The Habit in MV for Burgers
Plus: LV News Briefs, SD Humane Society News, Interesting Path Along Sea World, Kearny High Basketball Player Recognized, and Price of Eggs Call to Action Commentary
The Linda Vista Update
Steve and I don’t go to many burger joints because we don’t eat meat, and that has usually been the only thing you can get at these establishments. However, things have been changing since more people are avoiding eating meat, so we have begun checking out some burger restaurants. We decided to try The Habit Burger & Grill, which is nearby in Mission Valley on 845 Camino De La Reina, in the same shopping center as Trader Joe’s. We learned that Habit has been around since 1969, starting in Santa Barbara. They cook their burgers and such over an open flame which gives it a distinctive taste that appeals to most folks. In looking over their on-line menu, we decided there were things we could order so off we went for an early dinner.
Habit has a selection of Charburgers, signature sandwiches, meals, salads, family dinners, kids meals, sides, drinks and frozen treats. Although most of their charburgers are meat, either beef or chicken, they do have an “Impossible” burger, which is plant based, and a veggie burger with cheese. They also have an Ahi Tuna Filet, which has gradually become a favorite menu selection at many establishments.
Steve knew he wanted the Ahi Tuna, but I was wavering. I really wanted the Portabella Charburger, but that came with a beef patty. The very nice employee who took our order, said that I could have the portabella mushrooms with a vegetarian patty, so that is what I decided to get. Steve also ordered sweet potato fries.
The Ahi Tuna consisted of sushi grade tuna steak with a teriyaki glaze, lettuce, tomatoes and tartar sauce. Steve ordered it medium and it was cooked perfectly to his taste. He said it was delicious and even offered me a bite, which I refused, and he said it was ample. The char marks were very attractive. The sweet potato fries were tasty.
My Portabella Char was excellent. It came with a chargrilled veggie patty, portabella mushrooms, caramelized onions, melted cheese, lettuce (I nixed the tomato), pickle and roasted garlic aioli on a toasted bun. Yum is all I can say. I think it would have been just as good without the patty, unfortunately I couldn’t convince the server to switch the patty for more mushrooms, but it was still filling and tasty.
Habit had a nice selection of salads and sides, but this time we were concentrating on the burgers. The restaurant is very modern with a California surf motif. There were a number of people coming in for take-out and some dining in. There is also outside dining, but it was too cool for me. The prices are reasonable and the servings nice-sized. Although not many items for non-meat eaters, we were happy with our selections. Open 10 to 10 and only 2 miles away from Linda Vista.
LV News Briefs
—Councilmember Campillo Town Halls: District 7 Councilmember Raul Campillo has Town Hall sessions scheduled for Serra Mesa (6:00 pm on February 5) at Stonecrest Club House, and for Linda Vista and Mission Valley ( 6:00 pm on February 6) at Bayside Community Center. If attending, please RSVP at tinyurl.com/CD72025TH or by emailing vvettiyil@sandiego.gov.
—Dangerous Intersections and Streets Report: The City of San Diego recently issued a report identifying the seven most dangerous intersections and streets for safety improvements. No LV intersections/streets made the list, though two nearby intersections, one at Pacific Coast Highway and Taylor Street, and the other at Rosecrans and Kurtz Street did earn top seven distinction. You can read more about this report by clicking HERE.
—Lunar New Year Celebration: Bayside Community Center is teaming up with the Linda Vista Farmers Market to celebrate the 2025 Lunar New Year. Check out the below flyer for details.
SD Humane Society News
Though the Pacific Palisades and Altadena communities are more than 100 miles away from Linda Vista, one important local organization is playing a role in helping the people affected by those fires. San Diego Humane Society (SDHS), its main campus located at 5500 Gaines Street here in Linda Vista, recently sent its Emergency Response Team to Los Angeles County to assist people and their pets. SDHS also recently transported 39 dogs and one kitten from Pasadena Humane Society. Bringing them to San Diego created needed space for animals injured or displaced by the fires.
In response to the arrival of these animals, SDHS asked for volunteers willing to foster some of these animals. The biggest need was for volunteers with no other pets or children in the home willing to foster large dogs (50 pounds +). As of this Monday, SDHS had received 55 foster applications for large dogs!
In addition to the request for foster volunteers, SDHS is also running an “Empty the Shelters” promotion to help make room for the L.A. County arrivals. As part of this promotion, adoption fees for adult dogs and cats (7 months and older) is reduced to $25.00 from January 15 to 26.
SDHS is open for walk-in adoptions Tuesday through Sunday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. To view animals for adoption, visit https://www.sdhumane.org/adopt/available-pets/
Enjoy Habitat Adjacent to Sea World
In last week’s issue of this newsletter we wrote about exercising along a segment of a path that lies along the north part of the Mission Bay Bike Loop. This week we explored an area close to the southern part of the loop that winds next to Sea World. This short trail is part of 25,000 square foot area that was established in 2011 as a habitat for native plants to support wildlife, including migrating birds. The area was a project developed together by Sea World, the San Diego Audubon Society, Legacy Building Services, the City of San Diego’s Greenery, and Agave Landform, The 450-foot path is not intended so much for exercise as it is for relaxation and appreciation of the wildlife that lives around Mission Bay. The path and adjacent habitat area can be accessed by entering the Rose Marie Starns South Shores Park that sits along Sea World Drive.
This South Shores Park has been in the news recently due to the City of San Diego’s plans to develop the area, and the fact that the park is built on a former landfill that once housed toxic waste. We originally wrote about this park a year ago in our January 18, 2024 issue. In that issue we explained how one could exercise along the parks pathways that offer beautiful views of Mission Bay waters, Fiesta Island, the Sea World roller coasters, and the Overlook Heights and Bay Park slopes.
