Enjoy Food and the View at Mission Bay Venue
Plus: LV News Briefs, Kearny High QB in the Spotlight, Congresswoman Jacobs at LVCPG Meeting, LV Odds and Ends, and LV Update Poetry at Community Garden
We had occasion recently to attend a memorial at Mission Bay Park. While driving there, we observed the Mission Bay Beach Club at 2688 E. Mission Bay Drive. It is located where the Mission Bay Information Center used to exist. We had never been there and decided to take a look at it in the near future. On a recent beautiful sunny day, after reading a little about the Beach Club, we decided to try it for lunch.
Open since 2021, we learned that it is a beachfront coffee bar and wine shop which offers small plates and is open daily from 7AM to 8PM. They also have a bocce court in the vineyard and an ice cream truck. There is ample parking right next to the building. It is all outside dining with tables with umbrellas and wonderful for pets as well as humans. It is a very scenic venue with the beautiful bay behind it. There are also chairs behind the restaurant to relax and enjoy the bay views. They advertise yoga, trivia night, and other activities you can find on their website. The vibe was very beachy, which you would expect since it is on the beach. We found a table under an umbrella.
They have many kinds of drinks. Cocktail bar opens at 10AM. There is a large selection of lattes, seasonal lattes, coffees, teas, kombucha, cold and hot drinks. They also have beer by the bottle and wine by the glass. They have a menu that starts at 8am and ends at 2:30pm. This includes pastries from the bakery, breakfasts, salads, and items from the grill. The prices range from $4 for pastries to the $14, $15 range for panini, salads and breakfast plate.
Their menu changes after 3PM and includes small bites, salads, and flat breads. Prices range from $6.50 for olives, to $25 for a meat and cheese board.
Steve decided to get the Avocado Toast, which he has developed a taste for as a result of our newsletter-related meals. The menu said it was served on a bagel, but in fact it was served on a grilled slice of sourdough bread, with avocado, arugula, red pepper flakes. He really enjoyed it and said it had just a little kick.
I ordered a Grilled Cheese sandwich which included cheddar and Swiss cheese, garlic aioli on sourdough bread. It was served with chips. The sandwich was delicious. It contained red pepper flakes, and it was a little spicy, but the combination of the melty cheeses with the crunchy bread was delicious.
It was a beautiful day, and we walked around and enjoyed the view. We didn’t try the ice cream or wine, but we did enjoy the winery and sitting out on the Adirondack chairs in the sunshine. I know we will be going back and think you should try this newer venue for a nice lunch or evening snack. It’s not very far from the northwest border of Linda Vista, just on the other side of the I-5. freeway.
LV News Briefs:
—Follow-up on LV Shooting Incident: On the early morning of Friday October 18, two individuals were involved in a shooting at the Chevron station on Ulric Street and Linda Vista Road. The shooting also resulted in one of the individuals being involved in a car crash occurring on Osler Street. At this week’s LV Planning Group meeting, SDPD Community Relations Police Officer David Surwilo provided an update on the shooting, explaining that the shooting was the result of a verbal confrontation between gang members, that both individuals were subsequently hospitalized, that both individuals were placed under arrest, and that the arrest included charges for drug sales and illegal possession of a gun.
—Kearny High Girls Volleyball: The Kearny girls volleyball team plays in the first round of the CIF championship playoffs (Division V) today at 4:00 pm with a home match against Palo Verde (Blythe).
—Francis Parker Girls Volleyball: The Francis Parker School girls volleyball team plays in the first round of the CIF championship playoffs (Open Division) today at 5:30 pm with a home match against Academy of Our Lady of Peace.
—Civics Contest: Assemblymember Chris Ward is sponsoring his second annual Civics Contest for fourth, eighth, and tenth graders who live in the 78th Assembly District. Check here for contest details: https://a78.asmdc.org/civics-competition
Senior Kearny High QB Brodie Stump Finishing Strong
Football fans come in all shapes and sizes, as well as preferences. Some prefer their team exercise a punishing running game that tries to control the line of scrimmage. Others appreciate the intricacies of an option offense that attempts to keep the defense guessing as to where the quarterback will pitch the ball. However, if your preference involves watching a talented quarterback throw the ball down the field with great accuracy, daring the defense to stop his quick and agile receivers, then you will enjoy watching the Kearny High School Komet varsity team play their brand of football.
