WHAT WILL YOU BE DOING TODAY?

It looks like once again Escondido will have perfect weather. So how will you be celebrating the fourth? Will you be grilling? Gas or charcoal? Burgers and hot dogs or beef and chicken fajitas? Will it be a big crowd or just a few? Staying home or heading out to the park, the beach, someone else's back yard? We'll be staying home and grilling--something we do rarely--with hardwood charcoal on your basic standup Weber. As a special treat, since they are on sale, we're considering grilling lobster, the East Coast kind. If we were in New England, they'd most likely be boiled and served with drawn butter. I'm thinking Meyer lemon butter and maybe some corn on the cob. Nectarines from the Farmer's Market are now perfectly ripe so those will make a great shortcake. Yummm. UPDATE: The shortcake stays but fajitas are calling. A mixed grill in tortillas with guacamole and lime...good match for the cerveza! Enjoy the Fourth. See you tomorrow after pancakes and papers.

SO HOW FRIENDLY ARE YOU?

When I lived in a small town in New England, you never walked by someone without acknowledging them. It could be hi, good morning, how are you, maybe a wave if they were across the street. You often stopped to have a short conversation about the rain, rose bushes, fire alarms, whatever came up. So when I moved to downtown Escondido I decided to continue doing that. (At this point, many Californians [I moved here when I was five.] will be thinking, but wait we're the ones known for being friendly and that is true. But reputation and fact are two different things.) First, I decided to see what would happen if I said nothing--the response was usually.....nothing. Then I started saying hi, good morning, buenos dias or whatever seemed appropriate. Most of the time I at least got a nod and usually a hello or smile back. And so I continue to do it. Odds are if the person is Latino-- whether it's a woman with a baby carriage, a man laying bricks or a teenager trying to look tough--they will always answer back with a hello, good morning or buenos dias. Everyone else has a pretty good track record too, except for younger women who often just look kind of surprised or annoyed. All in all, I've found that if I want to have mainly friendly responses, I just have to keep putting them out. How about you? Are you friendly to strangers? Do you do anything special to make visitors feel welcome in our city? Should we all start working towards making Escondido a city known for friendliness? If the idea makes you smile, then get out there and do it. See you tomorrow.

WOULDN'T IT BE GREAT IF THE FREE SHUTTLE FROM THE SPRINTER TO DOWNTOWN COULD BE FOR VISITORS TOO?

[This post originally called the Sprinter the Coaster--my mistake. I have corrected it.]A few weeks I happened to get into a conversation with a group of women having lunch at Delight of France. They'd come to Escondido from the coast to visit the museums, do a little shopping and have a lazy lunch. I asked if they'd considered coming in on the Sprinter and they said they had but didn't want to deal with buses/taxis just to get downtown so they drove instead. A few days later I picked up a copy of the transit brochure for this area and it mentioned the DBA shuttle for downtown employees discussed by David Garrick last year in this article in the North County Times. Then this morning there was another article in the NC Times discussing the free trolley service they now have in Temecula. So it all made me wonder why our shuttle service (mainly paid for by Pomerado I think) couldn't be supplemented by some income from advertising on the vehicle/s plus a little economic development money and voila, you have the Escondido Express! It would make the loop between the Transit Center and downtown, picking up and dropping off people continually. No one would have to wait long at the Transit Center and I bet more people would take the Sprinter, which has become popular for "a day away" trips. This one could happen easily...and why not? See you tomorrow.

WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE, I STILL WISH FOR A WONDERUL HOTEL.

I really don't know what to say about the battles at the City Council. The library cuts continue and the rest was a little here and a little there. (Please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.) With a year or so to go in her term, I am interested in hearing the Mayor's thoughts for the year ahead and the future of the city. I do not understand much of the machinations of the power brokers in this town, but I do think we need to find a way to take the beauty and character of this city and get more people to know about it. I continue to hope for a hotel which would allow for the creation of culture/art/restaurant weekends. A hotel that could tap into the tourists that come for San Diego Wild Animal Park as well as the Southern Californians who come here once and want to come back, "if only there was a nice place to stay." I hope and hope for a hotel and will continue to write about it regularly. See you tomorrow.

IT'S FARMERS' MARKET DAY, HOW ABOUT MAKING IT MEATLESS?

I'm sure this dates me, but when I was a kid Friday was Fish Day. Usually fish sticks, but maybe sole with brown butter sauce if my mom was in a fancy mood. And that went on for a long time after the Catholic church said it was okay to eat meat on Friday--and we weren't even Catholic! So, here we are in the 21st century and I've seen a lot writen lately about Meatless Monday, there's even a website here. I thought it was a good idea--healthy for us, good for the planet and its denizens--and we regularly eat vegetarian. I've also dubbed Tuesday dinner Market Dinner at our house. It combines what's in the frig with what looks good at the market. So using the easy-to-remember double MMs of Meatless Monday, I'd like to suggest Meatless Market Day for Escondido. It is the perfect time to find the freshest produce, and I'll even throw in a recipe once in awhile. See you tomorrow. (Zucchini pasta. Start with smaller zucchini--at least 3 per person. Cut into slices, not chunks, on the bias and then fry until brown in olive oil. You need to lay them in one by one and give them room or they'll steam. Salt and pepper and then toss with penne and either goat or feta cheese and fresh chopped parsley or basil. Drizzle on a little more olive oil and some pasta water if it seems dry and toss again. Enjoy.)

FOURTH OF JULY WEEKEND IS COMING UP. DO YOU HAVE PLANS?

With support for the fireworks still in the budget, we'll be hearing the old snap, crackle and pop on the 4th. Dogs will howl--as will coyotes outside of town--kids will oooh and aaahhhh, and from the front porch we'll be able to catch a bit of the finale. No big plans here for the 4th. Some friends will hopefully come over for some grilling, wine will be served and we will have what I might call a mellow time. With neither dogs nor kids among the company the fireworks should set off little reaction, though there's a dog around the corner that will go ballistic. So what are your plans? Will you travel or stay in Escondido? Will you go to the festivities at the park...is that a tradition in your family? After so many grey weeks, it seems summer has officially arrived (though it's 11:20 right now and the sun is not out) so guess it's time we embraced it. See you tomorrow.

A SHOUT OUT TO LUNCH SPOTS ON GRAND.

I decided when I started to write this blog I would NOT review restaurants. My husband and I love to cook and eat, so going out is not a big part of our lives; I generally even pack a lunch on work days. But one of the reasons We Love Escondido is that there are restaurants right nearby and there is now almost always someplace on Grand to grab lunch. To those business people who have made Grand a great street, here are a few awards for your efforts.
1. Longest Running: Champions. I'd never eaten there until a couple of weeks ago when my husband and I decided to split their "famous" Reuben. It was more than enough for two, everybody seemed to be enjoying themselves, and the waitresses I had been told were surly were absolute gems compared to those at some diners back East.
2. Most Improved: Delight of France. (The picture was taken there..it does look busy doesn't it?) Their croissants are legendary, their service French and until recently, their clean up was very poor. But there seems to be new manager and now tables are cleared and cleaned quickly and everything just looks more inviting. Merci.
3. Best Value: Downtown Deli. They're friendly, fast and their sandwiches couldn't be fresher...and they now offer a half sandwich quite a bargain.
4. Newest Hot Spot: Vinz. It is great to see this corner spot busy, and they've decided to open on Sunday too. I'll have to stroll down and see how things are doing, maybe even this afternoon. See you tomorrow.