Things to Do in La Jolla

Through innovation and a passion for creation, Eleanor Burns revolutionized the process by which quilts are made. She cast off the shackles of scissors and templates for a more visceral approach that combines the ripping and stripping of fabric with an assembly-line approach to sewing. The new process brought an exciting speed to an activity once known for taking months and causing anyone who attempted it to grow a 4-foot beard. To spread the word and bolster the quilting community, she released her first book, Make a Quilt in a Day––Log Cabin Pattern.

Thirty years and 100 quilt books and patterns later, she continues to promote the art of the quilt and to improve the efficiencies of quilt construction. Along with a staff of fellow seamstresses, she began Quilt in a Day to further spread her message through simple and social classes filled with thorough and accurate instruction. Beginners can register for classes or attend a demo day, where refreshments fuel entertainment and scraps of fabric fly.

In 1991, the eponymous founder of Losina Art Center, Olya Losina, moved to La Jolla from Moscow, where she was raised among a vibrant artistic community and served as the art director for the Soviet Union's largest multilingual publishing facility. Losina's fine-art methods, which she honed while obtaining her master's degree at Moscow University, focus on teaching art as a science. While helping her students at the center to work toward mastery of portraiture, the human form, landscapes, and still-life subjects, she performs exercises that aim to reach them on a subconscious level. Together with Losina, the students examine the conscious thoughts that often intrude upon creative expression. They approach the artistic consciousness as a surgeon would approach a brain when trying to dislodge catchy pop tunes from the frontal lobe. With obstructions cleared, pupils find themselves able to work freely and efficiently.

The paddle wheels of The Sternwheelers' two signature boats churn through the blue-green waters of Mission Bay, transporting passengers back more than a century to when steamboats dominated America's rivers. Across the 100-foot-long William D. Evans, festive events with up to 600 passengers unfold under ornamental pressed-tin ceilings, handcrafted lamps, and the astronaut-crafted stars viewable on the open-air top deck. Handmade masts at the bow lead the ship's way, and its hundreds of decorative bulbs illuminate the bay at night. Bahia Belle, William D. Evans' smaller sibling, offers a more intimate space for gatherings. Its Victorian decor and architecture make way for a stained-glass skylight that beams vivid colors across its interior, resplendent with cast-iron staircases and red-velvet curtains. Weddings, banquets, and other events also take place on the boats between public cruises, each craft's rich detailing setting the tone for trips to remember.

[[m:####South Sun Products

Bursting with beads and jewel-crafting necessities, South Sun Products' inventory equips do-it-yourself jewelers with the tools to craft delicate adornments at home or in myriad classes. South Sun Products manufactured jewelry for two decades before opening its enormous retail store, giving the public access to its colorful treasure trove of rare and natural gemstones and beads. The staffers also stock chains, earwires, and other necessary parts to help crafters easily affix their beaded creations to a loved one's wrist without painful hot glue. An ever-rotating schedule of classes keeps curious beaders enthralled with wire-working, beading, and other jewelry-smithing workshops.:m]]

Inside the colorful CeramiCafe, more than 500 bare pieces of pottery await creative embellishments and an eventual trip to the kiln. Mugs, banks, figurines, and tiles become canvases for visitors, who can personalize them using provided stencils or by covering them with recent grocery receipts. The helpful staff glaze and fire pieces to seal in artwork and create a glossy sheen, with final products ready for debut in five days. Outside the pottery realm, in mosaic projects, artists can use glass tiles, marbles, and broken pottery to doll up picture frames, mirrors, or plaques. Meanwhile, parents can immortalize a child's early days by pressing their tiny hands and favorite action figure into a pad of clay to make a lasting print.

Possessing nearly 30 years of experience, Captain Nathan Beall guides anglers on The Long Run, a 42-foot six-pack sportfishing charter. Venturing into waters off San Diego and Mexico, Beall and his crew cast out live bait or plastic lures during both trolling and drifting trips. Catches vary by season, and may include hauls of lingcod, halibut, and multiple species of tuna. For trophy hunters, Beall takes anglers on excursions for shark and marlin. Trips can last from a few hours to 2.5 days, and The Long Run enhances guests' comfort with a full galley, sound system, and eco-friendly engine that minimizes fumes and noise.

Cleaning is included with most trips, though crews enforce a catch-and-release policy for protected species, such as shark and scuba divers. In addition to guided fishing trips, Beall charters The Long Run for private parties, sunset cruises, and whale watching.