Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Amin Nash: Journal

Address: http://aminnash.com">aminnash.com

Author: Amin Nash

From: San Diego

Blogging since: March 2012

Post Title: Tales of an Insomniac: The First Night in San Diego

Post Date: June 4, 2012

Working in San Diego is much different than working in Vegas. You have to find parking on the street or in the parking structures, as there is no assigned parking for employees in downtown. Since my dumb-ass self decided to park on the street, I ran the huge risk of getting my car towed.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Anyway, the club I work at is one of the more popular clubs among locals for electronic and house music in San Diego. Doing security at the club isn’t anything spectacular; it’s like working back home in Vegas, only with shorter hours, since all the bars in California close at two in the morning.

After the night was over, it was time for me to go home, or so I thought. I remember walking up the street and seeing a forest of yellow lights from this towing company called C & D Towing, and they were towing literally five cars at a time from the street.

Five fucking cars. These fuckers tow cars away by the bulk; they don’t fuck around here.

I decided to walk the three miles to where my car was, which took me about an hour, through the roughest area of San Diego. Things I saw during my walk:

A skinny gay homeless guy running up to an Escalade and soliciting himself to the car, and then running after me trying to ask me a question. I had to tell him to fuck off or else I’d beat his ass.

An army of homeless people sleeping on the sidewalks with their tents pitched and shopping carts nearby, littered all over National Avenue. I’ve seen homeless people sleep and pitch tents before, but I’ve never seen an entire street filled with them. It was like the city decided they could just sleep all over this one area and nowhere else.

Two young gangster kids walking out of what looked like an abandoned house. I should have gone back to that house, maybe I could have found a nice brick there.

Right under the highway on National Avenue, there was a gorgeous park detailing the history of Mexican and Indian culture. It was probably one of the most beautiful parks I’ve seen. The fact it was located in such a shitty area of the city was disheartening, but made me smile at the fact that there is some beauty in the worst of areas.

Upon arriving at the tow lot, I realized just how fucked up this city really is, as there was probably a line of thirty people standing outside the office. I couldn’t even afford $30 for gas, I remembered, and now I couldn’t afford to pay $300 to bail out my car.

I was fucked. It was four in the morning and I had no one to call to help me out in San Diego. If this was Vegas, I would go straight to a casino, force a hooker to give me some money, and then pay my way out of this. But I’m not in Vegas anymore, and I’m trying to live a new life.

I had to call my parents and tell them my situation. Unfortunately, the only solution was to find an open Western Union, and no one knew where it was.

I started walking around and contemplated suicide. I looked at the homeless people and realized, “I am one of them now. They made bad decisions, couldn’t live a healthy life, and are now forced to sleep under a bridge. I always figured I’d kill myself before something like that happened to me, and here I am.”

I started to cry for about fifteen minutes. I never cried that hard in my life.

My phone started ringing and my dad was on the line. He heard my sobbing and told me to man up quickly. He told me people always go through rough times and that I am no exception. I told him that I shouldn’t do this thing in San Diego, that I should just get a job in Vegas again, and he told me to shut the fuck up.

I quickly snapped out of my emotional state and started walking. After about an hour or two of walking, I saw a Western Union.

God does exist.

[Post edited for length]

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Aaron Stewart trades Christmas wonders for his first new music in 15 years

“Just because the job part was done, didn’t mean the passion had to die”

Address: http://aminnash.com">aminnash.com

Author: Amin Nash

From: San Diego

Blogging since: March 2012

Post Title: Tales of an Insomniac: The First Night in San Diego

Post Date: June 4, 2012

Working in San Diego is much different than working in Vegas. You have to find parking on the street or in the parking structures, as there is no assigned parking for employees in downtown. Since my dumb-ass self decided to park on the street, I ran the huge risk of getting my car towed.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Anyway, the club I work at is one of the more popular clubs among locals for electronic and house music in San Diego. Doing security at the club isn’t anything spectacular; it’s like working back home in Vegas, only with shorter hours, since all the bars in California close at two in the morning.

After the night was over, it was time for me to go home, or so I thought. I remember walking up the street and seeing a forest of yellow lights from this towing company called C & D Towing, and they were towing literally five cars at a time from the street.

Five fucking cars. These fuckers tow cars away by the bulk; they don’t fuck around here.

I decided to walk the three miles to where my car was, which took me about an hour, through the roughest area of San Diego. Things I saw during my walk:

A skinny gay homeless guy running up to an Escalade and soliciting himself to the car, and then running after me trying to ask me a question. I had to tell him to fuck off or else I’d beat his ass.

An army of homeless people sleeping on the sidewalks with their tents pitched and shopping carts nearby, littered all over National Avenue. I’ve seen homeless people sleep and pitch tents before, but I’ve never seen an entire street filled with them. It was like the city decided they could just sleep all over this one area and nowhere else.

Two young gangster kids walking out of what looked like an abandoned house. I should have gone back to that house, maybe I could have found a nice brick there.

Right under the highway on National Avenue, there was a gorgeous park detailing the history of Mexican and Indian culture. It was probably one of the most beautiful parks I’ve seen. The fact it was located in such a shitty area of the city was disheartening, but made me smile at the fact that there is some beauty in the worst of areas.

Upon arriving at the tow lot, I realized just how fucked up this city really is, as there was probably a line of thirty people standing outside the office. I couldn’t even afford $30 for gas, I remembered, and now I couldn’t afford to pay $300 to bail out my car.

I was fucked. It was four in the morning and I had no one to call to help me out in San Diego. If this was Vegas, I would go straight to a casino, force a hooker to give me some money, and then pay my way out of this. But I’m not in Vegas anymore, and I’m trying to live a new life.

I had to call my parents and tell them my situation. Unfortunately, the only solution was to find an open Western Union, and no one knew where it was.

I started walking around and contemplated suicide. I looked at the homeless people and realized, “I am one of them now. They made bad decisions, couldn’t live a healthy life, and are now forced to sleep under a bridge. I always figured I’d kill myself before something like that happened to me, and here I am.”

I started to cry for about fifteen minutes. I never cried that hard in my life.

My phone started ringing and my dad was on the line. He heard my sobbing and told me to man up quickly. He told me people always go through rough times and that I am no exception. I told him that I shouldn’t do this thing in San Diego, that I should just get a job in Vegas again, and he told me to shut the fuck up.

I quickly snapped out of my emotional state and started walking. After about an hour or two of walking, I saw a Western Union.

God does exist.

[Post edited for length]

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Hike off those holiday calories, Poinsettias are peaking

Winter Solstice is here and what is winter?
Next Article

Reader writer Chris Ahrens tells the story of Windansea

The shack is a landmark declaring, “The best break in the area is out there.”
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader