Hillcrest Stories
After years of delays, Normal Street's pedestrian promenade, which began as a grassroots effort in Hillcrest in 2015, is moving forward. What was the holdup? A driveway. Hillcrest Village Square …
I hesitate to admit this, but much of my writing is rooted in dreams. Before your eyes roll back in your head and you start struggling with whether or not …
A rooftop battle over radio-frequency (RF) emissions has been won by telecom giant Verizon - for now. It's not over, say attorneys for Carole Sachs, who owns and lives in …
On May 11, the Federal Department of Health and Human Services will end the Covid public health emergency. But the bureaucratic behemoth is a slow-footed beast; John Q. Public knows …
Hillcrest Stories
A former Wienerschnitzel A-frame building in Chula Vista caught on fire again, marking the tenth reported blaze at a California-based Wienerschnitzel building in the last couple of years. Right before 11:30 am on March 9, …
A note from the editor: This week, we present the second of the two entries to last year’s writing contest that investigated the long-ago murder of a young woman in San Diego. Once again, the …
You’ll need to be familiar with at least two types of Mediterranean cooking appliances to understand what’s happening at FurnSaj Bakery & Restaurant. A furn may be thought of as similar to a clay pizza …
As Hillcrest considers turning its core into a historic district, gays have lost one of only two sites dedicated to the LGBQT community. The planning commission voted unanimously last week to approve a development permit …
When the shutdown started, I was working at a preschool in Hillcrest. I can still picture my director walking down the stairs from her office above my classroom to tell us it was time to …
Last month drivers for the Metropolitan Transit System witnessed three accidents on their bus and trolley routes. First, on October 19, at about 4:30 pm, a black-colored vehicle collided with the trolley. Then the car …
A favorite, dog-friendly coffeeshop that emerged during the pandemic has quickly grown into a three-location dog-friendly family of coffeeshops. Chiefy Café — named after its owners’ dog — opened just shy of two years ago …
“IZOLA Bakery will not exploit this local artist any longer,” reads a recent Instagram post from local singer Fre3sty13, “as they expect us to art inside their shop for free; that’s modern-day slavery… You want …
The first time he knocked, my wife and I were brainstorming dinner ideas. He must have approached cautiously, or the creaky porch would have given him away. As it was, our conversation choked to a …
The past couple months, the name of a Canadian pizza shop has stared back at me from a perpetually growing list I keep of new restaurants to try. Steveston Pizza Company started out in a …
The Palms Hotel at 12th and Island downtown (originally known as the Bay View and reportedly San Diego's oldest continuously operated lodging) and Hillcrest's similarly rundown Friendship Hotel are being purchased by the same Newport-based …
In the greater San Diego area, you could visit three different Italian restaurants every week for a year and still not try them all. More like five a week if you include pizza counters. And …
The San Diego City Council on Monday overturned the historic designation of a small, nondescript commercial building on the southeast corner of 4th Avenue and Palm Street in Banker's Hill. Built by master architect Charles …
There are a lot of used-to-be’s on El Cajon Boulevard. The now-gentrified corner at Utah used to be a mattress store. The Red Fox Room used to be on the south side of the street. …
Editor’s Note: Aphorisms be damned, we judged Adam Gnade’s book by its cover, which was designed to look like something you’d find in the dollar paperback box in a used bookstore, complete with water stains …
Vegas lawyer and a super gift giver SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment, currently welshing on paying $10 million in back rent to the city, last year came up with a free ticket worth $80 for Ninth …
The long, piercing, terrible scream that echoed through the auditorium didn’t come from the movie; it emanated from somewhere in the back of the theater, and it was alive, an entity. Here, near 37th and …
“He has a book out? I love that guy! I love that band!” Rick Froberg shows the enthusiasm of a teenage metalhead when discussing former Hillcrest resident and Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford, who recently …
The Reader’s editorial staff was gratified and frequently delighted by the response we got to our writing contest: 347 non-fiction stories, 31 pieces of fiction, and no less than 199 poems. It’s good to know …
Street life is coming back, and with it, scooter critics. Motorized scooters are often touted as a first or last mile link in the transit chain, and the city counts them among its mobility choices …
In addition to several of the will specifics, the Winnipeg newspaper article contained quotes from a Chula Vista woman who was identified as Glikeria’s friend. ‘She always had a hammer or a saw or paintbrush …
I felt as though my searching was coming to the end, that I had exhausted just about all my Ancestry leads. For the heck of it, and not expecting to find anything helpful, I Googled …
