Hillcrest Stories
A makeover is under way for the Vermont Street bridge, which crosses Washington Street from University Heights to reach the Uptown shopping center in Hillcrest. The City of San Diego is overseeing the work, being …
Alicia and Robert, the owners of a single-family house on Lewis Street in Hillcrest, had heard of people wearing gas masks and robbing houses while they were being tented for termites. So, they decided to …
About 70 loud, enthusiastic, chanting individuals, many blowing whistles, took over the four corners of Sixth and University avenues in Hillcrest on June 1. Mostly from the LGBT community and Occupy movement, they called on …
Every summer, my daughter's hair turns green. No matter how much I spend on chlorine-fighting shampoo or how religiously I rinse her white-blonde tresses after swimming, it inevitably develops an aqua tint. I worry that …
The long-planned, controversial Walgreens store in Hillcrest is well under construction at 301 University Avenue. The former vacant structure, last used for medical offices, was on the site located directly across University from Urban Mo's …
Will Barton was walking home late one night in October 2012 when Philip Martin Hernandez, on a crime rampage with his young wife (Cindy Altamirano Garcia), shot him a few times and left him for dead. As he struggles to heal, health insurance companies create barriers.
Police and emergency personnel were called to the scene of an accident on Thursday, April 18, at approximately 4:50 p.m., after an elderly woman drove her car over the curb on the north side of …
2013 is the year of the bang. Fringe hairstyles are showing up on everyone from Zooey Deschanel to Katy Perry to Jessica Biel. Below, four local ladies show off their fringes. 33-year-old Erin Jackson told …
Heymatt: About 30 years ago I heard about some concrete stairs leading from the area around UCSD Medical Center in Hillcrest down to Mission Valley. I went exploring and found them, but I only went …
Patrons at the Uptown shopping center were treated to several hours of deafening noise today, November 14, as Boart Longyear Drilling Services drilled 147 feet below the surface of the parking lot. Workers on the …
Babycakes is a good place to start the day with a cocktail, a pastry, and a spanking.
Cross seven access bridges to San Diego’s historical streetcar routes on this downtown loop walk that blends the present with the past.
The background photo on my brother’s iPod shows a plate of fried chicken and waffles from Roscoe’s up in Los Angeles. Before dining there, he had never enjoyed the two foods together, and he was …
Places where food is created with care, where the service is warm and welcoming, and where you can relax and reconnect with family and friends.
A roundup of eateries that are open when you, the hardworking foodie freelancer, need them to be.
The San Diego City Council passed an “abatement of abandoned properties” ordinance unanimously on October 2. It makes abandoned properties (structures and empty lots) subject to the same city code sections regulating vacant properties. Vacant …
Earlier this month, the Hillcrest Business Association voted to approve a new project that will add some sparkle to a block of the community’s streets. The Uptown News reported that "the project to install a …
A commercial van was destroyed by fire at about 11 a.m. on Friday, August 17, near the intersection of Park Boulevard and Robinson Avenue in Hillcrest. The fire generated a plume of black smoke and …
“Do you know who Terry Callier is?” Steve Kader pulls an album from a stack in a wood produce crate and runs down the list of first-call session players in the credits. “Callier’s like Richie …
Interview with Charles Kaufman, baker/founder of Bread & Cie and former film producer.
A good Samaritan stops a beating and recalls the lessons taught to her by her grandmother.
Gamer Girl at Nerdcore night says, “We all grew up on Nintendo and Star Wars.”
