San Diego Homes.org

Del Mar is renowned as one of the most beautiful destinations on the California coastline.

In addition to the 2.5 miles of sandy beach, the Del Mar Thouroghbred Club, home of the race track Bing Crosby made famous crooning "Where the Turf Meets the Surf" during the late 30's and then again after WWII, is the summer draw for the well heeled.

But did you know that Del Mar in the winter is one of the jewels of Southern California? From October to February one can expect mostly sunny days with temperatures in the 60s and 70s, with over night lows in the 50s, making Del Mar a vacation beach rental haven for snowbirds.

Dating back to the turn of the century, Escondido's Grape Day originated in 1908 to celebrate the area's number one crop, grapes.

When: 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday

Where: Festival in Grape Day Park, 321 N. Broadway. Parade begins at 9:30 a.m., on Grand Avenue from Escondido Boulevard to Juniper Street.

What: Grape stomping, free grapes for eating, arts and crafts, food court, fun zone and bake sale.

In it's heyday, the Grape Day Parade was almost as popular as Pasadena's Rose Parade.

If you are looking for a slice of history, packaged as good old fashioned family fun, then don't miss the Grape Day Festival and Parade.

According to Global Insight, a financial and economic analysis firm, home prices in San Diego County have fallen 32% of its peak.

According to James Diffley, who directs Global Insight's regional services group,

“A metro area like San Diego has, in a sense, fallen too much. You still have a huge amount of properties for sale. That's going to depress prices further, regardless of what you think about the (area's economic) fundamentals.”

He cautined that because of the looming foreclosures though, prices could drop another 10%.

The California High-Speed Rail Authority heard about the benefits expected by local San Diego Couny officials if Proposition 1A, the plan to build a high-speed train system in California, passes in November.

"The presence of the California High-Speed Rail Authority here in San Diego marks the start of an era -- an era of improved mobility throughout the state and an era that ensures San Diego has a place at the table when it comes time to disperse Proposition 1A funds to build the high-speed rail system," said Gary Gallegos, executive director of the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG).

Canadian-based Zoom Airlines, is no longer zooming fron San Diego to London. The economy airline cancelled all flights and grounded it's entire fleet on August 28th, stating that it will file for bankruprct protection in Canada and and the United Kingdom.

Zoom had been operating twice-weekly nonstop flights from Lindbergh Field to London for the last two months, beginning June 20th.

The airlines cited soaring fuel costs as the reason, with their fuel bill hitting $50 million, an insurmountable amount not possible to recoup from passengers.

The news brought two typical reactions. Disappointment from the tourist industry who were hoping to get greater access to European travelers, and frustration from Charger fans who had booked fligkts on Zoom to London to watch the Chargers play in Wembly Stadium on October 26th.