Visiting Balboa park at night

[jpinpb]

I’ve gone almost every year, or at least every other year, since I’ve been in San Diego. On Saturdays it starts at noon now. Years ago it was 5 to 9 both days. I got there at 11:30. Not a problem finding parking and no traffic.

By 5 o’clock, good luck. We left around 8:30. Beat the traffic out, too.

I think every year it gets more commercial and it’s sad. Before, when it was Christmas on the Prado, you got to see the lighting of the tree and hear the Christmas songs at the organ pavillion. You got to go to the museums for free and the St. Lucia procession. Visit the international cottages and sample their foods for minimal cost.

Then it became December Nights. They added the carnival and the junk food. That was the “attraction.” It just made more people come to the park and more gridlock and parking problems.

This year they added “Taste of December Nights” and restaurants have you buy overpriced tickets to sample their food. They also have booths that sell trinkets, jewelry and junk like a street fair.

I think it’s a sad deterioration of a holiday celebration. Regardless of whether you wanted it called Christmas on the Prado or December Nights, it’s meant to celebrate the holidays, whether Christmas, Hanukka or Kwanzaa, whatever.

Having a carnival or street fair takes away the whole purpose of the festivities at Balboa Park. We have enough street fairs all over San Diego all year long. Why ruin Balboa Park w/that crap.

It was disappointing. On the bright side, if you get there early, you can enjoy the food at the cottages, check out the Scotts play bagpipes and walk around the park, sip on hot chocolate or apple cider, visit the Spanish village and check out the arts and crafts of local artists (I like watching them blow glass).

Then at 5, pick and choose which museum you want to check out. Lines are not as long b/c people are at the carnival.

Unfortunately, the museums are free only from 5 to 9 on Friday and Saturday and it’s not enough time to see them all. They should extend the hours to all day on Saturday.

Even that, the special exhibits usually are not accessible, The Human Body, the Ferrari at Automotive and the Star Trek at Air and Space.

[Coronita]

You didn’t miss much. Traffic was a mess. You could either park near in petco and take a bus over or park near a city building and take the bus over.

Once you got there, most of the exhibits had a long line 1 hr+ wait. Lots of vendors and restaurants selling stuff at the street fair. If you were able to wander to the outdoor stadium, you had a few schools singing holiday songs, which was pretty decent. Probably not worth the crowds, unless your kid was in the performance.

It wasn’t a bad evening, just probably not worth the headache of the logistics. Balboa wasn’t as decorated up as I remember it from previous times.

[Coronita]

You didn’t miss much. Traffic was a mess. You could either park near in petco and take a bus over or park near a city building and take the bus over.

Once you got there, most of the exhibits had a long line 1 hr+ wait. Lots of vendors and restaurants selling stuff at the street fair. If you were able to wander to the outdoor stadium, you had a few schools singing holiday songs, which was pretty decent. Probably not worth the crowds, unless your kid was in the performance.

It wasn’t a bad evening, just probably not worth the headache of the logistics. Balboa wasn’t as decorated up as I remember it from previous times.

[Coronita]

You didn’t miss much. Traffic was a mess. You could either park near in petco and take a bus over or park near a city building and take the bus over.

Once you got there, most of the exhibits had a long line 1 hr+ wait. Lots of vendors and restaurants selling stuff at the street fair. If you were able to wander to the outdoor stadium, you had a few schools singing holiday songs, which was pretty decent. Probably not worth the crowds, unless your kid was in the performance.

It wasn’t a bad evening, just probably not worth the headache of the logistics. Balboa wasn’t as decorated up as I remember it from previous times.

[Coronita]

You didn’t miss much. Traffic was a mess. You could either park near in petco and take a bus over or park near a city building and take the bus over.

Once you got there, most of the exhibits had a long line 1 hr+ wait. Lots of vendors and restaurants selling stuff at the street fair. If you were able to wander to the outdoor stadium, you had a few schools singing holiday songs, which was pretty decent. Probably not worth the crowds, unless your kid was in the performance.

It wasn’t a bad evening, just probably not worth the headache of the logistics. Balboa wasn’t as decorated up as I remember it from previous times.

[Coronita]

You didn’t miss much. Traffic was a mess. You could either park near in petco and take a bus over or park near a city building and take the bus over.

Once you got there, most of the exhibits had a long line 1 hr+ wait. Lots of vendors and restaurants selling stuff at the street fair. If you were able to wander to the outdoor stadium, you had a few schools singing holiday songs, which was pretty decent. Probably not worth the crowds, unless your kid was in the performance.

