We’re so amped for the COMIC CON invasion! The nerds have taken over the 92101 and San Diego’s Downtown has been absolutely transformed into a city-wide GEEK PARTY MECCA for the next 4 days baybay!!!

As loyal fans to anything involving top-notch parties and unparalleled weirdness, we’re willingly becoming nerdsters for the weekend and raging it next level style” with parties featuring global-EDM names FLYING LOTUS, GIRL TALK, and DAN DEACON to SOUTH PARK shutting it down and bringing to life our favorite cartoon neighborhood to LIVE shows featuring Weight Watcher’s biggest nightmares, EPIC MEAL TIME — COMIC CON isn’t just for the nerds anymore. Downtown San Diego is now the very fulcrum of the global geekosphere – and needless to say, we are unbelievably psyched to be apart of it.

This weekend’s edition of WHAT’S GOOD IN THE ‘HOOD is extra special – as it’s our official COMIC CON EDITION!!!

We’ve teamed up with SD’s renowned Happy hour connoisseurs and our good friends at OutnSD.com to bring you a cohesive and straight-forward guide to the what’s what and the best Comic Con happenings going down this weekend, as well as a quick rundown of the best happy hours around town to help point you in the right direction!!

The same edgy & Eco-friendly guide you know and love, kicked up with a whole lotta COMIC CON spiciness!!

TheMixster.com & OutnSD.com will be passing out print copies of our guide around town this weekend, so if you see us bumbling around be sure to say hi! We’ll be dealing out free high fives all weekend-long baybay!!!

For our epic and über comprehensive guide to ALL the best COMIC CON AFTER PARTIES check out our full guide here!

SAN DIEGO COMIC CON AFTER PARTY GUIDE

And for a rundown of our favorite eateries and hangouts within just blocks of the Convention Center be sure to check out our BEST BITES AND BARS NEAR COMIC CON GUIDE!!

BACON & BACON & BACON & BACON & MORE BACON!!

MOAR! HAPPY HOURS!

Here’s a quick rundown of some awesome happy hours we’d recommend as well!
BASIC uraban kitchen & bar (410 10th Ave) 4-7pm
The Corner (369 10th Ave) 4-7pm
The Dragon’s Den (315 10th Ave) 5-7pm
Proper Gastro Pub/Wine Steals (795 J St) 4-7pm
BICE (425 Island Ave.) 5-7pm
Red Pearl Kitchen (440 J St) 4-7pm

By: TD & Eileen
For the most comprehensive guide to all the best happy hours in Downtown San Diego and all around the county, visit OutnSD.com for a full rundown of the best deals & steals around town!

So I made this guide last year for all the COMIC CON festivities but we’ve decided to give our original guide, a nice 2011 reflip, incorporating more foodie goodness within just a hop and skip (and mere blocks away) from the Convention Center to satisfy all those cravings…

SO love Comic Con, but hate waiting in enormous lines and spending wayyyy too much money on mediocre food inside the Convention Center? Of course you do: We do too.
SO here’s a little treat that may be right up your alley: Leave the convention center, and go explore, without having to stray too far from the geek-o-sphere or having to move your car out of that nice and expensive premium parking spot you paid good money for: Our favorite spots are literally a hop and a skip away from Twlight wonderland!

Quick Service + Casual Dining
Quick, Easy, Great Places to kick up your tired feet, put down your heavy goodie bags and masks and reeeelaxxxx.

BASIC urban kitchen & bar (By Petco Park: Approx 5 blks Southeast from Convention Center)
410 10th Ave.
(619) 531-8869

Website & Full Menu || TheMixster.com Review
Features:
Open: Mon-Sat 10:30am-2am; Sun 11:30am-2am
- Pizza, Full Bar, Late night menu, Pool Tables, Happy Hour 4-7pm, Live DJs nightly
The best place to hang out between panels hands down. BASIC’s relaxing, cool, urban atmosphere makes it the perfectly comfortable and lovable neighborhood hang. Stick around for a bit to enjoy their thin crust brick oven pizzas, where you can pick and choose your favorite toppings: Ranging from the “basic” to anything but. Definitely a must-visit spot in San Diego… FULL REVIEW.
Tips:
-Get the BASIC salad. It’s AWESOME
- White Pie with Clams is the house specialty.
- STRONG drinks, great prices.

