North Park Stories
The first North Park Little League team meeting of the new season had ended at Morley Field, and we were starving. “Mom! Tonight’s the fundraiser for my school at Paesano’s. Can we go there?” I …
Christi Nail has spent thousands of dollars on double-pane windows to keep out the noise and wooden shutters to block out the headlights. She is thinking of building a concrete retaining wall to ward off …
The term “dive bar” is thrown around pretty loosely these days and, not unlike “dude,” “epic,” and “excessive force,” the essential meaning has been all but lost. Enter Tobacco Rhoda’s. Famous for its Filipina bartenders …
"More people worldwide are killed by donkeys than die in plane crashes every year. True, or shit?” Tom’s standing on the stage where the band Napoleon Complex will be playing later tonight. This is Wednesday …
The Labor Ready office at 2884 University Avenue closed on December 27. A sign posted on the door stated: “This office will be closed until further notice.” It says to contact their branch at 1021 …
A women goes over 2,000 miles west and ends up in the same place, how is this possible? I didn’t pull that question out of the MindTrap deck (note cultural reference that makes me feel …
While a little behind the planned opening date (but said to be right on budget), Wang's North Park restaurant will have a “soft opening” on November 21, said co-owner and operator Joel Herzer in a …
The San Diego City Council on November 1 approved an amended agreement with Simon Wong Engineering for services on the Georgia Street Bridge renovation. This will add an additional payment of $493,000, boosting the firm's …
The San Diego City Council on October 18 unanimously approved the increase of tables from nine to eleven at the remaining two cardrooms in San Diego. This proposal was sanctioned last August by the Bureau …
Hearing about an October 11 demonstration at the Bank of America branch on University Avenue at 31st Street, I dropped by. Not connected with the Occupy San Diego movement, this protest was connected to the …
The sun slants in through the venetian blinds, casting angled stripes across Christine’s arms and face. She’s wearing a striped dress, too, so it’s kinda cute. She’s chatting away with her old school buddy, Cathy, …
“I vowed long ago never to move east of route 805!” my friend C.C. admonished me when I told him I was looking for an apartment in an affordable area. My first choice was North …
I’ve always enjoyed gay dives because the mood tends to outshine that of neighboring, dimly lit hipster hangouts. Nowhere is this accute sense of festivity more apparent than karaoke nights at Redwing Bar and Grill …
Directed by Chris Aquavella, 14 mandolin players and three guitarists pluck and strum the poignant notes of “La Frisonette.” Avoiding the black-and-white depictions of Robert Johnson and Leadbelly lining the walls, I imagine sitting in …
Within the past few weeks, a perpendicular, or “head-in,” parking project has been completed in the 4300 block of Kansas Street, north of El Cajon Boulevard. The project was initiated by the Mid City Community …
“I have this dream,” Claire Magner says, looking around the partially renovated insides of the Sunset Temple. “I’m really gonna make this Claire World.” If all goes according to plan, the 300-seat meeting hall on …
Governor Jerry Brown and the state legislature are out to kill redevelopment, but San Diego mayor Jerry Sanders is counting on the state supreme court to quash Brown’s efforts so that the mayor can spruce …
‘Fresh mozzarella?” says Giancarlo. “You eat it like a soft apple, while it’s still warm, and the warm milk oozes out and runs down your face. That’s the fresh mozzarella you can get in Italian …
My buddy Mark and his girlfriend Liz recently moved from Pacific Beach to North Park and threw a housewarming barbecue to inaugurate their new place. Maybe 12 friends, many of them old pals from East …
A long time ago I was new to the city, so I relied on my buddy and roommate to show me the sights. He worked over on University in that office complex between the library …
Though some residents of North Park call the City of San Diego's graffiti hotline or use its online graffiti report form, some complain that the city's response is slow. So, Graham Blair, a volunteer with …
“Within a seated arrangement, the audience witnessed these works in pitch dark.” Larry Caveney is describing audio events he’s produced in his Alabama Street garage in North Park. Caveney launched “the Garage” events in 2009. …
A loud police chase ended in a quiet residential pocket of North Park on August 9. The target of the manhunt was apprehended just west of the 3100 block of 32nd Street. Area resident Brian …
Contact: 2528 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego; 619-299-6812; ecbchurchofchrist.org Membership: 130 Pastor: John Manor Age: 43 Born: Monterey Formation: San Diego State University Years Ordained: 3 San Diego Reader: How long do you spend writing …
Lyric Opera, which owns Birch North Park Theatre, struggles to pay the mortgage and operating costs, which run more than $50,000 monthly. Now, the nonprofit organization is close to unloading the property. According to Lyric …
As San Diego’s budget deficit has grown, the list of basic services that the City provides has shrunk. To address the increased number of overgrown trees, trash-strewn sidewalks, and rundown business centers, dozens of communities …
