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San Diego Magazine /  August 2008 /  The Best of San Diego 2008 /  Beyond Compare

Beyond Compare

Street Performer
Another piece of public art, you conclude, dashing past the silver statue toward the ferry landing. But passersby get a start——and a wide smile——when stoic street performer Dash MacTavish (a.k.a. Silverman) strikes an alternate pose at the last second. Catch his act at Seaport Village and other sites around town (619-481-9055; sandiegosilverman.com).

Premium Cigar Patio
Tucked in a shaded nook off Old Town’s tourist strip, the patio at Churchill Cigar Lounge (2514 San Diego Avenue, 619-546-7758; churchillcigarlounge.com) is a prime spot to puff a Padrone and people-watch. Churchill claims the county’s largest selection of premium cigars, and hosts a cigar- and wine-tasting event every six weeks. Free underground parking is available.

Place to Implode Indelible Ink
Looking to remove “Buddy” or “Brenda” from your life (and your biceps)? Try Tattoo Laser Removal Clinic (3737 Moraga Avenue, Suite B-214, 858-272-2021; trlaser .com). With its new TriVantage laser system, even the most enduring blue and green ink molecules are obliterated. For those looking to correct a shoddy ink job, laser professionals can remove mistakes and wayward lines. A military discount is offered.

Post-Divorce Jewelry Repurposing
You (or your parents) paid through the nose for that wedding, so why not get something out of it? Instead of pawning that nuptial nugget or burying it in the sock drawer, have it turned into something with new meaning at Gary Gilmore, Goldsmith (4857 Newport Avenue, 619-225-1137; GGgoldsmith.com). Gilmore transforms the sad stones of lost love into pendants, necklaces and right-hand rings, his phoenix-from- the-ashes treatment, if you will.

Finder of Valuables Lost Overboard
When that expensive diamond ring or your car keys wind up in the water, give Bruce McLeod and his divers a call (5055 North Harbor Drive, Suite I, 619-239-3483). McLeod has scoured the coast’s kelp beds to retrieve everything from $1,000 sunglasses to outboard motors.

Shoplifter’s Guilt Trip
“Please don’t steal from us,” the sign at the Rubber Rose beseeches. “We’re two women working hard to make sure that a space like this exists . . . We are not Wal-Mart.” Though the thought of getting arrested for pilfering one of the devices in this erotic playground should be deterrent enough, you’ll definitely want to steal a gander at the art in the adjacent gallery, featuring works by wire-sculpture artist Spencer Little through September 5 (3812 Ray Street, North Park, 619-296- 7673; therubberrose.com.

Dove Release
They aren’t doves, of course, because doves would fly away. These are a beautiful breed of white homing pigeons that Joe and Leslie Irwin, owners of Feathers from Heaven (858-756-3264; feathersfromheaven.com), have trained to make a fluttering choreographed circle around a bride and groom, at a funeral service or events such as the grand reopening of the U.S. Grant Hotel.