Fashion Valley Mall Aims for More Luxury
Plus: JV's Mexican Food, Parks After Dark continues, LVTC monthly meeting coming up, LV Poem, and Ha Seong Kim Mural needed for Linda Vista
Visit the Fashion Valley Mall and you may get the impression that portions of the venue recall scenes from a favorite post-apocalyptic movie. The photo above looks like a giant mechanical monster has wreaked havoc on one of the mall plazas. In fact, there are several other plaza areas in the mall that look the same way. Even the mall’s food court resembles a battlefield in which most structures have been laid to waste.
But fret not, readers! Though you may think from the above descriptions that the Fashion Valley Mall is succumbing to the same fate that has befallen many other malls in the country, it is far from becoming a rundown business establishment on the verge of closing. It is instead going through a “multi-million makeover” that will eventually see it maintain a reputation as a “luxury” shopping destination. This “makeover” phase will include what is being described by the Simon Group (owners of the Mall) as “enhancements that draw inspiration from San Diego’s relaxed lifestyle and stunning aesthetics.” These enhancements will include “more inviting public spaces, enriched landscaping, and tranquil outdoor lounges.” If these planned enhancements for the Fashion Valley Mall are any indication, then despite what all the doomsayers are saying, I suggest we have little to worry regarding the future of this country’s economy.
The number of malls throughout the country has been in decline for years, and it’s expected to get worse. A study I recently read on the internet estimated that 25% of U.S. malls will close by 2025. Another study noted that many malls are what is referred to as dead malls, meaning malls that suffer from high store vacancy rates, low customer traffic rates, or are deteriorating and/or out of date. For people who frequented malls in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s these statistics are shocking. Back then, the local mall was the place to go when people wanted to go shopping or when they just wanted to hang out where everyone else was hanging out. Kids who grew up in the 80’s were proud to consider themselves mall rats. As a Baby Boomer, I recall going to malls to browse for books at the mall bookstore (remember books?), or to flip through the latest albums at the record store (remember records?). Those were the days!
There are a number of reasons for the decline of malls in America, but the biggest reason can probably be attributed to online shopping. Who wants to bother with the hassles of fighting traffic, finding a parking space, jostling with the throngs of customers, and waiting in line to make a purchase, right? That’s essentially why I don’t shop too often at the Fashion Valley Mall. Every time I drive by the mall on Friars Road, I tend to look at the long lines of cars flowing into the parking lot, and all the cars already occupying the parking spaces, and I think to myself in a Yogi Berra sort of way ….“No wonder nobody ever goes to malls anymore…they are always so crowded!”
Well, it turns out I am wrong, at least in regard to the Fashion Valley Mall. People just keep going there. And they apparently go there to do some big time luxury shopping. When I do go there, I usually go to see a movie, or to shop at J.C. Penney at the far west end of the mall, or to get a new tire installed at Firestone, or to get a computer problem resolved at the Apple Store. However, during my recent excursion deep into the far reaches of the mall, I was amazed at the number of luxury brand name shops assembled there—fancy names like Versace, and Dior, and Louis Vuitton, and Prada, and Gucci, and Saint Laurent, and Cartier. And that’s not even counting the big anchor stores like Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, and Bloomingdale’s. There are even luxury car shops there—both Audi and Porsche (where you can buy a $194,000 sports car). Needless to say, the mall oozes of luxury.
And that’s not all—as if the place didn’t have enough luxury brand names in attendance, the current makeover plan involves bringing in a few more luxury shops like Dolce and Gabbana, Bottega Veneta, Veronica Beard, David Yurman, and Tudor, as well as an expanded space for Rolex.
If you visit the Fashion Valley Mall, don’t be flustered by all the stretches of torn-up concrete and landscaping along the plaza areas. What you are witnessing is literally the “creative destruction” that American capitalism is known for—such is the price of innovation. Businesses thrive on innovation that customers can buy into. Out with the old—in with the new.
We need to accept this disruptive change. After all, we wouldn’t want our nearby mall to be one of the unlucky 25% of U.S malls destined for closing by 2025. Where else would we do our shopping for Rolex watches and $194,000 cars? And besides, the mall’s makeover should be done just in time for the luxury Christmas shopping season.
Calling all Linda Vista luxury shoppers!
JV’s Mexican Food an LV Favorite
By Olivia Teates (LV Update Summer Intern)
Recently, my family has been on a quest to find a new Taco Tuesday spot. JV’s Mexican Food, which has almost 2,000 five-star reviews on Google and has been regarded as one of San Diego’s finest Mexican food restaurants since its opening in 1995, seemed like the perfect place to try. After one meal at the shop, it’s safe to say our family will be coming here for more than just Taco Tuesday.