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The Corner (By Petco Park: Approx 5 blks Southeast from Convention Center)
369 10th Avenue
(619) 531-8804

Website + Full Menu || TheMixster.com Review
Features:
Open: Mon-Sun 11:30am-2am
- Gourmet Burgers, Full Bar, Happy Hour Specials, Neighborhood Bar Vibe, Live DJs on weekends
Head upstairs and gather your party in any of the comfortably furnished nooks and crannies of The Corner’s open space — that oozes East Village“chill”. Their gourmet burger selection offers a wide range of options, including a veggie friendly “Hippie Burger” with all the yummy fixings, such as caramelized onions. All burgers are served with Sweet potato or regular skinny fries, along with their addictive Wasabi Aioli. Their happy hour is from 4pm-7pm with specials on food and drinks varying daily; call ahead or check the chalkboard out front for details… FULL REVIEW
Tips:
-Great after Con spot for a more “out of the scene” friendly nightlife/bar experience.
- Board games keep the young, and the slightly older & buzzed ones, equally entertained.

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NEW 2011 ADDITION:
The Dragon’s Den (By Petco Park: Approx 4 blks Southeast from Convention Center – Easiest path: go across bridge by Hilton)
315 10th Avenue
(619) 358-9332

Website + Full Menu || TheMixster.com Review
Features:
Open: Daily 11am-1am
- Late Night Sushi Dining, Lunch Specials, Happy hour (Food & Drink Specials 5-7pm M-Fri), Pet-Friendly Outdoor Seating
The Dragon’s Den, a relatively new establishment fixated in the heart of East Village across from Petco Park, has quickly become the hip new haunt for locals. Catering to all patrons across the board, The Dragon’s Den features an extensive menu, with small bites, a fresh selection of well-stocked items from the sushi bar & specialty rolls, family-sized portions, and a full bar served in either the more nightlife-savvy, plasma-TV plastered lounge/bar area, pet-friendly outdoor heated patio, or in the family dining room. Happy hour is served weekdays Monday to Friday 5pm-7pm, however Thursday nights see the most action as happy hour lasts all night long: allowing patrons “ballin on a budget” to nibble on finely-crafted sushi combinations or Salt & Pepper Calamari and indulge in sinful cocktail concoctions around the bar, while DJs spin deep house/lounge set the social vibe.
Tips:
-Don’t miss the Spicy Scallop handroll. Soooooo deeee vineeee.
- Feeling muy espicy? Ask for the Pork-Stuffed Jalapeños – The Den’s über secret about them because they’re unbelievably uhhhmazing.

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New 2011 Addition:
SMASHBURGER (On Market Street: Approx 5 blocks Southwest from Convention Center)
801 Market Street, San Diego
(619) 241-2207

Website + Full Menu || TheMixster.com Review
Features:
Open: 10am-10pm Daily
Breakfast sandwiches, Huge Menu, Healthy Options, Kid-friendly, Pet-friendly Outdoor Seating.
What isn’t there to love about Smashburger? Choose from either their 1/2 or 1/3 lb. 100% Angus Beef patties or a Smashchicken  sandwich and go wild with their extensive menu featuring all kinds of everything-you’d-want-between-a-bun delights and delish add-ons! A healthy selection of salads also help make choosing healthy options a breeze! Sides like the Smashfries – tossed in rosemary, olive oil and garlic – or the Haystack Onions or the Fried Pickles with buttermilk ranch dressing, make great accompaniments to any Smash-selection. And their Downtown location is the only one to serve breakfast so rev up in the morning and get your day smashing!
Tips:
- The Baja Smashburger or Smashchicken pack some hot hot heat and come with guacamole. Win.
- Häagen-Dazs Milkshakes are top notch indulgences.
- Their morning coffee from Cafe Virtuoso is absolutely smashing.

More of our favorite Bars & Restaurants after the jump!!!
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Club Addresses:
4th & B: 345 B Street, SD 92101
AC Lounge: 4673 30th Street, SD 92116
Candelas: 416 3rd Ave. SD 92101
The Casbah: 2501 Kettner Blvd. SD 92101
El Dorado: 1030 Broadway Ave, SD 92101
Epicentre: 8450 Mira Mesa Blvd. SD 92160
The Fleetwood: 639 J St., SD 92101
Fluxx: 500 4th Ave SD 92101
Hard Rock Hotel San Diego: 207 5th Ave., SD 92101
House of Blues: 1055 5th Ave, SD 92101
Kava Lounge: 2812 Kettner Blvd, SD 92101
Onyx Room: 852 5th Ave, SD 92101 (**Open til 4am!)
Red Circle Lounge: 420 E Street SD 92101
SPIN Nightclub: 2028 Hancock Street, SD 92110 (**Open til 4am!)
Tango Del Rey: 3567 Del Rey St., Pacific Beach 92109
U31 Bar: 3112 University Ave., SD 92104
Voyeur: 755 5th Ave, SD 92101
Wavehouse: 3125 Ocean Front Walk, SD 92109
World Beat Center: 2100 Park Boulevard, SD 92101

Get down to blazing hot sounds and get salacious under the Summer sun all month long! Take a gander at any number of amazing parties going down in San Diego below, grab a cold cocktail, and let this cool guide whisk you away like a warm breeze to all of the very best dance parties around town…

Check out our full list of happenings after the jump!!