A 15,600-square-foot property at 3067 University Avenue was built in 1949 by F.W. Woolworth Company. Last year, the city purchased the long-empty building for $1,950,000 for redevelopment. North Park Gateway, LLC, was selected to work …
For many months, transients have hunkered down in front of the Albertsons supermarket at 2235 University Avenue in North Park. They panhandle for change and sometimes fall asleep on the sidewalk. After contacting the Albertsons …
On June 2, when I saw a stop sign at Louisiana Street and Polk Avenue tagged with anti-semitic graffiti, I immediately emailed councilmember Todd Gloria's office. I also sent a photo showing the racial slur, …
“It’s time to get weird! Play with strangers! Feel like part of a kinky experiment!” reads the poster for Pink Punk Lotto. A few days before the showcase, rocker, DJ, and PPL organizer “Swami” John …
Author: Courtney Hartmann Neighborhood: North Park Age: 29 Occupation: Freelance writer It’s Hump Day to most. Weed Wednesday to me. When I get home after a long day, I know there will be people huddled …
South ParkWednesday, February 168:45 p.m.The sign painted on the building reads Delicious Food, Great Beer, Philanthropy, but I won’t notice this until I leave. For now, I dart from my car into South Park Abbey, …
Meeting of the Minds, moderated by Gary Grine, meets Wednesdays at Filter Coffee House. Grine formed this group when he decided that the Thursday discussion group he had founded became “too political and too liberal.” …
Residents of North Park want to think out of the box, the utility box. In recent years, artists have been encouraged to use the metal boxes as canvases; with more boxes on the way, however, …
¡Viva La Revolucion! ¡Viva La Paloma! That’s not exactly how U-31 bartender Chris Freeman sees it. Ask him, though, and this budding bartender will fill your glass with a cold decant of the paloma. As …
Almost a decade ago, when I worked in a high-rise office building downtown, some coworkers and I stood at a corner window and counted the mega-sized cranes that dotted the scenery. “One, two, three, four,” …
Galen’s walking a mile in President Obama’s shoes. “My dad’s Ethiopian, my mom’s American,” she says. “He’s a lawyer. My mom was always baking at home, so when this restaurant came up for lease, he …
It’s just a truck. A big white square food- wagon outside a bar. But look at its chalkboard menu: Local wild halibut, side of ceviche tostada, $4.75 Mandarin salad — local Satsuma mandarin, roasted local …
Each Wednesday night, North Park’s True North Tavern — a good-time spot for drinkers, foodies (the menu is the product of chef Matt Gordon from next-door neighbor Urban Solace), and all-purpose revelers — holds its …
As bartender Seth Laufman preps for Urbn Coal Fired Pizza’s Tuesday-evening crowds, he explains that of all the liquors behind the bar, whiskey’s the most entertaining to “play around with.” It starts with a silky-smooth …
On Tuesday, March 22, the San Diego city council approved loaning restaurateurs Joel Herzer and Tom Eads $500,000 in redevelopment funds to open Pan-Asian restaurant Wangs North Park in the former JC Penney's building at …
Could've called it my Thursday travels ...but thought travelogue sounded more important and whats more important than my day . Like everything ! But to satisfy my urge to satisfy my expressive side ( yes …
Several patrons wearing stickers that read "I Support Bluefoot" crammed into a meeting room in city hall on March 10. They were there to ask San Diego's planning commission to uphold the neighborhood use permit …
“The word ‘steampunk’ initially described a subgenre of science fiction,” says Eric Chamberlin, aka Professor J.S. Greyshade, cofounder and resident DJ of Queen Bee’s monthly steampunk club Chrononaut. “In its original literary definition, steampunk imagines …
The carpet was just being rolled out between the birds-of-paradise planters when my roommate Eli and I arrived at Ray Street Studio in North Park for the Oscars Spaghetti Social party. Paintings adorned the walls …
Author: bowlajello Neighborhood: North Park Starting your own business is hard work. There’s the mission statement, the business plan, tax and insurance issues… You need to consider whether you want to be a sole proprietor …
Rob Steppke chairs the North Park Planning Group. He also sits on the Balboa Park Committee, an advisory committee to the mayor and city council. On February 15, Steppke asked his fellow North Park planners …
Things looked promising for the third annual San Diego Metal Swap Meet. “The first one [in 2009] was held on my driveway in City Heights,” says organizer Brian Parker about the bizarre bazaar that connects …
Why was State Assembly Majority WHIP Toni Atkins working for LeSar Development Consulting firm as the Senior Principal of Housing Policy and Planning even after she was elected to State Assembly? Toni was consulting with …
I frequently walk the streets of North Park. Recently, when repairs were being done to the sidewalk, the imprinted street names in the concrete were preserved by cutting the cement around them, removing them, and …
The North Park Main Street design committee met on January 4 to discuss revitalization plans for 2011. Amy Colony, assistant director of North Park Main Street, said, “Our main goal is to draw in businesses, …
Ben Moore says that after 15 months of Monday nights, the Styletones are giving up their residency at Bar Pink. “We’re leaving because we’ve got a record coming out in the next couple of months …