Two weeks to Christmas, time comes to start spreading holiday cheer—decorations, too—and pledge to keep the spirit alive all through the upcoming year. My wife and I dispatched holiday cards today, for the first time in a couple of ages (yeah, too long a time). A final batch goes in the mail tomorrow—followed by, during the coming days, distribution to local friends and neighbors.
The candy canes come courtesy of San Diego Zoo, where we saw them on Nov. 10, 2025. Yeah, Christmas starts early there but means less this year because of the big bah, humbug coming on January 5. Parking will no longer be free for everyone at the zoo, nor in adjoining Balboa Park.
Non-resident, non-zoo members will pay $16 per day. Resident, non-zoo members: $8 daily. Zoo members, and that is us, park for free. Paid parking is a big change that appears to be widely unpopular among the county citizens—more so for Balboa Park, where rates will be higher and variable depending on chosen parking lot.
Lot Level 3 should be overly popular, with the first three hours free, regardless of residency. After that, locals pay $5 for the day; 10 bucks, everyone else. Level 1 is pricier: For residents, $5 for first four hours and $8 for the day; non-residents pay twice as much. Monthly, quarterly, and annual parking passes are available, and these have drawn quite the ire among many citizens. Calling out the annual pass: $150 for residents and $300 for everyone else.
Well, heck, that information isn’t cheery whatsoever. How rude of me to promise one thing and write something else. But parking is a big, local topic right now and difficult to ignore. Critics contend that paid parking will prohibit some people from enjoying the park or the zoo. Non-profits and vendors will vamoose, critics claim—and the process is underway.
Let’s finally talk Featured Image, which I captured using Nikon Zf and NIKKOR Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR lens. Vitals, shutter speed manually set: f/5.3, ISO 3200, 1/500 sec, 44mm; 10:12 a.m. PST. My wife used Samsung Galaxy S25 for the companion shot.