We begin with the most simple tense in the English language: the Simple Present. If you can read and understand this post, then you probably know the basics of the Simple Present: the tense is used to talk about general truths, facts, and things that always happen. For example:

• I always eat breakfast at the Mission Cafe on Sunday.
• I never say bad words.
• We go to Yosemite every summer for vacation.
• She loves the color yellow.

But there are many, many more uses of the Simple Present that you may or may not know. The following are some lesser known uses of the Simple Present.

• To quote something or someone. Even if the quote was said in the past, it is proper English to use a Simple Present verb to present the quote.

- The pamphlet says “San Diego’s Coronado Beach is the number one beach in the United States.”

- The San Francisco Giants claim they will win the World Series again this year.

• To tell a story about something that happened in the past, you can use the Simple Present.

- In the documentary “Inocente,” the main character, Inocente, is a young girl from San Diego who struggles to become an artist even though she is homeless.

- The San Francisco 49ers get their name from the men who arrived in the area during the 1849 California Gold Rush.

• The Simple Present is also common in newspaper and website news headlines:

- San Francisco Giants win the World Series

- San Diego weather heats up for summer

• To talk about an event that is scheduled to happen in the future.

- Our plane for Vegas leaves at 10 am.

- The sun sets late tonight.

- CISL class begins at 9 am.

• When narrating something as it happens.

- Kobe Bryant spins around the opponent, shoots, and scores!

• Talking about planned events in the order they will occur.

- Let’s review the plan for CISL orientation tomorrow. Students come in, the front desk attendant greets them, gives them a packet, and leads them to the testing room. Students listen to the opening speech and take a test. Then, they have lunch. After that, they go on a tour. Right?

• To discuss scientific facts. 

- Water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit and 0 degrees Celsius.

- Animals attack when they feel threatened.

- Elephants weigh up to 15,000 pounds. The San Diego Zoo says so!

We hope that you learned something new about the many uses of the Simple Present. As you can see, it is used for a lot more than just explaining unchanging conditions! Next month? Lesson number 2 of 12. Stay tuned!

San Francisco is filled with typical movie theaters with the usual buckets of popcorn, licorice sticks, and sodas. But the Sundance Cinema Kabuki is an entirely different experience. Guests reserve tickets in advance (much like a concert) and have assigned seats. Guests do not chow down on popcorn and licorice: they choose from the theater’s impressive menu, with items like the above-mentioned salad and desserts, or delicious pizzas and appetizers like the Mediterranean Plate with hummus, baba ganoush, dolmas, and pita bread. And instead of sodas, guests can enjoy cocktails. Now THAT is a movie-watching experience to remember!

Have you been to any of these restaurants? Send us your photos at blog (at) cisl.edu!

Restaurants with the Best Views in San Diego

Downtown/Embarcadero

Top of the Hyatt

On the 40th floor of the beautiful Hyatt hotel is a bar that will take your breath away. Enjoy 360-degree views of Downtown San Diego, the Pacific Ocean, San Diego Bay and Coronado from this incredible location. Don’t miss the champagne toast at sunset!

Top of the Market

Located right on the water of the San Diego Bay, Top of the Market is a restaurant for those looking to get so close to the water that they can almost touch it! The entire restaurant is lined with windows, providing a view from nearly every table, and the patio area is a perfect place to watch the ships sail by.

Pacific Beach

PB Shore Club

Diners looking for a casual lunch or dinner–and a great chance of seeing dolphins!–should check out PB Shore Club. The bar boasts the best views of Pacific Beach and also has delicious lobster tacos. Make sure to bring your I.D.: you must be over 21 to enter.

Harbor Island

Bali Hai

An old, classic restaurant in San Diego underwent a makeover several years ago and is still a favorite hangout for locals. The restaurant’s beautiful views of Downtown San Diego make any meal memorable, but make sure to also take a walk along the pier before or after dinner: it is a great place to take some photos of the city!

Del Mar

Pacifica Del Mar

Another classic restaurant, Pacifica Del Mar is built in a small shopping center that includes high-end boutiques, several other restaurants, and a wine bar called Sip by Flavor Del Mar. The shopping center is built above the parking garage, raising the restaurant and all of the buildings up for a stunning view of the water.  New chef Stephanie, who has a Peruvian background, puts together interesting meals with ingredients from many cultures.

