Exploring Nearby South Shores Park
Plus: Pokemate for Tasty Bowls, Sign Up for LV Town Hall Meeting, Trendy Name Proposal for Morena Area of Linda Vista, Love, Linda Vista Farmers Market Every Thursday, and Vandalism Along LV Medians
For many years a certain locale immediately beyond the western most Linda Vista community limits maintained a mild element of mystery for me. This is a place along Sea World Drive that I routinely drove or walked past for so many years but never entered, as I wasn’t sure what was there other than marshland. The mystery was heightened by the fact that the place sits smack dab in between a couple of my favorite walking/jogging trails, as well as popular Sea World and Fiesta Island. And what added to the mystery is the fact that no one I knew ever mentioned it as a favorite destination; it was as if no one ever entered and then successfully escaped to tell their story ! Accordingly, I likened it to several popular tropes of science fiction themed TV episodes—a void in the time-space continuum—or a forbidden area like Nevada’s famous Area 51—or even our own version of the the Bermuda Triangle. The mystery was heightened by my occasionally seeing small flying objects hovering there amidst the misty marine layer. However, after reading a recent SD Union Tribune news article about South Shores Park on Mission Bay, I finally decided to do some exploring and experience the mystery for myself. What I found was a very attractive park with a scenic path for walking, jogging, or cycling, It is a place worth visiting, and you should do so soon because there is a chance this park may change significantly in the years to come.
South Shores Park is located just east of the Sea World parking lot. In fact, the roller coaster rides loom majestically over the large parking lot that sits adjacent to the park’s boat ramp, Based on the size of the parking lot, I suspect many of the park’s visitors come to take advantage of this boat ramp. From this area you can head east along a concrete path that eventually works its way next to the Mission Bay waterline, directly across from Fiesta Island. As mentioned previously, this path is very scenic as it presents beautiful views not only of the Mission Bay waters but also the hills that make up the residential neighborhoods of Linda Vista and the University of San Diego campus. When I walked on the path, it was a bright, sunny January afternoon, which made me think of all the unfortunate souls on the East Coast braving a snow storm.
Along the path you will see places to picnic or to just sit on a bench and take in the sunshine.
If you continue heading west on this path you will end up close to the entry ways to Fiesta Island and Tecolote Shores North Park where you can extend your exercise by joining other great paths.
It turns out part of South Shores Park is devoted to an area for a model airplane club, which goes far in explaining what I previously thought were mysterious looking UFO’s. But I still like to think that what I saw in the mysterious marine layer mist was indeed evidence of an extra-terrestrial traveler looking for a pleasant winter weather destination, or at least a Chinese spy balloon.
According to the article I read, this part of Mission Bay has been recently identified for a possible makeover; recreational elements currently located in the North Mission Bay may be destined for South Shores Park due to being displaced as part of a transformation to more Mission Bay marshland. This may result in South Shores Park housing bigger recreational areas, more picnic facilities, and perhaps even an amphitheater and a few commercial entities (i.e. a hotel).
What may complicate matters in these plans is the history of South Shores Park. LV old timers might recall the area used to be a landfill site, and as such may still contain toxic material in its soil. There is a fear the construction associated with the new plan may unearth that toxic material and make the area environmentally unsound. Looking on the bright side, I contend the prospect of grotesque mutant creatures (i.e. the Marsh Monster, or the Eco-Unfriendly Landfill Creature) arising from the toxic soil once this construction begins could somehow be incorporated into an intriguing (and money generating) Sea World exhibit if the amusement park and the City of San Diego found a way to patch up their differences and work together.
In any event, if you want to do a little exercise, or just sit in the sun, I suggest you head out to South Shores Park and enjoy the park in its present, low key, non-toxic condition before its too late. You will have a very relaxing time there.
