Linda Vista Neighbor Receives Honor
Linda Vista Neighbor Receives Honor
Plus, The Lumpia Joint; Upcoming Community Events; Creator of LV Man Revealed; and Alex Nguyen Tennis Instruction
Linda Vistan in the Spotlight
As many Linda Vista residents already realize, our community is full of good neighbors. The accuracy of such a sentiment has been made official by the recognition recently earned by Linda Vista resident Jonathan Widener. Nominated by a fellow north Linda Vista neighbor, Widener was recognized for being a good neighbor by District 7 Councilmember Raul Campillo.
Campillo recently initiated a new program that recognizes good neighbors. The Nominate a Neighbor program is designed to recognize local citizens for making an impact in their communities. Councilmember Campillo wants residents to nominate neighbors who make their communities a better place to live in.
Jonathan Widener is known for helping to organize a weekly clean-up in his north Linda Vista neighborhood, and is currently helping to coordinate the Linda Vista Town Council’s attempt to bring back the Linda Vista Farmer’s Market.
We at the Linda Vista Update want to thank Jonathan Widener for setting the example as a good neighbor. Furthermore, we thought his recognition offered a good excuse for featuring him in the newsletter as part of our “Linda Vistan in the Spotlight” column, our way of bringing attention to noteworthy and interesting residents.
He was kind enough to sit down with us at Yum Yum Donuts for an interview. Here is what he had to say.
—How long have you lived in LV?
I have lived here since 2016.
—Where are you originally from?
I’m originally from North Carolina. I spent a year at Harvard as a graduate student, I also lived in Minneapolis, and later in Chicago.
—What’s your profession?
I worked as an Actor’s Equity Association contract negotiator for the union. I also worked as flight attendant for 9 years, and owned an event planning company. I am still a consultant for event coordinators.
—What positive changes would you like to see in LV over the next couple years?
I would like to Linda Vista gentrified from within, meaning without rent increases, while improving the neighborhood, and bringing in businesses. I refer everyone to an article about a neighborhood in the Bronx called Black Girl Magic Street. This neighborhood practiced gentrification from within. They used grants and low interest loans to get the city to help raise the money to gentrify. In regard to other positive changes, I am happy to see that Linda Vista Road has been repaved.
—What’s your favorite place to eat in LV or the neighboring communities?
I like Chef Chins (on Convoy Street), Sushi Diner (across from Kearny High), and the Godfather (in Clairemont)
—What do you like about your particular LV street or neighborhood?
The genuine friendliness of everyone we walk by when walking our dog. We live amongst each other, and we look out for each other, but we don’t bother each other. I also like the diversity. My neighborhood feels like Chicago, it has the all the diversity that I had living in Chicago. It‘s just one street, but it’s all around me. Also, people are respectful about where they park.
—In addition to the Linda Vista Town Council, which local organizations do you belong to or participate in ?
I belong to the Actors Fund Council; I serve as a volunteer wedding coordinator at St. Paul’s Cathedral; and I am a patient advocate for patients with cancer,
—What do you like about living in Linda Vista?
I like that people get to be themselves, all the homes are unique, people decorate their homes however they want. I like to be able to walk my dog, and it’s quiet and safe. I like that kids feel safe walking home from school.
—How is the progress going on returning the Farmer’s Market to LV?
We have 8 vendors currently lined up, mainly arts and craft. We are seeking produce/food vendors. We have been contacting the certified producers. The Linda Vista Town Council will be the main sponsor of the Farmers Market. We are undergoing the permit approval process with the city. We are aiming to make it a year-round event, to be held once a week. Planning is being set aside for 20 spaces. If you know of possible vendors, feel free to contact me via email at jonathan.widener@icloud.com.
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The Linda Vista Update wishes to thank Jonathan Widener for taking the time to answer our questions, and we congratulate him on the Nominate the Neighbor honor.
If you have a neighbor you want to nominate for Councilmember Campillo’s program, please click here for instructions.
The Lumpia Joint at Fashion Valley Mall
As you know, we are always on the lookout for good ethnic food. We really like Filipino food and used to enjoy the vegetarian egg rolls that were sold before the pandemic by Gambina’s at the Linda Vista Farmer’s Market. I always wished they would have sold vegetarian lumpia. Our carnivore sidekick would eat the pancit, adobo, bbq, and lumpia and rave about how good it was.
