Normal Heights Stories
If you didn’t have the good fortune of having a dad who grew up in the 1970s, then you probably know little about the glories of wood paneling, Gordon Lightfoot, and plaid-on-plaid polyester suits. But, …
While scarfing down a bean and cheese burrito at Mauricio's in Normal Heights, I noticed something peculiar amongst the kiddie vending machines occupying a small section of wall space. Wedged between the bubblegum and sticky-hand …
Police are warning Normal Heights residents about a series of middle-of-the-night burglaries — with the victims at home asleep. The “hot prowls” all occurred in a small area of the neighborhood. "Hot-prowl burglaries are bold …
About 1300 people in Normal Heights went without electricity for ten hours, starting at 5 p.m. Monday, January 7, after a construction crew replacing sewer pipes crushed underground power lines at 33rd Street and Meade …
Hundreds of people in Normal Heights were without water Friday night, January 4, after a water main broke at 32nd and Meade Avenue at around 4 p.m. Crews were still working to repair the main …
Even if it weren’t my job to go out and look for new places to eat, I still wouldn’t be able to eat the same thing over and over again. I rarely visit any place …
Kadan to close after ten years in Normal Heights; here come the Neighborhood (gastropub) people to take over the space.
This article seeks to find value for fish taco lovers living in the San Diego Area. The Taquerias in question (El Zarape and Kiko’s Place) are often overlooked by economically casual chowers but they shouldn’t …
‘He’s gone back to Afghanistan,” says Khaled Waleh. “He left last week.” It’s a shock. I’d come looking for Zia Waleh, famous for his intimate Zia’s Afghan Café in North Park, closed now but much …
San Diego folk music archivist/godfather steps back into the committee to organize the Adams Avenue Roots Festival.
Vandals attempted to break into the Starbucks at the northeast corner of Adams Avenue and Felton Street in Normal Heights early Friday morning, April 6. According to a Starbucks employee named Tray, he and fellow …
In accordance with a joint-use agreement signed by the San Diego Unified School District and the City of San Diego seven years ago, on March 9, the playgrounds and playing fields at Normal Heights Elementary …
Unless there is a monkey wrench thrown into the works, a joint-use agreement between the city's Park and Recreation Department and the San Diego Unified School District will allow for public access to the upper …
Reconstruction and reconfiguration of the Cherokee-Madison-East Mountain View-Ward Road intersections in Normal Heights was recently completed. Begun in fits and starts last summer (including a shutdown when funds ran out) in conjunction with the 40th …
Twelve hours now, the power's been out. And I'm writing by candlelight in the kitchen. The only thing technologically enhanced about this is my .7mm mechanical pencil (do I have enough lead?). I'd be writing …
Repainting the Normal Heights sign began Monday morning, August 22. The neon sign, suspended over the intersection of Adams Avenue and Felton Street, was last repainted and the neon rehabbed in 1995 by the Adams …
Undergrounding of the utilities along Meade Avenue from I-805 to 44th Street began in April 2005 as part of the City's ongoing utility undergrounding program. Approximately $4 million dollars from the City's Surcharge Fund were …
The first thing you’ll notice about Air Conditioned Lounge is the distinct absence of air conditioning. In fact, the iconic “Air Conditioned” sign outside the lounge (their website calls it the “most unassuming building on …
“Barry McGuire, best known for his antiwar hit ‘Eve of Destruction,’ has put together a musical show called Trippin’ the Sixties,” says promoter Carey Driscoll, who’ll bring the production to AMSD in Normal Heights on …
A feisty crowd attended the Normal Heights Community Planning Group meeting August 2 to express displeasure with the sudden disruption of their lives caused by two projects: the 40th Street Promenade and the long-awaited reconfiguration …
On July 30, Lestat’s Coffeehouse will rock and jangle in homage to the Los Angeles music scene centered around the Sunset Strip during the mid 1960s, featuring music by Love, Buffalo Springfield, the Byrds, and …
The Adams Avenue Farmers' Market, located on the playground of John Adams Elementary School in Normal Heights since May 2010, closed May 11, 2011. Unfortunately, there was not enough foot traffic to maintain the initial …
South ParkWednesday, February 168:45 p.m. The sign painted on the building reads Delicious Food, Great Beer, Philanthropy, but I won’t notice this until I leave. For now, I dart from my car into South Park …
In January 2009, the San Diego city council denied Our Lady of Peace, an all-girl parochial school in Normal Heights, a permit to expand their facility. The council sided with the neighbors, who claimed that …
In September 2010, the California Department of Food and Agriculture quarantined a portion of San Diego County when the light brown apple moth was found one mile east of Balboa Park. The pest, native to …
