A Padres Mural in Linda Vista? We Know Where to Put It.
Plus: USD Tennis Coach in Spotlight; the epic Torero Burrito at Super Bronco; and Upcoming Community Events.
Take a tour around San Diego. You are guaranteed to see examples of attractive and symbolically significant street art in every community. Street art, especially seen in the frequency of large murals, has been used to brighten up neighborhood corners and/or send a social, cultural, or historical message relevant to that respective locality. Linda Vista has its own murals worth bragging about, to include one colorful mural that was just recently installed adjacent to the Linda Vista library. However, I contend local residents need to take advantage of an opportunity to replace a well-known but aging Linda Vista mural with another one capable of brightening up an area of our community greatly in need of a vibrant, colorful upgrade.
There is a beautiful mural located on the wall of the Buggy Bath Car Wash, a few feet away from the Linda Vista Library. Furthermore, the Linda Vista Town Council (LVTC), in conjunction with Ebenezer Church, recently installed a mural that brightened up a side of the building housing both San Diego Dry Cleaners and Comstock Market. This building is located on Comstock Street, across the street from the U.S. Post Office, and next to the Linda Vista library. This mural has been welcomed as a great addition to the Linda Vista landscape.
However, on the other side of the building exists another larger, much older mural—this one celebrating child literacy (see mural above). This mural, installed approximately 20 years ago, was originally commissioned as a perfect fit for the Linda Vista library area, with its playful subject matter of nursery rhymes. If it could be adequately maintained, this mural would continue to serve as an attractive part of the Linda Vista Library area, which includes a parking lot, the large building complex housing Skateworld and other business establishments, and one side of the Thuan Phat Supermarket. Unfortunately, the mural has faded with age and cannot be refurbished to its original appearance. In its current state, the mural definitely looks worn and faded, giving the area around the library a worn and faded look.
Though there is currently no plan in place to replace the mural (on a wall measuring approximately 25 feet in height and 90 feet in width), LV residents should see this situation as an opportunity, and take advantage of the momentum caused by the recent installation of the LVTC/Ebenezer Church mural. Assuming the owner of the building is still willing to host a mural, how can this replacement be accomplished? One answer would be to look to the San Diego Padres organization for help. As many of you already know, during the past few months the Padres have enlisted the artistic talents of a San Diego business—Ground Floor Murals—to create and install exciting murals of popular Padres throughout the San Diego area. A Tony Gwynn mural was originally put up by Ground Floor Murals in City Heights. The Padres then decided to install a Manny Machado mural in Chula Vista, a Joe Musgrove mural at Grossmont High School, and a Fernando Tatis mural in Ocean Beach. And just this week, a mural of pitcher Yu Darvish (see above photo) was unveiled in the nearby Convoy District.
The Padres have announced that the organization plans to put up more murals. It would be a shame if their plans didn’t include Linda Vista. I think it would be great if the Padres put up the image of any of their players on a Linda Vista wall, but one depicting Padres outfielder Tommy Pham would especially serve as a meaningful replacement for our current nursery rhyme mural. Pham is, in fact, one of the few players with a Vietnamese background to have played in Major League Baseball. His visage on the wall would not only brighten up the area, but also serve to honor the neighborhood’s large Vietnamese-American population.
I further suggest a mural depicting Pham holding a book in his hand would be especially appropriate for the library area. Either that, or a mural containing Pham’s image, accompanied by images of baseball-related books, short stories, or poems with titles such as “Field of Dreams,” “The Natural,” “Bang the Drum Slowly,” “Pafko at the Wall,” and “Casey at the Bat.” Such murals would be a win for the Padres, the LV community, resident literacy, and the LV library area.
If for some reason the Padres are not interested in supporting Linda Vista, there is always the option of private citizens in the Linda Vista area raising enough money to install their own mural. I am sure some kind of deal could be arranged with Ground Floor Murals.
In any event, I think Linda Vista residents and local organizations should immediately start a campaign to convince the San Diego Padres that Linda Vista has the perfect place for the next Padre’s player mural. And besides, who in their right mind could argue against that winning combination of baseball and literacy?
Working together we could make this happen!
Here is one email address for reaching the Padres organization: comments@padres.com
Linda Vista Resident in the Spotlight
Nadia Abdala is what can be described as a full-time Linda Vistan. By full time, we mean she’s lucky enough to live and work in Linda Vista. As an assistant coach for the University of San Diego’s women’s tennis team, Abdala has to spend just a couple minutes commuting from her Linda Vista home to USD’s beautiful campus, where she helps to coach a very successful Division I sports program.