Coronado

Hotel del Coronado

The most famous hotel in California is also home to one of the most loved locations to grab a drink or some food. The Hotel del Coronado’s bar offers a beautiful location to sit and watch tourists, joggers, beach-goers, and locals mingle, and the cocktails are surprisingly not as overpriced as you’d expect, considering how expensive a night in the hotel is!

Il Fornaio

On the other side of Coronado is Il Fornaio, a popular American restaurant. Il Fornaio is located on the water and provides guests with views of the San Diego Bay, the Downtown skyline, and the Coronado Bridge. Breathtaking!

La Jolla

The Shores Restaurant

Because the village of La Jolla is built on a cliff, many of its restaurants have a beautiful view of the water. The Shores is one of the most famous and is a great place for a date night or a night with friends. Many bars have live music on the weekends, so make sure to bring your dancing shoes!

1. Hot-blooded (from King Lear)

Definition: Angry

2. Inaudible (from All’s Well That Ends Well)

Definition: unable to hear

3. Manager (from A Midsummer Night’s Dream)

Definition: the boss, person in charge

4. New-fangles (from Love’s Labour’s Lost)

Definition: new and confusing

5. Scuffle (from Antony and Cleopatra)

Definition: a fight

Pronounced “po-key,” this dish is the Hawaiian version of sushi. Raw tuna is mixed with soy sauce and spices and served as an appetizer in most Hawaiian restaurants. It is delicious, healthy, and a “must-try” dish!

If you cannot make it to Hawaii during your time at CISL, do not worry: Hawaiian food comes to San Diego every May for the I Love Poke Festival. This year’s festival, the fourth of its kind, will be held on May 29 at the Bali Hai restaurant near Point Loma.

During the festival, San Diego chefs compete to see who makes the best poke. In addition to sampling massive amounts of poke, guests will also get to try the Hawaiian fusion dishes that over 30 San Diego restaurants proudly have on their menus. Of course, you must follow up the delicious poke with another Hawaiian tradition: shave ice!

The festival will be held from 6 pm to 9 pm at the Bali Hai, which is very close to the airport and Point Loma. Bali Hai offers beautiful views of the Downtown San Diego skyline. Tickets are $55 and can be purchased here:

https://ilovepokefestival.webconnex.com/sandiego

To see some fun videos of last year’s I Love Poke Festival, check out this Vimeo page:

http://ilovemusubi.com/poke/

Have fun, and aloha!

Don’t miss the 2nd I Love Poke Festival Orange County!  Wednesday, June 5th from 6 – 9pm at Don the Beachcomber Restaurant in Huntington Beach.  Click here for more information and tickets.

Most students–especially those who have been to or are from Japan–note that the sushi you find in California restaurants can be different from the sushi in the East. In fact, “Western sushi” is a style of sushi that is very popular in the U.S. This style of sushi began when the California Roll was invented. The California Roll consists of imitation crab, cucumber, sweet sauce, and the final (very Californian) ingredient: avocado. It is very popular in U.S. sushi restaurants.

After the California Roll was invented, the sushi industry exploded with new, inventive rolls. The following is a guide of some of the rolls you might see on a menu in the U.S.

Common sushi menu items in California

Alaska roll

Similar to a California roll, this roll has raw salmon instead of crab. (Alaska is known for its delicious  wild salmon!)

The Dynamite roll is a favorite of many Americans. Photo from Japanese Food Adventures.

Dynamite roll

Yellowtail or prawn tempura are the base of this roll. It is filled with ingredients like bean sprouts, carrots, avocado, cucumber, chili, spicy mayo, and roe.

Philadelphia roll

Cream cheese in a roll? It might sound strange, but the creaminess of the Philadelphia cream cheese works well with the cucumber, avocado, and salmon. This simple roll is found throughout the U.S. and is even sold for take away in many grocery stores.

Rainbow roll

So colorful! Avocado and a mixture of sashimi (yellowtail, salmon, tuna, etc.) top this roll and give it beautiful colors, hence the name. It is a delicious work of art!

