So where are the Asian American music stars? There are some but they don’t go out of their way to announce that they are Asian American. Did you know Norah Jones, Far East Movement (who were the first Asian American group to be in the Top 10 in Mainstream POP charts… in 2010!), Enrique Iglesias, Kelis, Bruno Mars, Ne-Yo, Lindo of Black Eyed Peas, and Nicole Scherzinger from Pussy Cat Dolls are all Asian American? Many people don’t.

So why this lack of representation in music star status from the Asian American community? Most people blame this on the fact that Asian Americans don’t sell. They say that there are too many stereotypes about Asian Americans being smart or not really American with thick accents or into playing instruments, but not seen as being pop or rock “stars”. Even music executives will dismiss very talented musicians simply because they are Asian American.

Dennis-Michael Broussard of Silk Road Productions is trying to prove them wrong. His team is producing the first all Asian American music festival in San Diego, CA. He has been uniting the Asian American community with his different festivals and events in San Diego to give them a stronger voice than they would have if they segregated themselves by their individual heritage, as they have in the past. He wants to show San Diego just how talented the Asian American musicians are.

Dennis-Michael says his motivation behind doing all of the toil and labor involved in putting something like this together is his dream of showcasing Asian American talent. “I want to do something that will make a difference in San Diego. I want to prove that Asian Americans do sell.”

AMP Music Festival is an all day festival that will take place September 17, 2011 at the Jacob Center at Market Street Plaza from noon to 9pm. The festival will showcase 30 of San Diego’s up-and-coming Asian American musicians. In addition to showcasing Asian American talent, the festival is also a way to raise money for art and music scholarships and educational programs through the Asian Business Association Community Foundation. Tickets are $20 in advance or $30 at the gate. For more information visit www.AmpMusicFestival.com

************ Oooo…. there’s a groupon for tickets right now here: Groupon

I had the pleasure of being able to sample some of the gourmet cookie sandwiches from The Cookie Sandwich Co… OMG!!!! I tried the s’more, the red velvet, the peanut butter, and the carrot cake and they were all delicious. The s’more flavor is my favorite. They are a nice size and you definitely can satisfy your sweet tooth with just one. They don’t have a shop but they ship anywhere and they cater. The cookie sandwiches are really pretty and come individually wrapped. Some people give them away as party favors since they make good gifts. They have been featured in all kinds of magazines and TV shows and even have celebrities ordering them. They are a local San Diego company and the owner is really cool, too.

You can find out more info and order here:  Cookie  Sandwiches

Point Loma Seafoods is one of my favorite lunch spots. It is a little place with fresh fish right on the bay with beautiful views of the downtown skyline. It is a bit pricey but everything is freshly caught.  They have sandwiches, fish plates, soups, salads, and sushi. They also have a large selection of wines and smoked fish. It’s a great place for getting together with friends or even a business lunch. One of my favorite things to get is the crab sandwich. It has a good amount of real lump crab meat on fresh sourdough bread and their tartar sauce is the best. No fake crab meat in their sushi, either.

Right now they are in a temporary location right behind their normal location because they are building a whole new restaurant. When you order you just walk right up to the counter, there is no line, and then you get a number for them to call you with when it is ready. Then you pick a table and wait. I have tried the seared ahi salad, the crab and shrimp sandwiches, the petite shrimp salad,  the seaweed salad, the California rolls, the smoked salmon, the chicken strips, and the clam chowder. Everything was very fresh and yummy.

If you want a casual place with nice views where you can enjoy a bottle of wine and some fresh seafood, this is the place. Visit their website for more info: Point Loma Seafoods

View from Point Loma Seafoods

I wandered into Tequila 100 (Alambres?) at the suggestion of my friend. They have free karaoke on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights and since I love karaoke I was quick to agree. It is not a very big place. They serve Mexican food and drinks. Much to my delight, when I checked into Foursquare I saw that not only did I get free chips and salsa, I also got $2 drinks all night!!!! Hell yeah! Cheap drinks and karaoke is a great start to any place.

There weren’t that many people there when we first got there around 10pm but that was fine with me because more people equals less chances for me to sing. We started to notice that pretty much everyone who sang had a fantastic voice (which I actually think is lame since I don’t sing very well but whatever) and great choice in music. My friends sang Sinatra and Bob Marley. We heard classics from Alanis Morissette, Vanilla Ice, and Dr. Dre, as well as newer music from Bruno Mars and Pink. They definitely have a great selection of music.

By the end of the night everyone was dancing together, high fiving, and acting like old friends. This is now my new favorite karaoke place!

Cafe Sevilla Restaurant and Nightclub has a new home on 5th Avenue. The layout is more open but the space is about the same size as the old location. I was there for one of their grand opening parties. It was supposed to start at 8pm but apparently they were having issues in the kitchen and didn’t let anyone in. I was a bit miffed about this but quickly forgave them when they handed me a drink and a chicken skewer as I walked in the door. I never had to wait for a drink. The Sangria was delicious and I liked the mai tais that were flowing during the party.

I got to sample a lot of the food. The chicken skewers and paella seemed a little dry (but maybe that had to do with the issues in the kitchen?) but the rice had a lot of different meats and seafood in it. I really enjoyed both flavors of empanadas and the brava potatoes. The sauteed mushrooms and gazpacho were yummy, too. I would definitely come back here to eat.

On the main floor there is a lively bar area where they had a live Flamenco band that was fabulous. They took requests and they played Gypsy Kings for us.  Upstairs is a nicer, more private dining area and downstairs they have their signature salsa dancing area. They have salsa dancing lessons Thursday nights at 8:30pm.

My friends and I had a blast at the grand opening party. If you’re looking for a nice place to take a date for live music or salsa, this is definitely the place.