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SDCS Conversations

Ten Things We Love About San Diego

Lynne Baker
Howard Blackson
Vicki Estrada
Murray Galinson
George Gastil
Sanford Goodkin
Alan Hoffman
Nancy Hughes
Kim Kilkenny
Susan Lew
Gary London
Bob Leiter
Mary M. McLellan
Betsy Morris
Mark Reidy
Mark Steele
Michael Stepner
Jennifer Whitelaw

By Lynne Baker

1. Downtown! Admiring same while sailing the bay in March! The weather.
   
2. Borrego Springs - Stars at night & the drive thru Santa Ysabel Valley on the way.
   
3. Coastal villages: IB, OB, Solana's Cedros, Del Mar & Plaza, Encinitas 101 to name a few.
   
4. Hubbell Gate to Vulcan Mountain off Farmers Road in Julian. Hubbell himself. Julian.
   
5. Wild in our midst: canyons, coyotes, river parks, torrey pines, bobcats, purple mountains majesty.
   
6. Ramona's old fashioned main street revival.
   
7. The wealth of bilingual opportunity, integration, diversity of culture. So many indians, so proud.
   
8. Oaks, Oaks, Oaks along our creek roads like Del Dios' Lake Dr., Elfin Forest.
   
9. Universities of beauty & intellect. Cutting Edge Healing both scientific and spiritual.
   
10. My husband & family of three boys - Memories with San Diego as our set
    (Sledding Easter Sunday '99 right off Sunrise Hwy. Snowboarding hours away from the beach)

By Howard Blackson

1. The simple yet unexplainable (for me) feeling of home.
   
2. The Prado and Goodhue's California Tower
   
3. Point Loma's Sunset Cliffs (great surf, great sunsets, great view)
   
4. Being able tell people about amount of land our family lost during the great depression (The former valley that is now the I-15 corridor south of 805 to Harbor Drive...)
   
5. The sun light, it is almost perfect.
   
6. Dan Fouts, Kellen Winslow, Wes Chandler, John Jefferson, Charlie Joiner, Don Macek, Doug Wilkerson, Billy Shields, Ed White, and Russ Washington, oh, and Don Coryell.
   
7. Archie Moore
   
8. Irving Gill, Richard Requa, William Templeton Johnson, Mike Stepner, and I'll toss inTeddy Cruz.
   
9. John Nolen and Kevin Lynch's Comprehensive plans.
   
10. The weather, the ocean, and our proximity to Mexico, the desert, and Santa Barbara (by train).

By Vicki Estrada

1. Our topography
   
2. Our biological and climatological diversity
   
3. Our proximity to Mexico
   
4. Our diverse neighborhoods
   
5. Our improved downtown energy
   
6. Downtowns location next to the harbor
   
7. Balboa Park
   
8. Our sunsets
   
9. The overall fitness of our residents
   
10. Our emphasis on outdoor activities

By Murray Galinson

1. The climate:
2. The weather
3. The people
   
4. Balboa Park and all that it includes especially the Zoo and MOPA
   
5. The university communities especially UCSD and SDSU
   
6. The diversity of the residents
   
7. The new symphony and La Jolla Music Society
   
8. The openness of the community to new and different people
   
9. The fact that we care enough to be worried about our future
   
10. The outdoor activities
    
11. That we are not San Diego
    
12. The nearness of my grandchildren

By George Gastil

1. Balboa Park
   
2. Urban canyons
   
3. Mission Trails
   
4. Lemon Grove (multicultural friendly little city...my home)
   
5. African American community events
   
6. Open-mindedness
   
7. Sherman Heights
   
8. Ethnic restaurants...Indian, Somali, Afghan...
   
9. Connection with Mexico
   
10. Higher education (variety of institutions)

By Sanford Goodkin

1. The drive north along Torrey Pines and the ocean; the drive south from Del Mar along the ocean, looking at the sunlit surf.
   
