Trekking to Tecolote Tunnel Art
Plus: Upcoming Community Events; Soup de Jour Review; and Kearny High Boys Basketball Update
There are many excellent reasons for trekking through Tecolote Canyon. You can work on your fitness by hiking, jogging, or biking on the paths. You can just enjoy the natural beauty of the scenery, as well as the unique views of impressive man-made structures like the buildings that comprise the campus of the University of San Diego, or some of the houses that hang on the canyon rims. You can study the vegetation, or take in the environment that supported the Kumeyaay Native-Americans. There’s also the fun of spotting the wildlife. And as I discovered last week, making one’s way though the canyon also provides the opportunity to observe some interesting artwork. Or should we call it street art? Or maybe just graffiti? Who knows? I suggest you check it out and decide for yourself.
If you are surprised to hear about artwork of any kind in Tecolote Canyon—if you can’t believe you’ve overlooked this interesting feature because it’s in some inaccessible part of this nature preserve that you haven’t covered on foot or bike—don’t worry, because the artwork is not that hard to get to once you know the exact location.
The artwork happens to be in a tunnel that runs underneath Genesee Avenue, on a part of land that straddles the borders of Linda Vista and Clairemont. The tunnel can be easy accessed without hiking the length of the canyon by entering at the canyon’s Genesee entrance, located between Park Mesa Way and Marlesta Drive. From this entrance, it’s just a matter of walking downhill a short length on the trail until you see a stream of water, and then look to your left. Once there, you will be confronted by the brightly colored images painted on the concrete walls of a tunnel. If you walk the lengths of both sides of the tunnel, (be prepared to walk through varying amounts of water streaming through the tunnel) you’ll be entertained by the variety of images, and if you have a curious mind, you’ll spend some time trying to figure out the meaning of each one, much like one does in an art museum.
How long have the images been there? Who knows?
Who painted the images? No idea.
When does the painting occur? Good question.
Like Stonehenge, the mystery surrounding these images merely adds to the kind of mystique that any artist wants associated with their work.
This artwork has been described by some as graffiti, and by others as street art. Based on what I read on several internet sites, street art and graffiti have a few things in common. They both consist of art we can see in public places like outside walls of buildings and walkways. They are free to view. And they are used as a form of political and social commentary and activism.
A difference between graffiti and street art, however, is that graffiti typically includes letters and words, whereas street art includes images.
But here’s another critical difference…graffiti is considered an “unauthorized” marking of public space, and hence, a form of vandalism. Accordingly, it usually leans toward representing rebellion. On the other hand, street art can also be associated with rebellion or political ideas/social commentary, but street art is created with permission from the owners of the building, and sometimes even through commissions.
I’m guessing these Tecolote tunnel artists haven’t asked for permission, which qualifies this as graffiti; and yet, the artwork fits the “image” definition of street art. Then again, this street art just barely qualifies as being located in a “public” place. Accordingly, I believe this artwork can best be defined by the hybrid label of Graffiti Street Art. Or since it runs under Genesee Avenue, maybe even Graffiti Under-the-Street Art. Or more literally, an “underground” art movement?
I guess the name doesn’t matter. After all, to paraphrase William Shakespeare, artwork by any other name would look as interesting.
The only thing that would make this unique artwork more interesting is if the artists could make themselves available to explain their colorful creations. Imagine a gallery-like show in the tunnels—complete with wine and cheese—during which the artists would carefully interpret the meaning of each image to an audience of Linda Vista art aficionados. Of course, no such event will ever happen. First, I’m figuring too few art sophisticates would want to consume wine and cheese inside a tunnel containing a floor covered with water from an indeterminate source—not a classy enough venue. And second, I suspect no self-respecting street graffiti artist would want to run the risk of losing their rebel street cred by taking part in such a mainstream type of event. Chances are good they want to remain mysterious. Third, by having that show, we would, in effect, be condoning vandalism.
So, in the absence of such a show, the only thing curious Linda Vista residents can do is check out this artwork by hitting the trail and ultimately viewing the images on their own terms—for the purpose of mere visual enjoyment, or for basking in the mystique of this art, or for determining any possible social significance/meaning.
Upcoming Community Events
Fish Fry: The Knights of Columbus will sponsor a Fish Fry at Holy Family Catholic Church this Friday (February 4) from 4:00 to 7:00 pm. Take out is available.
Community Market: Access, Inc’s Microenterprise Program sponsors a Community Market (Mercadito Comunitario) every Sunday (9:00 am to 2:00 pm) in the Access, Inc parking lot (2612 Daniels Ave). The purpose of the Community Market is to increase the retention and growth of small businesses in San Diego by providing a space for the vendors to sell products or promote their services. Here’s your chance to help out a budding entrepreneur.
Monthly Community Clean-up: The Bayside Community Center will hold its monthly Community Clean-up this Sunday morning at 10:00 am. Volunteers will meet in the Linda Vista Library parking lot.
Soup de Jour in nearby Serra Mesa
We weren’t planning on writing a restaurant review this week, but then everyone got colds, and the talk turned to soup. What’s best for a cold – Chicken noodle soup, of course. But what if you don’t eat meat? Then what? All this talk about soup made us wonder where we could get a good bowl of soup in the area that was not Pho. We have already done quite a few reviews of Pho.
