Charming Cardiff - North of San Diego

Camping at San Elijo State Beach on the edge of the Pacific.
Exploring the rare wetland wonders of the San Elijo Ecological Preserve.
Enjoying a VG donut and steaming good coffee breakfast.
Picking up gourmet/organic picnic goodies at the Seaside Market and picnicking at fully equipped Glen Park.
Discovering a local artist's gallery of Cardiff-inspired productions.
Drinking in the youthful Greek line dancing at Sts. Constantine & Helen's Church Festival.
Above all, catching sunrise and sunset in one of the top surfer capitals of the world, at Swami's or Beacon's Beach.

Quick Tips:

The Coast News(free, issued on weekly Wednesdays) has the Cardiff scoop on tides, beach conditions, local events and issues, and specials/coupons at local restaurants-pick one up at the Seaside Market. Watch where the locals go to eat & avoid the slick-looking tourist places.

Have the kids with you? On July 9,2002, the 1.5 acre Cardiff Sports Park on Lake Drive will celebrate opening an expansion of picnic tables and a playground for ages 5-12 to co-exist with its soccer and baseball courts for older children. This park is great for an outing if your children are of these ages. Free parking(150 spaces)is available adjacent to the park.

Best Way To Get Around:

By foot, you can see most of Cardiff's 2 miles of beaches, its two tiny parks(Glen & Berkich) are perfect playgrounds for kids and picnics, if you tire of the beach parks,and there are many late-nineteenth century remnants interspersed with 60's style haunts and modern edifices, so it's a varied architectural scene, for sure.Or,rent a bike, and do as the locals do-just cruise along and inhale the sea air.

After a photo shoot at the nearby(across the street)Seaside Market my son and I joined the noon-day crowd at Pipes, named for the section of ocean just north of Cardiff Beach that is favored by expert surfers,especially during winter. This lunch and dinner only (7-3), open daily establishment is well-known and especially popular on weekends when lines of customers stream out onto the sidewalk in front of the place. Its very limited, but well-done, menu highlights the burrito,with a variety of fillings,in both breakfast & lunch versions,at an economical price under $4.00.

We like Mexican so we enjoyed nippy burritos in that style, but they also serve up Burritos with less spicy fillings. For breakfast their hot and fresh cranbery bran muffins are popular and they serve simple eggs and potatoes with various sides like sausage and bacon. The atmosphere is pure California surfer with posters of surfers and pro-surfer autographed photos on the walls. The tiny interior that's packed with a few tables and a counter at which you order and then pick up. You can eat in inside, or opt, if there's room, for a choice ocean-view table on the upper deck or front patio outside, or enjoy your food at a nearby park like Glen.

It's strictly a cash place,and as authentic a surfer cafe as there still is in Cardiff(Miracles is another surfer spot). Significantly, it's located very close to the Pipes area, just 2 blocks in from the beach. For drinks, their vanilla lattes and Kona coffees are reputed to be excellent, but we just ordered soft drinks as the day was a perfectly warm, sunny weekday. This established cafe draws young couples and families,as well as older locals,visitors,and families as it's just so conveniently located near beach and parks,and it's downright CHEAP AND GOOD!

Very prized, especially by young European visitors, this ocean-edge campground needs to be reserved 6 months to one year in advance. Quiet hours are enforced between 10p.m.& 6 a.m. - this is a family campground, and there's a curfew of 10 p.m. for all juveniles under 18 years of age. There's a maximum of 8 people per site, and dogs must be on a leash of less than 6 feet at all times (dogs-cost $1.00 per night). Also, dogs are not permitted on the beach at night. Each site is subject to a maximum of 3 vehicles including a trailer (extra, nominal fees for vehicles 2 & 3).

The preferred, oceanfront sites, are separated from the inland sites by the park road, and, of course, these ocean sites get reserved first. In the summer(June-Sept.) a maximum of 7 nights is enforced; campers must vacate for 48 hours before returning to camp grounds again, so, when reserving, you need to keep this in mind if you desire an area stay of longer than a week. Upon check-in, photo I. D. is required, along with the voucher or confirmation number you receive when you book the site. Check-in times are 2 p.m. and after - check-out is before noon.

