Exercising at nearby Mission Bay Park
Plus: Longtime LV Library Assistant Retires, Andrés Restaurant in Morena District, and News Briefs
One of the best things about living in Linda Vista happens to be our community’s proximity to so many exciting venues/attractions. One such type of nearby venue/attraction involves numerous scenic walking, jogging and bike paths. We are so lucky to have these great outdoor exercise options readily available to us. Depending on where you live in Linda Vista, you can start walking, running or peddling from your house and find your way down to join one of these paths, or you can take a short car drive and park somewhere along one of us these nearby routes to enjoy your exercise session. In previous newsletters we have featured Mission Valley paths along the San Diego River, as well as paths further west running parallel to Sea World and ending up at Hospitality Point Park across the channel from Ocean Beach.
Another path we would like to bring to your attention has to be one of the most picturesque in all of San Diego. And it happens to be so very close to Linda Vista; in fact, just a freeway overpass away from the most northwest edge of Linda Vista. This exercise path takes in the eastern side of Mission Bay Park, across from Fiesta Island—a beautiful area of San Diego that we routinely drive past and admire as we commute on I-5. If being more physically active is one of your New Year’s resolutions, and you are looking for an extremely scenic, relaxation-inducing, flat no hills 4-mile course to tackle, then I highly recommend exercising along this path. Many of you have been to Mission Bay Park to picnic or sit in the sun, but it also serves as a fantastic place to exercise.
You can begin jogging, walking or peddling on this concrete path by first parking your car in the unpaved parking lot located at the corner of Fiesta Island Road and East Mission Bay Drive, right before the entrance to Fiesta Island. From there you can start heading north on the concrete path that begins on the right side of the small, colorfully painted traffic barriers. Before you know it, you will enter the Tecolote Shores part of Mission Bay Park. The path winds its way north surrounded by grass and palm trees, and runs parallel to the waters of Mission Bay. Though you are just a short distance away from Linda Vista, the scenery will immediately give you the feeling that you are on vacation at an exotic resort.
Chances are good that as you make your way along the path, you’ll be able to spot on your left some adventurous wind surfing enthusiasts conducting their acrobatic maneuvers. The constant breeze that makes wind surfing popular at this site is one of the things that make exercising along this path so great—that cool breeze that comes off the water always feels so refreshing.
If you look down to your left along this path you’ll find a small historical monument honoring the U.S. civilian and military personnel who were held hostage by the Iranian government back in 1979-81. Coincidentally, walking on this path last Thursday afternoon, I noticed the date of their release occurred exactly 41 years before. How time flies!!
As you go further, you’ll pass by the Mission Bay Resort. Depending on how hard you are walking, jogging or peddling, you’ll probably be tempted to join the tourists and sit at the pool and enjoy a fancy drink, so its important you remember your New Year’s resolution to get in better shape, fight that feeling to stop and relax on a lounge chair, and continue stepping or peddling forward.
As you proceed further north, you’ll find yourself along the Tecolote Shores North area of Mission Bay Park. The path weaves a bit but always stays close to the water. You’ll walk past the Playa Pacifica area of Mission Bay Park where you’ll probably see collegiate and club rowing crews stroking their way next to Fiesta Island, then you’ll wind your way past the Visitor Center. Finally, you’ll reach the 2-mile turnaround point as you get close to De Anza Cove. If you look across the water, you’ll see the old De Anza trailer park in the distance.
(From this point, you can go much further if you’re feeing especially fit. You can continue following the path that winds west past De Anza Cove, or even keep going past the back area of Mission Bay High School, until you get to the other side of the Bay, and then all the way to Mission Beach. But that’s the subject for another post.)
As you head back south to your original starting point near the entrance of Fiesta Island, you’ll want to make sure you wear your shades if its the afternoon, as the setting sun is always very bright. On the January day I walked this course (in my shorts and T-shirt), it was 15 degrees and cloudy in my wife’s hometown of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. I’m happy to report my biggest worry while walking my four miles on this winter day involved shielding my eyes from the California sun’s blinding reflection off the water.
In addition to the beautiful park and nearby water, it’s also nice to take in the views of the many houses sitting along the hills of Bay Park as you continue your walking, jogging or biking. And as you are enjoying your time on the path, you can also see and hear the constant whir of the adjacent I-5 traffic, which will only help to make you appreciate the relaxing atmosphere of Mission Bay Park.
It’s hard to believe this San Diego gem of a path is so close to Linda Vista. It’s one of the many perks associated with living in our community. You would be seriously remiss if you did not take advantage of its proximity.