2. Hillcrest, its variety and vibrancy;
   
3. Walking from Shelter Island to Seaport Village; Beginning at the Hilton Mission Bay and the kite-flying and wonderful palms
   
4. Any part of Balboa Park; walking it, rediscovering it, people watching;
   
5. The Zoo, walking it, loving it, picnicking there; speaking to the animals and bright-colored birds to get their opinions of humans;
   
6. Going through Seaport Village, beginning at the Fish Market and walking to the Marriott and the Convention Center;
   
7. The incredible view from the very top of the First American building;
   
8. The view of the Bay and Coronado from the upper deck of PetCo;
   
9. Watching a play at Old Globe, walking to it within the Park, enjoying intermission, sipping hot cider;
   
10. Walking the Gaslamp, beginning in Horton Plaza, through to the Convention Center, and stopping for tea at the Westgate

By Alan Hoffman

1. Those occasional winter days when the temperature shoots up to 80.
   
2. Walking my favorite "loop" downtown: through the Marina District on Market Street to the Bay, then south through Seaport Village, through the Marriott pool area, past the Convention Center, then up 5th Avenue through the Gaslamp Quarter to E Street, then 4th back to Market.
   
3. Coffeehouses.
   
4. Gary London.
   
5. Flowers everywhere.
   
6. That one special night I spent with my parents (before my Dad died) back in '92 or '93 when we had dessert at a coffeehouse in Hillcrest, then walked around the neighborhood, popped into a bookstore (where I found a set of Dickens that I bought for my mom), and enjoyed the evening--the kind of urban experience that one treasures.
   
7. Spanish colonial revival done right.
   
8. Balboa Park.
   
9. The waves crashing at night against the rocks by North Boomers or Bird Rock.
   
10. Snorkelling in La Jolla Cove.
    
11. (I can't count) Juniper Dip.

By Nancy Hughes

1. Cultural diversity
   
2. World class educational institutions
   
3. Casual lifestyle
   
4. 27 ecosystems within 2 hours of the coast
   
5. Large contingency of impassioned, cause-related activists
   
6. Year round growing climate, fresh vegetables in January!
   
7. Ceanothus & Cleveland Sage
   
8. North County beaches and lagoons
   
9. Having Camp Pendleton between here and LA!
   
10. Winter rain

By Kim Kilkenny

1. Our relative youth, we are a young City, with little old money, few blue bloods and plenty of opportunity anyone to contribute positively
   
2. Water in the midst of a desert – the ocean, San Diego Bay and Mission Bay
   
3. A wide variety of distinctive neighborhoods
   
4. San Diego State University
   
5. Our relative physical isolation; Surrounded by Camp Pendleton, the desert, the ocean and an international border.
   
6. Downtown
   
7. PCH from IB to Oceanside
   
8. Mesa - Valley; mesa – valley; mesa – valley; mesa – valley; mesa – valley (we’re not in Kansas anymore)
   
9. Plentiful recreation opportunities
   
10. Eucalyptus laden sky lines
    
11. (I cheated) Our future

By Susan Lew

1. Revitalized downtown
   
2. Beautiful waterfront
   
3. Mission Trial Park
   
4. Diversity and multi-cultural
   
5. Art community
   
6. All year round outdoor activities
   
7. International border to Mexico
   
8. More and more good restaurants (Gary, had you been to Pearl yet?)
   
9. Friendly people
   
10. Diversified economy

By Gary London

1. My house
   
2. The weather
   
3. The airport location
   
4. The diversity of people
   
5. That it is the biggest ‘small town’ in America
   
6. The bicycle routes
   
7. The universities
   
8. The beach
   
9. The diverse and creative business environment
   downtown

By Bob Leiter

1. Penasquitos Canyon Preserve
   
2. Cedros Avenue
   
3. Downtown Escondido
   
4. Balboa Park
   
5. Many of the communities in Chula Vista, from Downtown to Otay Ranch and Eastlake
   
6. Julian and the “backcountry”
   
7. The Bay
   
8. Old Town
   
9. CSU San Marcos (one symbol of the region’s “can do” attitude)
   
10. The desert

By Mary M. McLellan

1. The tree-lined Fern Street in Southpark
   
2. Martin Luther King Promenade
   
3. Sunset Cliffs
   
4. The current airport location
   
5. Rey at Night in Northpark (second Saturday of every month - art walk)
   
6. The University Club for those important business meetings
   
7. Sherwood Auditorium at MoCA in La Jolla and the cool programs that happen there
   
8. Redwood Circle in Balboa Park - all my favorite trees live there
   
9. Hillcrest Farmers Market on Sunday morning
   
10. The people of San Diego are "seekers" - this quality constantly pushes us to want to improve - this seeking quality brings out our passion and when we are in our passion we are creating life.

