San Diego, CA

Sesame Place San Diego Is The Eras Tour For Toddlers — With Rides

Published

12 months ago

January 14, 2025

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Sesame Place San Diego Is The Eras Tour For Toddlers — With Rides

That feeling when you finally get to meet your idol.

Lois Alter Mark

Our one and a half year old grandson is obsessed with Elmo. So, when he came to visit over the holidays, we decided to take him to Sesame Place San Diego to meet his idol and the rest of the Sesame Street gang. It was such a fun day for all of us.

Sesame Place opened in San Diego in 2013 and flies a bit under the radar, maybe because it’s further south or maybe because locals still think it’s one of the water parks it used to be in a previous incarnation. Whatever the reason, it means it’s more manageable than many theme parks, making it perfect for toddlers – especially in the winter, which, in Southern California, is an ideal time to bring them.

We downloaded the Sesame Place app, which was really helpful for checking showtimes, and started our day at the park with lunch because no one wants to deal with a hangry child. We got burgers at Grover’s Grill, chicken tenders at Monster Snacks and pizza at Telly’s Trattoria, all of which we enjoyed at the picnic tables that surround the dining venues. (FYI, there are no indoor restaurants or high chairs at the park.)

Sesame Place San Diego Character Meet & Greet

Cozying up with the characters during a private meet and greet at Sesame Place San Diego.

Lois Alter Mark

Once the little one’s belly was full (at least for the moment), we headed off to catch Elmo’s Christmas Wish Character Show before our scheduled Meet and Greet with his idol. We had booked this private experience as a special holiday gift and prepared our grandson the whole week before by explaining that he was going to meet “big” Elmo so he wouldn’t be freaked out when his little stuffed Elmo turned out to tower over him in person. We showed him videos of kids hugging Elmo and the other characters and hoped for the best.

After the show, we waited by (okay, our grandson waited and danced on) the stage for the characters to arrive. Cookie Monster came out first but was unceremoniously dissed by our grandson, who excitedly pointed to Elmo behind him and, with a big grin, happily snuggled himself into Elmo’s open arms. I quietly went over and hugged Cookie myself.

Although our grandson only had eyes for Elmo, the characters were so friendly and animated while also being respectful of his level of comfort. We took dozens of photos ourselves and the professional photographer took loads of candid photos of him interacting with the characters and formal shots of our whole family posed with them. This experience was such a highlight of our visit to Sesame Place San Diego and our grandson loves looking at the photos and pointing out Big Elmo. Honestly, I wish I could have done this with Taylor Swift at one of the Eras Tour concerts I attended.

Sesame Street’s lessons in sharing apparently worked!

Lois Alter Mark

Later in the day, after a few rides, we took him for Christmas Cookies with Cookie Monster because the idea of milk and cookies plus Big CM himself seemed like a win win. Our grandson was very into the chocolate chip cookies as well as the coloring sheets and crayons they gave each guest. We were proud to see him actually offer one of his precious cookies to the furry blue Muppet and documented the sweet moment to remember always.

Sesame Place San Diego Rides for Toddlers

Elmo’s Rockin’ Rockets is a family-friendly ride for all ages.

Lois Alter Mark

Because patience is not a toddler’s strong point, we sprung for Abby’s Unlimited Magic Queue – basically, a front of the line pass – so we wouldn’t have to wait on line. It was a good decision.

There are just enough rides for toddlers who don’t meet minimum height requirements and the best thing about the Magic Queue is that it let us take him on those rides multiple times in a row without having to get back on line.

We did Elmo’s Rockin’ Rockets, Sesame Street Soar & Spin and the Sunny Day Carousel and had a blast. Rub-A-Dub Sub was closed that day, as were all the water rides, but it didn’t matter but it didn’t matter because he loved the rides he went on and almost had a meltdown when he couldn’t do Elmo’s Rockin’ Rockets one more time since it was almost time for the big parade when all the rides take a break.

Sesame Place San Diego Upgrades

You can reserve a VIP spot for the best view of the Sesame Street Party Parade at Sesame Place San Diego.

Sesame Place San Diego

Besides the Meet and Greets and Abby’s Unlimited Magic Queue, there are a number of other ways to upgrade your Sesame Place San Diego visit. You can book seats in the reserved section for the must-see Sesame Street Party Parade at the end of the day and for the live character shows. Reserved parking is also available as are stroller rentals and an irresistible All-Day Dining Deal.

If you live in Southern California, consider a Season Pass to take advantage of exclusive benefits and monthly rewards. And, if you’re just visiting, your GPS will tell you how to get to Sesame Place San Diego. It’s as easy as ABC.

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Related Topics:elmo Featured sesame place Sesame Street

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San Diego, CA

San Diego sues federal government over razor wire fence near U.S.-Mexico border

Published

2 hours ago

January 6, 2026

Press Room

San Diego sues federal government over razor wire fence near U.S.-Mexico border

The city of San Diego has filed a lawsuit against the federal government that alleges the construction of a razor wire fence near the U.S.-Mexico border constitutes trespassing on city property and has caused environmental harm to the land.

The complaint filed Monday in San Diego federal court states that razor wire fencing being constructed by U.S. Marines in the Marron Valley area has harmed protected plant and wildlife habitats and that the presence of federal personnel there represents unpermitted trespassing.

The lawsuit, which names the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of Defense among its defendants, says that city officials first discovered the presence of Marines and federal employees in the area in December.

The fencing under construction has blocked city officials from accessing the property to assess and manage the land, and the construction efforts have” caused and will continue to cause property damage and adverse environmental impacts,” according to the lawsuit.

