Old World Romance

My husband and I haven’t celebrated Valentine’s Day in years. After spending a couple of weeks in Barcelona four years ago, we adopted another romantic holiday instead: Diada de Sant Jordi, or Saint George’s Day (April 23). Rather than scrambling for reservations and making a mad dash to some crowded restaurant after work, we exchange books on the day Catalonia honors its patron saint who slew a dragon to save a princess. Legend has it that where the dragon’s blood spilled on cobblestones, a beautiful rosebush grew. So on this day, women get roses.

This year, with this magazine as our inspiration, we’ve agreed to seek out books on the history of local design and architecture. As downtown finally comes of age, all the buzz has been about the sleek and sexy. But every now and then it’s nice to revisit our roots and rekindle our love affair with earlier San Diego.

In this issue, a Point Loma family shares their love of homes with old souls. Theirs is a romantic Spanish Revival with hand-blown glass lanterns and a giant old redwood out front. Sure, they could have bought a new place in one of the county’s master-planned communities, but instead they chose to own a part of San Diego history. To them, salvaging the timeless character of the decades-old house was worth the long, meticulous remodel process. And today, they not only have Spanish tile and exposed wood beams to call their own, they entertain, watch DVDs on flat screens, taste wine from a high-tech cellar and live a very modern life in their old-world home.

And for those of us who surf the Web daily but still love the age-old approach to reading books and magazines, San Diego Magazine is offering the best of both worlds: San Diego At Home is now available in an interactive format online. You’ll not only be able to flip through the digital pages of the magazine, you’ll also have access to bonus features such as the latest trends in home furnishings and accessories; a custom builder’s advice for fire victims; and a look inside Boomerang for Modern’s new home in Little Italy. Check it out at sandiegomagazine.com.

In an era obsessed with making fast things faster and virtual living as real as possible, isn’t it nice to know old-fashioned romance still exists today—even if you don’t believe in dragon slayers?

ROWENA KELLEY
Editor, San Diego At Home

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