New Venue Pokemate Offers Fresh Fare
In our never ending quest to find interesting and new businesses in Linda Vista, we have come up with another restaurant we are sure you will like. We accidentally happened upon it on one of our trips to K’s Sandwiches at Mesa College Square. There we saw new signs going up in the little shopping center for a place called Pokemate. We were intrigued. We Googled it and found their story which I think you should read. It was inspired by the rich tradition of Hawaiian poke, and the owners embarked on a culinary adventure to bring fresh high quality ingredients to the plate. They source the finest fish, vegetables and toppings. Now, many of you probably know what poke is, but I must admit, I have never had it and thought of it as raw fish which did not appeal to me. Poke is a staple of Hawaiian cuisine, which I learned when we were stationed in Hawaii, but I never ate it. I believe yellowfin tuna is the most popular fish for poke. Since I knew it to be mostly vegetarian, we decided to give it a try for lunch.
The restaurant is very inviting. We were told they opened in November, so I don’t know why it took us so long to notice. We decided to take a look around first to acquaint ourselves with the many offerings. You form a line (fortunately, we were the only ones there at the time, though there were bags of items ready for pick up for take-out orders). The items were showcased in a very appealing way. There were rice cookers, then beautifully arranged proteins such as salmon, scallops, shrimp, tofu, octopus, tuna, chicken and albacore. Then came the sauces such as poke sauce, truffle soy, spicy mayo, soy, ponzu, eel and sesame oil. Then the toppings such as avocado, cucumber, krab, seaweed, green onion, edamame, mango, ginger, and many others. You can build your own bowl which range in price from $14.00 small, $16.00 regular, or $18.00 large. Or they have five signature bowls such as Krab and Go, Kyoto Heat, Salmon Bliss, Tokyo spice and the Zen. You can see the ingredients for these bowls in the photo above or on the website .
We decided to be adventurous and go through the line picking our own ingredients. The only items cooked besides the rice are chicken and shrimp. I selected white rice, shrimp, eel sauce, with toppings of cucumber, krab, carrots, onion, green onion, tempura flakes. I also selected the small size, which turned out to be not so small.
Steve decided on the salmon with brown rice and pretty much the same toppings as mine, with avocado and soy sauce. He also chose the small size.
I can’t tell you how pretty everything looked at the food bar. The colors were vibrant and everything looked so fresh. The items are arranged on your bowl in a very careful, patterned manner as you can see from the picture. Both of us thought the food was delicious and very healthy tasting. Neither of us could completely finish our small bowls and we took the remainder home for another meal, so I think the price is very economical. The next time we go, I may try the albacore, but I do love shrimp. I would like to try some other sauces as well.
We hope you will give this place a try. Consuming some meals that are not deep fried and are exceptionally fresh would do us all some good. It is obvious they use the freshest ingredients and there is no meat with the exception of the chicken. Perfect for us! Their hours are 11:00 am to 8:00 pm Monday thru Saturday and 1:30 pm to 7:00 pm on Sunday. Located at 7612 Linda Vista Rd.
LV Town Hall Meeting
Please register to attend the Town Hall meeting HERE.
Commentary
A Community By Any Other Name…
I am writing today to clear up a misconception. And to also offer a solution that can perhaps remedy this misconception while at the same time help ing to add to the allure of at least one part of Linda Vista!
The misconception has to do with the commonly referred to Morena area of Linda Vista, which lies west of Via Las Cumbres street and south of Tecolote Canyon Road. I want to make clear that the Morena area is definitely a part of Linda Vista. I bring this issue up because I have recently come across a few people who are willingly or unwillingly under a serious geographic misconception.
Some residents are genuinely confused; they think the Morena area is not part of Linda Vista, but rather a totally distinct San Diego community. They are not aware that the official Linda Vista Community Plan (see map above) distinctly lays out the Linda Vista boundaries and includes the Morena area as a neighborhood belonging to Linda Vista. And then there are some people, mainly a few local business owners in the Morena area, who favor the name Morena (and in a couple cases, Bay Park) because they are perhaps uncomfortable with some of the negative connotations traditionally associated with the name Linda Vista.
I don’t want to get into those past connotations. What I want is to look forward to enhancing the reputation of Linda Vista, even if takes place one neighborhood at a time, starting with the Morena area.
If people have a hard time understanding the territorial integrity of Linda Vista, or if they insist on downplaying any association with the Linda Vista name, I offer a compromise solution that will eventually make everyone happy. This solution can put Linda Vista on the map as a cool, hip place, and a place worthy of famous people like actress and all-round trendy person Gwyneth Paltrow. Let me explain.
