Tuesday, September 08, 2009

Coaster Tour of Coastal San Diego

Tourists in Carlsbad often stop and ask me where to go to see the highlights of North County San Diego. For the best tour of Coastal North County San Diego, hop on the Coaster, a regional transit service running from Downtown San Diego to Oceanside. The views from the train are stunning, and coastal lagoons can be seen in a way not appreciated from the freeway or beach. The Coaster allows access to prime beach communities, outdoor activities, and shopping along the way, and is a great way to see what the region offers. Here are some of favorite picks.



The train leaves views of Mission Bay and Old Town to weave through the Sorrento Valley and Eastern Miramar Region. Along the way, keep your eyes peeled for rustic scenes reminiscent of California's ranch days. The satellite dishes near Qualcomm in Sorrento Valley and the occasional fighter jet or helicopter overhead from Miramar Air Station serve as a reminder of the high tech activities of the area.







Leaving the Sorrento Valley behind, the train breaches onto the coast near Torrey Pines. If your eyes are peeled you may see a deer or many birds off to the left. Runners and hikers alike appreciate the trails that run from Torrey Pines to Del Mar along a bluff protected from the hum of cars. The Coaster runs right through Del Mar and the racetrack is visible from the train. Stop in Solana Beach to stay in resorts like the Auberge, or dine along the beach at Poseidon or Jake's. Head to Pizza Port in Solana Beach for grub and grog before hitting the Belly Up for some live music or stroll through the Cedros Design District.





Cyclists love North County for the ability to ride unimpinged by cross traffic from North to South along the Ocean. To get to Cardiff, get off at Encinitas and go south. In Cardiff, you may spot surfer Rob Machado at Swami's , or meditate inwards at the Self Realization Fellowship. At the end of the day, for seafood try the Chart House or the Beach House in Cardiff by the Sea.















Get off the train in Encinitas for shopping at the Lumberyard or Encinitas Main Street, or just walk north up the Pacific Coast Highway and enjoy a coffee at Pannikin in Leucadia. If you are just after some simple eats, stop in Encinitas and you are sure to find what you are looking for, even if it is hard to find a raw food dish. Don't miss Lou's Records or Shatto and Sons Shirts in Leucadia.







The Coaster allows you to see some wildlife that is otherwise vanishing in Los Angeles and downtown San Diego. See birds in the numerous North County Lagoons north of Torrey Pines, and walk alongside coastal sage at Poinsettia Station. It is too far to walk, but from the Poinsettia Station you may access Lego Land, the Four Seasons at Aviara,shopping at the Carlsbad Forumand the Carlsbad Outlets, and the La Costa Resort and Spa.



Thursday, August 13, 2009

AED needs of the mariner community

OK, so this is a gem, I received this email (edited for privacy) from an emergency medicine interest group. Why didn't I try and study the AED needs of the mariner community?

When I was doing my residency in New York I sent an email to the FDNY EMS and they weren't interested in putting AED's in the main subway switching stations. They did a preliminary look at the rates of cardiac arrest near a subway station and found it would not be cost effective.

I had an idea to create legislation to put AED's in every television in America, with onscreen instructions in how to use them.. That would probably have saved lives.

Clearly I was not thinking along the right path. I should have taken off and sailed for a month and put the whole thing to rest.

"My name is XXXXX and I am currently a chief resident of the XXXXX Emergency Medicine Residency Program. I have sailed for many years and have an interest in the field of maritime medicine. I plan to do a one month elective at sea on a XXXX sailboat in the Caribbean. I plan to study the medical needs and insight of the mariner community's medical needs, specifically as it relates on on-board AEDs. I was interested if you could forward this to section members that I might talk with further about their expertise relating to this issue and possibly partnering with them on this research initiative. I appreciate your assistance and look forward to hearing from you."

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Every seat a window seat

So if Jet Blue would put a webcam on the wing and have it look down or ahead, or heck, even back at the plane, then display the image on their seat back monitors they could make every seat a window seat! They could even put a cam in the cockpit so we could see the crew in flight! Wait. Maybe we don't want to see that. Is this just another idea for halfbakery?

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Union Square Clock


I just ran across this pic as I was reorganizing my photos. It is a pic of the clock in Union Square, New York taken March 12, 2009.The clock is called "The Metronome", and is part of an art installation. I learned this mostly by talking to a homeless man asking for money. The numbers from the left signify the time of day. Thus, this photo was taken at 07:14. AM, forty five seconds into the minute. The numbers reading from the right indicate the time remaining in the day. Thus, from right to left, there are sixteen hours, forty five minutes, and fourteen seconds left in the day. The numbers in the middle signify tenths of seconds.