Mango roll

If Americans put cheese in a roll (see the above Philadelphia roll!) then it is no surprise that they also enjoy fruit with their sushi! Typically, a mango roll has avocado, crab meat, tempura shrimp, and mango slices. It is topped with a creamy mango sauce. Although it is sweet, it is often spicy as well. A great combination!

Spider roll

Soft-shell crab is the main meat of this roll, which is also stuffed with cucumber, avocado, and usually spicy mayonnaise. Yum! The best thing about this roll is the texture combination: soft-shelled crab is fried and is slightly crispy, the rice is soft, and the avocado and mayo are creamy. Yum!

San Diego and San Francisco are filled with delicious sushi restaurants. What is your favorite place to eat sushi in these two beautiful cities?

Our newest activity at CISL San Francisco is “Lunch with Derrick”. Derrick, one of our Client Services Coordinators and DSO, has a sincere dedication to all things delicious. He often is the first staff member to try the latest restaurant in town and report back on how tasty the food is (or isn’t).

Derrick’s food adventures often include food trucks as they are an exciting opportunity to try various types of cuisine in a convenient and casual atmosphere.

He often visits the “food truck of the day” during his lunch break, and has recently begun inviting students at Converse to get out of their comfort zones and have a uniquely San Francisco experience. The website http://www.truckstopsf.com gives daily information about the location and genre of food available each afternoon.

This past Tuesday, Derrick and 12 students from CISL San Francisco visited The Chairman http://www.thechairmantruck.com/ and had the exciting opportunity to wait in line with native English speakers, and choose from a unique menu. Popular items include Taiwanese bun sandwiches filled with tender pork belly, Muscovy duck confit, or spicy chicken with toasted sesame puree. The Chairman was voted “Best Food Truck” by San Francisco Magazine, so the CISL students had the opportunity to sample flavors that are inspired by the original street food of Asia.

The San Francisco Food Truck scene is amazing! When you visit San Francisco, eating from at least one food truck is a must! Happy Eating to all of you, whether from a stationary San Francisco restaurant or one on wheels!

The 101-year old Bay to Breakers 12 kilometer run is one of the world’s largest and oldest marathons, and is a beloved tradition in San Francisco. Every year, thousands of people register and run in this historic race. If you are living and studying English in San Francisco, this is an event you can’t miss!

Why the name Bay to Breakers? The name comes from the traditional course, which starts at the Embarcadero (the “bay”) and ends at Ocean Beach (the “breaker”).

What makes this race so special? Bay to Breakers is not just a typical footrace: although many runners are professional athletes and serious runners, many of the participants in BtoB are fun-loving people who dress in crazy costumes for the event. In fact, the event even has a costume contest with a $1,000 grand prize! Whether running or walking, the race is a great way to spend a day with friends and a fun way to get some exercise in the United States’ healthiest city.

It is important to note that all participants of Bay to Breakers must register for the event. To register, visit the Bay to Breakers website and pay the $58.00 registration fee. Sales at this price end on May 16; ticket prices will increase after this date.

Are YOU going to Bay to Breakers? Send us your costume pictures after the event! And have a great time!

All photos courtesy of Bay to Breakers. 

Rapper NAS visited Fluxx last month. Photos by Tim King, from Fluxx Facebook.

What makes FLUXX so special? The bar is known for its celebrity sightings as well as its constantly changing decor and many themes: the club undergoes a makeover every eight weeks! Examples of these themes include “Rainforest FLUXX,” when the nightclub was transformed into an exotic rainforest, and “Ritual,” when the club became a tropical-themed party. The entire club (over 11,000 square feet) morphed into a tropical paradise, and professional dancers dressed in tribal costumes were added entertainment during the event.

Another reason for FLUXX’s popularity is its 18 and over nights. FLUXX is one of several nightclubs in San Diego that have 18 and over nights. For a full list of clubs in San Diego that have 18 and over nights, check out this Yelp page.

Vocabulary words you may not know:

Accolade (noun): award

Undergo (verb): experience

Morph (verb): change

 Photos courtesy of Kari Gregg.