Here, you can picnic, swim, boat, sunbathe, snorkle, dive, or just relax. It's just a beautiful site, and cheap, especially for families, and is very much in demand as a consequence.

It's a huge area: over 900 acres of wetlands that have been seriously threatened by human construction and development since 1840 when the area was first settled. A citizens' non-profit group, the San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy, has worked for the past 18 years with federal, state, and local authorities to improve the estuary's opening to the ocean, to allow healthy conditions to prevail in this area.

Bird watchers will be especially delighted by this preserve; one can see many migrators, like Canadian Geese, many nesting species, and a number of increasingly rare birds in this setting. The Conservancy has an excellent web site on which there is a slide show of the many birds to be seen here at varying times of year, including the Great Horned Owl, the Snowy Egret, Killdeer, and the great blue heron, to name just a few.

The park is also geared for hikers - there's a one mile loop trail right at the Nature Center which also has rest rooms, drinking water, and a parking lot next to the county ranger's office. And there are other, longer trails available. In all, there are over five miles of public hiking trails. Getting there is a bit tricky;the best approach is to take Lomas Santa Fe Drive in Solana Beach west to Rios Avenue(1 block before you reach the railroad tracks). Drive to the end of Rios and you have reached the trailhead.

Botanists will also appreciate the variety of both indigenous and native plants to be found within the reserve. North County has many lagoons along its coast, but the San Elijo is the only one equipped to receive visitors, largely because of the San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy who have sucessfully lobbied for and courted both government and private financial support (Ford Motor). As a result, the public has this unique spot dedicated to preserving what man's ambitious plans inadvertently destroyed.

Tucked away into a nondescript corner mall, just west of the Besta Wan (see hwlermnky's Cardiff journal),is this award-winning bakery. It's been a locals' favorite since it opened in 1969. The VG stands for "very good," and that's what their creations, especially their donuts,are; I prefer them by far to Krispy Kreme, currently the favorite here because some supermarkets like Staters have started to stock them daily. Like the Besta Wan, this business is now staffed by the third generation of the family that established it. Continuity is a Cardiff characteristic.

Introduced to this "fixture" by our son, who wanted a dessert after we'd had the Tuesday night lasagna special at the Besta Wan, I succumbed to their bavarian cream donuts (although I had to wait a few hours till I had room to consume them). The sheer variety and, above all, freshness of their donuts has established the VG as the place to go for morning donuts and coffee before you hit the beach.They open at 5 a.m., and donuts are baked at 4 a.m. They also bake around midnight; this is a hard-working family! During the week, they're open till 9 p.m. On Fridays and Saturdays, they close early at 7 p.m. And, they're open summer Sundays. These long opening hours accommodate the surfers who are steady customers at this business, as well as others who just get an urge for their donuts;on the sidewalk in front under shade there's a few tables to sit and eat, and there's some tables inside too. It's hard to wait before you eat their fruit-filled goodies. They have added a small sandwich take-out counter in the left-hand corner of their establishment. This features decent, cheap sandwiches to take to the beach only 2 blocks away.

Scrumptious as their donuts are, their cakes are something else altogether.They cater weddings, baking the cake on the morning of the wedding day, and they specialize in concocting custom-decorated cakes for all special occasions.To satisfy the daily horde, VG bakes its donuts twice a day; they really mean it when they say their donuts are always fresh.Their muffins, rolls, cookies, pastries, and breads are quite fresh too, because they have a steady clientele. hey'll even deliver a large order of their temptations if you call them at 753-2400.They accept cash, check, or travellers checks, but no plastic. By the way, the cost of the two "fruit creations" in the picture was $2.98 +tax.

Located in the Cardiff Town Centre, this locally-owned market is one of the few of its breed left. Its produce section has an abundance of organically-grown products to please local preferences, but it also carries non-organic. There's an old-fashioned butcher's counter, as well as an up-to-date cuisine section that includes entrees, side-dishes, salads & desserts that you can take out. There is also a sushi counter that caters to modern Southern Californian tastes; the sushi chefs will prepare the tuna rolls, inari, or California rolls you want right before your eyes.

