Sprawling New Park Opens in Mission Valley
Plus: Upcoming Holiday Celebration at Farmers Market, Flama llama Restaurant Review, Francis Parker Student Coordinates Volunteer Effort, Kearny High Soccer Victorious, and Holiday Villain Commentary
Are you a former San Diego Chargers fan who still experiences recurring nightmares during which you are tailgating at the Qualcomm Stadium parking lot right before a game featuring Ryan Leaf as the team’s starting quarterback? If so, I suggest you head out and pay a visit to those old haunts near the site that now hosts Snapdragon Stadium. Enter the stadium’s parking lot and drive south. What you will eventually find is certain to calm your tortured psyche. The serene setting is guaranteed to make you forget all about the Chargers and their leaving for Los Angeles (and the continuation of their losing ways).
A part of the former Qualcomm stadium parking lot—the south part that runs under the trolley overpass and sits across the parking lot for the new Snapdragon Stadium--has been transformed into a beautiful 35-acre park. The new River Park is the latest segment of SDSU Mission Valley. It opened to the public this past week in a soft opening that will eventually see an official opening later in 2024 when additional park and open space are completed.
This new River Park contains wide expanses of green grass recreational fields, a number of trails and pathways for walking, jogging and biking, playgrounds and fitness stations, a basketball court, benches for both picnicking and leisurely sitting, examples of native landscaping, and a number of interesting interpretative signs that explain the history of Mission Valley and its diverse habitat. Many of the exercise areas are strategically placed under the path of the trolley rails to take advantage of the shade.
The park design also incorporates features that provide a better outcome for the river and its downstream coastal ecosystems. Bio-retention basins will capture stormwater and filter pollutants, and thus prevent them from going into the river.
The park is a great place for exercise. This past Sunday afternoon I took a walk on the path that loops around the park. It measured about one and three eighths of a mile. My completion of three loops coincided with the end of the Chargers game against the Denver Broncos. The Chargers lost that game, but the beauty and serenity of the park made me forget all about the hard fact that some things in the world just don’t change. In fact, the walk made me realize that some other things—like the old Qualcomm site—can change for the better and serve as a valuable new asset for Mission Valley and its surrounding communities.
Visitors to the park will enjoy a combination of beautiful scenery that includes the adjacent visuals provided by Snapdragon Stadium, the elevated trolley tracks, the vegetation along the river, and the surrounding hills. The setting definitely provides a relaxing atmosphere.
The new River Park is only about four miles away from Linda Vista. If you drive there, you can enter at Snapdragon Stadium’s west parking lot entry or at the Mission Valley Drive intersection entry. It is easily accessible by bike along the riverwalk paths, and of course, you can always take the trolley. The trolley station sits close to the east end of the park.
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Speaking of parks, the groundbreaking ceremony for the Linda Vista Community Garden will be held this Saturday December 16 at 11:30 am at the Linda Vista Community Park (7064 Levant Street). The public is invited. The garden will be the first one built in a San Diego City park.
Upcoming Holiday Celebration at LV Farmers Market
Everyone is invited to attend the fun at next week’s Holiday Celebration at the Love, Linda Vista Farmers Market. The non-profit Love, Linda Vista organization is teaming up with Bayside Community Center to conduct the event.
As explained by Jonathan Widener, Board President of the Love, Linda Vista Farmers Market, “Linda Vista residents are invited to attend a wonderful holiday market on Dec 21st. The Farmers Market opens at 2:00 pm. We will have some wonderful last minute Christmas gifts from various vendors for sale. Live performances will begin at 4:00 pm as well as free piñata craft-making in partnership with Bayside Community Center. We also will have a nine-foot inflatable Santa and Snowman to take your photo with. It will be loads of fun. For many of us, it’s so much fun visiting with Linda Vista residents and visitors as we stroll around the market. The holidays are a fantastic time to be out in the community. And the Love, Linda Vista Farmers Market is also the place to meet up with friends for some excellent food. The Francis Parker School Jazz Band will play from 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm, and the Ballet Folklorico El Tapatio de San Dieguito will perform from 5:00 pm to 5:20 pm.”
Please check out the below flyer and put the event on your calendar.
