Senior Meals at Bayside Serve the Community

Plus: Safety Issue on Comstock Street, LV News Briefs, Looking for Fall in Linda Vista, and Fall Book Reviews

Senior Lunch at Bayside Community Center

The Linda Vista Update has published quite a few stories on Linda Vista’s own Bayside Community Center (located at 2202 Comstock Street) and told readers about some of the wonderful things the organization does for our community.  We have featured Kim Heinle, the Director of Bayside, along with Amy Zink, who has been doing so much with the Community Garden project and Tiny Gardens program, including the cookbook, and Tomasa Ruiz who oversees the Food Giveaway on Wednesdays and much more.  We also covered the 90th anniversary of Bayside observance with Councilmember Raul Campillo at John Baca Park. 

By now you know many of the ways Bayside Community Center makes Linda Vista a great place to live, but you may not know the details of how it hosts a Senior Lunch at 11:30 am to 12:00 pm Monday through Friday in their Community Room.  This significant contribution to the community is overseen by Rose Ceballos (Director of Programs and Operations) and is intended for seniors 60 years and older.  These meals are sponsored by funds from the federal government’s Older Americans Act and awarded by the County of San Diego through their Aging and Independence Services.  The meals are provided by Jewish Family Services of San Diego. 

Steve and I decided to go up to Bayside and take part in this lunch for a day so we could convey the information about this great program to our readers. The first thing we found out is that we should have registered in advance.  You can do this by phone or text to 619-871-4866 at least one day before you plan on attending, so they know how many meals to order. Although we had not done that, they determined they had enough food and allowed us to stay.  The suggested donation for your meal is $4.00 and that is quite a bargain.  This money goes back to Jewish Family Service.

Rose Ceballos with Senior Lunch Volunteers Gloria Gonzalez and Mai Nguyen

We were seated by volunteers (Mai Nguyen and Gloria González) who have been with Bayside for many years.  They were very friendly and efficient.  A monthly menu is available so you can decide in advance if there is something not to your liking on a certain day.  There is quite a variety as you can see from clicking on the link. We were lucky—the day we were there was a no-meat day.  We were served a broccoli salad, coconut crusted tilapia, quinoa, Caribbean mixed vegetables and a tropical fruit cup.  You are also served a carton of 1% milk and coffee or tea.  The sodium content is shown on the menu.  You can see from the picture above that the portions, although not gigantic, are nice sized and really filled us up.  It was very tasty and served hot.  It was a very healthy meal.

There are about 25 seniors who partake of the meals each day.  There were more prior to the pandemic.  Rose said they would like to serve more but their space is limited, so if they do get more participants they may have to make two seatings for lunch.

I think this is such good information to pass along for seniors who do not like to cook, or do not want to cook for just themselves. Coming to lunch at Bayside assures seniors they will get a very good, healthy meal, rather than snacking on less healthful types of food. Also, Bayside is always grateful for cash donations or your volunteer services for the various programs they offer.

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The Linda Vista Update commends Bayside Community Center for operating such a helpful program for the LV senior community.

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Traffic Calming Measures Needed on Comstock?

The Linda Vista Update has recently focused on two significant safety issues plaguing the streets of Linda Vista. A couple articles detailing the number of inoperative street lights on a stretch of Ulric Street, as well as the need to address problems associated with Via Las Cumbres traffic in the University Canyon neighborhood, have served to make our readers aware of Linda Vista safety issues worthy of City attention.

We now want to draw reader attention to one more safety concern that has been noted by a Linda Vista resident—this concern being the traffic on a certain stretch of Comstock Street. LV resident Victor Tocco has recently made presentations at Linda Vista Community Planning Group and Linda Vista Town Council meetings regarding the dangers presented by speeding traffic on a segment of Comstock that goes south from the Osler intersection to the intersection with Linda Vista Road. According to Tocco, commuters making their way down this road probably don’t mean to speed, but they have long stretches (unhindered by stop signs) that allow them to accelerate and pick up speed. As a father of a young child, he is concerned for the safety of the many children that live in the area, and for the many kids that walk to and from the schools in the area (Linda Vista Elementary and Montgomery Middle School). He believes the couple of dips in the road play only a minimal role in slowing drivers down. Tocco believes that the great number of cars parked on the street also causes a visibility problem that limits the ability of speeding drivers to spot pedestrians who chance to cross the street outside of designated crosswalks.

