Taco Tuesday Special in Bay Park
Plus: LV News Briefs, Fun Exercise Route at Mission Bay, Local Youth Honored by Sports Illustrated, and Party City Closing Commentary
The Linda Vista Update
Happy New Year, everyone! We spent a couple of weeks in the great Pacific Northwest over the holidays and ended up eating a lot of really great seafood including Dungeness Crab, Fresh Oysters, Geoduck Clam Chowder and of course Salmon. However, we did not get much Mexican food there. When we came home we wanted to keep up with the seafood, but also wanted to have some Mexican food, so we thought what could be better than Fish and/or shrimp tacos? We noticed that a restaurant we had reviewed in the past, Bay Park Fish Company at 4121 Ashton Street in Bay Park, off Morena Boulevard, had a taco special and since it was Tuesday, off we went to celebrate Taco Tuesday in San Diego.
It was a late lunch, so there was no crowd and parking was not a problem. We were seated in a nice booth and surrounded by a nautical motif which really put us in the mood for fish.
The special included Happy Hour prices for drinks and tacos: $4.00 each for fish and shrimp, and chicken, carne asada, and calamari, $3.50 each, $1 extra for cheese or avocado. You can get them grilled, fried, or blackened. Steve opted for one fish and one shrimp, both grilled on corn tortillas. I ordered one fish blackened on flour tortilla. The tacos are served with the usual cabbage salsa, with a cilantro crèma on top. The fish is mahi-mahi (so good they named it twice, according to our very friendly server.)
My fish taco was the best I have ever had. Thick chunks of mahi-mahi blackened to perfection and although I am not usually a fan of cilantro, I really liked the crema.
Steve raved about his grilled shrimp and fish tacos. Mostly we liked how much fish was in each taco. My one was very filling and although Steve ate both of his, he thought they were very ample. The red salsa served with it was too spicy for my taste but very good according to Steve.
We left thinking this Taco Tuesday special is one of the best deals in the area.
Of course, all the food is great at Bay Park Fish Company, but you may want to take a look at their specials and give them a try. They have a full bar, and inside/outside dining. Their hours are every day from 11:00 am to 9:00 pm except Monday when they close at 8:00 pm.
LV News Briefs:
—Linda Vista Town Council Meeting (LVTC): The LVTC will hold its next monthly general meeting on Wednesday January 15 (6:00 pm) at the Baha’i Center, located at 6545 Alcala Knolls Drive. The public is invited to attend. Meet and greet begins at 6:00 pm and the formal part of the meeting agenda begins at 6:30 pm. Come to the meeting and meet your fellow LV residents.
—Sign up for Young Legislators Program: The Young Legislators Program (YLP) is an educational program sponsored by the Office of Senator Akilah Weber Pierson, M.D. of the 39th Senate District. The goal of the program is to equip youth with the skills and knowledge to consider a career in government or public service, and an opportunity to learn about the state legislative process, current events, leadership development, financial literacy, and more. The Young Legislators will meet for six monthly sessions from April through September, on the 4th Wednesdays (except July) from 5pm-7pm at the La Mesa Spring Valley School District Administration Building.
Selection criteria is below:
Open to high school sophomores and juniors who live or attend school in the 39th Senate District.
Must submit official high school transcript.
Must complete application form including short essays.
Must be able to commit to the scheduled sessions.
Please go HERE to submit for the program. Applications must be submitted by March 1, 2025 to be considered
—Sign up to attend Inside SDPD: This event is a dynamic, behind-the-scenes experience that allows community members to walk in the shoes of a police officer for a few hours. Led by San Diego police officers, you will have the unique opportunity to participate in de-escalation, use-of-force, vehicle stops, and simulated firearms training activities. You'll also see the K9 Unit in action and experience first-hand what it's like to be a cop! See below flyer for details. You can sign up HERE.
Fun Exercise Route
From One Side of Mission Bay to Another
It’s the second week into the beginning of a new year, which means well-intentioned people are already struggling to keep up with News Years resolutions like losing weight and getting in better physical shape.
If your New Years resolution involves regularly working out by way of jogging, walking or cycling, then we have a suggestion to make. If you are tired of going down the same paths and trails in Linda Vista, we recommend you make a trip out to Mission Bay and try out one particular segment of the Mission Bay Bike Path loop. The entire Bike Path stretches over 12 miles, but one can start the new year with an interesting 2 mile segment (4 miles both ways) that takes advantage of a bridge over Rose Creek connecting Pacific Beach Drive with the eastern side of Mission Bay. It’s a fun route for cyclists, joggers or walkers. This segment comprises the northern part of the Mission Bay Bike Path loop as shown in the map further below.
In order to tackle this segment, we recommend getting off at the Clairemont Drive exit of I-5 and then entering Mission Bay Park. You can park at the Superbloom Cafe parking lot (formerly the Mission Bay Visitors Center) and start your workout from there. Begin by heading north on the Mission Bay asphalt trail. Along the way, you will enjoy the beautiful views of the Bay and Mt. Soledad. The trail will eventually curve west. When you encounter the end of the parking lot at De Anza Drive, take this road north for about 100 yards, until it intersects with North Mission Bay Drive and turn left to continue west. You will then run into the 260-foot Mike Gotch Memorial Bridge that spans over Rose Creek. This bridge was opened in 2012. Once on the bridge, you will be on the “Pacific Beach Drive Bike Path.” The beautiful bridge is wide enough to accommodate two-way workout traffic. Upon crossing the bridge, you will continue west on a nice asphalt path that goes between Mission Bay High School on one side, and Campland on the Bay on the other. There are no scenic views of the Bay at this point, but you still get to enjoy exercising on a comfortable trail. Once you get past the high school and Campland the asphalt part of the trail ends, and there are no sidewalks, however this part of the route (Pacific Beach Drive). is a low-density vehicle area and so it is generally safe to walk on the side of the road.
