La Jolla Real Estate Blog

Puerto Vallarta is a special place to me and I have lived, owned boutiques and sold oceanfront real estate there.  Over the years, I have made many, many friends who own homes and businesses in Vallarta.  Today, while in the Village of La Jolla, I saw that Alberto and Renee Perez from Vallarta have now opened a new restaurant on Prospect Street. 

One of my favorite places to eat in Vallarta is their "sister restaurant" to the new one.  La Palapa in Puerto Vallarta is a place that my daughter and I could get our hair braided, shop for jewelry and clothing and eat breakfast while wiggling our toes in the sand.  

The Perez family's new restaurant in La Jolla is called "Tikul" and it is elegant and uniquely coastal Mexican cuisine.  There is live Latin music and fresh tortillas!  Happy hour is from 5 to 7 pm on the outdoor patio or in the bar.  Be sure to say, "Hola & Bienvenidos to Alberto & Renee" when you visit Tikul and maybe Alberto, also a musician, will serenade you himself!

La Jolla is truly the "jewel" of San Diego.  This morning we took a drive south to visit Pacific Beach and when coming back into La Jolla went up the hill.  The first photo below is of the view to the south of La Jolla. 

Then we headed to the village and had lunch at Alfonso's Restaurant on Prospect and while there we walked over and took some pictures of the view to the north of La Jolla, which is the second photo below. 

What an incredibly beautiful place we live in and what a beautiful day today!

The Plunge at Belmont Park in Pacific Beach is 85 years old.  My husband learned to swim there when he was a youngster, along with most of the population of Pacific Beach over the years.  

The Plunge is now considered to be the largest heated indoor swimming pools in Southern California measuring in at 12,000 square feet.  Built in 1925, it was the centerpiece of the Mission Beach Amusement Center, now known as Belmont Park. 

The Plunge was originally a salt water pool and was converted in 1940 to a fresh water pool. Today, the Plunge is part of the Wave House Athletic Club.

Belmont Park in Pacific Beach is one of my favorite places to visit!  Not only does it have one of the few wooden roller coasters left in the United States, but it has rides, bumper cars, glow in the dark mini golf, a carousel and cotton candy... all along the ocean boardwalk of Mission Beach in Pacific Beach. 

There is something for everyone and once you are done with the rides, have a drink or lunch/dinner at one of the open air restaurants that line the boardwalk.  Fun in the sun in Pacific Beach!

A "Nakation" is a naked vacation and is considered one of the latest trends to help Americans break out of the nation's economic slump and national malaise.  Not sure how "getting naked" and romping on the beach will help my finances, but one of the TripAdvisor's top ten nude beaches in the nation is Black's Beach in San Diego County.

La Jolla  is home to the two mile Black's Beach and portions of the beach are governed under the city and other parts are in a state park zone where nudity was legal until 2009. Citations for nudity are a possibility, but the California State Parks says they have no plans to shut down the clothing optional status at Black's Beach. It is considered one of the largest nude beaches in the United States and is popular with nudists from all over the world.  The beach is long, private and with the cliffs above you can watch the hang gliders and para-gliders sail by.

Nakations are here to stay and if beaches aren't your thing, you might want to check out the naked sauna in Finland, naked golf in France, naked festival in Japan, naked scuba diving around the world and how about living naked at the naked village in Spain!

Not sure how to go about taking a naked vacation?  The American Association for Nude Recreation has a Q & A - click here.     And if you just want to freak out your family and friends you can order a "Nakation in a Box".   For $74 you get a nakation towel, sunscreen, temporary tattoos, a t-shirt and more...

Are you in a "nakation state of mind?"  Maybe its time to consider it ... at least you can pack light and avoid the airline baggage fees!

La Jolla Elementary School's Open Aire Market celebrated its 10^th Anniversary last year and continues going strong!  October 2010 will feature a Art & Wine Festival and a Harvest Festival.  La Jolla Elementary School hosts this weekly event every Sunday from 9 am to 1 pm. The market was founded and continues to be a way for our La Jolla community to get-together with our neighbors; along with helping support the elementary school's programs to enrich the students' education with diverse activities and fund the learning programs.

The market features over 75 vendors offering fresh fruits, colorful vegetables, a wide assortment of beautiful flowers, gourmet foods, hand-crafted jewelry, clothing, pottery, soaps, and other Artisan crafts. There are 3 types of vendors: Certified Farmer's Market (CFM) vendors, Artisans selling their own personal crafts and creations, and the Food Court vendors who offer a delicious variety of food and refreshments.

Join the fun every Sunday and plan to stop by the Food Court to sample the delicious goodies, indulge in a chair or table massage, play with the many pets that visit with their owners, enjoy the live music, watch the children play on the school's playground or simply greet your neighbors on a beautiful Sunday morning in La Jolla. 

The La Jolla Elementary School is located in the Village of La Jolla at 7335 Girard Avenue.  See you there!

Museum of Contemporary Art in La Jolla is located at 700 Prospect Street and in the heart of the Village of La Jolla.  The Museum is open from 11 am - 5 pm Friday through Tuesday and 11 am to 7 pm on Thursdays.  It is closed on Wednesdays.  The general admission is $10, military and seniors pay $5 and 25 years old and under are free.  Located overlooking the ocean and with its distinctive architectural design, the Museum of Contemporary Art is a popular place for locals and visitors from around the world.