For those of you who do not know about lumpia, they’re Filipino fried spring rolls filled with ground pork, cabbage, celery and carrots. They are popular in the Philippines and Indonesia, The wrapper is thin and crepe like. Beef and chicken are also variants of the pork-filled lumpia.
We heard recently that a new Lumpia Joint opened in Fashion Valley. Yes, it is actually called the Lumpia Joint. Since we are just a hop, skip and a jump from Fashion Valley Mall, we thought we would give it a try. It is very close to JC Penney’s in the mall, on the first floor. Since I had a bunch of JC Penney coupons and rewards, not to mention a birthday coupon, we decided to kill two birds with one stone. Shop and eat.
The Lumpia Joint is really a kiosk in front of Foot Locker. Their menu is fairly small in that the only food they sell is lumpia. They have chicken, pork, and vegetarian lumpia and a dessert lumpia called Turon, which consists of banana and jackfruit filing and drizzled with chocolate. strawberry or ube sauce and served with whipped cream.
The savory lumpia are 6 for $6.99 or 10 for $11.99. The Turon are 3 rolls for $5.99.
Of course, we decided to try the vegetarian. They are filled with carrots, cabbage and celery.
You have your choice of sweet and sour sauce or sweet chili sauce. We opted for the sweet and sour and purchased 10 lumpia. We thought the price was very reasonable. The lumpia are cooked as they are ordered, so it takes a few minutes, but then they are piping hot. Lumpia are generally deep fried and therefore can be very greasy and not good for carrying around a mall. However, these are air fried, so not greasy at all and crisp and hot. The person behind the counter can also tell you exactly how long it will take as there is a timer on the air fryer. The lumpia are premade and frozen, so you do not have to wait long. We found the vegetarian lumpia very good, eating them at a bench next to the kiosk. We even had a few left over to take home. We did not try the Turon as we were not hungry enough and we knew our sidekick would take care of that, as well as trying a meat version.
Our sidekick agreed the price was very good. Although he liked the pork lumpia, he is not impartial since he thinks his mother is the best lumpia maker in the whole Pacific Northwest, if not the world. He did really enjoy the Turon. He ordered his with a chocolate drizzle and thought they were a good value for the money. He said they were very crispy and with the whipped cream, tasted like waffles. He also noted that since it is filled with fruit, you could say it was healthy. They were just sweet enough, and since the Lumpia Joint is so close, he will surely go there again.
Their hours are 11 AM to 7 PM daily. Phone 619-736-6058.
Upcoming Community Events
—City of San Diego Virtual Workshop: A Build Better SD Virtual Workshop will be held today March 10 from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm. Check out changes regarding how the city plans to fund parks, libraries, streets and other public spaces. Details on how to register for the workshop are contained in the poster located below.
—Official Proclamation Ceremony: On March 11 at 10:30 am, Councilmember Raul Campillo will present representatives of Bayside Community Center with an official proclamation in recognition of the nonprofit’s 90 years of service to San Diego’s diverse population. The ceremony will take place at John Baca Park. The public is invited. See poster below
—Fish Fry: The Knights of Columbus is sponsoring a Fish Fry at Holy Family Catholic Church this Friday from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm.
—Soccer Match: The SD Loyal Soccer Club plays its 2022 season home opener on March 12 at 7:00 pm. The game will be played at the University of San Diego’s Torero Stadium. Click here for ticket info.
—College Baseball: The University of San Diego baseball team hosts Cal State Fullerton on March 15 (6:00 pm).
Creator of LV Man Revealed
A Linda Vista mystery has been solved! To quote the old X-Files TV show, the truth is indeed out there. To the disappointment of some, the truth does not involve the commemoration of extra-terrestrial visits to our neighborhood. Nevertheless, we are happy to report the real story behind LV Man—a cool depiction of a space alien that sits in the front yard of a house on Ulric Street—is actually a very entertaining one.