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One of the best parts about Comic-Con week is that you don’t even need to attend the Con to participate in the madness! Last year we gave you all the inside info to all of the hottest parties and events surrounding Comic-Con, and this year we intend to bring you even more debauchery and pop culture insanity! Trust me, this event and party guide is going to be intense! Keep refreshing the page and save us in your bookmarks – we are going to be updating frequently and you’re not going to want to be left out of The Mix!

FULL Party Guide after the jump!
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Thanks to my new, and, rapidly becoming, dear friend, The Music Ninja, I was given the opportunity to take on the young blood, dubstep pioneer himself, RUSKO. Fortunately I was able to talk with him just literally hours following his MASSIVE show in San Diego, during the ever strange and undeniably colorful Comic Con weekend, and nursing a severe yet well worth it hangover from the sweaty debauchery that was RUSKO’s full-on set for the completely chaotic and totally packed club of twisted comic coners and fanatical Mad Decentites alike. Comically pressed against the glass of the DJ booth all night long, there was little to no concern for my personal well-being once RUSKO took his reign over the decks. One cannot deny the power of the magically hypnotic power of the WHOMP WHOMP.

For more about that show and for an absolutely absurd near obsessive number of videos from his performance check out our round up we did here.

Or, if you can’t bear to tear yourself away, here’s a taste of that utter filthiness below:

SO now – for what you’ve all come here for no doubt, the interview with one of the most outstanding, interesting, and “jolly” human beings I have ever had the pleasure of conversing and bashing trance with: RUSKO.

WHOMP WHOMP WHOMP.

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Taking place during the five-day-long chaos that was San Diego Comic Con 2010, RUSKO made the delightful decision to stomp his way down to our lovely city and unleashes an unrelenting performance of reverberating whomps and body-buzzing wobbles. With an absolutely mad show this past Thursday night where literally RUSKO turned the dance floor of the Red Circle into absolute aural wreckage. Reminiscing via these videos I captured are  certainly re-instilling that brain bubbling experience.
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It has officially been one full day since Comic Con has ended. The dust is only now beginning to settle in our fair city. Hollywood has up and left, and San Diego is back to being that summer vacation destination underrated by the rest of the US, and all that is left are tweets and Facebook updates from every superhero and pop culture fan who already misses #sdcc.

This year, by far, was the biggest Comic-Con turnout EVER. Not only taking over the Convention Center and adjoining hotels, but spilling out onto the streets of the Gaslamp as well. In true local Comic-Con fan fashion, I had bought my pass last minute and was only able to attend the actual convention for one day. However, thanks to off-site events, after parties, and activities I was still able to enjoy all five days of Comic-Con madness.

Aside from all of the awesome panels fans buzzed over (Dexter, Chuck, Salt, Expendables, Tron, etc) and special Comic-Con exclusives – the best part about Comic-Con was the experience itself. Seeing old faces, meeting new people, partying and going super Otaku for five days straight (see our Comic-Con guide if you still don’t know what “Otaku” means) – I don’t know anyone who got a full-nights rest! Writing this is probably one of my highlights because I get to relive it all over again. Reminisce and relive with me the highlights and low (but very amusing) lights of Comic-Con 2010.
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The trending Nu-Disco scene in the United States has had few heroes as notable and widely accepted as Brookynites HOLY GHOST! who became instant icons after transcending the “I be the Dj” world into the “I can actually play an instrument” world with their, now classic, disco anthems “Hold On,” and “I Will Come Back.” After an extremely sweaty debut performance at El Dorado earlier this year, the duo is back and this time upgrading to the illustrious Voyeur sound stage as they continue on their US/ EURO tour to promote their new EP “Static On the Wire.” (more…)

SO love Comic Con, but hate waiting in enormous lines and spending wayyyy too much money on mediocre food inside the Convention Center? Of course you do: We do too.
SO here’s a little treat that may be right up your alley: Leave the convention center, and go explore, without having to stray too far from the geek-o-sphere or having to move your car out of that nice and expensive premium parking spot you paid good money for: Our favorite spots are literally a hop and a skip away from Twlight wonderland!

(more…)

One of the best parts about Comic-Con week is that you don’t even need to attend the Con to participate in the madness! Everyone from your neighbor to the big wigs of Hollywood are having parties, and we know you want in on the action! As promised in our Official Comic-Con Cheat Sheet, I present to you the most awesome guide to all the BEST opportunities for fun and debauchery held outside the Con!

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