Balboa Park Beat

Work at the park: The latest job openings in Balboa Park

Science Educator at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center: Teach science workshops, outreach programs, School-in-the-Park classes, spring and summer camps, Girl & Boy Scout badge workshops and other youth and adult programs.

Lifespan Learning Assistant at the Museum of Photographic Arts: Includes teaching photography courses and facilitating discussion-based outreach lectures and tours with senior citizens at the Museum and around the San Diego area.

Application Technician at the San Diego Zoo: Provide first level support for ZSSD Finance, Admissions, Marketing, Education, Reservation Sales and other Society departments

Development Coordinator at the San Diego Zoo: Implement the online and mobile efforts for multiple fundraising programs.

Executive Administrator at Spreckles Organ Society: Responsible for the daily operations and management of the Society’s administrative and creative functions. 

House Manager at The Old Globe: Must have excellent people skills, strong organizational skills, and the ability to think and act under pressure.

Ms. Frizzle at the San Diego Natural History Museum: Entertaining educator sought to interpret the role of Scholastic’s Ms. Frizzle for onsite and outreach programs.

Cafe openings:

Barista/Sandwich Prep

Cafe Team Player/Barista

5 to Try: Cheap Eats

Balboa Park is one of the best free destinations in San Diego. But while you can discover plenty of free trails, gardens, and buildings to explore, you’re probably not going to find a free lunch. Here are my top 5 favorite spots for grabbing a bite to eat for $10 or less per person:

Tea Pavilion
At the Japanese Friendship Garden, find sushi, rice bowls, noodles and sandwiches. A standout is the Asian pesto veggie sandwich served with Japanese potato salad.

Sculpture Court Café
While The San Diego Museum of Art’s café serves some pricier entrees, inexpensive bites include caesar salad, chilled gazpacho, and the daily special that includes ½ sandwich or quiche with a side of soup or salad. Museum admission is not required.

The Prado
During the restaurant's 4-6pm and 8-10pm happy hours (Tues-Fri) in the lounge, find appetizers like chicken taquitos with roasted tomato salsa and crispy calamari for less than $5.

Flight Path Grill
The San Diego Air & Space Museum's outdoor patio features picnic tables, covered cabanas, and a food truck offering a lunch special that includes a hot dog, chips, and a soda for $5. Museum admission is required.

Home Plate Café
The restaurant inside the Hall of Champions offers grab ‘n’ go salads and basic sandwiches. It's also one of few places in the park where you can snag an ice-cold bottle of beer. Museum admission is not required.

Got a fun food tip? Please share in the comments section below or post it on our Facebook wall.

Kiptyn Locke reflects on afternoons with orangutans and date nights at The Prado

Walk through the park on a Saturday or Sunday and you’re bound to see at least one bride and her bridal party posing for photos under the sunny San Diego sky. But while Balboa Park is a hot spot for engagement photos, wedding receptions, and anniversaries, it’s also a destination for active San Diegans who have yet to tie the knot.

One of our county’s most well known singles is Kiptyn Locke (pictured at right). Kiptyn appeared as a bachelor on the fifth season of ABC’s “The Bachelorette” to compete for the attention of Canadian bachelorette Jillian Harris. As the runner-up, he made it to the final episode of the show, giving him plenty of opportunities to talk about his California lifestyle.

Continuing to sport his local pride, Kiptyn responded quickly and enthusiastically to my questions about his favorite places and activities in the park. Here are the highlights:

Do you have any special childhood memories about the park?

Kiptyn: As a kid I remember running through the zoo for hours on end checking out species from all over the world. I remember being about six years old and trying to convince my mother that our dog would really like to have a friend at the house and I'm thinking an orangutan would fit right in. We didn't bring home the orangutan but my mother did acknowledge that the giant monkey would fit right in with our family.

If you were to take a date to Balboa Park, where would you take her?

Kiptyn: The San Diego Zoo is a great date spot. You're guaranteed to laugh and it's a great opportunity to walk around together and have some good conversation in a unique setting. Not to mention an assortment of animals like you've never seen before. Another great option is going to The Prado for a bite to eat and then checking out the gardens.

What is your favorite museum in Balboa Park?

Kiptyn: I love the San Diego Hall of Champions Sports Museum. Sports and athletics have been a huge part of my upbringing and current lifestyle. The museum has memorabilia from San Diego roots from baseball and football all the way to the surfing, skateboarding, snowboarding world. San Diego is the home of some incredible athletes and a lot of history. The Hall of Champions is a must-see.