In addition to the Museum, La Jolla has its own art association.  The La Jolla Art Association Gallery is located at 7734 Herschel Avenue, Suite G in La Jolla.  The La Jolla Art Association was formed in 1918 and was at one time, housed in the old La Jolla Library.  Every two weeks the La Jolla Art Association sponsors a new exhibition and for over 80 years the art association has represented local artists, many whom are international award winners. 

La Jolla features many art galleries along Prospect Street and Girard Avenue.  Don't forget to take a stroll down those streets to see the latest work by many local and international artists!

I am passionate about the pets I have had in my life.  I can recall my first dog (Tammy, Scottish Terrier), her tricks, her favorite foods and toys and how she looked at me when I came home from elementary school every day.  In my lifetime, I have had three Scottish Terriers, one Silky Terrier, four Springer Spaniels and two Cocker Spaniels and I remember everything about them.   My latest love is a Cocker Spaniel that we rescued in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and brought home to the States 10 years ago. 

Unless you are a pet lover though, I would probably not mention my pet to you,  which makes the latest "trend" in social networking somewhat amazing to me.  People are "showing off" their pets online throughout the social networking sites, including many posts on ActiveRain.  Believe me, there is nothing wrong with it.. it simply amuses me.

There are approximately 800,000 monthly users of "Dogbook" on Facebook!  OMD!!  (Oh My Dog)  The site rolled out in June and pet owners are able to create online profiles for their furry friends, add photos and become friends with other pets, as well as humans on Facebook.   This is what the Washington Times calls the "Facebook with Whiskers". 

We recently returned from our family vacation, and our "old muchacha" stayed at the kennels while we were gone.  When we went to pick her up, they handed us her "PAWGRESS REPORT".  How she ate her food - gobbled, left leftovers or was eager for more.  Along with other categories of FUN, BEDTIME RITUALS, POTTY HABITS and OVERALL.  As my teenage daughter would say, that is TMI!! (Too Much Information)!

Yes, I am passionate about my pets, but tend to believe that not everyone wants to hear about her, her tricks, her likes/dislikes and how her tongue doesn't stay in her mouth and is perpetually sticking out at me.  Maybe she is trying to tell me something.  :-p 

Over the past 30 years that I have lived in La Jolla, there has always been talk about La Jolla seceding from the City of San Diego and becoming its own municipality.   There is precedent with another community in San Diego, that of Coronado; however Coronado seceded in 1890 and the political and financial climate of today is very different.   Today La Jolla's preservation, enhancement and protection are subject to the laws and actions of the City of San Diego, which as most of us know, is having financial difficulties.

Today there is an organization entitled, "Independent La Jolla" which is comprised of citizens who are united toward the long-term interest of both the City of San Diego and the community of La Jolla.  Their primary goal is for La Jolla to be granted status as an independent municipality.

La Jolla has a population of approximately 44,000 residents and the members of Independent La Jolla believe that the City of San Diego has shown a complete disregard for the quality of life issues, including land use and historical preservation to environmental impact and the most important to many of us, the municipal services.

Without a doubt, our streets are full of potholes, the meridians on the major streets in and out of La Jolla have weeds and are trash lined.  Our neighbor to the north, Del Mar (a municipality), with only 4,000 residents doesn't have potholes in their roads or trash along their streets. 

With the proposed boundaries within the La Jolla Zip Code of 92037; the goals for "Independent La Jolla" are clear:

• Enhance police, fire and lifeguard services
• Protection of the La Jolla Planned District Ordinance
• Increase local voice
• Enhanced quality of life for residents
• La Jolla community standards vs. San Diego City standards
• More community projects with less money
• Create a La Jolla Unified School District
• Preserve, enhance and protect parks and beaches
• Control Zoning

For the obvious reasons of hefty tax revenues, San Diego does not want to "give up" La Jolla to an independent status, but in my opinion, the leaders of San Diego should do more to help their "gem" shine as bright as it should and if not, then perhaps independence is the way to go.

If you believe that "Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus" applies to real estate, then this theory would apply everyday to millions of home buyers looking to make a decision on buying a home.  For most of us home buying is the largest purchase we will make in our lifetimes and buying a home with another person makes it even more challenging.

Studies by third party research firms, such as International Communications Research (ICR) have indicated that women may be inclined to make up their minds faster than men as indicated below or have different criteria when looking to buy:

• The majority of women said that they had made up their minds the day they viewed the property for the first time, as opposed to men who needed two to three visits to decide.
• Women prefer living closer to their extended family as opposed to being near work.  Men would prefer a shorter commute to work.

Similarities of the sexes would include:

• Security or lack of security would be a deal breaker for both sexes.  Home security is one of the fastest growing businesses.
• Spare rooms would be used by both sexes as an additional bedroom, office/study or family room/den.  Although most men in the study would prefer the spare room be used as a "man cave" for recreational purposes.
• Couples say that neither sex "wears the pants" in the family in terms of making financial decisions.  Mutual decisions of this magnitude are important to both sexes.

If you are a real estate agent working with couples, who do you think is more decisive in the home buying process?