I Left My Heart in San Diego

The site of the Evolution of Polymer Clay conference is only a two hour drive from my house, so Maria del Pinto, conference vendor chairman and president of my guild, and I went down to check the place out last week. I almost stayed.


From the massive workroom to the well-appointed dorm rooms to the excellent food, you are all in for a treat.

Registration should be underway by the time you read this.

We met Pam, the conference co-chair, at her place of business, in the heart of one of the big tourist attractions, Old Town San Diego. This is a “must see” area and I’m sure many trips to this fun and historic area, and others, will be sought after.

In Old Town we have The Shepardess with beads, wire, findings and fabulous artist work; Lost Cities, another bead store; The Shop on the Corner with fibers, charms and buttons; and Stampaholic, a wonderful rubber stamp store. Some of the proprietors will be bringing their wares to our all day vendor fair on Wednesday.

Across the street is the Bazaar del Mundo with shops and restaurants. There are Guatemalan fabrics, Laurel Birch and a great selection of Jon Anderson works to name a few. And the aroma when you enter Old Town is enough to make the strongest dieter among us throw up their hands and say “No diet today!”
 
 
We hopped in Pam’s car for the trip to the campus of San Diego State University about a 15-minute drive. Set high on a hillside this campus has changed considerably since my daughter spent her first semester of college in 1978! I remember the inconvenience of the school being built on two sides of a busy highway. Now there is a wonderful pedestrian bridge connecting the living spaces with the University. (Plan on a brisk 2-minute morning walk to classes or a moderate to slow 4-minute walk.) The wide flat bridge is accessible to wheel chairs and mobility scooters. Our classes and workspaces will be in the Aztec center.

The dorms are divided into suites of about 4 bedrooms each with a common area where the full-size refrigerator and microwave live. A larger lounge is on each floor.  We didn’t get to see an actual room but there is a description on the SDSU web site, and the EoPc website as well.  http://www.rohan.sdsu.edu/~sdsutour//.

Bring your bathing suits. The pool area is great and I will be teaching water aerobics in my spare time. Ha! Ha! Anyway that is the plan.


Food has always been a sore spot; at least in the conferences I have attended. You are going to need that walk across the bridge after eating in the extensive dining room! The campus food service area in the dorm building has everything!  From the salad bar to the yummy desserts - all dietary needs are met.  You can make your own waffles for breakfast and pizza or sandwiches for lunch. And there are a variety of hot entrees. The ice cream machine has real ice cream and the beverage area has a cappuccino machine! It is all-you–can-eat cafeteria style eating (take your tray from station to station.)

	The mini-mart on the first floor of the dorm sells a variety of microwavable entrees and the student union, the Aztec Center, which is over by our workroom and classroom area, has a Pizza place and deli. ATM’s are strategically located.
Then, if you still aren’t satisfied, within walking distance are a Starbucks, Pizza place, and Carl’s Jr., just to name a few.

The vendor fair will be all day on Wednesday August 11^th, and is going to be open to the public, as will the exhibits and Marketplace. (Supplies, consignment artwork and souvenirs).

We are still working out a lot of details and the electrician nearly had a heart attack when we talked about lighting and ovens. But he did want to know what we were cooking. I think he was kind of disappointed when I showed him the pendant I was wearing and said, “this”. He was probably hoping for some delectable delicacies that he could sample.

 Watch the web site and news groups for updates. See you in San Diego!
August 8-15, 2004.