In early December, the Holiday Bowl’s new setting in Petco Park was of huge local and national interest. Unfortunately, the college football game scheduled for December 28 wound up cancelled due to COVID concerns.
After UCLA declared it didn’t have enough players to safely field a team, Holiday Bowl officials spent a night looking for a last-minute substitute opponent to play North Carolina State.
That search came up empty. The San Diego Padres, which oversees ticket sales in Petco Park, its home field, is readying a plan to refund Holiday Bowl ticket owners.
Despite the last-minute scratch, the story was the most widely read on San Diego Sun, an entertaining hyperlocal news site focused on downtown San Diego.
Off to a roaring start-up, here are the Top 5 most widely read stories on San Diego Sun from 2021:
Unlike the football teams, UCLA’s band got to compete in a battle of the bands with N.C. State’s band. (Photo by John Cordes/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) |
1. Holiday Bowl Exec Promises: “We’ll Have The Best Bowl Experience In The Country”
From a preview story that ran in the San Diego Sun on December 15:
“Moving the game and all the events downtown is a complete game-changer,” says Mark Neville, CEO of the San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl. “We’ll have the best bowl experience in the country.”
Dang it.
Kaushal Patel is an East Village-based realtor who helps others find the perfect place to live. (Courtesy photo) |
2. LIVING IN THE CITY: Kaushal Patel
“Living In the City” is the San Diego Sun‘s feature Q&A with downtown San Diego residents. It’s a way to get to know the city by meeting the people who live here. This is an ongoing series.
Want to tell your downtown San Diego story? Send an email to [email protected]
The band Marujah cruises downtown aboard Wonderbus. |
3. Hello, Wonderbus! Get Onboard This Mobile Music Venue
Wonderbus was spawned in part because the Wonderfront Music & Arts Festival was put on hold.
Ernie Hahn and his partner, Bob Ridgeway, bought a double-decker bus and converted the top level into a state-of-the-art stage for bands. The lower level is a VIP Lounge.
Wonderbus has toured all over San Diego County. This past summer bands played rolling gigs in Barrio Logan, Del Mar and Ocean Beach, among other stops.
Bub’s sports bar in East Village. |
4. Best Downtown San Diego Sports Bars
This list includes bars and restaurants in East Village, Gaslamp Quarter and Little Italy. All have TVs aplenty and carry the NFL package (so you can watch every game).
No algorithm was used to pick the list. It’s based on experience and ambiance.
Some spots are dive-y. A few lean upscale. All sustain the American dream for fall: Provide cold beer, warm food and the uninhibited right to yell at referees and go bonkers over a diving catch in the end zone.
The San Diego Comic-Con Special Edition returned the convention center in November. |
5. “The Best Thing I Saw” at San Diego Comic-Con Special Edition 2021
Comic-Con returned! In person, though at about one-third regular attendance.
It didn’t happening on its traditional July dates—but Comic-Con Special Edition 2021 beamed back for a November 26-28 run at the San Diego Convention Center.
The regular show returns with all its cosplay glory July 21-24, 2022.
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