The San Diego Traveler

The Marriott has canceled their plan to build the West Coast’s largest hotel – with 1,929 rooms – at Ballpark Village, just east of Petco Park.
San Diego would have received an estimated $18 million a year in hotel taxes from the project, which would have more than covered the city’s $11 million annual debt payment on the ballpark.
This hotel would have been welcome relief for the larger conventions, such as Comic-Con, which regularly sells out all of the local hotels each year.
It’s unclear whether there are any other developers ready to step in, but if not, how will San …read more

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You may notice that this week’s photos all have something in common. Yes, they’re all from Comic-Con, San Diego’s biggest and most colorful convention.

Thanks to these photographers for capturing some of this week’s fun:
Photo #1 credit: Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/attackcat/2718504612/Photo #2 credit: Flickr  http://www.flickr.com/photos/statelyenglishmanor/2708386036/Photo #3 credit: Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/madfamily/2714540778/Photo #4 credit: Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/howiemuzika/2709640194/Photo #5 credit: Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/howiemuzika/2708809185/Photo #6 credit: Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/andycastro/2711811870/

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If you’ve ever been to Comic-Con, you are probably aware of how difficult it can be to get a room in town during the Con. Local hotels quickly reach capacity before the convention even starts, making it difficult for our visitors coming from all over the world to attend this huge event. This also means more traffic, as attendees have to commute from increasingly longer distances to get to the Convention Center every day.
Well, “doug” on Comic-Con’s Staying in San Diego blog had a brilliant idea that I’d like to help promote:
“A SOLUTION FOR THIS YEAR’S HOUSING ISSUES?I know this …read more

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The latest Zombie Walk took place on the streets of San Diego yesterday, to the enjoyment of the Comic-Con crowd. Zombies stumbled by the Convention Center before heading up 5th Street in search of fresh brains.
If you’re not familiar with Zombie Walks, you can read more about them at Wikipedia, or here at TheSanDiegoTraveler. You can also see and even participate in upcoming Zombie Walks by checking ZombieWalk.com.
Photo credit: Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/73932893@N00/932851120/

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Go Go’s songwriter and guitarist Jane Wiedlin was spotted at Comic-Con this year. Why, you may ask? She was there to promote Lady Robotika, her new comic book, in which she is featured.

 
 
 
 
Jane is not the first rocker to dabble in the comic arts. Remember Gene Simmons’ House of Horrors?
To hear Wiedlin talk about Lady Robotika, check out the video that KPBS captured yesterday.
Photos by Carole A. Lane

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These signs are currently posted outside the restrooms at the San Diego Convention Center. Given the huge variety of aliens and other-worldly creatures wandering these halls, this seems a bit hostile, doesn’t it?
Where are the non-humans supposed to go? Do they expect them to just hold it in? From Wednesday to Sunday? Really?
The least they could do is cordon off an area for them!
Photo credit: Carole A. Lane

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If you’re ever in San Diego on a Friday night and see hundreds (maybe thousands) of bikes riding through the streets all at once, you may be wondering what the heck’s going on. Rightly so, and even those who are riding along with the crowd may not be able to explain why.

It’s Critical Mass. This event is held on the last Friday of every month in cities around the world. Bicyclists and other self-propelled commuters take to the streets en masse at a pre-appointed time and place, and just ride. Some say it’s to draw attention to the …read more

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There is no shortage of strange and unusual collectibles to be found at Comic-Con this year, but there’s just something about these teddy bears that appeals to me. Perverse, aren’t they?

Photos by Carole A. Lane

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Are you a Lego Maniac? Plenty of San Diegans are, especially with LEGOLAND in our own backyard. If you love your Legos, here’s a challenge – build your favorite comic book character. Here’s some inspiration seen at Comic-Con, all made from Legos:

Photos by Carole A. Lane

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With Comic-Con in town, driving around the Gaslamp can be quite a challenge. This is not only due to the crowds and the friendly freakshow walking around the Convention Center. There are also vehicles advertising everything from upcoming movies to energy drinks, and they’re enough to stop traffic.
Here are just a few of the examples that I caught on film since yesterday:
 

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