Carlsbad, California –Nourishing Body & Soul

At the G.I.A. Museum the changing exhibits present the wonderful world of gems and their aesthetic effects so forcefully that you won’t forget your experience there.

MOMA is fun, a museum that makes the history of music making come alive.

There’s no place else like Tip Top Meats for those who enjoy being cosmopolitan in their food choices and particular about the quality of their meat.

If you can’t always travel, O'Ireland is a place to get some of the favorite food and drink your travels have made you yearn for.

Though I’m a teetotaler, I have hoisted a virgin pina colada at a few recommendable spots that provide some local flavor and night life.

If you like northern Italian food, then Vigilucci’s Cucina will not disappoint you with either its food or drink.

Quick Tips:

When visiting the museums on Armada Drive, take time out and take in the ocean panorama before you.
Browse at Tip Top or O'Ireland ; you just might discover something new.
Explore downtown at night; it’s full of antique shops and one of a kind specialty stores.

Best Way To Get Around:

Walk! It’s best to have a car; this is Southern California and not Europe. Until busses run frequently and have many stops, most of us, locals and visitors, will just have to crowd the highways. There are lots of bike paths, bikers, and bike rental shops, so, if that’s your speed, you could get around downtown and the beaches easily, actually much more easily than cars do in the summertime. To get here, you can fly from LAX to the McClelan-Palomar Airport in a United Express 30-passenger twin-engined turboprop airplane; you can thus by-pass downtown San Diego's summer congestion. Unfortunately, since Sept.11, 2001, the number of daily flights has been cut from 11 to 6, but this more direct option is one to consider.

In North County, Vigilucci is Italian. This fellow from Milan has had extraordinary success as a restauranteur in an area where many restaurants come and go, mostly go. His first restaurant, on South Highway 101 is still going strong, having undergone a recent remodeling simultaneously with the tearing up of streets necessary for the recent rejuvenation of downtown Encinitas. We have dined at the Encinitas location a couple of times because we simply thought the food was terrific and overlooked the closeness of the tables and the loudness of the patrons’ voices and dishes clanging in rather cramped quarters. Then, in 1999, Vigilucci opened this haven in downtown Carlsbad.

We tried it; we liked it, even though we still think the tables are too close to each other in this place. Thank heavens, it is quieter here and though the menu differs somewhat from the Encinitas spot, it still features the most authentic and tasty Italian food to be had hereabouts and it is reasonably priced. The spaghetti carbonara is moist and the bacon in it is crisp; at $9.95, it’s an excellent entrée. The menu is limited to about five different pasta, chicken, veal, and seafood dishes-all of which are well prepared and just a little bit different from the usual run-of-the-mill Italian restaurant.

Their veal selections attract me, particularly Medaglioni ai Carciofi, which has artichoke hearts, diced tomato and basil, all in a wine sauce. I also enjoy their saltimboca alla Romagna for they never overcook the veal. My husband usually elects to have pasta here because their sauces are especially excellent and he is proud of his sauces, but always searching for new ones. He likes their Linguini con Calamari and their Linguini alla Genovese, which has homemade pesto and pine nuts over flat noodles done just right.

The décor here is pleasant with both outside, covered sidewalk tables and two separate dining areas inside. Of course, the waiters are Italian and know their food. From the gleaming mahoghany and black granite bar, you can order a variety of drinks, and there’s a select wine list of Italian and Californian reds and whites to choose from. For dessert, a small list of tasty treats includes my favorite, tiramisu, at $5.75, and my husband’s, crème brulee, at $5.25.

Currently, Vigilucci is constructing a new restaurant at 3878 Carlsbad Boulevard right near the Tamarack Avenue portion of the Seawall; this restaurant will be a Seafood and Steakhouse and will have a 180 degree view of the ocean on its western side. Probably another winner is in the offing for this entrepreneur who seems to know what constitutes a superior dining experience that’s not exorbitantly priced. They’re open for lunch, 11:30 –4 Mondays through Fridays and dinner these days from 4 till 10. On Saturdays, they’re open from 11:30 to 10:30 and on Sundays from 1 till 9:30. For kids, you can get half-orders of pasta, so you can dine here without babysitter cost.