I started to do my trusty research “soups near me” on my phone and found an intriguing sounding place called Soup Du Jour. Further investigation found it was 4.4 miles from our home, near enough to warrant a closer look. Not quite Linda Vista, but close. It is on Aero Drive, across the street from Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport, which is technically Serra Mesa.
We drove up to see what we could get for lunch and were in for a pleasant surprise. The restaurant is in an attractive apartment complex with ample parking in front. Although it is called Soup Du Jour, they have much more than soup, to include a wide selection of salads, appetizers, entrée plates, desserts, teas (including boba, milk and Thai teas), and kombucha. They are open from 11 to 8 Tuesday thru Saturday, closed Sunday and Monday and have Happy Hour 4 thru 7 daily, which means they also sell beer and wine.
Since we were on a quest for soup, we studied their selection. Though the meatball, chicken tortilla, and chicken congee all looked interesting, they all had meat so we decided to choose from the Corn Egg Flower Soup, Shitake Daikon, or Hot and Sour. Although these are meatless, for an additional price you can add chicken or shrimp. For the complete menu, click here.
Steve opted for the Corn Egg Flower Soup. The small container cost $4.50 and was a good size for lunch. It contained corn, eggs, cilantro, and scallions in a broth that was, according to him, flavorful and soothing. I decided on Shitake daikon although I had no idea what a daikon was. Claire, the owner was very pleasant and explained that daikon is a type of radish. The soup contained shitake mushrooms, daikon, carrots, cilantro, and scallions, all in a delicious ginger broth. Udon and/or spare ribs can be added for an additional price, but I took mine plain. Although there is an indoor dining area and an outside patio, we took our lunch home so as not to spread any cold germs around. Everyone was masked.
The homemade soups are made daily from the freshest seasonal ingredients, according to the menu, and after tasting the soup, I would agree. The vegetables in my soup were not mushy, but cooked just right and holding their shape.
Claire said the restaurant has been there about 2 years. She was pleasant and happy to explain anything we had a question about. She highly recommended the Nutella cheesecake and crème brûlée, but we thought we would save that for another day. We tried to involve our carnivore sidekick to give his opinion about a meat soup, but he indicated the only soup he likes is Clam Chowder, so his participation will have to wait until we review a seafood restaurant.
Besides their wide selection of craft beers, some of the other items you may like to try include Thai basil mussels, panko shrimp, egg and spring rolls, chickpea cauliflower curry, spare ribs, bbq chicken, braised pot roast and more. Entrée prices were in the 11 to 15 dollar range. Menu items are described nicely and indicate whether they are vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, mild-spicy, etc.
You can order on line and it will be ready for pickup.
So whether or not you have a cold, or just have a hankering for a good bowl of soup, try Soup Du Jour. And tell them the LV Update sent you.
8583 Aero Dr.
San Diego, CA 92123
858.384.6328
info@soupsd.com
Kearny High Boys Basketball Plays for League Title
Local basketball fans looking for good games have a choice of watching such Division I teams as the San Diego State Aztecs and the University of San Diego Toreros. Each of these programs promise games played by talented scholarship players at quality venues. But in terms of winning records and sheer excitement, the Kearny High boys varsity basketball team deserve to be considered the hottest ticket in town. Lately, they have been rocking the house at the Kearny High gym, keeping their fans entertained, while on their way to compiling a highly successful win-loss record. The team currently sports an impressive overall 14-4 record and a 5-1 record in the Central League. This Friday February 4, the excitement level will continue as the Komets take on league leading Morse High in an away game. Starting time is at 7:30 pm. If the Komets win this game, and the following game next Tuesday against Crawford High (another away game), they are guaranteed to be at least co-champions for the league.
In their last two games, the Komets beat Canyon Hills 62-52 on February 1 and Clairemont High 93-58 on January 28. The game against Clairemont High proved exceptionally exciting as Kearny’s top scorer Ubay Hussein (featured in a previous post of this newsletter) tore through the opponent’s defenses to score 42 points. His scoring included eight 3-point baskets. Hussein’s performance was “spectacular”, said Kearny head coach James Cevallos. He also added, “That night everybody on the team was performing on all cylinders.”
When asked what else he’s liked about the team’s playing during the past two weeks, Coach Cevallos, in his fourth year as the team’s head coach, commented, “We’ve been active on defense. Our rebounding has improved. And our fast break has been going well.”
Based on their win-loss record, the Komets are expected to play in the CIF San Diego Division 4 playoffs beginning February 16. And they have their eyes set on going all the way to the Championship game, which will be played on February 25. Such a goal is in keeping with what Coach Cevallos described as the team’s overall goals for the season. “We wanted to come together as a team, contend for the league crown, and contend for the CIF championship.”
If you are a sports fan looking for an exciting time, you may want to consider going to see the Komets play this Friday night at Morse High.
We will keep you informed on the location/time of their CIF first round playoff game.
Subscribe to the Linda Vista Update
If you haven’t already done so, please subscribe to the Linda Vista Update. It’s free. Just click on the below “Subscribe now” button. Once you do so, you will be on automatic distribution for all future post. Stay informed. Join our growing readership!
The Linda Vista Update publishes informative, interesting and fun news bout Linda Vista and its neighboring communities.