📝 Monica’s picks

• Covering Comic-Con 2023 together, especially singing karaoke while pretending to be contestants on “The Voice.”
• Meeting Michael’s mom during her visit to San Diego — hi, Mary.

• Meet Bill Brown: The heartbeat of the Balboa Park Carousel | Bill is an absolute San Diego gem who takes so much pride in preserving a piece of local history; he’s also helped make beautiful memories for generations of locals.
• San Diego scrapbook | I loved sifting through the city’s archives to learn the stories behind historical photos.

• Try The Britannia Tearooms, a British-influenced, Victorian-themed tea room that opened over the summer in the Midway District.
• I’ve been loving the Coast Walk Trail in La Jolla but, really, any lovely local hike is a good idea.

📝 Michael’s picks

• Checking out the “Excelsior! The Life and Legacy of Stan Lee” exhibit at the Comic-Con Museum.
• Our family movie night watching “Hocus Pocus” at Rooftop Cinema Club.

• Hillcrest’s new sign | I love diving into local history and shining a light on a beloved community’s development.
• 30 pizza shops in San Diego | Pizza and cheesy puns, need I say more?

• Jungle Bells at the San Diego Zoo is a seasonal must — it returns Saturday, Dec. 9.
• There’s so much to do in Civita Park, but you definitely need to experience “The Magic Tunnel.”

• Rain Barrel & Water Harvesting Webinar | Wednesday, Nov. 15 | 6-7 p.m. | Virtual | Free | Learn about the benefits of rainwater collection, including rebates and discount programs available to City of San Diego residents.
• “Friends” Trivia + Watertown Whiskey Tasting | Wednesday, Nov. 15 | 8 p.m. | The Duck Dive, 4650 Mission Blvd., San Diego | $5 | Test your knowledge of Monica, Rachel, Phoebe, Joey, Ross, and Chandler (we miss you so much) while sampling the California brand’s aged whiskey.

• San Diego Career Fair | Thursday, Nov. 16 | 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. | Marriott Hotel, 8757 Rio San Diego Dr., San Diego | Free | Connect with top local employers in fields like government, retail, sales, education, IT, engineering, customer service, health care, and more.
• Rady Children’s Ice Rink | Through Sunday, Jan. 7 | Times vary | Liberty Station, 2875 Dewey Rd., San Diego | $15-$20 | Glide your way through this seasonal rink, which supports Rady Children’s Hospital’s Thriving After Cancer program at the Peckham Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders.
• Sunset at the Serra | Thursday, Nov. 16 | 5-8 p.m. | Junípero Serra Museum, 2727 Presidio Dr., San Diego | $100 | Experience Spanish Flamenco dance and live music while enjoying the views from the Junípero Serra Museum in Presidio Park.
• Latino Comedy Show | Thursday, Nov. 16 | 8:30 p.m. | Grand Comedy Club, 340 E. Grand Ave., Escondido | $10 | Headliner Leo Saavedra leads this night of laughs also featuring Latino comics Vero Burgess, Ceedro, The Manolo, and Joel Sotomayor.

• Susan G. Komen 3-Day | Friday, Nov. 17 | 6 a.m. | Del Mar Fairgrounds, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd. | $40-$70 | The multi-day fundraiser kicks off with an Opening Ceremony before walkers begin their 60-mile journey through Pacific Coast Highway, Del Mar, Torrey Pines, and Mission Bay.
• Wine Regions of South America | Friday, Nov. 17 | 1-2 p.m. | San Diego Oasis, 17170 Bernardo Center Dr., Rancho Bernardo | $15 | Explore sips from Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Uruguay, and Brazil, and how the geography of this region shapes the bold, intriguing flavors.
• The Japanese House | Friday, Nov. 17 | 8 p.m. | The Observatory North Park, 2891 University Ave., San Diego | $68+ | The English indie pop musician combines vocals, guitar, synthesizer, and keyboard to create her sounds.
• “Ebenezer Scrooge’s BIG San Diego Christmas Show” | Friday, Nov. 17 | 7 p.m. | The Old Globe, 1363 Old Globe Way, San Diego | $29-$69 | It’s opening night for this reimagining of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” with a comic local twist, set in “wintry” San Diego.

• What to know: 2023 Desert Bloom at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
• Hiking and nature walk guide for San Diego
• Score: Major League Soccer expands to San Diego

• Padres owner and chairman Peter Seidler, 63, died yesterday. The Padres opened the Home Plate Gate at Petco Park to allow fans to pay their respects. The club will take a week off to grieve their tremendous loss, including temporarily halting their search for a new manager. (MLB + San Diego Union-Tribune)

• San Diego City Council has rejected Mayor Todd Gloria’s Housing Action Package 2.0, a set of housing incentives that left the council at odds over where more of the city’s low-income housing should be built. A revised version of the package is expected to be presented to council next year. (San Diego Union-Tribune)

• San Diego International Airport’s ongoing New T1 project is reaching new heights. The Regional Airport Authority and city leaders will host a beam-signing ceremony today to mark “100% completion of the structural steel construction” for phase one — the part set to open in summer 2025 with 19 new gates.

• There’s a new holiday pop-up bar in town — Xmas Bar, now open at 401 G St. in the Gaslamp Quarter (the former Tin Roof). The festive spot features colorful lights and themed cocktails like Jingle Juice. It’s open Wednesday-Friday starting at 4 p.m. and weekends starting at 12 p.m.

• Renowned Valle de Guadalupe Chef Drew Deckman will open his first US restaurant in spring 2024 — Watershed at 3131 University Ave. in North Park. The spot will focus on farm-to-table ingredients sourced in San Diego County and Baja California, with 1% of monthly revenue donated to the nonprofit, Zero Foodprint. (Eater San Diego)

• The city’s 2023-2024 “Mayor for a Day” contest is open through 11:59 p.m. Friday, Dec. 15. City of San Diego K-12 students can submit a 500-word essay or 3-minute video explaining how they would make SD better if they were mayor. The winner will shadow Mayor Todd Gloria early next year.

• Don’t feel like cooking on Thanksgiving this year? Many top-notch San Diego restaurants are offering holiday feasts, dine-in and takeout. Pro tip: Make reservations now or place your orders this week — seats are filling up and preorder deadlines are coming up quickly.

• Did you know? November-May is the optimal time to plant trees in San Diego. The city plans to add 100,000 trees by 2035; residents can help by applying for the Free Tree SD program and requesting to have a new tree planted on their street, with conditions.

• If you could make a “Mount Rushmore of San Diego celebrities,” whose face would you want on it? We asked the AI bot, Chat GPT, to suggest familiar faces and now we want your votes. Dr. Seuss? Tony Gwynn? Blink-182? Tony Hawk? Raquel Welch? Annette Bening? Tell us.

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