The suit seeks an injunction ordering the defendants to cease and desist from any further trespass or construction in the area.

“The city of San Diego will not allow federal agencies to disregard the law and damage city property,” City Attorney Heather Ferbert said in a statement. “We are taking decisive action to protect sensitive habitats, uphold environmental commitments and ensure that the rights and resources of our community are respected.”

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San Diego, CA

Padres roster review: Sung-Mun song

Published

14 hours ago

January 6, 2026

Press Room

Padres roster review: Sung-Mun song – San Diego Union-Tribune

SUNG-MUN SONG

Position(s): Third base, second base
Bats / Throws: Left / Right
2026 opening day age: 29
Height / Weight: 6-foot / 194 pounds
How acquired: Signed as a free agent in December 2025
Contract status: A four-year, $15 million deal will see Song make $2.5 million in 2026, $3 million in 2027, $3.5 million in 2028 and $4 million in 2029 if he does not opt out of last year; Half of his $1 million signing bonus is due in January 2026 and the other half in 2027; There is a $7 million mutual option for 2030.
fWAR in 2025: N/A
Key 2025 stats (KBO): .315 AVG, .387 OBP, .530 SLG, 26 HRs, 90 RBIs, 103 runs, 68 walks, 96 strikeouts, 25 steals (144 games, 646 plate appearances)

STAT TO NOTE

.214 — Song’s isolated power in 2025, a career high as he prepared for a jump to the majors. Isolated power measures a player’s raw power (extra bases per at-bat) and Song had a .190 OPS in 2018, in his third year as a pro in Korea, before it dropped to .101 in 2019 and then a career-low .095 in 2023. Hitting 19 homers pushed Song’s isolated power to .178 in 2024 and then a career-high 26 homers push it even higher in 2025.

Idle — Drafted by the Heroes in 2014, Song debuted in the KBO the following year but didn’t become a regular until 2019. A drop-off in production — he had an .884 OPS in 78 games in 2018 and a .597 OPS in 103 games in 2019 — was followed by losing the 2020 season and a chunk of the 2021 season to military service obligations. Then three straight sub-.700 OPS seasons forced Song to rethink his approach to professional baseball, especially in the face of the likes of Ha-Seong Kim, Jung Hoo Lee and Hyeseong Kim generating big-league buzz. Song started with weight training and nutrition. A hitting coach also helped him with balance, pull-side power and the ability to catch up with the sort of fastballs that seem to dog Korean players when they arrive in the States. It all added up to a breakthrough year in which Song paired 19 homers, 104 RBIs and 21 steals with a .340/.409/.518 batting line. To prove it was no fluke, Song followed up his 2024 season with another strong effort that solidified his wish to try his hand in the majors. The ensuing, four-year, $15 million deal that Song signed with the Padres in December cost his new employer a $3 million posting fee to be paid to the Kiwoom Heroes.

2026 OUTLOOK

Like Kim before him, Song appears to be joining the Padres as a utility player with the hope that he blossoms into more as he gets comfortable in a new country and league. Song had experience in Korea at third base (500 starts), second base (149 starts) and first base (38 starts). Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller even mentioned outfield reps in passing as he assessed how Song could help the Padres in 2026.

Former KBO player Sung-Mun Song shakes hands with Padres vice president of amateur and international scouting Pete DeYoung after signing a contract with the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on Saturday. (Photo by Armond Feffer/San Diego Padres)

ROSTER RANKINGS

24. INF Sung-Mun Song
25. RHP Matt Waldron
26. OF Bryce Johnson
27. RHP Ron Marinaccio
28. RHP Bryan Hoeing
29. LHP Kyle Hart
30. RHP Jhony Brito
31. INF Will Wagner
32. OF Tirso Ornelas
33. RHP Garrett Hawkins
34. RHP Miguel Mendez
35. RHP Daison Acosta
36. RHP Ty Adcock
37. RHP Alek Jacob
38. INF Mason McCoy

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San Diego, CA

Poway removes hundreds of trees to make city safer

Published

1 day ago

January 5, 2026

Press Room

Poway removes hundreds of trees to make city safer

Drivers traveling through the city of Poway may have noticed a dramatic change to the landscape. Since September, more than 1,400 trees — many of them eucalyptus — have been removed as part of the city’s hazardous mitigation grant project aimed at reducing wildfire risk and improving public safety.

Poway is spending roughly $3 million on the effort, which focuses on removing trees that are dead, dying or considered dangerous. Much of the cost is being reimbursed by FEMA. Officials say the project is designed to make emergency evacuation routes safer while improving the overall health of trees along major roadways, rights-of-way and open spaces.

“I was relieved that there were some efforts being put into improving our resiliency to wildfire in our community,” said Poway Fire Chief Brian Mitchell.

Mitchell said spacing out trees can slow the spread of a wildfire and prevent roads from becoming blocked during an emergency.

“That certainly has the potential to block our first responders from accessing somebody’s house in the middle of an emergency,” Mitchell said.

City leaders also point to storm safety as a key reason for removing hazardous trees under controlled conditions rather than risking falling limbs or entire trees during severe weather.

“I don’t want to be driving down that street and just a random limb just happened to collapse, you know, just hit me,” said Poway resident Dawn Davis.

Davis said she also worries about the threat the trees pose to nearby homes.

“I don’t want anybody’s homes here to be damaged, either by them or fire,” Davis said.

A Poway spokeswoman said a certified arborist evaluated nearly 6,800 trees in Poway. About 2,800 invasive trees were recommended for removal.

This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC San Diego. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC San Diego journalist edited the article for publication.

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