Stir up your evening or grab a nightcap at Frankie’s, the swanky new cocktail lounge in downtown Oceanside. A mellow haven with a distinguished interior, the Pier View Way venue offers select high-end drinks at 5 p.m. weekdays with a 1 p.m. start on weekends. Slide into a padded booth, relax at the long bar, or watch the world go by while sipping on the patio. Enjoy classic cocktails such as martinis or whiskey sours, or try traditions with a twist — such as the tropical Sherry Colada. Masterful mixologists can also whip up just about any custom order....

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Check out the "Esco Alley Art" mural project, with 17 new murals in the alley south of Grand between Broadway and Kalmia. This is the fourth phase of the project, which launched in 2021 with 33 murals decorating the alley. The paintings are just one of the many things to see in downtown Escondido! For more information, visit the Escondido Downtown Business Association or call (760) 207-6321.

Savor complimentary samples of fresh, antioxidant-rich olive oils, vinegars, herbs and spices at this culinary shop, one of two locations in Old Town San Diego. The bright boutique is a popular stop for locals and tourists strolling San Diego Avenue, Old Town's main thoroughfare. Family-owned and operated, this company of premier Southern California olive oil growers produces signature offerings such as Fresh Blood Orange Olive Oil, described as "an orange kissed by a raspberry." Vinegars include Fresh Apple Balsamico Bianco, perfect for summer salad dressings or a glaze for chicken or turkey. The shop also carries other foodie delights such as...

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Dive into Oceanside's newest seafood sensation, Shootz Fish x Beer, "where flavors from Maui and Baja collide." Having dropped anchor within Tremont Collective’s Bottlecraft shop (a San Diego-based craft beer bar and retail bottle company), this fast-casual eatery serves fresh-off-the-boat fish tacos, Hawaiian-style poke, sustainable oysters, and daily specials. Poke purists, taco devotees and craft beer lovers simply order at the counter and are rewarded with the most innovative tastes around. Beer offerings such as the house Japanese lager — contract-brewed by San Diego standout AleSmith — complement the mouthwatering menu. Order online to pick up, or savor on the collective’s communal 3,400-square-foot open-air patio...

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Circle the past and ride the historic Balboa Park Carousel, built in 1910 and an iconic attraction in Balboa Park since 1922! Visitors may choose to ride any of 58 uniquely painted animals, all hand-carved with basswood. Almost all of the animals on this classic menagerie model carousel are original — excluding the four small horses that were added in the early 1960s — as are the elegant paintings on the center panels and the outer rounding-boards, the band organ, and the brass ring game. Rides are 5 minutes long, with a top speed on the outside ring of 13 miles per hour. Rides are timed the old-fashioned way: with...

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