The restaurant, located at 1112 Morena Boulevard, is situated in an ideal spot, only about a 5-minute drive from East Mission Bay and a short walk away from the University of San Diego (USD). JV’s Mexican Food’s central location in the Morena District not only attracts locals but hungry beach and bay-goers, as well as USD students and visitors.
I got the chance to speak with Maria, the owner's daughter. When I asked her what prompted her family to establish their restaurant in the Linda Vista area, she said, “JV’s Mexican Food was originally established in South Bay. My dad wanted to change the restaurant’s demographics so we moved closer to the bay and beach.”
During my visit to JV’s (on a Monday evening), the restaurant was lively, with customers flowing in and out of the quaint spot. While at the restaurant, I spoke with two regular customers, who shared that JV’s Mexican Food is their go-to restaurant on gamedays at USD. One of the customers said, “I come to JV’s all the time and really like how large the menu is here. When I watch the San Diego Loyal play at USD, I always come here before and after the game to eat.”
Another customer added that he really appreciates the value of JV’s Mexican Food, “I can enjoy platefuls of quality food and it will cost me only 10 bucks or so. The value at JV’s is just really great.”
Our visit to JV’s Mexican Food certainly confirmed the above customer’s sentiments. For our main dishes, we ordered the three street taco plate (each with different meat: carne asada, pollo asado, and al pastor), a bean and cheese burrito, and crispy potato tacos. We also ordered a plate of tortilla chips, which came with guac, cheese, and pico de gallo. The chips were still warm, and the mix of melted cheese with creamy guac and refreshing pico de gallo was a delicious combination.
Our main dishes all tasted incredible. My bean and cheese burrito had the perfect proportion of beans and cheese and the tortilla was chewy and warm. The three street taco plate came with tasty toppings like cilantro & onion and was a perfect way to try the different tacos that JV’s Mexican Food has to offer. My mom decided to try the crispy potato tacos and best described them as “tasty mashed potatoes enveloped in a crispy taco shell.”
Not only is the food at JV’s Mexican Food delicious, with very generous portions, but the general feel of the restaurant is eclectic and colorful, with bright walls and countless mementos of San Diegan sports teams proudly displayed.
I can’t forget to mention how extensive the menu is at JV’s Mexican Food. There are countless options, whether you are craving a burrito, torta, taco, quesadilla, or another dish.
If you ever find yourself on Morena Boulevard when looking for quality Mexican food with an authentic family feel, JV’s Mexican Food should be at the top of your list. Whether you’re craving their famous “Surf and Turf Burrito” or a more unique dish, you’ll surely not regret stopping at this local spot.
Parks After Dark Program a Big Success
The Linda Vista Recreation Center continues to be the place to be on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights as the City of San Diego’s popular Parks After Dark summer program keeps drawing in local families for free music, food and games. The Parks After Dark activities, which will continue until August 26, have been enjoying busy nightly crowds since its inaugural event on July 6. “We average attendance of approximately 350 people on Thursday and Friday nights, with a high of 500 people on one of those nights, ”said Aly Perez, the LV Recreation Center director. “We average about 250 on Saturdays.”
The Parks After Dark program, which operates from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm, includes such activities as face painting, video games, music, inflatable jumpers, performances by the Fern Street Circus, arts and crafts, and photo booths, as well as food trucks and snack booths. Last weekend also saw a free Movie Night when the sun went down. You can check out a schedule for this weekend by clicking here.
Mayor Todd Gloria made an appearance at last Friday’s event to check out the crowd and the activities.
The Linda Vista Recreation Center is one of four San Diego parks selected for participation in the Parks After Dark program.
In explaining the popularity of the program, Perez commented, “I think local families are really happy with the event. They look forward to bringing their kids for a fun time. The program gives everyone in attendance the feeling that Linda Vista is a very friendly, welcoming community.”
Demetria Anderson, Recreation Center Assistant Director added that on Friday August 18, the Parks After Dark program will hand out 150 back-to-school back packs to school-age children (first come, first serve) beginning at 6:30 pm.
The Parks After Dark program is the result of a partnership between the City of San Diego’s Parks and Recreation department and the San Diego Parks Foundation.
LV Town Council Monthly Meeting on August 16
The next monthly meeting of the Linda Vista Town Council general membership will be held at 6:30 pm on Wednesday August 16 at the American Legion Post 731 (7245 Linda Vista Road). All Linda Vista residents are invited to attend.
In addition to reviewing Town Council items, the meeting will include a guest speaker—Ms Gale Bryan—who will talk about the important subject of self-defense for women. Food for the meeting will be provided by Zab Linda Vista restaurant.
