A Bagel By Any Other Name
Plus: Councilmember Campillo at LVTC Meeting, Interview with LV Branch Librarian, Parks After Dark Announcement, Statues of Mission Valley, and Musical Production Wraps Up
Can it really be? June gloom over? A beautiful sunshiny day? It was a perfect day to sit outside and enjoy a late breakfast or an early lunch. But where to go? I know some of our readers say we should stay away from those expensive Fashion/Mission Valley places, but sometimes you must throw caution to the wind. What is money for if not to spend? And besides, you eventually run out of Linda Vista eating venues.
A couple of weeks ago when we reviewed Jane’s Café, we mentioned a bagel shop called Spill the Beans at 525 Camino de la Reina, open Mon-Sun 6AM to 7PM. We skipped over it back then, but we finally decided to give the place a try, especially since we both found ourselves intent one recent morning on eatings bagels.
Spill the Beans is a new venue, and it is quite beautiful with lots of indoor and outdoor seating. They have a full-service coffee and bagel menu featuring Roll Your Own Bagel, San Diego which is two eggs, sausage patties, cheese and maple butter, Bagels with lox, with cream cheese, Cabo-Cado Toast, Bagel with bacon, tomato and lettuce and many more sandwich items, as well as different types of bagels with a variety of butters and spreads. They have different sized boxes of bagels you can get for a crowd, chia bowls, many hot and cold drinks for adults and kids. You can see their entire menu on their website. You can order ahead and pick up, or order there and enjoy a nice table in the sun for a leisurely respite.
Steve ordered the Cabo-cado “toast”. I think he is addicted now to avocado toast It included a bagel (or bun), avocado, micro cilantro, red onion, tomatoes, pepitas, lime, salt and pepper. He picked a honey oat bagel. He told them to skip the jalapenos. Really? What kind of Mexican is he, anyway? He really liked it and even let me have a taste this time. It was wonderful and cost $8.49.
I picked a cinnamon Raisin Bagel with Hot Honey Butter. The honey butter had just a little kick to it but tasted delicious warmed on the bagel. And it was only $4.20.
The service was very good and the staff friendly. The Carnivore Sidekick had once brought us a bagel from this establishment; he said he waited in line for 40 minutes. I have to believe that Saturday and Sunday mornings are probably very busy, but a mid-morning Tuesday was not crowded, although a good number of customers came and went. Unfortunately, the Carnivore and his Sidekick are on vacation enjoying bratwurst and beer in Munich, so could not join us. And curiously, they didn’t ask us to join them.
We really enjoyed sitting in the sun and relaxing after a couple of hectic days, so I urge you to give them a try if you want a meal in a casual environment. It’s worth the five-minute drive, and since we don’t usually buy high priced hot drinks, the price was very reasonable. It appeared to be a very dog friendly establishment, so bring Fido.
Councilmember Campillo Speaks at LVTC Meeting
District 7 Councilmember Raul Campillo was the featured guest speaker at last night’s monthly general meeting of the Linda Vista Town Council. During his presentation, Campillo addressed several planned cuts to the Mayor’s original budget for the upcoming fiscal year that were eventually resolved. Important items that were retained in the budget included money for homeless safe sleeping sites, including for those living in the riverbed, providing support to the homeless population that will facilitate connecting them to appropriate services, the resurfacing of roads to include the continued slurry sealing of roads in Linda Vista, library resources to include money for children’s books and online internet access to conduct student homework assignments, the popular Parks After Dark program, free after school programs at local parks and recreation centers, and 2.3 million dollars for the small business enhancement program.
He also commented on plans for expanding the library, and the building of a community or senior center. He assured the audience that Mayor Todd Gloria has not taken his eyes off of Linda Vista and intends to “keep paving roads.”
Campillo ends his first term of office in December. He is running unopposed in this year’s election.
If you missed the chance to hear Councilmember Campillo, you will have another opportunity on June 29. On that day, a Coffee with Campillo session will be held at the Bayside Community Center. Check out the below flyer for details.
Interview with Jeffrey Davis
Meet LV Library Branch Head
One of the most popular places in all of Linda Vista is the Linda Vista Library, located at 2160 Ulric Street. If you are an avid reader, you may already know some of the library staff members who make this venue such a valuable asset for the community. This week we sat down with the longtime Library Branch Head—Jeffrey Davis—to ask a few questions about himself and the library.
—Do you have a favorite author, or authors, or genre of books?
I prefer non-fiction over fiction. I like to read book that are work related.
—What books have you noticed are highly popular among Linda Vista readers?
The novel Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus was very popular. Also, books by novelist Jennifer Weiner.
—How long have you been here at the Linda Vista Library?
I have been here since 2011.
—Has anyone ever checked out War and Peace and actually finished it?
My guess is that they have. We have some really good readers here at this library, so chances are good that someone has done so.
—What is one interesting thing about the Linda Vista Library that most people don’t know about?
Architect Rob Quigley designed this library. This was the first public building that he designed. He went on to design many others, to include the Central Library, and a number of other libraries in California.
