LV'ers Create and Have Fun at Baca Park
Plus: Delicious Food at the Urbane Cafe, LV Upcoming Events, Raw Ethiopian Coffee, Local Sports Brief, and Parks After Dark program in LV
This past Saturday Linda Vista’s John Baca Park was the site of a small but highly enthusiastic group of local residents who enjoyed a day of music, arts and crafts as part of the city of San Diego’s first ever Park Social Exploration Day. During Linda Vista’s version of the project, called Park Social—Treeline, residents of all ages took part in a variety of fun activities that included weaving, dancing, the hanging of fabric, and free play construction of different structures. The local participants were guided in their exploration by artists from Studio Nectary—a collaborative group of carpenters, craftsman, artists, muralists, designers and landscape architects. Artists Kasi Munoz and Kline Swonger were on hand to lead these three hours worth of activities. This project, which also took place at two other city parks was sponsored by the San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture.
Also assisting in the Linda Vista activities was Nadia Arambula, the leader of Ballet Folklorico el Tapatio de San Dieguito, who spent time instructing the local participants in the intricacies of dance movements. You can see some of the local residents/dancers in action by clicking here.
The activities allowed the participants to have a unique sense of fun in the sun and shade while enjoying the underutilized park. Studio Nectary artists encouraged everyone to move out of their respective comfort zones and find a way to get in touch with some of the park’s features as well as their inner artist/performer.
As explained on the City’s Arts and Culture web site, “Championing the work of San Diego-area artists whose projects exemplify social-specific artistic practices, the (Park Social) initiative engages with a broad and constantly shifting audience. Intervening and interacting in the social spheres of public parks and exploring topics ranging from environmental justice to belonging and social cohesion.”
The next stage of Linda Vista’s Park Social—Treeline project will involve a temporary installation of art work at John Baca Park on Saturday August 20. Between now and then, Studio Nectary will figure out fabrication details and obtain additional material for the installation. The Linda Vista Update will provide further details about this event as the scheduled installation date nears to ensure maximum attendance from community members. In the meantime, mark that date on your calendar.
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Ed. Note: We commend the City’s Commission on Arts and Culture as well as Studio Nectary for coming up with the fun and innovative Park Social—Treeline project. Saturday’s activity provided a unique opportunity for community engagement. John Baca Park served as an ideal location, providing participants with plenty of shade and space. The park’s central location will enhance the opportunity for all Linda Vista residents to view the eventual art installation which will be on temporary display for a three month period.
The Urbane Cafe
The LV Update staff has tried several times in the recent past to write a review of the Urbane Café (located at 5375 Napa Street). However, each time we tried to eat there either the café was too crowded, or had stopped taking orders, or something else came up. Well, this time we decided rather than eating in, we would order online and then conveniently pick up our order and eat lunch out by the water.
We know people who have eaten there and sung its praises, but we wanted to see for ourselves. We checked out their on-line information and learned that the bread and sauces are made from scratch every day with fresh local ingredients delivered daily and menu items made before your eyes. We perused the menu to assure there were some non-meat items we could try and were pleasantly surprised to see sandwiches with some of our favorite ingredients including portabello mushrooms and artichoke hearts. Yum! The focaccia they bake is fresh out of the oven and on your sandwich in 30 minutes. I couldn’t wait to try it.
The menu includes sandwiches salads, bowls, soups, and kids’ café menu items.
The sandwiches are served with a side salad and include too many to mention but look here to see the entire menu. Steve decided on the Californian, which consists of house marinated artichoke hearts, avocado, sun dried tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, green leaf lettuce and herb aioli. I went for the Bella Portobello which contains marinated portobello mushroom, mozzarella cheese, sundried tomatoes, basil pesto, veganiase, mixed greens with balsamic vinegar.
We ordered online and set a time to pick up our order. It was ready right on time, and we took our lunch to Fiesta Island to eat and watch the sights.
My portobello sandwich was delicious. The focaccia bread was soft and crunchy, and the fillings piled high. The seasonings were just right and the side salad with balsamic dressing was tasty.
Steve loved the artichoke sandwich and said the ingredients went well together.