Right now, there are no stops signs on Comstock Street between Osler and Linda Vista Road. Many drivers naturally pick up speed under these unfettered circumstances.

Tocco is hoping that some action on the part of the City is taken to slow drivers down, to include the possible installation of stops signs and/or speed bumps. And he is hoping the Linda Vista Planning Group and the Linda Vista Town Council (he was recently elected to the Town Council Board) will help advocate to the City for these kind of safety improvements.

Go Slow Man warns drivers on Comstock Street

Tocco noted that an unofficial green “Go Slow” sign long perched on the roof of a Comstock Street parked car has been recently moved to the center of the road as a more obvious way of warning drivers. In the absence of City action, he suggests the possibility of more residents using their own store-bought or do-it-yourself signs as a way of encouraging drivers to slow down.

If you have an opinion and/or suggestions regarding Comstock Street safety, please let these organization know: Linda Vista Town Council (lvtowncouncil@gmail.com); Linda Vista Community Planning Group (howard.wayne@roadrunner.com).

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LV News Updates:

Farmers Market: The Love, Linda Vista Farmers Market is open today from 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm. The Farmers Market is located at the Linda Vista Plaza Shopping Center in downtown Linda Vista. Come and get some fresh fruit and vegetables, There are also plenty of other food and craft vendors to choose from. Pay a visit and support your local vendors, and meet and greet your fellow residents of Linda Vista and the neighboring communities. New vendors this week include Solnus (Chinese Fusion) and the Tamale Cafe (serving sweet and savory tamales).

USD Football: The University of San Diego Torero football team plays its next home game on October 1 at 1:00 pm. They will play Stetson University at Torero Stadium in their first Pioneer Football League game of the season.

Community Clean-Up: The Bayside Community Center will conduct its monthly community clean-up this Sunday at 10:00 am. LV residents are encouraged to come out and volunteer. Volunteers meet in the Linda Vista Library parking lot. Safety vests, bags and trash pick up equipment are provided for volunteers. Come out and participate in this great on-going community service project.

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Looking for Signs of Fall Season in Linda Vista

It is indeed fall, at least according to the almanac, but we still find ourselves putting up with climate change-induced hot spells that make us long for such traditional fall features as frost on the pumpkin, leaves changing colors, corn mazes, and hay rides—all capable of reminding us of the change in seasons. It seems the only crisp fall-like air we encounter comes from our air conditioners.

If this was the East Coast, there would be very obvious and traditional evidence of fall, but here in unseasonably warm Linda Vista, we must look very closely for such indicators. Fortunately, after conducting a very careful search of the Linda Vista area, we did succeed in coming up with the following evidence that fall is indeed here.

First, there is the obvious piece of evidence, a banner advertising the upcoming annual Fall Festival at Holy Family Catholic Church (located at 1957 Coolidge Street). We attended last year’s Fall Festival which included lots of good entertainment and tasty food. The leaves on the banner definitely evoke a sense of fall. We don’t often get to see such fall colors in the leaves surrounding our neighborhoods.

However, we are happy to report that we did see some actual autumnal changing-of-the-leaves in a group of trees lining Linda Vista Road—near the Glidden Street intersection (see photo below). Driving past the trees on both sides of this patch of Linda Vista Road isn’t exactly like driving in October through the scenic 105 mile-long Skyline Drive in Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park, but it’s all we got.

Of course, what would fall be without partaking of the ever-growing Pumpkin Spice craze? Fortunately, we have Starbucks to thank for starting this seasonal craze with its Pumpkin Spice Latte, first introduced in 2003. No matter the weather here in San Diego, you can always go to a local Starbucks during this time of year to get a Pumpkin Spice Latte (or a Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino or a Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew) and thereby permit yourself a quick fix of both caffeine and a contemporary autumn essential. Check the Starbucks article here for a summary of their 2022 fall drink selections.

