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December 28, 2016 Issue
Top 10 Worst List
Many writers offer Top 10, best-of lists around this time, but not me. I am in a bad place, fighting the urge to stay in bed under layers of heavy blankets with the curtains drawn so no sunlight gets in. more
Letters: Pull it together, Belfer!
Once again Ms. Belfer goes off on a rant and rave in, "Things look grim, but there's always dishwashing" [Dec. 7]. Pull it together! more
Photo via Shutterstock
Sleeping booty
I'm a 32-year-old guy, and I want a real relationship. I am good-looking and charming and can get girls into bed pretty early on, but I'm beginning to wonder whether that's hurting me. more
Photo by Duncan Moore
The Shame of 2016
Let's just start calling it what it is: San Diego's skid row. It's a rather ugly and outdated name for an impoverished area of town where, more often than not, a city's most impoverished population lives. more
Photo illustration by John R. Lamb
The year of living tepidly
For all the words uttered in 2016 by San Diego's illustrious, self-centric, tippy-toeing political posse, there sure was little tangible action that was visible without the assistance of an electron microscope. more
Image courtesy of the artist
The year in art: 2016
When reflecting on the best art shows and exhibitions I’d seen this year, I found that it wasn’t so much individual art shows that moved me (although there were many), but rather the forces and feelings behind those shows. more
A most stressful year
This year's best films remind us of our capacity for curiosity, critical thinking, diversity, wonder, empathy, and compassion. more
The Top 10 Albums of 2016
Every year around this time, this page is filled with selections of CityBeat writers’ favorite music of the past year. This time around, however, I decided to claim the full page for myself. more
Photo by Strangers in a Fire
The best local recordings of 2016
For the last week of the year, I like to take the time to revisit some of the local releases that impressed me or left an impact on me in some way. more
Kaytranada, OFF! and more San Diego concerts
Kaytranada won this year's Polaris Prize, which honors the best album by a Canadian artist. more
Photo by Daren Scott
Looking back on a year in local theater
The past year brought both fresh revivals of classics and bold new works to San Diego stages. Here is the best in local theater in 2016. more
Photo by Deborah Palter
SoundON Festival of Modern Music, Concert for Standing Rock and Pajama Jam
For ten years, the SoundON Festival of Modern Music has been a go-to event for music lovers looking for something a little more experimental and edgy. more
The nervous light of Monday night
The Throwback Special, which was nominated for the National Book Award, is about a group of men who assemble each winter at a budget hotel to recreate a play that occurred in an NFL game between the New York Giants and the Washington Redskins. more
Image via Shutterstock
Check your facts and your privilege
Recently, the San Diego Union-Tribune published an opinion piece that originally ran in The Washington Post titled “How to make feminism great again.” more
Photo via Shutterstock
Happy Xmas (War is Over) thanks to Donald Trump
DECEMBER 7, 2017: I retrieve the newspaper from the front stoop and can't believe my eyes. The headline says, "WAR IS OVER!" more
Photo by Andrew Dyer
2016: A year in sudsy suckiness
This was not that great a year for craft beer, although the numbers say otherwise. The Brewers Association reports more than 5,000 breweries now operating in the U.S. and more than 700 in California. more
Photo by Jen Van Tieghem
Sparkling wines for New Year’s festivities
Tis the season for resolutions and sparkling wine; and while I'm avoiding that first one, I'm all but surviving on the second as this vexing year comes to a close. more
Photo by Michael A. Gardiner
The benefits of Facing East in the Convoy District
When I heard that Facing East Noodle & Bar (4647 Convoy St.) was doing black truffle and foie gras versions of xiao long bao, I was excited and dubious in equal parts. more
Photo by Nicole Lazar
Beers and beef in Bernardo
Yeah, RB is a bit of a haul for a hop-head living in O.B. or North Park, but The Cork & Craft is a step up from standard bar food, and Abnormal Beer Company has great beer (I didn't try its wine). more
Photo by Torrey Bailey
To See or Not to See: Rust Magic
To be honest, I was beginning to think Rust Magic was never going to happen. In fact, it would have been a cruel twist of irony if local graffiti artist Saratoga Sake had never finished his new show at the Ice Gallery space (1955 Julian Ave... more