For the past four years, the Komets have relied on the passing skills of quarterback Brodie Stump to win games. The 6’ 2’’ 210 pound quarterback has started at that position since he was a mere freshman, and now as a senior he is having his best year yet, accumulating passing yardage and touchdowns that qualify him statistically as one of the top quarterbacks in San Diego county sports history.
His tenure at Kearny High has been a family affair, as his father Jeremy Stump is the team’s head coach.
So far this year, the team has recorded a 6-3 record. They are fresh off a 40-20 win over Coronado High School—a game in which Stump passed 36 times for 24 completions and four touchdowns. Their final regular season game will be played this Friday night at Canyon Hills High School. On Sunday, the team will learn about who they will end up playing in the first round of the CIF championship playoffs.
In order to make our readers aware of this local prep sports star, we sat down this week before a practice session and asked Brodie Stump a few questions. Here is what he had to say:
--What is your proudest accomplishment this year?
Beating Coronado this past Friday. When I was a freshman, they beat us 78-0.
--Who are your top receivers?
Zaiden Gravely (#15), Mathieu Reeves-Shoaf (#13), Jaydan Jackson (#1), and Davidjon Martinez (#3).
--What is your favorite subject in school?
Math.
--What are your plans for next year?
I would like to graduate early from Kearny and enroll at San Diego State University as a preferred walk-on.
--Do you feel any special pressure having your dad as coach?
I felt pressure more as a freshman. I wanted to prove I deserved to play quarterback, and not just because I was the coach’s son. I feel I have to work harder to prove that.
--What do you think is the most challenging aspect of being a quarterback?
Being a quarterback looks easy looking from the outside, but it’s a challenge to command the offense.
--Most satisfying part about being a quarterback?
Winning. I hate losing.
--What are your hobbies?
Playing video games, building Legos with my girlfriend, and fishing.
--Any special obstacles or situation you have had to overcome this year?
I had a bicep injury that prevented me from participating in spring practice and summer workouts.
--Do you have a favorite teacher or teachers at Kearny?
I’d like to mention my counselor Ms. Cruz, Mr. Nef my math teacher, and Mr. Walsh my multi-media teacher.
--Any NFL players that you look up to or admire?
Tom Brady.
--Is there anything else you would like to say?
I’d like to give a shout out to our coaches for pushing us. They made us what we are today.
***
We wish to thank Brodie for taking the time to answer our questions, and we wish him and the rest of the Komet football team good luck for Friday’s game and their CIF playoff games.
Congresswoman Sara Jacobs Attends LVCPG Meeting
This past Monday Congresswoman Sara Jacobs attended the monthly meeting of the Linda Vista Community Planning Group, held at the American Legion Post 731. The Congresswoman provided board members and guests with an update on Washington DC legislation and activities including her work serving on the Armed Services Committee, that included the pursuit of more affordable housing for military service members (i.e. trying to build more on-base housing).
She later fielded questions from meeting attendees. The questions centered on local infrastructure concerns, funding for community projects, and addressing homeless issues (i.e. homeless families with children).
The Linda Vista Community Planning Group meets on the fourth Monday of each month.
LV Odds and Ends
This past week we looked around the LV community for little things that stood out as interesting, unique, or perplexing. We found the following two concerns as worthy of mention.
Friars Road Lane Width:
At the Linda Vista Community Planning Group meeting held this past Monday, several residents of The Bluffs condo complex on Friars Road appealed to the Planning Group members as well as representatives of Hines, the developer of the Riverwalk complex being built across the street in Mission Valley. The residents voiced concerns regarding the redesign of the segment of Friars Road (heading west) located in front of their condos, to include the newly installed median. Their concerns mainly focused on the size of the westward bound lanes, the orange barrels that are maintained next to the median and which prevent a u-turn from being performed, and how the median affects Bluffs residents’ ability to enter and exit parking spaces on Friars Road.
The developer’s representative explained that the width of the lanes were built to City specifications, which according to the City’s Street Design Manual needs to be 11 feet for each lane.
