Fourteen more things you’ll never see in San Diego again

1) Hubcap and the Drink That Knocked You on Your Butt. Well, that didn’t last long. No more $5 El Take It Easy during Happy Hour?

2) Vogue, the Little Theater That Could. Guess what? They’re actually bringing this Chula Vista landmark back. No longer will it be a single-screen movie theater, though. They’re renovating and expanding it to include a mezzanine to hold concerts, exhibitions, and civic meetings, among other things. It’s nice that they’re not letting it get demolished, but it’ll never be what it once was.

3) People Getting Drunk on the Beach — Legally, at Least. San Diego made it illegal to drink alcohol on the beaches a few years back. Not that it’s actually stopped anyone.

4) The Food at Pernicano’s Casa di Baffi, Because the Building is Clearly Never Going Anywhere. This Sixth Avenue staple is still standing — almost three decades after it closed. It isn’t coming back anytime soon, as good ol’ George Pernicano has repeatedly stated that he’s not interested. So, why the heck won’t he sell or tear it down? Residents of Hillcrest see it as an eyesore, but everyone else still gets a little chuckle when they pass by.

5) The Naval Training Center Before it Became a Victim of Urban Sprawl. Here’s one for the old-timers. News flash: The Liberty Station, before it became a “mixed-use community” (read: strip mall), was actually home to the Naval Training Center. Top Gun was filmed there.

6) Kung Foo? No, Kung Food! The only place in the world that could make a person want to voluntarily turn vegan. I mean, you probably didn’t, but I bet you thought about it after eating here.

7) Simic New Renaissance Galleries. America’s Finest City doesn’t exactly have a reputation as a destination for the arts, but the Simic Galleries certainly helped bolster our standing in the world. Until they closed. No more strolls to La Jolla to bask in artistic displays of glory.

8) Anthology— Where All of My Jazz Dreams Died. Where’s a guy supposed to get his jazz fix now? This once-hopping place closed down at the beginning of last year, but there’s talk of it possibly reopening under new ownership in the near future. But once something’s gone, it’s never the same.

9) Zagarella (More Cheese, Please). This place smelled like cheese, which might have turned people off. Unless you love cheese, like me, then you freaking loved Zagarella Italian Restaurant. The $5 martinis sure didn’t hurt, either.

10) That China Inn Restaurant in PB. This Pacific Beach staple closed it doors recently and you can still hear the Rastafarians and frat boys that inhabit PB weeping into their pillows. No more Egg Foo Yung to satisfy those munchies.

11) Voyeur. The Eye Doctors Will Miss This Place the Most. You know how you see those floating dots in your eyes for a few minutes after a camera flash goes off in your face? That’s kind of how the LED screen at this dance club would leave you feeling for days.

12) FedMart: The Everyman’s Wal-Mart. Before there was Walmart, we had FedMart. This little discount store was a grocery and mini-shopping center all in one. It went out of business when the founder decided to start Price Club. When’s the last time you saw one of those, anyway?

13) Casa Di Bandini’s Margaritas. It was home to some of the largest and tastiest margaritas in the world. Supposedly the owners moved and turned it into the Cosmopolitan. One of these things is not like the other, my friends.

14) Boll Weevil — the Restaurant, Not the Insect. Yes, there are a few of these dotting the landscape in places like I.B. and over on Clairemont Mesa, but they’re franchises that held on (far too long) after the actual company folded under. And they don’t taste the same. At all. Not that they’re bad — they’re just not the same.

Blog: Movoto Real Estate Blog | Address: movoto.com/blog

Author: Ben Kerns | From: San Mateo | Blogging since: April 2014