Beginning her eighth season as an assistant coach for the USD women’s tennis team, Abdala played at Arizona State and subsequently played professionally on the Women’s Tennis Association tour. She competed twice in the international Federation Cup tournament representing Mexico.
As mentioned on the USD web site, “In her time with USD, she has helped lead the Toreros to reach the nation's top-40 rankings in the last two seasons (2019 and 2020) while the Toreros reached the NCAA Tournament as a team in 2019 and 2021. In a shortened 2020 season, both of USD's top players were ranked.
Abdala is also a 2020 Masters graduate of USD’s Leadership Studies program.
We thought our readers might want to know more about this interesting Linda Vista resident; accordingly, we asked her to answer some questions for us regarding her love of tennis, and about living and working here in Linda Vista. She was kind enough to respond with the answers below.
—How did you get started playing tennis?
My parents play tennis and are avid fans of the sport, so as soon as I could hold a racket, they signed me up for tennis lessons. My three older siblings also played tennis and it became a family affair. Tennis seemed fun for me, I had friends in the clinics, I made clay castles during the water breaks, and the coaches were very friendly. I remember waking up every morning hoping I would go to the club and play tennis; it was the highlight of my day for years.
—While growing up, did you have a favorite professional tennis player you admired or enjoyed watching? How about today?
I did, I loved Jennifer Capriati. I admired her game style and attitude on the court. I played with her racket and I tried to mimic her technique and body language as much as I could. I saw her play for the first time when I was 10 years old in La Costa, CA and I was so excited to see her play that I started crying when she stepped on the court. Today, I am a big Rafael Nadal fan, he is a warrior on the court yet a class act on and off the tennis court.
—Tell us about a favorite moment or experience you enjoyed while playing tennis during your college or professional playing career.
I played college tennis at Arizona State University (ASU) and at that time Stanford was #1 in the nation and ASU had never beaten Stanford in program history. My sophomore year we finally beat Stanford!! The match was a nail biter and we celebrated like we just won the national championship since we all knew it was a big deal for our coaches and program. Tennis is an individual sport and I had lots of success as a player but this memory of winning as a team is far more important to me than any other individual win that I accomplished as a college or professional player.
--What do you like about coaching college athletes?
I love that I get to witness their growth and development as young adults and tennis players. College coaching allows me to coach at a high level while also investing myself in helping and mentoring my players on and off the court. We have a saying that tennis is for life, so many real-life experiences happen on the court and are great life lessons for our players. Coaching goes beyond the tennis court, and I feel very fortunate to be a part of my student-athlete collegiate journey.
—Why should a top performing women’s tennis player come to play at the University of San Diego?
We have it all at the University of San Diego. We have prestigious academics, we have a beautiful university with great location and weather, and we have a brand-new state of the art tennis stadium that provides all the resources tennis players need to develop their game. The environment at the University of San Diego is community-based, we are a big family and that leads to a healthy culture. Healthy cultures win conference and national championships.
—How different/challenging was it to coach during the COVID pandemic?
It was definitely challenging; the situation was very fluid, and the ambiguity of things made it tough for all of us but esspecially for the student-athletes. As a coach, I had to be open and flexible to change and constantly made adjustments. Since tennis is a low-risk sport, we were very fortunate to be able to practice and compete throughout most of the academic year.
—What’s the outlook for the USD’s women’s tennis team for this upcoming year?
We are very excited for the upcoming year; our team finished the 2021 Spring season ranked 37 in the nation and we have the momentum on our side for the 2022 Spring season. We have a young team with great leadership from the upper classmen, so I am really excited for the 2021-22 academic year to begin.
—Do you have a favorite restaurant in the Linda Vista area?
Yes, I have many, I love the tacos from La Tiendita on Ulric Street, the pizzas and pastas at North Italia, the sushi burritos at Sushi Freak, the salads and sandwiches at Urbane, and the noodles at J&T Thai Street Food.
—You have a free afternoon to spend in San Diego. How would you spend this time?
I like trying new restaurants and coffee shops, so I would probably meet up with a friend or family to have dinner or coffee, or I would take my dog to Fiesta Island dog beach, or I would have an easy-going afternoon and watch crime shows.