However, ever since construction of the median was completed, we have noted that the size of the left westward lane on this segment of Friars Road seemed oddly smaller than the right one. We always felt crowded driving in this lane, as if we were in danger of hitting the median curb, though we wondered if it was merely an optical illusion. The concerns of these Bluff residents caused us to brave rush hour traffic and finally go out and actually measure that left westward lane. Though the City Manual requires four lane streets to have two 11 foot lanes going in both directions, we found the left westward lane on at least part of this segment of Friars Road to be only 9 and a half feet. The right westward lane measures out at the regulation 11 feet. Now, though I know the City might make exceptions for its own rules and regulations, we can confirm that the Bluffs residents’ concerns have some validity. The size of that lane is not an optical illusion. Not sure how this situation can be remedied without cutting into the median.
Playground Equipment Comparison:
While recently visiting Mission Bay we took notice of the colorful playground equipment installed at both Tecolote Shores South and Tecolote Shores North playgrounds. The two playgrounds lie within a mile of each other. We previously wrote about the installation of the Tecolote North playground equipment in 2022. The South playground opened in 2023. They are both great venues for families, featuring the latest in playground equipment and some fitness equipment for adults. We especially liked the soft, foamy surface of the playground surface, which is great for kids when they fall.
We immediately made a mental comparison with the playground equipment at Linda Vista’s Kelly Street Park. The contrast was stark, to say the least. Keep in mind that a new design for Kelly Street Park, to include plans for new equipment, has indeed been approved. Much money has been spent on these architectural plans, however, funds to actually begin construction have yet to be identified by the City. We figure that as soon as the City is able to pay off the debt incurred by the 101 Ash Street debacle, the remodeling of Kelly Street Park will commence with newly available funds.
In the meantime, there are two relatively positive ways to look at this situation. We could say that Linda Vista kids are not deprived, but merely “Old School” traditionalists—they appreciate playground equipment from the early 60’s, just like some of us enjoy oldies music from the 60’s. You could also say the old LV playground equipment helps to build a strong Spartan character amongst our LV youngsters. The famous Spartan warriors of ancient Greek times believed in, among other things, austerity (i.e., extreme plainness and simplicity of style), while forsaking a life of luxury. The Kelly Street Park playground equipment shown below definitely qualifies as plain and simple. GO LV SPARTANS!
LV Update Poetry at Garden Luncheon
Recently we were invited to a luncheon at the Linda Vista Community Garden coordinated by the San Diego Foundation and Bayside Community Center. This luncheon gave all the attendees the opportunity to see how far the Garden has come since August, when it finally got underway after some delays caused by seemingly endless city permits.
A few months ago, at the grand opening, we got to see all the work that was done by the community and the beautiful wood planter boxes, pergolas and more completed by the Carpenters’ union. The boxes were all empty except for dirt, and some attendees actually planted some of their seeds. However, it was not until August when things really got started. To see it now is amazing. The vegetables and flowers are thriving under the careful stewardship of Amy Zink and Kim Hanson, and the hard work of our local gardeners. The corn is high, squash peaking out of the boxes, and lots of greens of all sorts. The lunch we were treated to was made up of many vegetables grown at the garden and the centerpieces of flowers grown there. The food and wonderful homemade bread was prepared by Chef Christina Ng. Everything was delicious and healthy.
The San Diego Foundation was represented by Christiana DeBenedict, Director, Environmental Initiatives. She spoke of the Community Garden from its genesis until now where everyone can see the product which will be part of the community for years, and will help provide the growers with healthy food for their families as well as the opportunity for them to work with their families to achieve a more sustainable healthy lifestyle. The San Diego Foundation has played a pivotal role in the success of this project and could not have been successful without them.
You may remember that a few issues ago, Steve wrote a poem about the LV Community Garden and published it in this newsletter. You can read it again here. He was honored to be asked to recite it at the luncheon and provide a little background into how it came about. Steve is too modest to mention it himself, but the reading was very well received and people seemed to be very moved by it. It really pleased him to have folks tell him how much it meant to them.
If you get the chance, please visit the LV Community Garden, located at the Linda Vista Community Park. It will give you a very proud feeling that Linda Vista with the help of many people, was capable of bringing this about. The luncheon was one of the most positive experiences I have had in a while. If you can’t volunteer, just visit. Perhaps you would like to have your own plot, or learn how you can grow your own veggies at your home.
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