Video: San Diego Joyride '95

Before making it my home, San Diego was an annual vacation destination for 15 years. “1995” was written across the spine of the TDK-HS video cassette, but the exact date of this joyride is unsure. Judging by the cameo appearances of Chargers Bolts, I’m guessing this was taken sometime in early February when the city was still busting a gut over Super Bowl fever.

As a videographer I make a terrific movie critic. For a guy who hates shaky-cam cinematography more than he does beets, I apologize up front for the portions of the program shot in the wonder of SiezureScope.

Our excursion starts on the Hillcrest off-ramp of the 163. A jaunt down 6th Ave ends with a brief bridging passage at the Starlight Bowl. That leads to a visit to the Aeronautic Museum and a special guest appearance by “Lucky” Lindy. (At the time of this recording, the airport was still named “Racist Jew-Hater Field” in his honor.)

A spin on the Balboa Park Carousel, a ride on the Balboa Park Miniature Railroad — train travel never did agree with me — and in no time we found ourselves in the Firehouse Museum! Next stop, Kettner Blvd., former home of Dave's Display World.

It is around this time when the day trip hit a wall. Note the photo of the Classic Reprographics building on 5th Ave. in Banker’s Hill at the top of the page. The building remained the same, plane and all, when I arrived in town 20 years ago. Tummler that I am, my first inclination was to interpret the rooftop adornment as a gallows humor-tinged response to being situated directly in the flight path. A friend suggested that it was designed in memoriam to the day Flight 182 crashed into North Park. But one thing is certain, within weeks of September 11, the tail fin vanished. Seems like a call to the building’s current resident, Cut hair salon, is in order. Check the comments for updates.

We end as many a joyride through San Diego does, at the bottom of the Park Manor. Hope you enjoyed the ride.

Music by: Elmer Bernstein, Curt Massey and Martha Tilton, Hoyt Curtin, the Horst Wessel Minstrels, Alfred Newman, Louis Feinberg, Bernard Herrmann, Harlan Leonard And His Rockets, Tiny Tim, and the knockout song stylings of Alberta Casey.