Blog entries - November 2009

Thrift Shopping in North Park

Gladys — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 20:04:57 +0100

My best friend is a thrift shop junky and has a North Park tip to share. She swears by the Windmill Thrift Shop on University Ave. It's close to the Bank of America at 3081 University Ave, (619) 291-2415.

She likes that it's small, well organized, and has a friendly staff. But best of all, the prices are reasonable. She nearly always finds little treasures when shopping there. Everything from charming little chotchkies to regal victorian-era furniture. One recent treasure Read More...

Mayor's Proposed Budget - What it would mean here in NP

Omar Passons — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 06:00:00 +0100

Like many San Diegans, I was pretty interested in the Mayor's Proposal for mid-year budget cuts. Turns out, his plan also includes cuts in Fiscal Year 2011 (note: unlike most people, government budgets go on a "Fiscal Year" that goes from July 1 of one year to June 30 of the next year). I was curious about how some of the Mayor's Proposals would impact North Park so I cRead More...

quiet week

Rob Logic — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 16:55:09 +0100

An illness in the family kept me from going out this week. Next week, it's ON!

where the sidewalk doesn't end

Chloe & George — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 06:00:00 +0100

“Some of the history of North Park, like most older neighborhoods in San Diego, is literally cast in concrete.”

- Philip J. Erdelsky, North Park resident

Last week at several intersections in our neighborhood, construction crews rolled in on a whirlwind, jackhammered out all four rigid corners, and in a matter ofRead More...

Local Coffee: Starbucks

Mike Y — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:42:28 +0100

Before I go any further, let me get this out of the way. I neither love, nor hate chain coffee. If you drink coffee, you've probably already got your opinion about Starbucks, and I won't try to steer you in any particular direction.

All I'll say is, the Starbucks at University & 29th Street is classy and comfy, fitting the neighborhood nicely. And I enjoyed my mocha very much.

Should it replace local mom-and-pop shops? No. But it has a niche and it serves it well.

Will the budget affect us?

oldsoul — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:01:00 +0100

There is a budget crisis in the City of San Diego. Anyone with a pulse has probably heard that we have 200 million dollars less than we need. Over the weekend there was a Town Hall meeting or something over at Hoover. I went. Sat amongst the crowd, kept my mouth shut, and observed...it would have been insanely funny if not for the subject matter. Here's my top 10 list of moments...

10. Seeing one of the members of ZZ Top in the parking lot beforehand. If it wasn't one of them, tRead More...

Home Brews & Gardens

Gladys — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:37:50 +0100

I stumbled across a fun little new store yesterday; Home Brews & Gardens on Thorn & 32nd. The ground floor of what had been a dull and neglected apartment building has been transformed into a smart-looking new business & store front. Nice surprise!

It's owned and operated by a couple of friendly young guys. (Well, anyone under 35&nbsRead More...

Local Coffee: Lestats

Mike Y — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:00:00 +0100

If you're a coffee fan, you've most certainly been to Lestats in Normal Heights.

Lestats is the epitome of the eclectic local flair that is Normal Heights (a different link). It touts a quirky decor, diverse clientele and goth-y atmosphere... not to mention lots of live entertainment, including open-mic nights, stand-up comics and indie music acts.

The coffee is quite tasty. But in my opinion the best part of Lestats is the sitting space. And there are even more places to sit.Read More...

Final Clean-Up a Success

Omar Passons — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 04:17:27 +0100

This past Saturday we went from this

to this

It took a a few hours and some dedicated help from neighbors, but we were able to round out the year with another successful clean-up. Here's a video.

This year the NPCA sponsored five Read More...

Crazy Burger

Gladys — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 04:38:13 +0100

I'm a long time North Park resident, but somehow never made it over to Crazy Burger, on 30th Street, until this weekend. Have driven by millions of times, have heard it's good...but just never actually went. Discovered it's perfect for a low-key evening when you need a hearty meal but don't want to dress; I wore the clothes I was gardening in and didn't feel out of place. Fun and eclectic crowd, good atmosphere/energy, and decent food. My partner enjoyed the veggie burger. (Though I don'Read More...

Meet RobLogic!