Lovely exhibit! Carlsbad was excited when the Gemological Institute of America decided to locate its world headquarters here, shortly after Lego had announced the California Legoland. The building the museum is located in is thus a training and research center for gemologists and is quite busy Mondays through Fridays when the museum is open to the public from 9a.m. to 4 p.m. Normally they’re closed holidays and weekends, but G.I.A. will be open during the Artsplash weekend. Its current exhibit, which runs through the end of October, fits in well with Artsplash : "Gems in Art: Art in Gems."

Lovely is the operative word for this exhibit as well as the good fortune to have such a prestigious affiliate with global connections base its future-oriented activities here. There’s a world here of beautiful color, of gemstones embedded in boxes and bottles, carvings, wearable jewelry and especially intaglios and cameos. Some of the Faberge jeweled flowers in rock crystal water glasses that he created for wealthy Russians are on display here: their masterful art impresses. Indeed, it overwhelms the viewer, as do some of the contemporary pieces that have used modern technology to produce unexpected effects, notably in the internally carved work of Susan Allen.

There’s bejeweled fantasy art by Bernd Munstiner, which doesn’t overshadow other works by Tom McPhee and Michael M. Dyber, the latter of whose work intrigued me with its beauty and simplicity. And works by Nicolai Medvedev and Michael Christie demonstrate that objects (scent bottles, boxes) that are used for something can be art, too.

Visitors can usually find space available free in their parking lot. This institute has become a welcome "prestige" addition to Carlsbad , and its museum with regularly changing exhibits has added another dimension to the range of learning experiences one can find here

My first contact was with two fellows from this museum who came to our pre-school and gave an absolutely WOW presentation to all of the classes; they not only showed the expected expertise in music, they also handled the children’s reactions so well that they qualified as child experts. They kept their talks short, and the "hands on" period long, for the kids to play the drums, which was the instrument they wisely chose for their presentation. They lugged in all sorts and sizes, about 15, of drums, and encouraged children to share and try playing more than one drum. They were a hit!

MOMA, as it’s usually referred to, is presenting "Drum Roll, Please…a hands-on history of the drum," through the end of August. Throughout the year, they offer special tours, host special performances by guest artists and have workshops, all to fulfill their dual mission as a museum of the history of music-making and musical instruments since the twentieth century began, and as a teaching center developing appreciation for musical instruments.

This is another headquarters, that of the National Association of Music Merchants, which is why you’ll see NAMM on the front of the building ; don’t be confused by this sign, just look for the Museum of Making Music sign on the side driveway leading to the back parking lot(see photos). They have more than 450 vintage musical instruments on display and samples of "Top 40" tunes from the last 100 years or so. They’re open Tuesdays through Sundays from 10 to 5; during Artsplash they’ll be open free see my "Carlsbad's 50th" journal.

Organized into five displays, each of which represents a twenty year period between 1890 and 1990, this museum has over 450 instruments, some of which are very rare like the 1912 Hohner Harmonette Harmonica is. Aiming to detail the history of making, marketing, distributing and performing music in America during the century the museum deals with, the association hopes that experiencing its museum will inspire future music makers. That purpose is realized at its interactive stage where instruments (piano, guitar) are available to play and make one’s own music. It was no surprise when I learned that the current President of NAMM is the President of Steinway, the name synonymous with pianos.

So, if you’d like to see the 1967 Fender Stratocaster Jimi Hendrix used, or you’re a Beatles’ fan and would like to learn more about the particular instruments they experimented with , or just love music (me), you’ll love this museum. For more details, check out their excellent web site, www.museumofmakingmusic.org.

There’s no place else quite like Tip Top Meats. Its central location makes it accessible; its established reputation (since 1979) makes it well known, and the low prices of its food make it affordable. Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, you can have a Prime Rib with soup or salad, dinner roll, choice of potato-mashed, baked or fried- or red cabbage, and drink for a Tip Top $7.98.Everything on their dinner menu can be taken away, a boon for tourists or for those who don’t want to eat in their usually crowded, low on atmosphere, high on quality and service, dining area.

But it’s not only a restaurant: we patronize the meat counter when we want a really good filet mignon, or boneless leg of lamb, pricey, but superior quality. If we feel a longing for spaetzle, grape leaves, or a Belgian cookie, we go to their gourmet section that is crammed with a variety of imported foods (lots of German, of course) in packaged or canned form. However, their imported cheese case is most intercontinental and always astounds me with its variety.