Midwest beef is featured in their meat department, which is also stocked with kabobs, sausages, and seafood, along with already-marinated chicken breasts for your beach feasts. They have a floral section that draws from the surviving nurseries in the area that was once famed as the pointsettia capital of the world. Their bakery, similarly, draws from local, specialty bakers and offerings a range of specialties from cakes and pies to tarts and mousse. Open from 7:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily, the Seaside Market claims its prices are as good as the chains, and they are, if you add a little more for quality now and then. Their telephone number is 753-5445, and they have a website.

Where do you take your picnic goodies? To nearby Glen Park, a small, ocean-view park that has picnic tables,rest rooms,phone,playround,tennis,basketball and volleyball courts-all you need to keep everyone happy & active, and you can eat without the beach sand! It's at 2149 Orinda Drive. But,if you need to park a car, get to the park early on beautiful summer weekends, for, by noon, all parking spaces around the park will be taken and the nearby, narrow streets full,too.

Therese Bushen is the owner of this center, the full title of which is Cardiff Cards Community Creative & Cultural Center. Ms Bushen works in many media, but I like her oils, watercolors, and engravings best because they focus on the local scene that is fast fading in coastal Encinitas. Like many others, she's moved north of Cardiff into downtown Encinitas where her exposure to tourists is greater. This center not only offers her works, but is also the location from which she teaches art classes to young and old, beginners and other artists.

To survive as an artist on the North County scene, which has literally thousands of artists all competing for attention, the owner also sells t-shirts, mugs, and cards which reproduce some of her work. She's done several oils or watercolors of "woodies," and captured some old, local buildings, in a colorful, realistic, and detailed style that just appeals to me.

One, entitled "Miracles Cafe," is of an old cafe that has long been a local hang-out. There is a charm about her depiction, a fondness for the old cafe, that is reflected in the rendering of the cafe and its surroundings and captures the essence of old, beach-town Cardiff.

Her work, as a whole, is nostalgic, but not confined to simply depicting old vehicles or old places (although I feel these subjects are the ones in which she excels). She has an excellent display of her work on this website, which will give you an inkling of the glorious color and vibrancy of most of her work. A stroll through her center will, however, give you a more complete appreciation of her exceptional ability to depict the Encinitas that was. And, if you have to buy a souvenir t-shirt, hers, for a few dollars more, are far superior to the usual fare and also support a community artist.

Yes, it should be spelt "Skies," but why quibble with a lady who has for 24 years specialized in selling non-cookie-cutter swimwear and realized way ahead of department stores that, for the best fit, women’s tops and bottoms shouldn’t always be the same size. Thus, tops and bottoms here are sold separately. Having recognized reality long before others in the swimwear biz, the proprietor of this shop kept files on her client’s measurements (and, made "adjustments" as the facts changed), thus providing a much-needed service). Now, the children of many of her old clients are her customers. But there’s much more here than just swimsuits that fit, for there are sandals, sarongs and pareos, sun hats, lotions, hooded sweats, and totes for all beach things.

There’s a decidedly Hawaiian surf feel to this shop, and a definite variety in the patterns and colors of the merchandise that spells Polynesian hot colors, animal prints, and not your row and row of the same bikinis. The owner likes to travel (our kind of gal) and on her trips she searches for interesting, unusual fabrics for her shop. Of course, classic one-piece suits in more subdued colors are available, along with the experienced advice of a swimwear expert in selecting the most becoming style. And even her bikinis come in generous, as well as "itsy-bitsy" sizes.

One of the best times to shop here is end-of-season; of course, that will mean Christmas shopping when the shop sprouts "surfing Santa" décor to encourage a shopper’s inclination to buy for self or others. Not to boast, but, sometimes, we have our BEST, sunniest beach weather in January! The phone number is 760-436-8810.