Rob Logic — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:02:09 +0100

Hi,

I'm supposed to do a little 'intro' type thing. You'll probably get to know more about me by reading my posts but i'll tell you a few things now:

1. Native San Diegan.

2. Love listening to, playing and producing music. ( i really wish we had a good place for bands in NP proper still ((Bar pink is great, but i lament the loss of a place where you could go any nite and see some great touring band for free)))

3. Love food, cooking or going out. (i've heardRead More...

Rob's a food snob (among other things)

Rob Logic — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 03:53:48 +0100

Don’t you hate it when your favorite resturant closes down? I was pretty bummed when Tio Tito’s finally shut down.. they had some of the best mexican food (i know that’s pretty subjective ((especially when we have El Sol, Ray’s and Colima’s close by too)) but i liked it alot). So i’d walk by and wonder what was going to open up in the spot. When Vo’s Cafe finally opened it’s window I was pretty darn stoked.. a vietnamese place, close? Sweet! I had been introduced to a Bánh mì (if youRead More...

From Sea to Farm to your Table

Chloe & George — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 06:00:00 +0100

Did you know that this week is San Diego Beer Week? We didn’t either until tonight when we ventured to Sea Rocket Bistro. They, as well as other restaurants in San Diego, are holding special events all week. At Sea Rocket those include beer themed movies, special beers on tap/cask and a $30 special meal.

We were so happy to see Sea Rocket was full with not only diners, but some amRead More...

Local Coffee: Claire de Lune

Mike Y — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 03:47:05 +0100

As I mentioned before, I'm a bit of a coffee newbie. So I thought I'd try-out some of the local coffee shops and let you know my impressions.

For each coffee shop I'll order the same thing (a large mocha) and try to connect to the WiFi with my laptop and iPhone. I'll report the results here.

My first assignment is the hip Claire de Lune Coffee Lounge located at University and Kansas, which features some very tasty coffee and a fun, stylish atmosphere. On a Monday afternoon the lRead More...

Can something be too historic?

oldsoul — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 01:07:40 +0100

This is obviously VERY historic. So maybe we aren't talking about things quite this old.

But one of the more interesting debates (for fuddy duddies like me, anyway) is about who can do what with his or her property and under what circumstances. Everyone under the sun has argued both sides of this point, and I suppose iRead More...

Random fun around the 'hood

Gladys — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:49:57 +0100

Well...here are all the groovy things I did in North Park this week...

Had a yummy quesadilla for lunch (homemade tortilla!!) at the NP Farmer's Market yesterday. Mmmmm! Tip; the chicken tacos (TJ street-style) are also delicious, and she sells homemade tortillas by the bag.

Checked PO Box mail at the Post Office. (*editor's note: A signature campaign is underway to try to save this location, to help, contact liz@northparkmainstreet.com.)

Finally visited The ORead More...

RobLogic & Urban Solace

Rob Logic — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:58:34 +0100

Monday Night. We decide to go eat at the Ritual Tavern. If you haven't been there yet, go! awesome food and awesome people! They try to use all local ingredients and have great craft beers. Heck, they even make there own condiments (the ketchup is great!) Anyway, we get there and lo and behold...Closed on Mondays. Where to go instead. On the way up we noticed that Apertivo was closed, so that was out. We weren'tRead More...

The Water Tower Is Empty.

Chloe & George — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 06:00:00 +0100

The ancient and noble green water tower at Howard and Idaho streets presides over North Park like a benevolent giant grandpa, resting silently on its old haunches, visible from much of the neighborhood. Content in its golden years to serve humbly as a living symbol and historic landmark for the community,Read More...

More walkable than you might think

Mike Y — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 04:21:26 +0100

There's a website out there called WalkScore.com, and you can use it to assess the walkability of your neighborhood. You might be surprised to know that North Park gets an impressive score of 91 out of 100.

(I knew North Park would do well, but I wouldn't have guessed it would score in the 90's.)

The score is calculated based on your proximity to useful everyday destinations. From the website:

Walk Score calculates the walkability of an addressRead More...

What the h#%$ is this?

oldsoul — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 06:00:00 +0100

I will skip all the niceties today. I dropped by Coco’s (he owns the printer supply store on U and Grim, not the un-good chain restaurant that my mother loves) and I saw something that made me ill. Physically sick, I tell you. Well, not really, but almost.

Don’t get me wrong, Coco and his staff of one were both lovely. She was playing a cool MC Solaar album (a French rap artist I used to know about…I haven’t always been prematurely old) aRead More...