New Bakery Opens In Linda Vista
New Bakery Opens In Linda Vista
Plus: Bike Lane Pylon Update, Kearny High Boy's Basketball Season Begins, LV News Briefs, and LV Holiday Spirt Commentary
For over two years, Steve and I have been writing about Linda Vista and the many things it has to offer. We have reviewed many restaurants and shops along the way. One thing that we have always lamented is the fact that Linda Vista has no bakery. Sure, there is Yum Yum for the best donuts, and you can get bread in grocery stores, but a full fledged operating bakery is something we have long wished for.
Well, our wish has finally come true. As you know, we frequently troll Linda Vista looking for stories, and such trolling paid off the other day. While cruising around Linda Vista Road and Ulric Street, we saw a sign out of the corner of our eye that said Pan. Well, even I know that means bread, so our antennae went up and we pulled over and parked the car near the Linda Vista Health Center.
What do you know? We discovered a new bakery called the San Diego Bakery. We went inside and had a very nice conversation with the owner, Hugo Garcia. He told us they have been open about two weeks and are associated with La Princesa Food Truck that is at the American Legion at Genesee and LV Road. In our conversation he told us that he noticed that Linda Vista was lacking a bakery and so he decided to open one. The space is very large, and although they have just opened, they are carrying quite a few items. There are cases filled with all kinds of Mexican pastries. They also have a case with other types of pastries such as cannoli and small macarons. They open at 5:30 am and feature many breakfast egg sandwiches including with ham and chorizo, served on bolillos, and other breakfast items, as well as coffee and other drinks. They also make tacos, tortas, quesadillas and other lunch or dinner items.
The bread and pastries are baked on site and the several we tried were excellent. They have that “just baked” taste rather than pastries in stores that are baked elsewhere and then delivered to the stores. Hugo said they are open until 12:00 am so there is no reason you cannot find time to visit this bakery and try their delicious bread and pastries and other offerings.
There are tables and chairs and eventually Hugo will offer even more food selections so you can sit and enjoy your meals.
The bakery is entered by the parking lot side; it is the building that previously housed Tommy Pho. The address is 6959 Linda Vista Road.
The prices are reasonable and the pastries very filling.
We were happy to welcome Hugo’s Bakery to Linda Vista and wish him well. Please pay a visit and tell him you read about his bakery in the Linda Vista Update.
LV Road Bike Lane Improvement Update
We are happy to report that Linda Vista has recently been the recipient of several City of San Diego efforts to improve our local infrastructure. First, the City intervened to repair the lighting on a stretch of Ulric Street in downtown Linda Vista. This much welcomend repair effort involved fixing the lighting on 18 street lights that had long gone dark. Next, the City repaved a significant number of streets throughout the Linda Vista area. Gone are many of the pot holes and cracks that have plagued local drivers for years. Finally, the City recently installed numerous white plastic pylons alongside bike lanes going up and down Linda Vista Road.
After seeing all the pylons suddenly spring up along Linda Vista Road and receiving some queries from our readers, we asked Miles Noel—the community representative for the office of Councilmember Raul Campillo (District 7)—for an explanation on what brought about such generosity on the part of the City of San Diego, to include identification of the funding source.
Here is what he had to say:
“(The pylons) are City-funded – they were approved this summer as an amendment to an existing slurry contract, where the City allocated $412,753 to upgrade the bike infrastructure that was going in as part of the slurry to Class IV bike lanes. The streets that were upgraded included Linda Vista Road, Nimitz Blvd, Park Blvd, and Lincoln Ave.
The prioritization of Class IV bike infrastructure was codified in the updated Climate Action Plan (CAP) that the Council approved in August. Councilmember Campillo amended the CAP language to reflect this commitment in bold: “Implement the City’s Bicycle Master Plan and community plan bicycle networks with a Class IV First approach.”
We hope the City continues to look favorably on Linda Vista when it comes to infrastructure improvements.
Kearny High Boys Basketball Opens New Season
Linda Vista sports fans looking for an exciting time need to look no further than the Kearny High gym. As described by head coach James Cevallos, this year’s version of the Kearny High Varsity Boys Basketball team promises to provide some fun times at that locale. Coming off a highly successful 2021-2022 season that resulted in a 16-6 win-loss record, the Komets have four senior players who are expected to provide the necessary experience and skills to lead the team. The three seniors returning from last year’s roster include Isaiah Sutton, “a senior with college level potential,” Noe Flores, a “steady shooter who plays great defense,” and Matt Bowman, who “has the talent to help us and is an X factor when he is locked in.” One additional senior, Andre Scott, returns to the starting line up after being a starter his sophomore year,; he did not play basketball last year. He is described by Coach Cevallos as “quick as lightening with a pure shot.”
In further describing this year’s team, Coach Cevallos emphasized the team’s strength lies in its top players being “skilled players who bring us exceptional team speed.”
While identifying other key players, Coach Cevallos also mentioned sophomore Derek Ulrich, who brings “great energy and outside shooting.”
As far as team goals for the season, he expects his players to “Play hard and together as a team. Rebound, Defense and the rest will take care of itself.”
The Komets began play last week with an 80-63 victory over High Tech High (Chula Vista). They now sport a 3-1 record, with their most recent win (82-35) coming earlier this week over O’Farrell Charter School. In the upcoming weeks, Kearny will play several non-league games in preparation for league play that begins in January. During this pre-league play, the Komets will be striving for “Improvement on the defensive end with our signature pressure defense.”