You can obtain instruction for attending the meeting vis Zoom by clicking here.
LV Poetry Corner
Cactus Alongside a Linda Vista Street
Clinging to both sides of the Ulric
Street climb, they congregate in prickly
clumps of scarred, haggard vegetation.
Crouched on the street's dry periphery—
gnarled arms bearing the thinnest coat
of morning’s marine layer moisture.
They grotesquely reach out to embrace
anyone traversing the incline.
As if attempting to proudly play
the role of honored town greeters,
though their spot on the hierarchy
of wild growth ranks them just above
the brown brush widespread on the steep slopes.
Yet, take a much closer look at our
deceptively robust residents.
I offer a proposition—that
they stand more like signposts issuing
a warning, reminding us of where
we live. Signaling the obvious;
that an ocean lies within our view,
but a coastal desert climate rules
the arid Linda Vista mesa.
“No need to worry about our kind,”
they seem to challenge. “We thrive during
the predictable drought. How ‘bout you?”
Not so passive agents of nature,
urging we give serious thought to
our thirsty wants and needs—and what day
the last seasonal rain drop will fall. Commentary
Ha Seong Kim and LV are a Good Fit
In previous issues of the Linda Vista Update, we have suggested our community should be the site of the next official San Diego Padres player mural. Such murals, created by Ground Floor Mural artists and commissioned by the Padres’ organization, currently dot the San Diego landscape-- unfortunately, they have continued to skip over Linda Vista.
I believe we are long overdue for a colorful Padres mural. But as it turns out, I am not bitter about our community being overlooked these past couple of years. We should be okay with being a Johnny-Come-Lately to the Padres mural race. Why? Because during the time we have waited, a certain Padre has developed into perhaps the most popular and most valuable player on the team—and he is now clearly the Padre most worthy of being on a Linda Vista mural. Let me explain why we need that mural, and why none other than Padres second baseman Ha Seong Kim needs to have his image plastered on a Linda Vista wall.
Kearny Mesa has its own Padres mural of Padres pitcher Yu Darvish. Ocean Beach has one of Fernando Tatis. Chula Vista has one of Manny Machado. And City Heights has one of Tony Gwynn. These attractive murals add a certain cultural pizzaz to the respective communities. They also demonstrate the communities are worthy of respect from the bigwigs in the Padres front office—getting one of these works of art is as if those Padres bigwigs are saying “You are important to us, and we want to reward your community for the support you have given the Padres over the years, in spite of the fact that most seasons we either suck or at best straddle the borders of mediocrity.”
I think our community is deserving of that kind of respect.
In talking to fellow community members during last baseball season, I got the impression most Linda Vista people felt so strongly about getting a Padres mural installed on a local wall that they were willing to accept just about any Padre player as the subject of the painting. However, I now think this baseball season has effectively revealed the one Padre most appropriate for our particular community. Based on his Korean background, Ha Seong Kim is a natural candidate for any mural installed in our extremely diverse community. Furthermore, I contend the above photo depicting Kim wearing a Mexican sombrero—a short-lived homerun ritual adopted by the team earlier in the season—goes even further in reflecting the kind of cultural melting pot Linda Vista has always been. I think it would be entirely fitting for a Linda Vista Padres mural to replicate that photo of Kim, sombrero, and all. After all, Linda Vista is the kind of place where you can go to the local Sushi restaurant (Sushi Yorimichi) and expect to find fusion dishes like Birria Ramen bowls or Yellow Tail Jalapeno sushi rolls.
On top of all the diversity features Kim brings to the table (or in this case, wall), it just so happens he has developed this season into an exciting Padres star. He has always been a slick fielding ball player, but now he is also a great hitter—as reflected by both his team leading batting average and his new found homerun power. And he has also been fun to watch on the basepaths; he leads the team in stolen bases and the fans enjoy that his helmet always flies off his head when he’s running toward a base. He is arguably the most valuable player on the team! Most importantly, he will soon have his own bobblehead giveaway night!
Accordingly, let’s not wait any longer. We need to petition the Padres bigwigs to commission the installation of a mural on a large wall somewhere in the Linda Vista community, and insist that the mural feature Ha Seong Kim. We deserve the best!
Such a mural will let everyone know that Linda Vista is the place where sports, art, and cultural fusion meet for the benefit of all.
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The Linda Vista Update is a weekly digital newsletter that publishes informative, interesting and fun news about Linda Vista and its neighboring communities. Readers can go back and read all previous issues of the Linda Vista Update by going to the newsletter archive here.