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The Linda Vista Update wishes to thank Nadia Abdala for taking the time to answer our questions.
The Torero Burrito: An Awesome Linda Vista-USD Combo
As indicated in the previous article, there is a special relationship that exists between Linda Vista and the University of San Diego. For example, USD students often support LV community service projects, LV property owners often rent out apartments to USD students, while USD students frequent many LV business establishments. We are all part of one big, shared community.
There is no finer example of this special Linda Vista-USD relationship then that of the Torero Burrito—Super Bronco’s outstanding culinary contribution to the world. As most Linda Vistanistas are well aware, there are a number of outstanding Mexican food items on Super Bronco’s menu, but the Torero Burrito, named after USD’s official mascot, is worthy of special focus precisely because this restaurant on Linda Vista Road (a favorite of USD students) chose to honor USD with a super-sized burrito of epic proportions and taste.
The hefty Torero Burrito consists of your choice of meat, fries, sour cream, cheese, guacamole, rice, beans, salsa fresca, all wrapped in a flour tortilla. Of course, it’s relatively expensive, costing $13.99, while most other burritos on the menu cost a meager $8.59. But I suggest people who have experienced a Torero Burrito would agree the price is worth it!
In order to fully understand the merits of the Torero Burrito and how highly it is valued by USD students, we arranged to speak to a typical USD student—Patrick O—who took time out of his busy summer schedule to detail his appreciation for this gastronomic treat.
We caught him as he was walking out of Super Bronco, with the Torero Burrito bundled in his hand.
Prior to consuming it, Patrick O allowed us to weigh his Torero Burrito. It weighed in at about 1200 grams or almost 3 pounds. In comparison, a McDonalds Big Mac only weighs 240 grams or 8.5 ounces.
Once he started eating, we were amazed by the Torero Burrito’s size, but Patrick O seemed not too concerned. Instead, he commented on its ability to enhance his study skills. “Whenever, I have an extremely complex study assignment to tackle,” he told us, “I usually begin the study process by eating a Torero Burrito. Its combination of ingredients serves to stimulate my mind.”
We tested his theory out by asking him to “Say something smart” after he had eaten half of the Torero Burrito. He responded by instantaneously quipping, in a surprising slight British accent…
“The temporal differential we call wakefulness is the cosmic interaction of subatomic particles operating in the quantum field, the quantum leap represents a fundamental universal constant that we can only speculate upon in the macro scale of wave form frequencies.”
Naturally, we were quickly sold on the cerebral stimulation potential of the Torero Burrito.
When we asked how long he has been a fan of the Torero Burrito, Patrick O answered…
“I first observed the Torero Burrito from afar when I was a little kid visiting San Diego. When I asked my grandmother if I could order a Torero Burrito, she said, ‘You’re just a little kid. Eat your plate of taquitos. Maybe when you go to college.’ I made up my mind that when I grew up and went to USD, I would one day purchase my own Torero Burrito and eat it. Years later, when I learned I was accepted for enrollment at USD, I was so happy to be officially entitled to eat a Torero Burrito. Funny, but it wasn’t until the second semester of my freshman year when I discovered that one doesn’t have to be enrolled as a USD student to eat a Torero Burrito!! It turns out ANYONE can purchase and eat one!! Isn’t that wonderful? I consider that policy one small step for man, one giant leap for Burrito lovers.”
Upon finishing his Torero Burrito, we expected to witness some more academic fireworks emanate from Patrick O’s super-stimulated mind, but shortly after patting his stomach with a note of satisfaction, we watched as he reclined comfortably on his couch to take a nap.
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Super Bronco Mexican Restaurant
6725 Linda Vista Rd. San Diego, CA 92111
858-560-9510
Sunday - Thursday : 9am - 9pm
Friday - Saturday: 9am - 10pm
Upcoming Community Events
—The Circus is Coming to Town: The Fern Street Circus will be at the Linda Vista Recreation Center on Saturday August 21. This free performance will be held at 2:00 pm.
—Community Clean-Up: The next Bayside Community Center Community Clean-Up will be held at 10:00 on September 12. Volunteers meet in the Linda Vista library parking lot. If possible, let Bayside know in advance that you plan on volunteering for this task.
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The Linda Vista Update publishes informative, interesting and fun news about Linda Vista and its neighboring communities.
Wow that’s a big burrito!! And no left over !!