It wasn’t a bad evening, just probably not worth the headache of the logistics. Balboa wasn’t as decorated up as I remember it from previous times.

[Coronita]

[quote=jpinpb]Having a carnival or street fair takes away the whole purpose of the festivities at Balboa Park. We have enough street fairs all over San Diego all year long. Why ruin Balboa Park w/that crap[/quote]

Terrible economy ==> Need more sales and revenue for tax dollars.

🙂

[Coronita]

[quote=jpinpb]Having a carnival or street fair takes away the whole purpose of the festivities at Balboa Park. We have enough street fairs all over San Diego all year long. Why ruin Balboa Park w/that crap[/quote]

Terrible economy ==> Need more sales and revenue for tax dollars.

🙂

[Coronita]

[quote=jpinpb]Having a carnival or street fair takes away the whole purpose of the festivities at Balboa Park. We have enough street fairs all over San Diego all year long. Why ruin Balboa Park w/that crap[/quote]

Terrible economy ==> Need more sales and revenue for tax dollars.

🙂

[Coronita]

[quote=jpinpb]Having a carnival or street fair takes away the whole purpose of the festivities at Balboa Park. We have enough street fairs all over San Diego all year long. Why ruin Balboa Park w/that crap[/quote]

Terrible economy ==> Need more sales and revenue for tax dollars.

🙂

[Coronita]

[quote=jpinpb]Having a carnival or street fair takes away the whole purpose of the festivities at Balboa Park. We have enough street fairs all over San Diego all year long. Why ruin Balboa Park w/that crap[/quote]

Terrible economy ==> Need more sales and revenue for tax dollars.

🙂

[afx114]

I went on Saturday and enjoyed myself. They did a good job of spreading everything out so that it didn’t seem as crowded as last year. My favorite thing to do is visit the international cottages. It’s a great place to take in some multi-cultural cheer, and the dances are great. I look forward to it every year. Seems like every year everyone is looking for something to complain about. If you don’t like crowded festivals or are offended that it isn’t named after your favorite savior, then don’t go. It’ll be less crowded for those of us who aren’t Scrooges. 🙂

Or maybe make your own “Christmas on Your Street” and don’t invite anybody. Just make sure that there aren’t any Santas, Rudolphs, decorated trees, pretty lights, or eggnog, because those are pagan symbols.

[afx114]

I went on Saturday and enjoyed myself. They did a good job of spreading everything out so that it didn’t seem as crowded as last year. My favorite thing to do is visit the international cottages. It’s a great place to take in some multi-cultural cheer, and the dances are great. I look forward to it every year. Seems like every year everyone is looking for something to complain about. If you don’t like crowded festivals or are offended that it isn’t named after your favorite savior, then don’t go. It’ll be less crowded for those of us who aren’t Scrooges. 🙂

Or maybe make your own “Christmas on Your Street” and don’t invite anybody. Just make sure that there aren’t any Santas, Rudolphs, decorated trees, pretty lights, or eggnog, because those are pagan symbols.

[afx114]

I went on Saturday and enjoyed myself. They did a good job of spreading everything out so that it didn’t seem as crowded as last year. My favorite thing to do is visit the international cottages. It’s a great place to take in some multi-cultural cheer, and the dances are great. I look forward to it every year. Seems like every year everyone is looking for something to complain about. If you don’t like crowded festivals or are offended that it isn’t named after your favorite savior, then don’t go. It’ll be less crowded for those of us who aren’t Scrooges. 🙂

Or maybe make your own “Christmas on Your Street” and don’t invite anybody. Just make sure that there aren’t any Santas, Rudolphs, decorated trees, pretty lights, or eggnog, because those are pagan symbols.

[afx114]

I went on Saturday and enjoyed myself. They did a good job of spreading everything out so that it didn’t seem as crowded as last year. My favorite thing to do is visit the international cottages. It’s a great place to take in some multi-cultural cheer, and the dances are great. I look forward to it every year. Seems like every year everyone is looking for something to complain about. If you don’t like crowded festivals or are offended that it isn’t named after your favorite savior, then don’t go. It’ll be less crowded for those of us who aren’t Scrooges. 🙂

Or maybe make your own “Christmas on Your Street” and don’t invite anybody. Just make sure that there aren’t any Santas, Rudolphs, decorated trees, pretty lights, or eggnog, because those are pagan symbols.

[Author]

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