Happy to say, our carnivore sidekick is back on the job. He ordered the Steak BLT which includes tri-tip steak, applewood-smoked bacon, sundried tomatoes, caramelized onions, arugula, and herb aioli. Since he is now trying keto, he had his sandwich wrapped in lettuce rather than the delicious focaccia which I am sure he now regrets. He said unlike other wraps he has eaten, this one was very well wrapped and not messy to eat. And what’s not to love about those ingredients? He also highly recommends the salad with balsamic vinegar. His sidekick got the club–roasted turkey, bacon, avocado, cheddar cheese, tomato, lettuce, and herb aioli. She indicated it was very fresh tasting and highly satisfying.
In conclusion, eating at the Urbane Cafe was worth the wait— a place we will be returning to in the near future. Give it a try. We think you will like it.
LV Upcoming Events
—Farmers Market: The Love, Linda Vista Farmers Market will be held today (July 14) in the parking lot of the Linda Vista Plaza Shopping Center. The Farmers Market will be open from 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm. Come on out and see what all the vendors have available for purchase. Buy those fresh eggs, fruits and vegetables! Please read the below article about this week’s featured Farmers Market vendor Raw Ethiopian Coffee.
—Councilmember Office Hours: District 7 Councilmember Raul Campillo will host July Community Office Hours on Thursday July 28 from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm at Serra Mesa Library. This Community Office Hours event is an opportunity for District 7 residents to meet directly with the Councilmember and ask questions or share concerns. If you would like to schedule time to meet with the Councilmember, please email CherylW@sandiego.gov.
Try Raw Ethiopian Coffee at LV Farmers Market
Our Love, Linda Vista Farmers’ Market has kept increasing the number of vendors since its soft opening in May and Grand Opening in early June. The Linda Vista Update has made a concerted effort to tell our readership about one of these vendors in each issue.
This week I want to tell you about Raw Ethiopian Coffee. I interviewed Ben Thomas who can be seen at the market roasting Ethiopian Coffee beans and encouraging people to have a taste.
Ben told me he is originally from the Ethiopian region of Harar, in eastern Ethiopia, but has been in the United States since 1992. If you stop by his booth, he will happily sing the praises of Ethiopian coffee. How Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee, and how there are over 10,000 different types of coffee in Ethiopia, although only about 300 in the rest of the world.
According to Ben, coffee in Ethiopia is mostly grown by small growers. You will note that a goat is the symbol you will see at this booth, and that is because it is believed that a goat first discovered coffee—a goat herder saw the goat eating the coffee and dancing after eating it. This occurred around 850 AD. Most Ethiopian coffee exported goes to Europe, with Asia next, and then the US. About 50% of all coffee grown in Ethiopia stays in Ethiopia.
The coffee ceremony is very important in Ethiopia and Ben will be happy to tell you all about it. He is planning on making a trip to Ethiopia and hopes to help the coffee growers there. Ethiopian coffee beans are much smaller than the larger beans of other coffee producing countries. He is eager to show you the unroasted beans, and you can watch him roast them at his booth. He sells the coffee both ground and beans for you to grind yourself. He told me he also has a roastery in El Cajon. He indicated that the Ethiopian coffee is high in flavor and low in caffein. The weather in Ethiopia plays a role in making it the best coffee In the world, according to Ben.
Besides coffee, he also has coffee related merchandise like hats and T-shirts for sale.
So, stop by and try the coffee when you’re at the Farmers Market. Although I am not much of a coffee drinker, I bought some for someone who is, and he reported that it was one of the best coffees he has ever tasted. He said it was fruity and floral, and made his apartment have “a different but really nice smell.”
Get some coffee and tell Ben you read about his business in the Linda Vista Update.
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Farmers Market Addendum
On July 28th, 2022, Pueblo Planning will be joining the Love, Linda Vista Farmers Market to hear from the community what their experience is with taking public transit. Pueblo Planning is currently working with the Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) on a public engagement effort that aims to have the community define equity through:
Understanding community members’ experiences taking public transit and their definition of safety and accessibility;
Identifying areas of concern and priorities for MTS;
Learning how the community would like to improve the relationship between MTS and transit riders; and
Envisioning what a joyful transit experience can be.