The Love, Linda Vista Farmers Market will operate today December 14 from 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm at the Linda Vista Plaza Shopping Center. Champions for Health will be at the market today (and on December 21) and will be providing not only flu vaccines but free Covid booster vaccines for the new variant. The Live Well on Wheels Bus will also be there today to provide local residents with access to a number of health and community services.
Flama Llama on Convoy Offers Latin Fusion
We recently reviewed Wienerschnitzel on Convoy Street, and during the process of visiting this fast food venue, a strange sign caught our eye. The sign said Flama Llama. It appeared to be in the location of a former restaurant, Chef Chin. At the time, I thought “What an unusual name” but I soon forgot about it. However, when we were recently driving along Convoy Street looking for a new restaurant to review, the Flama Llama came back to mind. We looked it up to make sure it was indeed a restaurant and not a llama farm, and eventually learned it is a Latin fusion restaurant. It is owned and operated by the owners of the Steamy Piggy and Formoosa, two other establishments in the Convoy District. Flama Llama is a Chinese Peruvian culinary tradition based on Cantonese elements fused with traditional Peruvian ingredients and traditions. We once had an enjoyable trip to Peru, so decided to give it a try.
This restaurant takes reservations, but for lunch were not needed. We were joined by the Carnivore Sidekick so could review more than just non-meat dishes. The restaurant is at 4433 Convoy Street It has parking and a cute little llama greets you as you walk in. We were seated immediately. There is a really nice patio area as well as a fairly large eat-in dining area. The server was very friendly and although I am not a fan of menu technology, there was a bar code on the table to access the menu. The server explained how we could make some of the items non-meat by substituting tofu, or shrimp. The menu has very self-explanatory pictures for each entrée with interesting names such as Lomo Saltado, Mojo Pork, Ropa Vieja, Tallarin Verde, and more. These are beef, pork, ham and chicken entrees with rice or noodles and many have plantains. The sandwiches include Cubano, beef flank and calamari. There are sides including salads, fries, soup, dulce de leche walnut shrimp and more. The paella also looked really good.
Steve ordered the Pollo Saltado, but substituted shrimp for the chicken. It contained lots of vegetables including onion, tomato, potatoes, rice, and wonderfully large shrimp. Steve loved it, and it was such a large quantity he could only eat half of it. He said it was a little spicy, but not too much. The dish was very colorful and everything looked really fresh. It came with a mayo type sauce.
The Carnivore ordered the Cubano Sandwich. It contained mojo pork, smoked ham, cheese, pickle toasted on a flatish roll that he said was awesome. The dish came with a good amount of fries and two very different sauces, one green and one red. The large sandwich was cut in half and he ended taking half his lunch home as well.
I have never had calamari, so I tried the Calamari sandwich. Again, it was a large sandwich, cut in half, and contained a large amount of fried calamari, charred scallion, chimichurri, and cheese, and accompanied by fries. Again, it came with a couple of delicious sauces. It was great…and huge…so I asked for a box to take home half with me. The restaurant also had desserts such as churros and Thai tea flan, but we were all too full to try any of them. Maybe next time. There is a good selection of drinks both alcoholic and non-alcoholic.
I loved the décor and ambience of the restaurant. Lots of Peruvian fabrics and a streaming TV showing many scenes of Peru. I think you will enjoy this place. They use the freshest ingredients and original recipes and the variety is impressive. The prices are reasonable for the amount of food you get.
Francis Parker Student Coordinates Bags of Hope
This past Saturday, morning Francis Parker School student Arden Pala coordinated the efforts of over 100 volunteers of all ages to assemble 750 Bags of Hope that were subsequently distributed to students/families from Perkins Elementary. School in the Barrio Logan area. The Bags of Hope project was accomplished as part of the Sports4Kids non-profit group founded by Pala.
The volunteers gathered Saturday at various tables in a Perkins Elementary classroom to assemble the bags which were eventually filled with school supplies and books, hygiene products, clothing items, and toys. Everything that went into the bags was a result of monetary and inkind donations from numerous individuals and organizations.
Donations for the event came from such businesses/organizations as AP Wireless, Barons Market, Starbucks, Dr. Suess Enterprises, Target, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Albertsons, Cox, Geppetto’s, and Barnes and Noble.