It’s about 9:00 at night. Wednesday. I hear a ripple of people clapping. I look in through the door of this café I’ve never noticed before. Place is filled. Can hear the thudded Ps of …
At a March 13 meeting at the Lafayette Hotel, the North Park Community Association sponsored a meeting at which the Stonewall Citizens' Patrol presented their plans to expand into the North Park area. The volunteer …
American humorist James Thurber once said, “One martini is all right. Two are too many, and three are not enough.” While most of us instinctively know this to be true, there’s no better place to …
On Tuesday, February 7, members of San Diego’s LGBT community gathered to celebrate the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision to strike down the ban on gay marriage. Despite the rain, approximately 150 people bearing …
At its January 10 meeting, the San Diego City Council unanimously agreed to send a grant application to the State of California for a proposed Normal Street Linear Park. The $4.7 million project would create …
I can understand why people think I don’t like kids. I don’t have any children of my own (nor do I want any), and I’m often the first to pipe up in a crowded area …
The San Diego City Council on November 1 approved an amended agreement with Simon Wong Engineering for services on the Georgia Street Bridge renovation. This will add an additional payment of $493,000, boosting the firm's …
The satiric message of a popular Shepard Fairey mural is being obscured by, of all things, upscale retail. The giant eye stares forever into a blank wall. One might assume the developer is opposed or …
For many years there were rotting bungalows along Florida Street, between University Avenue and Robinson Avenue. The San Diego Housing Authority gave a loan of $4,900,000 over two years ago to Florida Street Housing Associates, …
On any regular Monday, most restaurants in San Diego are closed — on July 4, well, forget about it. That evening, Sam and I planned to see a movie in Hillcrest and wanted to get …
I’d spent most of a hot muggy afternoon at the dentist’s office, getting inspected and x-rayed and filling out a long, nosy form that began with “Are you alive? Y/N.” The obvious thing to do …
"Everything here is imported,” Kaitlyn says. “Everything?” I ask. “Everything, except for Ferrila and me.” Ferrila, the other barista, gives a little wave from the strangest espresso machine you ever did see. It’s like a …
You just can’t trust people. Beneath every bit of apparent altruism, of friendliness and good intentions, under the layers of pretense we spend a lifetime collecting and carefully positioning...we are, each of us, in every …
Picking an Ethiopian restaurant presents a draconian choice: you can head for one of the cramped little places in City Heights (Asmara and Red Sea) for authenticity or choose more spacious places (Muzita or the …
I finally understand why some people feel the need to make up a story to explain an obvious injury. A cast on your leg, a scar across your arm... a chipped tooth. I'm no stranger …
Cote Sud appears to have closed for good. Please see Ed Bedford's update of Monday, May 9. For posterity's sake, here is the review: "You sit next to Eva,” says Carla. “Then we won’t bump …
Almost a decade ago, when I worked in a high-rise office building downtown, some coworkers and I stood at a corner window and counted the mega-sized cranes that dotted the scenery. “One, two, three, four,” …
For years residents of Uptown lobbied the City to reform the Uptown Partnership, the agency responsible for administering the community parking district in Hillcrest, Mission Hills, and Banker's Hill. They criticized the agency for ineffectiveness, …
The very week that I received the elaborate press kit from Tre Porcellini (which means “three little pigs”), Barbarella mentioned the restaurant favorably in her column. Knowing her and David’s fine palates, I looked at …
As mad fans of Trattoria Antica in La Mesa, my friend the Lynnester and I were thrilled to hear that its exuberant Sicilian chef Francesco Basile had opened a new place in Hillcrest. (Here, his …
" Remember, green curry. Don’t come home without it!” Carla’s words ring in my ear. She’s been on a curry binge ever since I hit the Indian food truck six weeks ago. Says it helps …
On Wednesday, December 15, representatives from SANDAG (San Diego Association of Governments) held an informational meeting on the Mid-City Rapid bus project at Cathedral Towers, a senior living facility near the corner of Park Boulevard …
Membership: 350 families Rabbi: Scott Meltzer Age: 41 Born: Akron, Ohio Formation: Harvard University, Mass.; Hebrew Union College, Jerusalem, L.A., N.Y. Years Ordained: 14 San Diego Reader: How long do you spend writing your sermon? …
Richard Rachel steps out of the front lobby of the Egyptian residential mid-rise where he owns a condominium and walks ten feet to the bus stop at Park Boulevard and University Avenue. Buses stop at …
During an October 5 San Diego City Council meeting, councilman Todd Gloria announced that an agreement had been made that will result in Hillcrest having more parking spots. “The Department of Motor Vehicles parking lot …
I was walking around Hillcrest recently and wondered what's with the lifelike metal animal sculptures in front of houses on the 3700 block of First Avenue. I found out through the Hillcrest Town Council that …
"See the field?” says this guy waiting for the Number 3 bus. “Your place is just past it. Looks like the Little House on the Prairie.” A field? In Hillcrest? Carla and I have been …
Author: Adam Jacobs Neighborhood: Hillcrest Age: 22 Occupation: Pizza delivery driver Ever since I dropped out of my university on the East Coast to migrate to Hillcrest, my life has been put on a pedestal …
Sunday, August 8, 1:30 p.m.The 26th annual CityFest sees a bustling Fifth Avenue blocked off to vehicle traffic from University to Brookes with 250-plus vendors, 150,000-plus attendees, and lines extending out the door of every …
“Hey-hey, ho-ho, all the phobia has got to go!” Was the chant from hundreds of gay, lesbian, transgender, and straight supporters of same-sex marriage during a massive march in Hillcrest on Wednesday evening, August 4. …