Photograph by Matthew Suárez

“The vision of San Diego taking her place among the great cities of the earth is so clear and vivid now that even the dullest mind cannot fail to see it.”

Digging concurrence

Unfortunately have to concur with most of the digs (“The internet writers gang up on San Diego,” Cover Stories, January 19). Born in MA, grew up in NC, have lived in LA (total 12 years), SD (total 15 years; in PB, San Marcos, El Cajon, Clairemont Mesa, North Park-before and then after the “rise” – and now University Heights), Vegas (3) and TX (1).

Older, former professional working musician and then massage therapist, with now over 2 years/4,000 Rideshare rides experience (you learn a lot about a town this way) in both LA and SD. Used to pick up in LA hotspots like WeHo and Downtown at 2 AM, never any vomit. In half the time, 3 pukers in SD, one a “native.” Don’t drive at night here anymore from that and people here get worse and worse re masks and ‘tudes as night progresses.

The worst are the 20/30-something “Princesses.” Generally in LA only about 2% riders don’t wear the required mask overall, in SD it’s more like 20%, (worse in East and North County), in Orange County it’s more like 50-60%, (and close to 100% in Newport).

They say “simple” folks talk about others, more intelligent about events, most enlightened talk ideas. That formula proves true along same lines as above. It’s not a completely apple-to-apples scenario; you could tuck SD into West LA alone. Still, I have run into way more friendly, conscientious, easygoing, enlightened folks in LA in all comparable situations (gigs, clubs, beach, grocery store, rides, etc.), or if they are in my car they are more often from another big city like Chicago or NY.

Only in SD can I be walking down street (nice, uptown neighborhoods), middle of day, but have a single or couple stare at me as we approach each other, I smile and nod and/or say hello, and not only do they not smile and/or say hi, they usually scowl and/or look away?! (I look pretty “normal” these days, so wtf?!). Neighbors park on the street like they are the only MF-er that may need a spot.

People who have ‘tude about being a “native” of anyplace crack me up; so you plopped out and never left to make your own way and/or experience any other culture, okay, good for you. I feel no sympathy for people who don’t like the weather; you could have figured that out looking at an almanac, but a “big small town’s” culture has to be lived to be experienced.

Fair observation is that tourists are not residents, but that is still a significant influence on the vibe. And now it’s getting even more crowded and gentrified...and douchey. Time to move back to LA; a more friendly, “International City,” (and like NYC, yes, has the best and worst of anything America has to offer-with better weather), asap. Stay safe, be well. Love and peace. Out.

• Andre
• University Heights

Dr. Robert Malone told [Joe] Rogan he worked at San Diego’s Salk Institute in the late 1980s as a UCSD graduate student and there made discoveries that form “the basis of the RNA technology platform...."

Covid courage

I would like to thank you very much for the bravery of printing “Imperial County Covid story banned by Twitter and YouTube,” Neighborhood News, January 19.

I have shared this with so many people who desperately need the help that these two doctors have available in light of the situation of the mass formation psychosis that’s going on about the Covid.

These people have saved many, many lives, and a lot of people cannot get access and didn’t know that it was so close. I’m here in Borrego Springs, and I will be seeing these gentlemen soon, and I wanted to thank you so very much for printing this and the bravery of doing so and I’m sure that you have gotten a lot of crap for it.

• Robert McKee
• Borrego Springs

Whiners go home

Job well done by Thomas Arnold writing about the whiners who trash San Diego (“The internet writers gang up on San Diego,” Cover Stories, January 19) because it’s “not like back home.” So the simple solution is “move the hell out of San Diego.”

We natives don’t need you as it was people like you that created the overcrowded problems in the first place. Go back to your blizzards, ice storms, rain, tornadoes, hurricanes, hail and dust storms as we will just continue living with our “dull, everyday sunshine, sunburns, and laid back attitudes”!

• Eric Awes
• Mission Valley