—What do you enjoy most about your job?
I like just being at this library. It’s a great environment, and there are great people that I get to work with.
—What is one feature of the Linda Vista library you like to brag about?
I like the patios, all the spaces, especially the kids’ area which we have made inviting so that it encourages young people to visit the library and read.
—What’s the biggest fine that you have ever seen incurred for an overdue library book?
We don’t fine people. If they are overdue on a book, borrowing privileges are suspended. If a book is six months past the due date, the book is treated as a loss and the borrower must pay for the book.
—What other libraries have you visited that you like?
As a librarian, I’ve had the opportunity to visit all the other libraries in the San Diego area. I especially like the one in Scripps Ranch, the one in South Chula Vista, and outside the area I’ve enjoyed visiting the library in Mexico City.
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We wish to thank Mr. Davis for taking the time to answer our questions. We hope the Linda Vista Library continues to be a great place to read, study, research, contemplate, and meet other people.
Parks After Dark Program Begins Tomorrow
Linda Vista families are invited to attend this year’s version of the highly successful Parks After Dark program at the Linda Vista Recreation Center. It’s a great way to spend a summer night. Check out the flyer below for details.
The Statues of Mission Valley
In the May 30 issue of this newsletter we acknowledged the passing of basketball star Bill Walton by referring to his statue, which stands next to the entrance of the Mission Valley YMCA. The statue was respectfully decorated by fans.
That got us thinking once again of the absence of any statues in Linda Vista. In a previous issue we described Linda Vista as a “Statue Desert”. The truth is statues are not used as often as they were in the past to commemorate a notable individual or event. It is rare these days to see this art form on public display. Outside of religious venues, people seem to prefer more abstract expressions. However, as we recently perused the local area in and around Linda Vista, we did notice that Mission Valley seems to be a popular area for this traditional type of art. For example, in addition to the statue of Bill Walton, the Mission Valley YMCA also hosts an inspirational statue titled “Let Go Lightly“ that commemorates the local heritage of the Kumeyaay Native American people and the relationship between parent and child.
If you go further east along Friars Road and enter the Hazard Center Shopping Mall, you will see two statues (see adjoining photos above) honoring the Hazard family. The statues, which stand across from each other, are of R.E. Hazard and his eldest son Bruce R. Hazard. In 1926, R.E. “Pappy” Hazard founded the R.E. Hazard Contracting Company which ended up performing road construction and excavation throughout the San Diego area. His company, to include Hazard Construction Company, was involved in the construction of segments of interstate 5, 8, 15 and 805. Bruce Hazard eventually took over the company. He passed away in 2001. Interestingly enough, the funds to design and build the “Let Go Lightly” statue at the Mission Valley YMCA were donated years ago by Bruce Hazard.
Finally, driving further east, you will eventually spot the statue of San Diego Union sportswriter Jack Murphy (and his dog Abe), who is credited with successfully advocating for a new San Diego stadium. The new stadium helped bring major league baseball to San Diego. The statue once stood in front of the entrance to Qualcomm Stadium—originally referred to as Jack Murphy Stadium.
Will Linda Vista ever get its own publicly viewed, non-religious statue? For now, the closest we come to such an art form is LV Man, who stands magnificently (and oddly) on a front yard located at the farthest reaches of Ulric Street. I guess he will have to do for now.
Successful LV Musical Production Wraps Up
This past weekend, the super talented Linda Vista Theater Arts Program wrapped up its production of One Normal Night with one last performance at the Linda Vista Recreation Center. We attended the preview night performance of the production on June 8—you can read our review in last week’s issue of this newsletter. To recognize the great amount of time and effort expended by these young actors, made up of actors from 8 to 18 years of age, we want to publish the entire cast list that portrayed the bizarre Charles Addams characters:
Kole Cortez as Gomez; Gina Everly as Morticia; Vanessa Limon as Morticia: Katelynn Vilchis as Wednesday; Luna Desyllas as Pugsley; Jolisa Samaniego as Pugsley; KJ LeCesne as Uncle Fester; Khloe Padilla-Soriano as Lurch; Ella Yepiz as Grandma; Leia F. Viray as Lucas Beineke; Carolynn Tran as Mal Beineke; Janine Perry as Alice Beineke; Addams Ancestors: Kelsey Kruse, Charlie Cortez, Karely Elizabeth Padilla- Soriano Myka Lester, Goddess Duplessis-Nunley, Nandi Duplessis-Nunley, McKenna Janelle, Rochelle De Santiago and Amy Velazquez, and Skyler Birchmeier- Stage Manager. The play was directed by KJ LeCesne & Helena Villegas.
In last week’s review of preview night, we noted the performance of Gina Everly as Morticia and Jalisa Samaniego as Pugsley. However, we want to recognize the actors below for also playing the roles of Puglsey and Morticia during other performances.
If you know of any local young people who are interested in serving as cast and crew for the next LV Theater Arts Program production, please pass along to them the information in the below flyer.
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Special Note: The Linda Vista Update will be taking two weeks off from its regular publication schedule. We will resume publication on July 11.