I found a couple more passport documents, one for a later trip that Glikeria made in 1919 to Sweden, of all places. And yes, there was yet another photo of her, this one less of …
It feels good to be a winner. Who doesn’t love being the best — or at least the first, or the luckiest? People congratulate you, make you feel special and singled out. And you get …
The 1950 census won’t be released until 2025, so it was impossible to follow the census trail forward any further. I figured the only more current record I would find on our couple was their …
Flash forward eight years to a couple of months ago. Harry L. and Keria Rogers jump into my mind as Lynne and I are poking through one of my old family lines on Ancestry. I …
After my wife Lynne and I had bought each other subscriptions to Ancestry.com, I had a ton of info about people at my fingertips. (Am I really one of the only people who actually misses …
It’s one of those evenings. I’m in The Studio in Hillcrest with my friend Eric. He’s introducing me to his friend, the artist Elisabeth Sullivan. And straightaway, I’m mesmerized by this painting of hers. It’s …
It’s the colors, here in this neighborhood that’s celebrating with tacos and beer and lots of noise, half a block from 5th and University. “Escandalo!”, a gal’s singing again and again. It looks like a …
Pernicano’s in Hillcrest was a popular eatery for years, especially for sports celebs. Colorful owner George Pernicano owned three percent of the San Diego Chargers (seven percent originally). His restaurant closed in 1985, and has …
“Let’s go Japanese,” says Chris. “You mean chopsticks?” asks Erik. “Not really my thing.” There are four of us standing around here, dithering by the DMV in Uptown. It’s 4:30 pm. Chris calls his buddy …
Major nonprofit thrift stores in San Diego have been around for decades. Then along came Covid and took its toll. Two longtime San Diego Rescue Mission thrift stores (North Park and City Heights) closed down. …
Legendary El Cajon Boulevard has had a checkered past since its early days, when it was once the major East-West highway (CA 80) into San Diego. It consisted of car dealerships, motels, shops, and eateries …
A quiet dead-end street in Hillcrest will become a main entry for the new University of California San Diego medical campus. Last week, the city council approved the privatization of portions of four public streets, …
My two friends Erik and Chris said I had to do this. “It’s not that cheap, but you get so much, you have two meals for the price of one, guaranteed,” said Chris. He was …
In my years covering local restaurants, I’ve witnessed San Diego foodies get excited about restaurants specializing in cheeseburgers, tacos, carne asada fries, ramen, sushi burritos, Neapolitan pizza, fried chicken, cupcakes, bone marrow, vegan brunch, and …
On June 30, a local reached out to the 1,700-plus members of the Stolen Bike San Diego Facebook forum. "My Jamis City bike was stolen from my garage in Hillcrest last night along with my …
In some cities, sea rise is claiming historic buildings. In Hillcrest, a modernist tower built with San Diego's sunny climate in mind is up against modern medicine. Its owner, Scripps Health, wants to replace it …
A Hillcrest favorite, Amarin Thai, closed last fall, after holding down its Richmond Street location for more than 22 years. Longtime fans of the restaurant may be pleased to learn that Thai food is officially …
The City Council has upheld the historic designation of a Bankers Hill home that advocates say is a rare architectural gem, while others call it Frankenstein. The mixed-style house sits in a mixed-use neighborhood rich …
Right about now, I’m supposed to be indoor dining somewhere and reporting how great it feels that we’re trending back toward normalcy. But not so fast! Yes, restaurant owners and their bottom lines may be …
Spring wouldn’t technically arrive for another few weeks, but the sun was out. After what has nearly been a full, cooped-up year of covid, that was all the encouragement we needed to have a picnic. …
Teagan (“Think ‘Reagan’” she says) saws away at her violin right by the entrance. She’s playing Arianna Grande’s “34+35.” Sounds really cool. Actually, this whole scene is hard to beat. Saturday morning, sunshine, cool breeze …
The untold stories about Hillcrest’s Friendship Hotel would probably read like William Burroughs’ dream journal. Once a nurse’s dorm for the nearby hospital, by the turn of the 21st century the two buildings across the …
“This night, we were stuck on a sand bar,” says Justin. “There’s weather out there, and strong current. There’s the potential for the boat to just get knocked over. The tide comes in very fast. …
This year marks the first I spend Valentine’s Day as a married man. Not to gloat too much, but I hit the jackpot. My gorgeous and successful bride happens to be an accomplished home chef. …
The clock was ticking towards the inauguration of the new president, and a look inside the fridge confirmed what I already knew: we were out of eggs. And any other breakfast protein. And bread. And …
It’s kind of surprising that I haven’t written before about Bahn Thai. I’ve been eating at the University Heights restaurant since it opened, going on ten years ago, and I’ve returned often. The most likely …