Finally, for a more international flavor of fall Linda Vista resident can pay a visit to Deft Brewing, in the Morena District (5328 Banks St, Suite A), to enjoy some of the brewery’s Octoberfest brands of beer. We first wrote about this great local brewery back in February of 2021. From September 19 to October 2, Deft Brewing celebrates its own version of Munich’s Octoberfest (called Deftoberfest) offering beers like Octoberfest Marzen and Octoberfest Pils. We recently paid a visit to Deft Brewing and enjoyed these Octoberfest beers while sitting in their festive patio area. After a few sips of beer, we were transported in our minds back to a cool Munich September evening.

Octoberfest Marzen (left and Octoberfest Pils (right)

After experiencing these Linda Vista demonstration of fall, we concluded that our local version of fall is indeed quite different from everyone else’s more traditional concept, but with a little imagination, you too can fantasize about experiencing the changing leaves of a crisp New England day—just disregard the heat, the swaying palm trees, and the sweat forming on your brow.

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Fall Book Reviews

Our favorite book reviewers, Marth B. and Marla M. were kind enough to submit a couple reviews of engaging novels intended for the fall months.

Martha B. had this to say about Elizabeth Strout’s latest release:

Elizabeth Strout’s newest novel Lucy by the Sea was released last week.  It is a novel which takes place during the pandemic and echoes much of our shared experiences in recent years.  Lucy Barton is the main character, recently widowed and in her 60’s, and it is her interior dialog we hear throughout the book.  She has made the fortunate transition from a childhood of abject poverty, abuse and lack of love to becoming a successful writer who has lived a life of relative privilege as an adult.  She is privileged enough to flee New York City at the beginning of the pandemic at the insistence of her scientist ex-husband William, who has been recently divorced by his third wife, and who sees the chaos and danger coming to the city before she does.  He takes her to the coast of Maine to isolate by the sea in separate bedrooms, staying in contact with their two adult daughters who go through their own travails during the pandemic.

Strout writes beautifully about the problems of being human, including loneliness, loss, and the particular losses of aging, parenting, and the inevitable number of deaths, illnesses and sorrows, as well as joys, along life’s path.  Her previous novels include Olive Kitteridge which won the Pulitzer Prize for Literature, and was made into an HBO miniseries staring Frances McDormand which won numerous Emmy awards. Another novel about Lucy Barton and her ex-husband William entitled Oh William! was recently short listed for the 2022 Booker Prize.  Strout’s novels are spare and often harsh, but also often beautiful.  Certain sentences carry a remarkable power. Strout’s work is not for everyone.  My mother found Olive Kitteridge so depressing she could barely read it.  However, if her writing resonates with you, you will experience something extraordinary.  My favorite of Strout’s novels is The Burgess Boys which is a great starting point if you are not familiar with her work.

Marla M. had these comments about the novel The Hotel Nantucket

Lizbet Keaton is desperately trying to reinvent herself after the break up with her boyfriend of 15 years. She becomes the manager of the historic Hotel Nantucket which has been recently purchased  by London billionaire, Xavier Darling. It was once a thriving hotel that catered to the rich and famous. It became an eyesore and fell into disrepair after a fire that killed a Chambermaid named Grace Hadley. Xavier won’t spare any expense to transform Hotel Nantucket into a high-end luxury hotel worthy of becoming the first ever recipient of the coveted Five Keys Award from the elusive hotel reviewer and blogger, Shelley Carpenter. During the ongoing renovations Lizbet recruits employees who all have their own reasons for wanting to work at the Hotel Nantucket. Guests from all walks of life, who have their own stories to tell, begin to check into the hotel during the construction. In addition to the occupants who have checked in, Grace, who died in the 1922 fire, is haunting the hotel in hopes that someone will discover that she was actually murdered. The guests as well as the staff all have secrets that we discover as we read the story and get to know them all better. The Hotel Nantucket is definitely a tale of a summer of scandal and mystery.

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