What is shared by the community and other communities across the MTS service area will inform MTS operations, services, programs, and policies. So we invite you and your friends and family to come on by the Linda Vista Farmers Market and stop by our booth on July 28th!
Toreros selected by MLB teams
Local Sports Brief
Major League Baseball held its annual draft on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday of this week. A total of 616 college and high school ball players from throughout the country were selected in the twenty draft rounds. We are happy to report that a total of four players from the University of San Diego were among those stellar players picked by big league teams. As previously reported in previous editions of this newsletter, the Torero baseball team enjoyed a very successful 2022 season, making its first appearance in the NCAA regional playoffs since 2013. The four players selected reflect the outstanding quality of this year’s team.
The four USD players selected include:
Pitcher Brycen Mautz, selected by the St. Louis Cardinals as the draft’s 59th overall pick in the second round
Shortstop Chase Meidroth, selected in the fourth round by the Boston Red Sox.
Catcher Caleb Ricketts, selected in the seventh round by the Philadelphia Phillies. (Note: At the conclusion of this season, Ricketts was also selected as a Division I All-American—Third Team, and was also named West Coast Conference MVP for the 2022 season.)
Pitcher Ian Churchill, selected in the 10th round by the Toronto Blue Jays.
Congrats to these four elite USD baseball players and the entire USD team. They were a pleasure to watch this past season.
Parks After Dark Benefits Linda Vista
As part of an effort to bring communities together and create safer neighborhoods, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, San Diego City Council President Sean Elo-Rivera, San Diego County Health and Human Services Director Nick Machionne, and the San Diego Parks Foundation have announced the launch of “Parks After Dark,” a new “Come Play Outside” program that will transform three San Diego neighborhood parks into community festivals every weekend this summer.
San Diego's “Parks After Dark” will be held on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights at the Linda Vista Recreation Center (as well as City Heights and Skyline Hills Recreation Centers) from 6 - 9 p.m. from July 14 through Aug. 27. The events will feature live entertainment, activities for all ages, games and free meals for kids.
“We’re so grateful to our partners at the County, Parks Foundation and Price Philanthropies for making three of our popular neighborhood parks centers of fun and community for families on summer nights,” San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said. “These hosted nighttime activities will create lasting summer memories in a safe, healthy and fun environment.”
The City of San Diego received a $500,000 grant from the County of San Diego to launch the program.
“The County of San Diego is pleased to help support ‘Parks After Dark’ that provides a wide range of enjoyable, supervised activities and safe services to our neighborhood children and adults,” said Chair Nathan Fletcher, San Diego County Board of Supervisors. “The County is supporting programs that improve youth mental health – and being able to enjoy our parks is one way to do that.”
“Parks After Dark” is based on a popular County of Los Angeles program that has brought hundreds of thousands of Angelenos together every summer for more than a decade. It's designed to positively activate public spaces to reduce crime and create social cohesion by bringing joy to the community and create safe places to play on summer nights.
In Los Angeles, data showed that the first three parks to host similar programs saw a 32% decrease in serious and violent crimes within their first three years, between 2009 and 2013.
“The San Diego Parks Foundation is grateful to Mayor Gloria, Chair Fletcher, the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency, and the Price Philanthropies Foundation whose partnerships and generosity will help make this a summer to remember for San Diego families,” said Michel Anderson, San Diego Parks Foundation Board Chair. “This program builds on the success of last year's 'Come Play Outside' programs and will give folks of all ages something to celebrate in their community this summer.”
The program is made possible by the City of San Diego, the County of San Diego, and Price Philanthropies Foundation. The 2022 "Parks After Dark" schedule and activities can be found here.
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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.
It is so heart-warming to see a community of individuals who have come together to make their corner of the world a more joyful, colorful and inclusive place. Other communities would better their lives and those of their neighbors by doing likewise. I especially enjoyed the stories about Ben and his pride/passion for the coffee of his homeland, and the charm of the dancers. What fun! Great job Updaters! Keep it up, I will keep reading.