I look to New York City for a solution. Take the hip NYC neighborhood of Tribeca. Neighborhoods don’t get much trendier than this area in lower Manhattan. The place is overrun by actors, film makers and artists. Why is it that so many famous people have made this neighborhood their home? I think it’s partly because of the catchy name. The name is an abbreviation of the neighborhood’s location…Triangle Below Canal Street. I guarantee that if you mention to someone that you live in Tribeca, that someone will be so impressed. They will assume you too are famous, or rich, or hip, or trendy, or all the above. Just say the name Tribeca over and over again. It sounds so cool.
And then there is SoHo, also located in Manhattan. SoHo shares a similar reputation for being trendy. It’s full of art galleries and high-end fashion boutiques. If you live in SoHo chances are good you are a creative person who lives in a loft and eats nothing but organic food, and you buy health and beauty products sold by Gwyneth Paltrow. Again, it’s all about the name…SoHo has a fancy ring to it…and it’s all because someone cleverly started referring to the neighborhood’s location, which is “south of Houston” street, hence the abbreviated name.
So what does this all have to do with the Morena area and Linda Vista? I suggest that if residents and business owners keep trying to ignore their connection to Linda Vista, that they at least take part in a compromise that allows the Linda Vista name to play a small but still visible role. Instead of referring to the area as Morena (or Heaven forbid, Bay Park), I propose we begin using a hip abbreviated name that honors the LV location aspect, just like they do in Manhattan. We can call it “WesLiViPro”… for West of Linda Vista proper. I can easily imagine “WesLiViPro” becomes a trendy sounding name, which will then contribute to the area becoming trendy in itself. Before you know it, Robert De Niro will buy an apartment in WesLiviPro. If there is ever a West Coast version of Friends, it will likely be set in this neighborhood. Surely, Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick will be seen in the WesLiViPro Starbucks.
If WesLiViPro doesn’t interest you, we can also go with “DoHiLiVi” for Down the Hill from Linda Vista. I can already see it…the DoHiLiVi area will be full of art galleries and fashionable boutiques. When you go there, you will expect to find the famous Gwyneth Paltrow, perhaps strolling down the street after a yoga session. When you ask her how she is doing, she will respond by saying “I am so lucky to be living here in DoHiLiVi. Now get out of my way, you regular person.”
Yes, these abbreviated names are a bit cumbersome, a bit more so than SoHo or Tribeca. But try repeating the names over and over again. They will eventually start sounding both comfortable and trendy…just like the way we eventually want this area of Linda Vista to become.
LV Farmers Market Every Thursday
Maintenance Assessment District Landscape Vandalized
In previous issues of the LV Update, we have reported about the wonderful contributions funded by Linda Vista’s Maintenance Assessment District (MAD). The MAD is a City entity that provides funds for local landscaping on city property like street medians using specially assessed taxpayers money. It is managed by a MAD committee on the Linda Vista Community Planning Group.
The MAD funded landscaped medians along Linda Vista Road and Genesee add a level of attractiveness to these thoroughfares. Unfortunately, as recently reported by the head of the MAD committee—Victor Ochoa—we are sad to say that a few spots along these medians were mindlessly vandalized in December. Irrigation systems were damages, boulders were moved, and plants uprooted.
We encourage residents to report any observed vandalism to the SD Police Department as soon as possible. Let’s keep our community looking good.
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Love WestLiViPro and want to take time to thank you for an awesome update . I appreciate your story telling ability, pictures and all the information, including background and moving forward information. Simply an awesome update.
As a reader of the Linda Vista Update I would like to say, the articles you write are somewhat information we might like to hear. But, why are they so LONG! I think you could make your point with stories without going into so much detail and stories of what you are doing. For example, today’s articles might have been information we might have liked to hear about, with all the other stuff you wrote in it made it so boring I couldn’t finish it. The others were the same too. Just too Long winded. Some things you write about may be new to you but a lot of times if you’ve lived in LV most of your life, we already know about these places. It would be nice if you could get to the point and maybe not drag it out so much to the point where it gets boring.