High Tech High (San Diego) is expected to provide the main competition in league play.
Upcoming home games for the Komets include the following:
Escondido Charter, December 8 at 6:00 pm
Calvin Christian, December 10 at 2:00 pm
El Capitan, December 13 at 6:00 pm
Hilltop, December 15 at 6:00 pm
Mar Vista, December 20 at 6:00 pm
St. Joseph’s Academy, December 22 at 6:00 pm
Coach Cevallos highly encourages Linda Vista Update readers to attend the games. “Come out and support the Komets,” he says. “We will be fun to watch!”
LV News Briefs
—Bayside Anniversary Celebration: The Bayside Community Center will celebrate its 90th Anniversary today December 8 from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm. The celebration will be held in conjunction with the Love, Linda Farmers Market, which is held from 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm every Thursday at the Linda Vista Plaza Shopping Center. The celebration will include performances by Ballet Folklorico El Tapatio, Genbu Daiko (a local Taiko drumming group), Daniel Moceri (original Bayside participant and long-time Little Italy resident) singing Doo Wop, and the Fern Street Circus. Bayside will also show its documentary titled “Bayside: 90 Years of Empowerment." See the below flyer for additional details.
—USD Women’s Volleyball: The University of San Diego’s Women’s Volleyball team has reached the Sweet Sixteen round of the NCAA tournament. The Toreros will open up the NCAA regional tournament (hosted by Stanford University) today December 8 with a game against the University of Kentucky. The game will begin at 5:00 pm and will be broadcast on ESPNU.
—LV Park and Recreation Center classes: Check out the 3 flyers below listing the kinds of classes available for different age groups being offered in the coming weeks at the LV Park and Recreation Center.
—Paid Internships: The Office of Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (53rd District) is offering paid internship positions in her San Diego and Washington DC offices. These internships provide an opportunity for young adults to learn more about the workings of a Congressional office and the legislative process. Please go here for more details.
Commentary
Linda Vista Residents Get in Christmas Spirit
What do Linda Vista residents think about the holiday season? It’s hard to say. Outside of those residents who get into having festive Christmas lights and decorations on their houses and shrubbery, I’ve come to believe the Linda Vista community really isn’t into public displays of the holiday spirit. That’s why I recently went in search of finding the true Linda Vista holiday mood, asking a number of local residents a series of questions about the holiday season. I am happy to report that Linda Vista residents are indeed thinking about the holidays—they just do so in a low key, personal way.
It could have been my reading with envy about the annual Ocean Beach Christmas parade that is held every year about this time. Or maybe it had to do with my pre-pandemic memories of visiting New York City during the holiday season and viewing all the festive decorations at places like the Rockefeller Center and Central Park. Or it just might have been the result of viewing one too many Hallmark Channel Christmas shows combined with one too many Dolly Parton Country Christmas TV specials. In any event, this past week I started to once again bemoan the fact that Linda Vista doesn’t really do much as a community in regard to publicly celebrating the holiday season. Sure, you can head down to the Fashion Valley Mall and get your fix of holiday decorations and piped-in Christmas music while you spend enormous sums of money in an intense style of capitalistic, corporate holiday celebration. Still, I am struck by the lack of decorations and holiday spirit activities that occur within the borders of our own community. We seem to have no holiday tradition/activities that in any way mimic those found in other cities/communities. No giant Christmas tree in the middle of Linda Vista Plaza Shopping Center; no string of holiday wreaths hanging across Linda Vista Road; no Linda Vista Holiday Christmas parade down Ulric Street, and certainly no Santa-costumed pub runs from one LV pub to another.
Convinced that Linda Vista residents still must be thinking about the holiday season—in spite of the lack of public community displays—I conducted a random survey of locals to determine their holiday thoughts. I conducted the survey at two busy and distinct LV locales—the Linda Vista Park and Recreation Center, and the Linda Liquor Plaza (at the corner of Linda Vista Road and Ulric).
I asked three questions: (1) What is a favorite food that you associate with the holiday season?; (2) Do you have a favorite holiday song?; and, (3) What would you like to see Santa bring this year to the Linda Vista community?
In regard to the first question, Ham and Tamales proved to be the most popular foods associated with Christmas. The Mexican dish Pozole came in a close second.
The most popular Christmas song turned out to be Jingle Bells. Other songs mentioned included Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, All I Want for Christmas is You, Rocking Around the Christmas Tree, Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer, and These are the Times (Celine Dion).
Finally, better safety/security/safer environment was the gift people most wanted Santa to deliver to Linda Vista. Residents queried at the Linda Vista Park and Recreation Center specifically referred to more security and security lighting. A close second to better safety/security were the gifts of peace and love. Additional Santa gift giving ideas included more playgrounds, more street improvements, homes for people who need them, doing something about the homeless, and adding a Starbucks to the downtown Linda Vista area. One resident said that Santa had already delivered the best gift possible—the Linda Vista Skateboard Park.
I am hoping that next year we can finally have some kind of Linda Vista Holiday Parade. A loud and boisterous one! Until then, the answers to my question will have to keep me convinced that Linda Vista residents are still in the holiday spirit—just in a low key, personal way.
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Steve Rodriguez
Always appreciate the good mix of articles! Especially enjoy trying out the new places to eat. Many thanks for doing such a great job for our community.