At its March 22 meeting, the Adams Recreation Council approved the final long-term plan for Ward Canyon Neighborhood Park, located at Adams Avenue and 40th Street. Approximately 20 residents attended the presentation by the Schmidt …
“Bicycling has a way of bringing more vibrancy to a city,” says Beryl Forman, marketing manager for the El Cajon Boulevard Business Improvement Association. “When you see a bunch of bikes in front of a …
"Complexity is the end of fun,” says Rick. He’s philosophizing at the bar stool to my right, here in this little wine bar behind Rosie O’Grady’s pub. This is up in Normal Heights. Rick’s talking …
A motorcyclist's right leg was severed Sunday morning, January 30, when a pickup truck backed into the rider’s path as he headed west on Meade Avenue. The 51-year-old Kensington resident's leg was cut off at …
The monthly meeting of the Adams Recreation Council was held at the Normal Heights Community Center on January 25. The focus of the meeting was a presentation by the Schmidt Design Group of three concept …
According to Marko Radovanovic of the City’s Traffic Engineering Division, a project is under way to install 47 bicycle racks on sidewalks along El Cajon Boulevard, 30th Street, University Avenue, and Adams Avenue. Thirty-three racks …
Anné Josefson walks toward a table outside the Starbucks in La Mesa’s Grossmont Center, carrying a black three-ring binder. Clasped inside are two 11-by-24-inch pictures of her son, Nathan Manning. She opens the binder, displaying …
At the former City Heights site of Radio Room and Zombie Lounge, recently unveiled Eleven offers (mostly) free live music with a warm, locals’ bar atmosphere. The latest enterprise of Hamilton’s and Small Bar founders …
In a September 22 letter addressed to Chief William Lansdowne, District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis indicated that the prescription drug Carbamazepine could have been to blame for the violent behavior of 31-year-old Nathan Gable Manning, who …
Normal Heights, a 104-year old neighborhood in the Mid-City area, is shown on a new city map (click here) divided into two parts: the area north of Adams Avenue has been renamed Adams North; the …
The San Diego Unified School District board met in a “Special Meeting” on Tuesday, August 31 (click to boarddocs.com/ca/sandi/Board.nsf/Public for more info). Among other items on the agenda was a discussion that touched on a …
"USAgain is a green for-profit enterprise that collects used clothes (and shoes) and resells them worldwide to conserve precious resources and greenhouse gases," according to their website. Two of USAgain’s red-and-white collection bins were placed …
In August and September of 2008, Townspeople, a California nonprofit, received gap financing from the San Diego Housing Commission Board and the Housing Authority for its acquisition and rehabilitation of a 34-unit apartment complex located …
Memories of my decade in Normal Heights came stumbling back when I received the following email from my old friend Hank, who still lives there: “Yo, I want to apologize for my rant yesterday. I …
It's been years since the 16 light posts that run the length of the Adams Avenue bridge over Interstate 15 have emitted any light. Some Kensington residents claim the lights along the bridge were never …
As I drove by the Swedenborgian Church around the corner from my place in Normal Heights, I saw people entering for some event that included balloons and a huge cake. It was a safe assumption …
Seven months of countywide conflicts, calamities, and curiosities, part 2.
I love the smell of used books, but at the end of this month I will have to find another place to indulge in my guilty pleasure, as my favorite bookstore in Normal Heights is …
Answer this: What kind of place gives you a big chunk of chocolate to munch with your beer? A real serious-about-beer place. Where a man can find a far-out stout. Sayer the server hands me …
On Thursday, October 1, at the Soda Bar in Normal Heights, Los Angeles–based synthpop duo Former Ghosts played their first ever San Diego show. At some point during the band’s set, a man ran into …
Unforeseen Benefit of keeping up this Blog: It is hot outside and I am inside where it is (slightly) cooler. Since I am producing something--instead of the pre-blog days of just looking at craigslist for …
On Thursday, August 20, San Diego Unified’s school board president Shelia Jackson stood in front of a dozen reporters and read a statement concerning superintendent Terry Grier's likely departure to run a Texas school district. …
At approximately 6:05 p.m. on Thursday, May 7, three San Diego police officers boarded the 15 bus at Interstate 15 on El Cajon Boulevard. Two officers boarded through the rear and motioned to two passengers. …
7 oz. coffee in glass coffee cup Generous shot Jameson whiskey 1⁄4-inch whipped cream on top The Ould Sod on Adams Avenue in Normal Heights is my favorite San Diego bar. Formerly the Elbo Club, …
Tucked away in a quiet residential neighborhood overlooking Mission Valley, the Academy of Our Lady of Peace (O.L.P.) is a Catholic High School for young women. The private institution, founded in 1882, relocated from downtown …