By Betsy Morris

1. Diversity of people
   
2. Vistas, sense of open space in urban setting (ocean, terrain, canyons)
   
3. Strong higher educational system from community colleges through
   public/private universities and research institutions.
   
4. Smart, passionate people who care deeply about SD
   
5. Regional economic strength (business, government contributions, real
   estate, personal wealth)
   
6. Nonpartisan; not entrenched "R" or "D" machines. People work across the
   lines.
   
7. Critical mass: big enough for diverse views, small enough to talk about
   them
   
8. Opportunity of timing: enough resources to do something meaningful; if not
   now, will be too late.
   
9. Yes, the weather, the feel of the sun (without humidity). We can celebrate
   SD together outside.
   
10. I love the smell of the ocean

By Mark Reidy

1. Color and texture of the ocean, ever-changing, yet a constant in our lives
   
2. Clean air
   
3. Public beaches, easily accessible to all
   
4. "Small town" networking opportunities
   
5. Climate so nice we take it for granted (this from a child of Chicago)
   
6. Convenience of airport as a necessary transportation evil
   
7. Vibrant universities and community colleges with excellent leadership
   
8. Activists who remind us of the need to preserve and protect the
   quality of the environment
   
9. Our two children, their spouses, and our grandson, who all now live
   in California (Valencia and San Diego) In truth, these loved ones, along
   with my wife of almost 40 years, matter more to me than everything on this
   list combined.
   
10. Exciting theater scene and great restaurants, each with wonderful
    menus throughout the year

By Mark Steele

1. I happen to love the entire West ..the mountains, the ocean, the desert, Oregon, Arizona, Montana are all amazing and we’re so close to it all.
   
2. I love the change and continuing growth of the arts, the city, the universities, the restaurants,
   
3. I love Hugh Davies and what he’s done with the museum
   
4. I love that we have the most Nobel Laureates of any place
   
5. I love that we are next to Mexico
   
6. I love the easy open character of most San Diegans
   
7. I love that this group has formed for all the right reasons....and we all love Sandy
   
8. I love that you can get anywhere easily compared to most cities our size..
   
9. I love rainy winters...and really love that you can grow flowers all year
   
10. I love the lack of prejudice...compared to most places

By Michael Stepner

1. The physical form of San Diego: The topography that gives a platform for an interesting city form (not that we have always taken advantage of it).
   
   
2. The location: The ocean, the border, the mountains, the Los Angeles megalopolis (this latter always providing an incentive to do better).
   
   
3. The emerging built form: Downtown, neighborhoods, buildings.
   
   
4. The diversity of the population and how it has and will shape the cultural form of the city.
   
   
5. The interest and activism of a growing percentage of the population about the community.
   
   
6. The willingness of this community to explore new ideas (although we don't always follow through).
   
   
7. The increasing revitalization of our older neighborhoods. Neighborhoods that have a fabric that provides a framework to allow it to happen (will the fabric of our newer neighborhoods be as "easy" to revitalize when their time comes?)
   
   
8. THE GROWING AWARENESS THAT WE ARE A CITY and that we are always willing to step back and ask ourselves, "What do we want to be when we grow up?"

By Jennifer Whitelaw

1. Mesas & canyons
   
2. The people come from everywhere
   
3. Surf culture
   
4. Charm/potential of older neighborhoods
   
5. Architectural variety
   
6. Restaurants covering almost every type of cuisine
   
7. Quantity of college campuses/access to continued education
   
8. Seeing/experiencing/exploring the growth of cultural recreation opportunities
   
9. That the rest of the country (maybe not CA cities) thinks we’re a bit crazy
   
10. That so many people love the city I live in

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