Current weather

San Diego, CA
Few clouds
66.2 °F

Cosmos' Doggie Blog

Cosmos’ Guide to Balboa Park for n00bs
posted on: 12/26/2012 - 11:44am by Cosmos

Alex writes: Dear Cosmos, my dog Joker chewed up my Xbox controller, so I won’t be able to play any of the new video games I got for Christmas. Since it will take a week for the replacement I ordered online to arrive, this might be a good time to check out Balboa Park, but I’m a total n00b and don’t know where to start.

House of Hospitality, Balboa Park, Visitors CenterCosmos responds: Sounds like Joker was just trying to get you out of your parent’s basement for a few days. lulz

When you arrive in Balboa Park, the first thing you’ll notice after your eyes adjust to the natural sunlight is a lot of Colonial Spanish-looking buildings surrounded by lush green landscaping. Don’t be alarmed! You have not been dropped into a Central American town overrun by cartel mercenaries.

After a little exploring to find your bearings, your first checkpoint will be the Balboa Park Visitors Center (pictured). There a knowledgeable volunteer will give you a brief tutorial on the many museums, gardens, performing arts venues, hiking trails, and other points of interest.

Since some attractions require an entrance fee, I suggest acquiring a Passport to Balboa Park at the Visitors Center for $49 (that’s real U.S. dollars, not in-game credits). This will unlock 14 different museums that you’ll have seven days to visit using the Passport.

Think of Balboa Park as an open world game that you can explore freely however you wish. As you travel on foot from attraction to attraction, note there are many rewarding side quests along the way—including the Botanical Building, Zoro Garden, Alcazar Garden, and Palm Canyon—full of hidden treasures to discover. Be aware that some quests are date and time specific, such as the free concerts in Spreckels Organ Pavilion on Sundays at 2pm.

Though I realize seven days amounts to a rental period for most gamers, you should know that Balboa Park offers a ton of extra content, as new festivals, events, performances, and exhibitions are constantly being added on a rotating basis. So be sure to keep an eye on balboapark.org/calendar for announcements regarding new content.

Posted in Ask Cosmos | add a comment
Finding Peace and Quiet this Holiday Season
posted on: 12/17/2012 - 5:18pm by Cosmos

Cosmos Blog, Balboa Park, ZoeZoe writes: Dear Cosmos, it’s that time of year when my house is filled with too many people and noises for me to catch some much-needed zzz’s. What’s the best way to get some peace and quiet?

Cosmos: I’m old enough to remember when houses would often be empty during this season as our human companions would go to the malls, parties at the neighbor’s house, various holiday performances, and even caroling. Now it seems everyone just sits around with their snouts glued to tablets, smart phones, big screen TVs, and other noisy gadgets.

But finding peace and quiet is as important to them as it is to you. Hopefully slipping them the following list of things to do in Balboa Park will be a win-win for everyone. 

Take a Christmas Day Stroll — With almost everything closed on Christmas Day, there probably isn’t a better time of year to enjoy a morning walk through Balboa Park’s historic architecture and year-round gardens. Let’s face it, with Christmas falling on a Tuesday this year, you’ll never find more ample parking on that particular day of the week, when select museums would normally be open for free.

Watch an IMAX Film — One museum you can count on being open on Christmas Day is the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center. Its current schedule of IMAX films will immerse holiday-weary bipeds in beautiful nature documentaries that transport audiences to the ends of the earth in To the Arctic and follow the spectacular migration of the monarch butterfly in Flight of the Butterflies.

Explore Balboa Park’s Trail System — As the Park’s Central Mesa and the Zoo literally become a “zoo” between Christmas and New Years, you might consider “getting away from it all” by traveling some paths less taken. When was the last time you took your favorite four-legged friend along the Bridle Path under the Cabrillo Bridge, explored the entire length of Gold Gulch, or hiked the rugged terrain of Florida Canyon’s east slopes?

Posted in Ask Cosmos | add a comment
Fun Activities for Crafty Pups this Holiday Season
posted on: 12/12/2012 - 2:16pm by Cosmos

I know some readers worry their pups may tear the house apart if they don’t give them something more active to do while they are on vacation from obedience training (aka: school) over the next few weeks.

Whether it’s raining cats and dogs or bright and sunny outside, Balboa Park always has you covered. For instance, most of the family programs museums regularly host will continue through this month, some offering special holiday gift-making opportunities.

Cosmos Blog, Balboa Park, Family Drop In Day, San Diego Museum of Art, child drawingCrafty Sundays at the Museum of Photographic Arts this Sunday, December 16, will give local residents looking for a white Christmas a chance to create their own Photo Snow Globes. While there, families can also experience the world from a half-pint’s perspective in MoPA’s seventh annual youth exhibition.

Speaking of half-pints, the San Diego History Center’s History for Half-Pints program this Monday, December 17, will feature “Poinsettias and Piñatas.” While learning about San Diego’s connection to these festive traditions, participants will create a poinsettia craft and enjoy a piñata party (reservations required).

