There’s few places that combine history and scenery better than the Hotel del Coronado. The grand dame re-opens just in time for summer this weekend, but you may choose to turn again to Balboa Park, where another attraction has come back on line.
The Hotel Del will have some rules in place, and the main pool will not be open, but with all that beach right there, it’s not such a loss. Patrons can enjoy the hotel grounds, along with Serẽa restaurant, where tables will be spaced out for social distancing. Masks will be required.
The Japanese Friendship Garden is next up at Balboa Park, but distancing rules also must be followed here, and yes, keep that mask handy. To minimize contact, 200 people will be allowed in the garden at a time. There also will be limited access to the Lower Garden, including the pavilion, and at the koi pond. Admission costs $12.
Parents, we know you need a break. Try Escondido’s San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum for Live Fun Animal Friday on Facebook at 10 a.m. Friday with a sloth and an Argentinian lizard, the tegu. The interactive event is a partnership with Pacific Animal Productions. Come back for more as the museum also offers story time and craft videos throughout the week.
Breakthrough Workshop Theatre, of San Diego, offers a free stream of the documentary Dear Harvey, at 6 p.m. Friday. The film links the play Dear Harvey, commissioned in San Diego and inspired by the work of LGBT pioneer Harvey Milk, with the lives of those who created and performed in it. Watch live on Breakthrough’s YouTube channel. An Instagram Live concert by Thomas Hodges follows – @thomashodgesmusic.
Check out Switchfoot’s Bro-Am show at 5 p.m. Saturday. The streamed performance also features Judah Akers (sans the Lion), NeedtoBreathe, Colony House and the New Respects. Tickets cost $10.99.
Watch for two mainstream films, one a classic by Oscar winner Spike Lee, streaming free. Lee’s Do the Right Thing, from 1989, about racial tensions on a summer’s day in Brooklyn, is available through Monday on multiple platforms, including Amazon, Apple, Google, Redbox, Vudu and more. Check YouTube too for the American Film Institute’s Thursday discussion of the film with Lee.
Meanwhile, you have until month’s end for the free stream of Just Mercy, starring Michael B. Jordan and Oscar winner Jamie Foxx. The movie, from last year, tells the true story of a young attorney (Jordan) who steps up to defend a man on death row (Foxx) in Alabama. It’s also available on multiple platforms, including YouTube.
– Staff reports