Mardi Gras in Gaslamp

Beads, cake, partying and more are just some of the events happening this year at Gaslamp Quarter for Mardi Gras.  Fat Tuesday may be coming up sooner than expected, but that does not mean it is too late to have a great Mardi Gras.  Check out all the great events happening in Gaslamp this Mardi Gras.

Mardis Gras in the Gaslamp
5-11 p.m. in the Gaslamp Quarter
The city’s biggest Mardis Gras event typically draws more than 2,000 people downtown to drink and dance. Four stages will dominate Fifth Avenue from Market Street to J Street, where revelers can dance the night away. Tickets start at $40 in advance.

Fat Tuesday Masquerade
9 p.m. to 2 a.m. at Hard Rock 207
Put on your best mask and head over to Club 207 at Hard Rock Hotel for a rockin' good time. Tickets start at $15.

Club VIP San Diego
5 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Fifth Avenue
For $30 you can get access to more than 15 downtown bars with the Club VIP pass. Access includes Analog, Vin De Syrah and McFadden’s Pub.

Hillcrest Mardis Gras
6 p.m. to 11 p.m. on University Avenue
This street festival is the one to be at for Mardis Gras. There’s more than a dozen performers, street vendors and a dance tent for those who want to end Fat Tuesday in style. Tickets start at $15.

For more information see NBC.

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Salk Institute Receives Grant

The Salk Institute for Biological Studies in San Diego has received it’s largest grant ever.  This grant will let the instituted research various cures and treatments for cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease.  The funds were awarded by the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust.  

 

The Salk Institute for Biological Studies has received its largest-ever grant, $42 million to establish a research center fordecoding common genetic factors among chronic human diseases.

 The funds were awarded by the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, named after the deceased New York hotel and commercial real estate tycoons.

The Helmsley Center for Genomic Medicine will support research in various disciplines that could lead to new treatment for cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer's disease, according to the Salk Institute.

 

"It will provide vital funding to enable our scientists to pursue the kinds of transformative scientific discoveries and advancements that will have worldwide impact on people's health for generations to come," said Salk President William Brody. "With its scale and unique focus on supporting vitally important basic scientific research, the Helmsley Charitable Trust stands among philanthropy's vanguard in promoting innovative cross-disciplinary initiatives such as this one."

Researchers who specialize in stem cell biology, endocrinology, cancer biology, metabolism, neurobiology, developmental biology, inflammation, and gene therapy will work at the center to learn about the molecular and genetic mechanisms that go awry in chronic disease.

The Helmsley Trust, with $4 billion in assets, has given away around $800 million since 2008 for health research, ending poverty, education, conservation and support of Israel.

Trustee John Codey said the trust decided to establish the center at Salk because of the institute's long track record of ground-breaking discoveries and the growing need to address chronic diseases.

"Millions of people suffer from chronic illnesses, and these diseases are placing an unsustainable burden on our healthcare system," Codey said. "The Helmsley Center for Genomic Medicine will help to address this by serving as an incubator for tomorrow's clinical treatments and cures."

Salk scientist Inder Verma said the center will include state-of-the-art technology and foster collaboration that would not be possible at individual laboratories.

For more information see 10 News.

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San Diego Restaurant Week

Are you participating in San Diego's Restaurant Week? There are over a 150 restaurants to try, and tons of deals and meals to pick from.  San Diego Magazine has narrowed it down to 40 restaurants that you need to try this week!

Restaurant Week kicks off Monday. Simple concept. Chefs create a special price fix menu. You pick an appetizer, entree and a dessert from a few options. And then they heavily, heavily discount the cost. So, go nuts.

Only problem? There are 187 restaurants this year. A boatload. So I Casey Kasem'd the list down to the RESTAURANT WEEK TOP 40. After eating at a majority over the last six years, I feel your path to enlightenment lays with these—the best, the brightest, the newest, the most generous. I thought about doing a Top 10, but every year the Top 10 are sold out or only have 5PM reservations available. Plus, maybe you just feel like sushi tonight, not fancypants California-Franco cuisine. Or, let's say you don't want to drive to La Jolla. This list will give you a quality handful of options—different cuisine, price range, menu—depending on your mood, appetite and geographical concerns.

I then went through every menu and pretended like I was ordering. By no means follow my menu choices. I just liked spending five hours of my day role-playing. And it gives you a decent idea of what they're serving. Click on any portion of our selects to go to the full menu.

For more information see San Diego Magazine.

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Let Your Kids Dare to Dream

Take your kids to see princes and princesses at the Disney on Ice: Dare to Dream event.  The show will be held at the Valley View Casino Center on January 23rd.  The kids will experience all of their favorite stories on ice including Cinderella and Princess and the Frog. 

Disney on Ice Presents Dare to Dream

Wednesday, Jan 23 7:00p

 

at Valley View Casino Center, San Diego, CA

 

Price: $10 - $60

 

Phone: (800) 345-3000

 

Age Suitability: All Ages 

 

Join a celebration of royal proportions when Rapunzel, Tiana and Cinderella star in the all-new ice skating production of Disney On Ice presents Dare to Dream! Relive memorable moments from Tangled, The Princess and the Frog and Cinderella as a cast of world-class skaters brings the romance, humor and adventure of the films to life in this contemporary skating spectacular. Combining the contemporary stories of two modern-day princesses, Rapunzel and Tiana, with the elegance of Cinderella .

For more information see UT San Diego.

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