I can hardly wait till September 7th! On that Saturday, I can transport myself for a few hours back to Greece, to Rhodes, where, in 1992, I had the most glorious five days in the only " foreign" place where I felt instantly at home. On that Saturday and on Sunday, September 8th, the Greek Festival at the beautiful church located in the tiny slice of Cardiff that is not coastal, will commence with a loud, "Yasou!" Like the Hawaiian "Aloha," this word means "Hello," " Goodbye, "and, in some instances, "How are you?" For, in Greek culture, amidst constant change, the primary focus is on wellbeing, on enjoying life, not being enslaved by it. Though the emphasis at this festival is on food and drink, prepared lovingly by the ladies of the congregation, I yearn most for the line-dancing, which is on center stage outdoors at staggered times throughout the festival’s two days. "Opa," and away go the nimble feet of the young folk dancers, celebrating tradition and youth as they twirl and bend to the music.

By holding this festival annually for many years, the Greek community in North County have constructed their beautiful church, the interior of which is open to visitors during the festival, and they have also erected a home for the aged in their midst on their spacious grounds located adjacent to Mira Costa College, the parking lot of which offers free parking to their neighbors that weekend, and to the San Elijo Lagoon. The golden dome of this church can be seen resplendently from the nearby I5 Freeway at the Manchester off-ramp.

There’s plenty of activities and goodies available to young and old at this festival. Under a large tent, tables and benches for eating the spanotopika, dolmas, baklava, and other home-recipe delights allow attendees to consume a little bit of wonderful Greek food. Booths selling arts and crafts abound; I treasure my mask of Comedy. This is always a very well attended event, so I always try to arrive early, especially in order to get very close to the stage where the dancers perform. Evenings are all too popular, as I found out at my first festival, so I try to avoid the crowds then. Every year, a raffle is held for a brand-new Mercedes (top-of –the line model), a raffle that has generated substantial funds as reward for all the labor of love that goes into holding this festival. It’s a marvelous event that provides a non-Disneyesque visit to another culture. Agape! Admission is $2.00; it’s free for kids under 12. Hours are 11-10 on Saturday and 11-9 on Sunday at the family-friendly celebration at which there’ll be plenty of games for the kids while the Big Kids have their own fun.

Often referred to as the "Western Riviera," the North County San Diego area is home to many top surfers, like Rob Machado, and it attracts world-class surfers from around the world, especially to Swami's Beach and Beacon's Beach. Cardiff State Beach and Cardiff Reef hosts the annual Rob Machado Surf Classic every September; an opportunity for for talented new surfers to win prizes and recognition in the surfing world. Surfing magazines consistently rate these two Encinitas beaches among the TOP TEN places in the WORLD for surfing. It's no wonder that many of the world's top surfers as well as famed, older "heroes" of the surfing world, live near these beaches.

If you live here, there's no escape from constant reminders that surfing is one of the primary coastal sporting activities. Non-surfer as I am, I still am thrilled by Swami's surfers and love watching them; many a neighbor's kid's car has a rack to accommodate the equipment needed to pursue the sport. One has to be on the lookout for the entrance to Swami's parking lot; it's just south of the Self-Realization Temple on Coast Highway, and it's on your right as soon as the Temple wall ends. I highly recommend seeing the Swami's activity from the vantage point of the Self-Realization Garden grounds during the summer, as the crowd of surfers at Swami's quickly fills up the rather small parking lot it has. Frankly, it's a summer crush to avoid.

Everyone knows how Swami's got its name (from its location directly oceanward from the Self-Realization Temple), but the origin of Beacon's name is debatable. Many old-timers insist that the name derived from a beacon that was off-shore from this Leucadian beach during World War Two, at a time when Japanese invasion rumors circulated in military-concentrated San Diego. Others insist it was dubbed Beacon's in honor of an early settler. All are agreed, however, that it is a narrow, rocky beach that attracts only surfers. Erosion has taken its toll through the years, which accounts for Beacon's diminishing dimensions. But surfing there is great, and it remains a prime beach for that activity. For lots of local surfers who've surfed 30 years or more here, these two beaches are their favorite "hangouts."