When you get to the intersection of Crown Point Drive, you will have reached the 2 mile mark. If you are a walker or jogger and you want to go a bit further, you can take a left at Crown Point Drive and walk for about a quarter mile more at which point you will again be in sight of the Bay, or you can go an additional quarter mile and reach the Crown Point Beach park area and its scenic views of the Bay and other parts of San Diego as seen facing east.
Unless you are a marathon type runner (who wants to traverse the entire 12 mile loop), you can then follow the same route back to your starting point at Mission Bay, and end up getting in a 4 to 5 mile workout.
There are plenty of segments of the Mission Bay Bike Path that are worth experiencing. This one segment, however, allows you to experience an aesthetically pleasing bridge and part of San Diego that you might not ordinarily encounter. And there is something fun about being able to go from one side of the Bay to another and eventually enjoy different views.
Upon finishing your exercise, you can get something to eat and drink at the Superbloom Cafe (which we reviewed in this newsletter back in October), and/or relax in the comfortable Adirondack chairs the Cafe has looking out toward the Bay.
And if it is a beautiful winter day, you can think about all your friends and relatives in the Midwest and East Coast undergoing the latest snow storm.
Local Youth Garners One More Honor
We have published several stories about Francis Parker School sophomore student Arden Pala, most of them pertaining to the flurry of activities and accomplishments he has conducted as founder of his non-profit Sports4Kids. This organization helps kids’ sports and recreational needs at Perkins Elementary in Barrio Logan.
Based on these activities and accomplishments, Pala has garnered one more prestigious honor. The publication Sports Illustrated has named him SportsKid of the Year for 2024. The annual award honors young people aged 7 to 15 for superior performance on the field, in the classroom and service in the community. He made the cover of Sports Illustrated for Kids.
You can read about his new honor by reading the Sports Illustrated article HERE.
You can also view a YouTube video HERE.
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We at the Linda Vista Update congratulate Arden Pala on attaining this notable honor.
Commentary
The Party Is Over
I find that old adage “All good things must come to an end” as extremely appropriate these days. How else can one feel about the announced closure of Party City? This news is just one of many examples of how we as a society are being forced to accept change or loss involving popular institutions at a very rapid, mind-bending pace.
The truth is we live in a time of great disruption, and we run the risk of getting depressed over the loss of those institutions that once gave us great security and comfort. However, in handling this change/loss, I suggest we follow the words of the famous poet Maya Angelou who said “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.” Let me explain how this quote applies to handling the disruption occurring around us.
In regard to Party City, this store is scheduled to close all 695 stores nation-wide, to include the one in Mission Valley, by February 28. In announcing the business’s closure, the Party City CEO, blamed a number of factors to include inflation, pop-up concepts like Spirit Halloween, competition from big box stores, and a shortage of helium for balloons.
This store was the place to go for purchasing party-related items and fun costumes. Over the years, I went there to buy a Darth Vader mask, a St. Patrick’s Day Green Hat for my cat, a Halloween monster outfit, frozen margarita mixes for Mexican-themed parties, retirement party plates and cups, a cow costume, a Viking helmet, and a Dracula cape and fangs. All those purchases resulted in good, festive times. So one can see why I might be sad about the store’s upcoming closure. Quite a few fun memories are involved.
But my sadness is not limited to Party City. In the past few months, I’ve learned of the upcoming closure of J.C. Penney at the Fashion Valley Mall, the closure of all Big Lot stores, all Bed, Bath and Beyond Stores, as well as cancellation of the CBS prime time TV show Blue Bloods. This is a lot of change for us all. And let’s not even discuss the rumors that the Padres might trade away Ha Seong Kim.
But change and loss is inevitable. So the next best thing is to accept change or loss and move on. In this regard, I have found solace in a few profound quotes that address change and loss.
First, a quote by Helen Keller: “What we have once enjoyed we can never lose.”
--This means that even though Party City is closing I will always enjoy the memory of seeing my cat pose for photos while wearing that green St Patrick’s Day Hat I purchased there. He wasn’t too happy about it, but that’s the price he pays for free room and board.
Second, a quote by Anonymous: “Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.”
--This means I will always smile when I think of all the times Tom Selleck let out a heavy sigh and passed this off as acting while playing his role of an overly serious, pompous NYPD police commissioner on Blue Bloods.
Third, a quote by Greek philosopher Hericlitus: The only thing permanent in life is change.”
--This quote will remind me of the box of Pop Tarts I once purchased at a Big Lots store, and how they were over a year beyond the “sell by” date. They still tasted good, which proves that Pop Tarts have a certain permanence about them, no matter how old they may be when you buy and eat them.
After reading these quotes out loud, I started to feel much better about change, I hope you do too, though I admit that if the Padres eventually trade or release Ha Seong Kim I may still experience great mental anguish in the future.
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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. We welcome ideas for stories. Let us know about any interesting people, places, or upcoming events.