Posts by Clyde Van Arsdall

Are you looking for a great Italian sandwich? Interested in Amari or some good Italian wine? Pizza dough, house-made sauce, and pasta in all shapes and sizes, Mona Lisa Deli on India Street at Hawthorn in Little Italy has got it all. I have been a faithful customer for 25-plus years, and I am still…

If you sit down for lunch at a restaurant on the island, most sandwiches will be approaching $20; add a drink and tip, and you get the picture. The price is not a criticism; you should see what these places pay for rent.  There is the restaurant’s atmosphere, the banter with friendly staff, and a…

The feel of a good pencil and the smell of cedar evoke creativity in me. The routine of sharpening and whittling away at a pencil feels like progress. Pencil nubs litter my workspace like cigarette butts, each representing a project completed. Putting words or images on paper, not just any paper, good paper, is magical…

If you like the Lafayette Hotel, watching movies in the pool at The Pearl, and cooking a steak at Turf Supper Club, you may be a candidate for glamping at Pinecrest Retreat. I am talking about trailer camping, and this hidden spot is only 45 minutes away, just shy of Julian. The Pinecrest retreat has…

When you can smell the oak, it ain’t no joke. As I headed into San Diego’s Mount Hope neighborhood, I rolled my windows down, waiting for the smoke to hit me. If you don’t smell it, you’re sure as hell not going to taste it. Suddenly, there it was, the essence of oak. Smoke is…