Are there other local celebrities you'd like to see featured in this blog? Post a comment or send a quick email to mdougherty@bpoc.org.

A job in the park: Balboa Park museums and arts organizations are hiring

Love the lily pond, rose garden, and happy hour at The Prado? Here are four ways to spend more time in the park-- and get paid to be here.

Education and Community Program Manager at San Diego Youth Symphony and Conservatory
Responsible for the management of the established community programs and partnerships and the creation and development of new community programs starting with an after school strings program in fall 2010.

Education Director at San Diego Junior Theatre
Responsible for the smooth running of education operations including three school-year sessions, summer and vacation camps, and outreach programs.

Exhibit Interpreter at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center 
Facilitate the interaction of museum patrons and school children with the various gallery exhibits and the scientific principles behind them.

Assistant Technical Director at The Old Globe
Responsibilities include drafting (AutoCAD), engineering, technical design and project management.

If you don't have luck this time, stay tuned! We'll keep you updated about all of the most exciting job and internship opportunities in the park.

Park2Park: New Uptown Shuttle Service in San Diego Passes by Balboa Park

There was genuine glee and excitement in our office when we heard about the new Park 2 Park shuttle servicing the uptown neighborhoods of South Park, North Park, University Heights and Normal Heights. Basically, all of the neighborhood surrounding the Northern, Eastern and Southern regions of Balboa Park. I'll be going on a preview tour of the shuttle route next week (watch for an updated post on March 3), and I'm thinking this is going to make post-work Happy Hours a whole lot easier ... cheers to that!

Balboa Park Facebook fans are smart, from Montana

... from the Balboa Park social media metrics files: An analysis of the Balboa Park Facebook fans (check out the Facebook fanpage run most expertly by Debbie Petruzzelli), reveals that our fans are also most likely to be fans of "I hate stupid people" and "wine." Oh, and a lot of them are from Montana. Check out the screen shots below from FanPage Analytics for more interesting tidbits on our biggest fans.

San Diego Restaurant Week and Balboa Park

In one of our more delicious story ideas so far, we've been exploring which restaurants within and nearby Balboa Park are participating in San Diego Restaurant Week.  Here are a few of our favorites:

• The Prado -- It's the park's signature eatery, and the patio setting is among the best outdoor dining envrionments in the city. The food? Well, their Restaurant Week menu is lookin' quite simply mouth-watering with options like the signature black bean soup with toasted cumin crema (perfect for this rainy week!), seared Kobe beef carpaccio and a steamed blackberry cake for dessert. Just be sure to get a reservation in advance. (Sign up for the Cohn Restaurant group's e-cuisine newsletter here to get info on all the specials and discounts at The Prado)
• Cucina Urbana, just a block outside the park on the corner of Fifth Ave and Laurel St., is offering a $30 Restaurant Week menu full of their homemade Italian pastas and pizzas--a perfect stop before or after seeing The Old Globe's Tony Award-winning Duncan Sheik musical Whisper House.
• Taking the kids to the San Diego Zoo's Koalapalooza? Take advantage of the $20 Restuarant Week menu at Pizza Fusion in Hillcrest afterward. I can't get enough of their Farmer's Market Pizza with organic crust and lots of fresh local veggies on top -- and the $20 includes your choice of dessert like homemade chocolate chip cookies (they're huge!) or gooey fudge brownies. Totally kid-friendly restaurant, too.
• For a date night option on Thursday 1/21, try the $30 Restaurant Week menu at Terra in Hillcrest with yummies like coconut-crusted crab cakes and lobster mac n' cheese (the restaurant is tucked away in the Trader Joe's shopping center in Hillcrest). Then head over to Balboa Park to join The Gallery (SDMA's new group for adventures in art and culture, i.e. the younger, hip art crowd) for the Behind Closed Doors: The Making of an Exhibition event. You'll get the chance to see how SDMA curators put together an exhibition, from selecting the artworks to painting the walls.

Balboa Park Tips: Ask the Editor

So your parents are coming into town and you want to know where to take them? Or you're having a wedding and you're trying to find a gorgeous indoor venue at the park that can hold 175 people?

Ask me!

I'm Maren Dougherty, writer and editor of this blog. Balboa Park has become my second home and I'm happy to answer any questions you have about the museums, gardens, performing arts venues, or anything else related to the park. Just post a comment at the bottom of this email or shoot me an email at mdougherty@balboaparkonline.org.

See you at the park,

Maren