The eager and enthusiastic volunteers were organized at various tables and assigned such tasks as gift wrapping, arts and crafts, hygiene assembly, and bag assembly. The volunteers came from all over San Diego and included both individuals and families, as well as organizations like the Girl Scouts and the National University Student Nurses Association.
Arden Pala is well known to readers of the Linda Vista Update. Back in our October 22 2022 issue he was featured in an article that highlighted his founding of the Sports4Kids organization and his publishing of several children’s books for charitable purposes, and more recently in our November 16 issue we reported about his recognition by the SD County Public Defenders Office as one of the “25 Most Remarkable Teens in SD County.”
Local Prep Sports
Kearny High Soccer Wins Local Tourney
This past Monday afternoon the Kearny High School Boys Varsity Soccer team celebrated its winning the Parker Cup Tourney by presenting their hard-won trophy to school principal Ana Diaz Booz. During the tourney held at Francis Parker School last week, the Komets scored victories over San Marcos High (score 4-2) and Valhalla High (score 3-2). This is the fourth year in a row they have won the tournament. Kearny High senior captain Antonio Morales scored three goals in the tournament and was named one of this week’s San Diego Union-Tribune High School Athletes of the Week.
The team currently sports a 3-1-2 record this season.
Commentary
Holiday Villains Frequent Fashion Valley Mall
The holiday of Christmas has produced some of the greatest stories, as depicted in a number of memorable books and movies. These stories serve as powerful parables pertaining to the importance of such values as generosity, hope, and the sharing of good will. Whether it’s a story by Charles Dickens or a classic Hollywood movie starring Jimmy Stewart, we all treasure the valuable lessons to be learned about the true meaning of Christmas.
Though impressed by the positive nature of these stories, I am also struck by how well we remember the villains in these yule tide tales. We all remember the greedy Mr Potter in the movie It’s a Wonderful Life, and Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol epitomizes the miserly boss we love to hate, and of course there is Dr. Suess’s creation of the Grinch.
However, as memorable as these fictional Christmas villains may be, I contend a real-life holiday villain exists right here in our community. You might say he or she is around all year long, but this villain really makes its presence known in the days leading up to Christmas. As far as I can tell, there is something about the holiday shopping period that brings out the worst in this villain.
Yes, I know what you are thinking….where can one find this villain? If you are a brave soul and want to observe this villain in action, then I recommend you pay a visit to the Fashion Valley Mall in the next few days. Stand near the mall’s main entrance (at Friar’s Road and Avenue de Las Tiendas). Once there, keep your eye on the flow of Friars Road shopping traffic coming from the east and turning left into the mall parking lot. Things might initially appear quite innocent, but wait until the traffic light turns red. There is a good chance you will then see the holiday villain make his or her appearance. In fact, there are usually two of three similar villains at the same time, for in spite of the light turning red, the holiday villain(s) insists on disregarding civilized traffic norms. He or she will refuse to stop in response to the red light, and will instead attempt to keep going and follow the flow of traffic into the parking lot, apparently in a rush to get holiday shopping done before anyone else can do so.
Unfortunately, when this happens, the flow of cars ends up backed up and the villain finds him/herself stopped in the middle of Friars Road, thus villainously blocking the heavy flow of non-mall traffic heading the opposing way. This greatly offends the oncoming drivers as they are prevented from taking immediate advantage of the green light to get to their own destinations. Their own holiday spirit suddenly evaporates. These innocent driving victims will oftentimes resort to honking their horns or mouthing obscenities at the villains, but to no avail. Nothing discourages these holiday driving villains from their appointed holiday shopping rounds. Something deep down in their Grinch-like souls insist they must enter the parking lot post haste—they have no patience for waiting for the next left turn green arrow.
I always enjoy the last part of a Christmas story, when the villain gets his/her comeuppance, or when he/she learns a valuable lesson about the true meaning of Christmas. I can only hope each of these villainous car driving destroyers of holiday mirth and merry measure eventually gets paid a Dickens-like nighttime visit by the ghosts of Christmas parking past, present and future, and that these ghosts teach the villain the value of patience and courtesy, or that at least one of these ghosts has the legal authority to issue them a costly citation for running a red light.
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