The Mingei International Museum’s Family Sunday program highlights the joy of music this Sunday, December 16. All guests will be treated to a holiday performance by the Girls Scouts Glee Chorus (1:30pm), and you can also Make Your Own Kind of Music, in conjunction with the exhibition by that name, by decorating a handmade bell to take home.

Lastly, The San Diego Museum of Art’s Family Drop-In Day, this Sunday, December 16, will be “Exploring Line,” as in decorative and elegant calligraphic lines. The hands-on calligraphy project will give pups a great opportunity to create a gift that promises to be refrigerator door worthy.

Families also looking to take in a holiday-themed show in Balboa Park should check out my Best Bets for the season.

Posted in | add a comment
Cosmos’ December Nights Hot List
posted on: 12/05/2012 - 12:07pm by Cosmos

Cosmos Blog, Balboa Park December Nights, Christmas Story Tree, Spreckels Organ PavilionI’m just like a dog with a bone when it comes to enjoying the annual festival to end all festivals in Balboa Park.

Over 300,000 of my closest pack members will once again join me in Balboa Park this weekend (December 7-8) to experience howladay cheer like never before. Why? Because Balboa Park December Nights just keeps getting bigger and better.

As some of you may find it physically impossible to visit every entertainment stage and museum, eat every variety of specialty foods available, and take advantage of every Santa photo op (how he can be in so many places at once, I’ll never understand), here is my hot list for this year’s December Nights event:

International Christmas Festival — An epic, marathon Lawn Program, visitors get a taste of how the holidays are celebrated by 32 different cultures as they munch through a smorgasbord of all my favorite ethnic edibles. There’s probably no better place to start the December Nights experience.

Plaza de Panama — With cheer in place and tummy (temporarily) sated, it’s time to head to the next essential hub of activity. Under SDG&E’s dazzling light canopy, the likes of Sue Palmer and the Bayou Brothers will be hitting the Bon Temps Social Club Dance Pavilion Stage, as you consume gourmet bites provided by The Prado Restaurant and the Chop Soo-ey and Ms. Patty Melt food trucks.

Hall of Champions — The great thing about December Nights is that you can take your litter of pups just about anywhere (except the beer gardens, of course). But a couple of unique treats stand out, including a screening of classic holiday TV shows inside the Hall of Champions Sports Museum theater, from 5 to 9pm when the museum is open free.

Casa del Prado Stage — Another great way to cool your heels with your brood is by watching excerpts from the Nutcracker Ballet performed by the San Diego Civic Youth Ballet. Each free performance runs for 30 minutes and is the perfect way to expose younglings with YouTube-conditioned attention spans to a Tchaikovsky ballet.

Spanish Village Arts Center — Easy to miss in the far northeast corner of Balboa Park is the Spanish Village’s bite-size festival, featuring flamenco guitar and hammer dulcimer music, festively lit artist studios bustling with shopping opportunities, and, yes, a food court. What more could you ask for?

The above venues and activities are just the star on top of the Christmas tree. Be sure to visit the December Nights main page for links to the complete listings.

Posted in Festivals | add a comment
Real Deal Hounds Shop the Park
posted on: 11/28/2012 - 12:15pm by Cosmos

Now that everyone has recovered from the holiday shopping feeding frenzy of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, it’s time for true shopping hounds to go to the only place in town where they can find a vast array of one-of-a-kind gifts in a historic setting while supporting this city’s best cultural attractions.

In other words, it’s time to shop Balboa Park’s gift stores.

Holiday Shopping Balboa Park, Museum of Photographic Arts, Diana Camera PackageWhether you’re looking for toys your pups won’t know are educational or fine jewelry and fashionable accessories from faraway places, the amount you’ll be saving in gas, parking, and ibuprofen (for the usual shopping headaches) alone makes Balboa Park worth the trip.

To highlight a few shopping destinations in the Park, the Museum of Photographic Arts once again hopes to make everyone on your holiday gift list smile with three different vintage-style camera packages: the Diana, the Holga, and the SuperHeadz Wide Angle.

For the hard-to-gift geek, the Reuben H. Fleet’s North Star Science Store is filled with gadgets, gizmos, and thingamajigs. Among the non-chewable varieties are the Medusa Jellyfish Lamp, the magically kinetic Hoberman Sphere, and the Nebula Ball that produces a dazzling plasma light show.

The Museum of Man’s gift store has dug up a number of high-quality artifacts from various world cultures, such as Mata Ortiz pots, Zuni fetishes, handmade Native American jewelry, carved animals from Oaxaca, and whimsical Mexican folk art.

Sticking closer to home, the San Diego History Center Store is nostalgia central with its many books on San Diego history, memorabilia and historic prints, merchandise from local artisans, and gifts inspired by vintage styles.

For those who would appreciate a gift of the Park itself, the Visitors Center has the largest selection of Balboa Park-themed T-shirts and sweat shirts, Park-related coffee table and guide books, a festively gift-wrapped Balboa Park Passport, in addition to nature-themed fashion jewelry and Christmas tree decorations (you know, the kind you put near the top of the tree so certain fury family members can’t turn them into cat toys).

Posted in | add a comment
Syndicate content