Meridian Collective » Pacific Beach

Floatopia

Will Parson — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 17:39:41 +0000

Revelers enjoy the Floatopia event in Mission Bay near Fanuel Street Park in San Diego, March 20, 2010. Roughly 5,000 people took to the water to skirt an alcohol ban on San Diego's beaches.

Like tan, overdeveloped leafcutter ants carrying inflatable rafts ten times their size, several thousand students and twenty-somethings swarmed Mission Bay on the first day of spring for a water party known as Floatopia. Revelers set themselves adrift on buoyant objects running the gamut from large inflatable castle to overnight twin mattress in an effort to spend spring break appropriately inebriated. Floatopia took its name from a similar event in Santa Barbara, and appeared in San Diego after a loophole was discovered in a recent alcohol ban that covered San Diego Beaches, but not the water.

Ultimately no one drowned, though police and lifeguards were kept busy issuing citations and keeping everyone safe.

Floatopia had over 10,000 confirmed guests on its Facebook event page, though the number of revelers in attendance was closer to 5,000. The page summed it up best, as always, in all capitals:

“GET DRUNK!

GET FU**ED

HAVE FUN

BE REPONSIBLE

SEE YOU THERE!!!!!!!!!!”

Kasey Connors from Escondido enjoys Floatopia in Mission Bay near Fanuel Street Park in San Diego, March 20, 2010.

A reveler carries a raft, the bottom of which tore open during Floatopia.

See more images from Floatopia – Images by Will Parson

Sunday Morning Sidewalk

Will Parson — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 04:04:48 +0000

After a month’s hiatus, Sunday Morning Sidewalk is back! This week I took a friend’s Holga for a spin one last time before returning it. What you get out of a Holga is always a suprise, but it’s hard not be enamored by all the douple exposed, blurred, vignetted goodness.

One roll through this cheap plastic camera yields twelve photos. Of those twelve, which I took while quickly walking up and down the boardwalk in Pacific Beach at sunset, here are eight nine I’m willing to reveal.

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Sunday Morning Sidewalk

Will Parson — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 22:41:47 +0000

This week’s wanderings took me from La Jolla to Pacific Beach, from Serra Mesa to North Park. I shot a lot of windows during my people-watching. Highlights included an engaging conversation with my favorite local demigod Slomo.

John Kitchin, also known as Slomo, rolls down the boardwalk in San Diego's Pacific Beach.

Scott Gregg from Oceanside sits above the boardwalk at Banana Bungalow in Pacific Beach.

Serra Mesa:

La Jolla:

Visitors walk a red carpet at the grand opening of the Ferrari showroom on Pearl Street in La Jolla.

North Park:

December in San Diego

Will Parson — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 17:23:20 +0000

I’ve heard more than one complaint about the frigid weather in San Diego lately. Yesterday’s high was 57 degrees…

A jogger runs by a souvenir stand on the boardwalk in Pacific Beach on December 9. Photo by Will Parson