Their produce is just O.K., but no problem, as next door, adjacent to Tip Top’s entrance, is a produce market that sells locally grown fruits and vegetables of very good, albeit sometimes pricey, produce. This triple threat restaurant, meat and European grocery spot is open daily from 6am to 8pm,and breakfast is served till noon to accommodate retirees who can sleep in late and eat dinner early before their favorite TV shows; this place fits to a T the needs of retired seniors and travelers with kids. Maybe that’s because Mr. Haedrych, the owner, is an octogenarian who swears he’ll never retire! "Early to bed, early to rise," seems to be the San Diego area’s secret rule-that’s how we get to enjoy hours of sun & secluded beaches.

Formerly I had to travel to a British shop in Solana Beach, until this shop opened in downtown Carlsbad a year ago, so I now find it easier to lay in a supply of Schweppes Bitter Lemon every 3 months. Unabashedly Anglophile as I am, I find this shop irresistible. I even succumb to buying lighters with the Union Jack on them! I confess to a dislike, however, of "cutsey-pie" ceramic souvenirs that, alas, this shop does carry, and I can resist them easily.

When my itchy foot begins to bother me, I travel to this store to immerse myself in browsing for biscuits that remind me of London and the good food I’ve had there that contradicted the out-dated myth about British blandness. I like scones even though I’ve never been to Scotland, and, of course, I can buy them here. This is an eccentric extravagance for me because the prices for the food and drink I like that are only sold in such a specialty shop, are, indeed, higher than I would pay if I were in London. A small bottle of the lemon I love costs over $2.00!

The staff here is native of Britain, with accents to match, and they can give you any information you might need about their merchandise. Unfortunately, I can’t be in London every year, so a visit here is the next best thing. Their telephone # is (760) 434-9130, useful to check their hours and days as they vary from summer to low season. You can't miss seeing this shop, a few doors north of the intersection of State with Grand, for it proudly displays both the Union Jack & Old Glory. It's diagonally across from the Coaster Station and deliberately located where it can catch the tourist's eyes. Now renamed, formerly Bit o" Britain, still appeals to me for I'm of English AND Irish ancestry!

On the corner of Grand and State Streets, with glaring pink neon signs at night, this is a local bar that appears to have been here since there was a downtown- well, really it’s not that old! A favorite bar of Boomers for its cheap drinks, free popcorn, and nightly music, it is the kind of bar that gets regulars who come in daily. During the day, it tends to attract an older crowd than at night, especially on weekends when the live entertainment changes from Sunday through Tuesday’s karaoke and Wednesday’s mellow blues to Thursday through Saturday’s pop and rock, more in tune with non-senior musical tastes.

There’s nothing spectacular about this bar; it’s just a reasonably clean, conveniently located place, open daily from 6am to 2pm, where you can relax, have a quiet drink, or socialize with locals or other visitors. Since it’s close to a number of popular restaurants, like Fish House Vera Cruz or Vigilucci’s, it’s ideal as a meeting place for singles or couples for a quiet before-dinner drink, or for an after-dinner one. And, at night,if you want to dance,you can trip the light fantastic in a place that won't be overcrowded.

In the Village Faire Mall this is the HOT SPOT evenings and particularly weekends, for upscale singles and couples. They serve up Southwestern food-swordfish tacos, chile rellenos, sweet corn tamales-that’s adequate and filling, but, mostly singles and couples come here to drink and meet each other. The atmosphere is pleasant; there’s a huge fireplace and tables on the spacious terrace for those who prefer to eat as well as drink outside in good weather, but it’s the bar area inside where the "action" is. Offering over 100 tequilas, the bar serves shots of the stuff from $3.50 a glass to $25.00 for a shot glass of Herradura Supremo. Of course, the bar is fully stocked with all varieties of liquid refreshment that those spending a night-on-the-town could demand.

On Friday and Saturday, when they’re open from 11 to 11, local bands play loudly and parking in the mall lot becomes non-existent. Luckily, you can find other lots less full nearby –check the lot at the Coaster station. The rest of the week, from Sunday to Thursday, they’re open from 11 to 10, and parking is easier to find in their lot. If your child likes fish tacos or roasted chicken, the Coyote terrace is a decent place to have lunch after visiting the Children’s Discovery Museum in this mall. Lunch hour attracts mainly workers from nearby businesses and tourists shopping in the mall. THEN, it’s quiet and not crowded.