As we noted in last week’s edition of this newsletter, there are residents of Linda Vista who aren’t afraid to display unique objects, decorations, or arrangements in their front yards. We recognized this boldness by identifying them as representatives of a phenomenon the Linda Vista Update refers to as Yes, in My Front Yard, or YIMFY’s. One of these YIMFY displays caught our attention because of the intriguing possibility the resident’s quirky front yard object could somehow be linked to space alien visits to Linda Vista. However, after reading the newsletter, the owners of the residence were quick to contact the offices of the Linda Vista Update to let us know the true origins of LV Man and, as we subsequently found out, his many creative counterparts.
It turns out LV Man was constructed by long-time LV resident Don Prihoda. As he explained to us, Prihoda began constructing unique, creative stucco objects after he retired in 1997 as a result of a construction accident. With time on his hands, the man who had previously made a living installing air conditioning units at large commercial buildings, began to use his imagination to create large and small stucco objects. The Prihoda front yard soon housed his artistic interpretations of such artifacts as the Statute of Liberty and a tall green dinosaur. Over time, his collection grew to include other figures like Scooby Do and a giant turtle.
Did the neighbors mind? Prihoda insists the neighbors really enjoyed the sculptures, especially the kids. In fact, he had to eventually get rid of the Statue of Liberty figure because the local kids always liked to climb on it, and Prihoda feared one of them getting hurt on the rebar used for Lady Liberty’s crown. Prihoda also mentioned that his creations have caught the attention of those driving past his house. He noted that people from the Natural History museum at Balboa Park have stopped by to admire his work, as well as an art teacher from Mesa College who asked if he could talk about his art during a class session. Prihoda politely declined that request, explaining that he really doesn’t know anything about art.
Unfortunately, we can’t expect to visit Prihoda’s front yard to check out his vast gallery of work. The days when a tall green dinosaur roamed the Linda Vista land are long over. He has been forced to give up most of his creations because of space limitations. “I had to get rid of the dinosaur so that I could park my car,” he said. The 600-pound Dino, which took two weeks to build, was eventually forced to pay a visit to the dump, though one of the employees did ask to take him, thus preserving this work of art for future generations. His other objects have also found their way to other places here in the San Diego area and around Southern California.
Prihoda doesn’t anticipate making any more statues. But don’t be too sad because we still have LV Man—the epitome of Linda Vista quirkiness. He doesn’t take up much space. And if you are ever in the mood for some quiet contemplation, you can take a seat at the bench that is located in the Prihoda front yard and ponder the universe, and your place in it, while sitting right next to LV’s very own space alien.
Alex Nguyen Leads Popular Tennis Instruction Program
If you’ve recently spent time at the Linda Vista Park and Recreation Center, you’ll know the facility has become a busy place for hosting different late afternoon and night time recreational activities. One of the busier activities has involved instruction on the tennis courts. On weekday afternoons, and during summer days, tennis coach Alex Nguyen (who is contracted through the city parks department) can be found providing young people with instructions on how to learn the art of hitting tennis balls and properly moving on the court. The University of California at San Diego (UCSD) graduate has been providing lessons at the LV Rec Center since 2014. He began with his summer tennis camp instruction.
He now conducts lessons on Monday through Friday, from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm. for various skill/knowledge levels. While focusing exclusively on young people aged 7 to 17, Nguyen provides instruction for 3 levels of beginners, as well as 2 advanced levels. The cost of the lessons range from $80.00 to $100.00 month. You can check out his web site here for details on the different levels, lesson schedules, and instructions on how to sign kids up for lessons. This is in addition to the summer camp instruction he conducts later in the year.
Nguyen’s enthusiasm for the game of tennis is clear to anyone he meets, and he is effective in passing down that enthusiasm to his students. As he explains on his website, Nguyen’s instruction “follows a constantly evolving curriculum that blends fitness and technique.” In describing his style of lessons, Nguyen says that he likes to keep kids moving and their hands on the ball to avoid them standing around in lines waiting for instructions.
He notes that beginner students struggle with wanting to hit the ball too hard, as if they are hitting the ball with a bat. “It’s all about control and keeping it in the court,” he says.
In touting the sport of tennis, Nguyen insists that “Tennis is the freest sport. You can get the ball to do anything you want. There is a great sense of creativity with the sport. One of the most expressive sports!”
If you know of a young person who has a desire to learn a new sport, you might point him in the direction of the LV Rec Center tennis courts. Alex Nguyen will take it from there.
Phone: 1-408-3801
Email: alexnguyentennis@gmail.com
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