To get to the parking lot and the start of the concrete path, you just have to drive up Morena Boulevard, hang a left on Tecolote Drive, go over the I-5 overpass, and turn right at East Mission Bay Drive. It’s practically in Linda Vista’s backyard.
Whether you’re interested in exercise or just a relaxing stroll to ease your mind, I highly recommend spending some time on this path.
Linda Vista Mainstay Retires
The Linda Vista Library, centrally located in downtown Linda Vista, plays an integral role in the community. Whether serving as a place to find a book, a valuable Wifi hotspot, a research resource, or a meeting place, the library has long been considered an LV mainstay. And within the library itself, Gabby Small has long played the role of a dependable centerpiece of the facility’s operation. But all good things must come to an end, and so it is with Gabby, as the veteran employee of the Linda Vista Library retired last week after serving 29 years as a Library Assistant. Especially noteworthy is the fact that she served her entire 29 years as a city employee at the same library—all that time right here in Linda Vista. And during this time, she was also a resident of the community.
Working at the Linda Vista Library was the first job she took on after immigrating from West Berlin, Germany, before the Wall fell. It was in Berlin where she developed her love of books. “I always loved the library as a kid” she said.
When asked what she enjoyed the most about working the library, Gabby said, “I enjoyed helping in whatever quest people had.” She added, “I liked working with the diverse community, and working with my fellow employees.” And she commented that she enjoyed “Making the library displays. I hope to continue doing so as a library volunteer.”
She explained that a couple of her most memorable experiences while serving as a library assistant included the time (around 2001) when a car exiting the nearby Buggy Bath car wash drove into the side of the library, and on a more positive note, a Linda Vista library anniversary celebration that occurred five years ago.
Regarding her long tenure at the library, Gabby mentioned that “I’ve seen people grow up here, and then seen them bring their own kids to the library later on.”
In terms of her own reading, she claims Agatha Christie as her favorite author.
When asked if she had any final comments to make to the Linda Vista community, she said, “I love Linda Vista. It was a pleasure working here. Hopefully, I made an impact on some people.”
***
The Linda Vista Update wishes Gabby a happy retirement and offers a “Thank you” for her many years of service to the community!
Andrés Restaurant in the Morena District
We have been writing for some time in the LV Update about the recent redistricting process that went on to redraw the 9 council district lines in San Diego. You know how we advocated for all of Linda Vista being reunited after being separated for the past ten years with the Morena area of Linda Vista being in District 2 with most of the remainder of Linda Vista being in District 7. We happily reported that after the final lines were drawn, all of Linda Vista ended up united in District 7 with Raul Campillo our Councilmember. This was good news for the Update as it meant that we could now more easily expand our horizons to include stories from the whole of Linda Vista. This includes many restaurants and businesses in the Morena District.
Accordingly, we had something to celebrate when looking for a new restaurant to visit and review. In addition, with our Carnivore Sidekick recently retuned from his semester abroad, we were now able to also comment on meat dishes (which probably makes 95% of our readers happy). We decided to try a restaurant that we hadn’t been to in many years—Andrés Restaurant at 1235 Morena Blvd. This popular restaurant has been serving Cuban and Puerto Rican comfort food to locals and visitors alike since 1983. Andrés also has a banquet room and a Latin market.
So on a recent Tuesday, the three of us went to Andres for lunch. The restaurant is very bright and beautiful. The staff was masked and the tables seemed to be spaced so as not to be crowded. Our server was very pleasant and told us he has been there since 1997. The lunch menu is comprehensive and includes soups, salads, sandwiches, entrees, desserts and drinks.
The sandwiches can be half or whole. They have a special combo with a half sandwich (Cuban, pollo asado carne asada), cup of soup or salad or french-fries and a fountain soft drink for $11.95 . They, of course, have plantains and yucca frites. Seafood includes arroz con calamares, and pescado al moho de ajo. They have many pork and beef entrees as well. Please take a look at the on-line menu for descriptions and pictures of these wonderful looking dishes.
The carnivore was quick to pick out a very strange looking meal called a Jibarito sandwich which uses plantains instead of bread and is filled with your meat of choice (he chose chicken), cheese, veggies such as lettuce, tomatoes, grilled onions and spicy mayo. The fried plaintains are smashed down before they are filled with the ingredients. As you can see from the picture it was a very large sandwich (two actually) and he could only eat one; and took the other home for dinner. It looked wonderful and he declared it delicious and very different than anything he has had before. ($12.95). He said the chicken was tasty and full of flavor.