The 450-foot path that aligns the habitat area can be accessed by entering South Shores Park Street and following the signs that point to the Boat Ramp. The entrance to the path can be found near the traffic circle where South Shores Park street ends (across from the Boat Ramp parking lot). The trails heads west along the Sea World property fence. As you walk along the path, you will see one of the roller coasters on your left. There are informative signs posted that identify what kind of native plants and wildlife exist in the area. At the middle point of the path there are concrete benches available to sit and contemplate good thoughts and take in the view of Mission Bay.
On the most recent day I explored the path the area was very quiet, though I can imagine that on some days it can get a bit noisy with the jet skiing on the Bay and the screaming coming from the Sea World roller coasters. If you are looking for a unique secluded place to get away from it all and relax and perhaps see some wildlife, this could be what you are looking for, especially if you come in the early morning. The area offers beautiful views of the water at any time of the day. And don’t forget, this path lies just a mile away from the Linda Vista border.
Kearny Hoopster Recognized
Each week the SD Union-Tribune recognizes local San Diego athletes for their outstanding performances. This week Kearny High basketball player Cameron Ackerman was recognized. Ackerman was mentioned in our December 19 newsletter issue which included an article about the Kearny High Boys basketball team The Komets currently sport a 13-5 record and play their next home game tomorrow January 17 (7:30 pm) against Crawford High.
The Linda Vista Update offers congrats to Cameron Ackerman!
Commentary
Suggestion for Rising Egg Prices
There used to be a time not so long ago when objects such as diamonds and gold were considered the ultimate measure of wealth and prestige. But times change…nowadays it seems like eggs have taken their place as way to convey expensive taste and the ability to purchase expensive goods.
If you have been to the grocery store to buy eggs, you will know what I mean. The price of eggs continues to soar. And people are not happy about it. In fact, the price of eggs is credited with playing a significant role in the recent presidential election. Consumers blamed Joe Biden and Kamala Harris for inflation, and the price of eggs served as a symbol for what inflation was doing to our wallets. The vote was in many ways a protest against the price of eggs.
Of course, the rising price of eggs can mainly be credited not to normal economic factors, but to the impact of bird flu. Because of bird flu, there are fewer chickens in the country, and hence fewer eggs. It all comes down to supply and demand.
Is there anything we can do about the situation? We can certainly sit around and whine about it. That’s always fun. But in the true spirit of American can-do-ism, I recommend we “grab the bull by the horns”—or “the chicken by the wings”—and take action ourselves.
I say we as a community commit ourselves to joining the ever-growing Urban Chicken Movement. According to one website, the Urban Chicken Movement is about “More and more people (living in an urban setting) discovering the benefits of keeping a small flock of chickens in their residential backyard - including fresh, healthy eggs, fertilizer for their garden and just plain fun.” Of course, this also involves building a small coop in your backyard. While walking around Linda Vista, I have already seen a handful of residences with chickens, so scaling this trend community-wide for the benefit of all should not be that big a deal. If we can get many LV residents to raise egg bearing chickens, we can beat that supply-demand problem by giving everyone in LV easy access to cheap eggs.
I suggest we select from the below options to determine the best way(s) of bringing the price of eggs down in Linda Vista. There is no one single way of doing this (After all, we don’t want to “place all of our eggs in one basket”).
In becoming part of the Urban Chicken Movement, a significant number of Linda Vista residents could raise egg laying chickens and then, in the name of community, sell the eggs to fellow residents at a reasonable price. Of course, we would sell the eggs for a bit higher price to residents of Bay Park, Mission Valley, Serra Mesa, and Clairemont (not too high though because we need to “walk on egg shells” in dealing with neighboring communities who might take offense at any perceived unfair treatment).
Would such a venture be legal in the eyes of the City of San Diego? Some people might not be allowed to have chicken coops in their backyards due to Homeowners Association rules and regulations and tyrannical HOA board presidents who think they “rule the roost.” And then there are the onerous City zoning laws, though one way we could get around this particular obstacle would be by referring to chicken coops as Accessory Chicken Units or ACUs. The City of San Diego loves the idea of ADUs in backyards, so changing one letter (from D to C) in the equation shouldn’t be a problem.
We could get the Linda Vista Town Council to buy every participating resident a small flock of chickens. Or we could apply for chicken grants to obtain funds for purchasing chickens (Some might suggest we buy the chickens in advance, and then wait to apply for grant money, but that smacks too much of “counting your chickens before they hatch”).
We could also go the route of building a Linda Vista Community Chicken Coop. This would involve building a big chicken coop at one of the Linda Vista parks where a number of residents would share in raising chickens and collecting/selling the eggs to the community. However, based on the amount of time it took the City to approve all the paperwork for the building of the LV Community Garden on City park property, we probably wouldn’t see an LV Community Chicken Coop for at least another five years.
This ambitious Urban Chicken project could succeed in putting Linda Vista on the map. We would probably earn the distinction of becoming the center of the Urban Chicken Movement. As a result, perhaps the famous San Diego Chicken mascot would change its name to the Linda Vista Chicken, and then make an appearance at the annual LV Multi-Cultural Parade.
This may all sound like quite a bit of work to get an Urban Chicken Movement going in Linda Vista, but imagine the joy of buying a dozen eggs from a fellow resident for only $2.50. Such a transaction would go far in helping one’s budget, as well as building strong community bonds. Of course, some might say just the opposite, insisting we first need to build strong community bonds to get an Urban Chicken movement off the ground here in LV. Come to think of it, that’s like asking “What came first, the chicken or the egg?”
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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.
This issue was great-informative as always. It was egg-zactly the best way to start the day! Keep up the good work!
As long as a rooster wasn’t in the batch of chicks, we might get away with having a backyard coop ☺️!