Steve ordered the famous black bean soup and it looked and smelled wonderful. It was a large bowl for $6.95.
I was having more of a problem deciding what to order because I had my heart set on a Cuban sandwich but they all contained meat. I knew the bread would be delicious but our server didn’t recommend ordering a meat sandwich and removing the meat, or making a sandwich without meat as it would only contain lettuce, tomato and mayo. He was extremely patient and went back to the kitchen and came out and suggested a vegetarian sandwich containing lettuce, tomatoes, grilled onions, grilled green peppers, cucumbers (my favorite) with their special mayo sauce. When it came, it was delicious. The bread was crunchy and just like I thought it would be. It was called a half sandwich, but seemed very large. This sandwich with a side of fries was $11.95. I told our server it was so good they should put it on the menu. I appreciated the special attention I got.
I suggest you try Andrés and while you are there, take a peek into the Latin store. Maybe you can take a taste of Cuban or Puerto Rican food home with you. There is adequate parking in the nearby parking lot.
I’m sure you will enjoy your food and the experience.
1235 Morena Blvd
Tuesday - Thursday 11am - 8:30pm; Friday & Saturday 11am - 9:00pm;
Sunday: 12pm - 5pm
Newsbriefs
REMINDER: City Council District 7 Townhall Meeting
District 7 Councilmember Raul Campillo will host a virtual Townhall meeting TONIGHT January 27 at 5:00 pm for Linda Vista and Mission Valley residents.
Here is your chance to voice your local concerns to the Councilmember. We hope to see lots of LV Update readers at tonight’s virtual gathering! You can register in advance to attend the meeting by clicking on the site below:
https://sandiego.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJIsc-ysrT0qGo9q7RQrLNlL_5P72Lt1q5c
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Linda Vista Planning Group Commended
During its monthly meeting held this past Monday, the Linda Vista Planning Group (LVPG) was the recipient of a commendation from the office of District 7 Councilmember Raul Campillo. The commendation noted the LVPG members for devoting “countless uncompensated hours in support of the community of Linda Vista…, for establishing an Affordable Housing task force…successfully advocating for the reunification of Linda Vista into a single City Council and Congressional district…honoring Medal of Honor recipient John Baca with the renaming of a park…and being selective in the land use permits it approves so as to look out for the health, safety and general wellbeing of the community.”
The members of the LVPG include the following: Howard Wayne (Interim Chair), Lauree Camarato (Secretary), Carol Baker, Doug Beckham, Demi Brown, Jennifer Carroll, Margarita Castro, Cynthia Dillon, Kim Heinle, Becky Hunt, Ashley Martinez, Victor Ochoa, Dorothy Perez, Felicity Senoski, Keith Warner, Kimberly Weber.
Linda Vista Streets Scheduled for Repair
The Office of Mayor Todd Gloria has identified several streets in Linda Vista as being on his “Sexy Streets” list, which means they are set to be repaired in 6-18 months.
The Mayor’s “Sexy Streets” program involves directing money toward repairing streets and roads in historically underserved communities. Gloria has previously explained that “People say infrastructure isn't a sexy topic. I disagree — and that's why I call newly paved roads 'sexy streets.’ All San Diegans deserve streets in their communities that are in good shape.”
Here is the complete list of Sexy Streets located in City Council District 7, with the Linda Vista streets specifically identified in parenthesis:
College Ave from Interstate 8 to Del Cerro Blvd
Comstock Rd from Lanston St to Fulton St (Linda Vista)
Frost St from Health Center Dr to Berger Ave
Genesee Ave from Linda Vista Rd to Whitney St (Linda Vista)
Linda Vista Rd from Levant St to Genesee Ave (Linda Vista)
Margerum Ave from Navajo Rd to Quiet Slope Dr
Navajo Rd from Camino Estrellado to Park Ridge Blvd
Wandermere Dr from Park Ridge Blvd to Casselberry Way and Golfcrest Dr to Sunny Brae Dr
Waring Rd from Interstate 8 to Adobe Falls Rd
Subscribe to the Linda Vista Update
If you haven’t already done so, please subscribe to the Linda Vista Update. It’s free. Just click on the below “Subscribe now” button. Once you do so, you will be on automatic distribution for all future posts.
The Linda Vista Update publishes informative, interesting and fun news about Linda Vista and its neighboring communities.
That was an especially good article on Gabriele Smith. We will miss her at the Linda Vista Branch Library. Good Luck, Gabi !!! Enjoy life more.