Too many mansions Boyer's 1400-square-foot house sits on 50th Street, immediately to the east and uphill from the proposed development, where bulldozers are currently grading the land into terraces on which will sit 25 new …
December 4, 2022
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Stories by Matthew Alice
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Allied Gardens invaded by 2000 sq ft houses
San Diego roads that have disappeared, vanished movie palaces
The Lost Roads of San Diego In 1944, the land between Midway Drive and Sports Arena Boulevard (then Frontier Street) became combed with the short streets of a wartime housing project. After the war, transients …
December 6, 2021
Missing body parts of Napoleon, Peron, Pancho Villa
Pancho Villa’s head — the story behind its disappearing One of Pancho Villa’s sons, 21-year-old Pancho Augustin Villa, had just been declared “violently insane” by an L.A. judge and was confined to a psychiatric hospital. …
October 9, 2021
Every free-roaming cat kills 50 to 100 birds annually
Save the songbirds! Of 9000-plus bird species, 6000 are in decline, 1000 heading for extinction. Urban Wisconsin has 1295 free-roaming cats per square mile. Cats kill 1 to 3 million birds each day in the …
October 3, 2021
See's chocolates vs. Whitman's, how they make round M&Ms
Whitman's Samplers vs. See's An unmarked lid allows Mrs. See and her customers to free-associate, sweets-wise, and put whatever they like into a box. If this idea seems frivolous or frightening, here’s another solution. Make …
September 26, 2021
California king beds, men's briefs vs. boxers, why Mickey, Goofy, Donald, Pluto have three fingers
People from other countries are pushy waiting in line As much as Germans like body- and ego-protecting seclusion, Middle Easterners, according to Hall’s studies, like companionship and family closeness. For them, there is virtually no …
September 12, 2021
The historical Saint Diego, A-12 spy plane, ABS brakes
The real Saint Diego If he’d stayed on the islands, our city now would probably be called San Miguel, the name originally given to the area by Juan Cabrillo. But around 1450, Diego went to …
August 30, 2021
Where to park downtown San Diego, loiterers at the library, high-rise top floors
Adult Orphans A Wednesday afternoon, hot. Half the stools at the State Hotel Deli are taken. Talk is quiet, desultory. Mama Sofia perches on her stool near the cash register, her daughter — mending again …
August 23, 2021
Mission Valley – garden-land gave way to shopping centers
The never-ending fix to Hazard Center Drive Hazard Center Drive in Mission Valley East is probably the shortest road incurring the longest completion of any in San Diego. It is approximately three blocks long and …
May 11, 2020
South Park: not cut by high-volume road
North Park and South Park – say goodbye to 30th Street as it is The main roadway connecting North and South Park may be on the eve of a massive transformation. Councilmember Chris Ward is …
March 9, 2020
Mira Mesa – what there is to love
Mira Mesa braces for mega population growth The decades-old Vulcan mining operation on nearly 300 acres of Carroll Canyon will be a huge housing project if developers' lobbying efforts are successful. Bordered by Mira Mesa …
February 3, 2020
Poway – city in the country
I Crawled Inside Brenda van Dam's Head and Tried to Guess What Went on in There Dad’s is probably the most famous barroom in America, at least this week, and what goes on here is …
January 6, 2020
Mission Hills – don't be fooled
Book-lovers chew the fat at the Mission Hills Library His watch tells him 6:45. This Mission Hills branch stays open tonight — it’s Monday. He slaps the book closed, reshelves it, glances to his left. …
December 30, 2019
Rancho Santa Fe – the most luxury homes in California
San Diego Polo Club site developed by Heaven's Gate Exclusiveness breeds itself, so it’s little wonder that when the San Diego Polo Club in Rancho Santa Fe needed a Web page designed, they turned to …
December 16, 2019
Sorrento Valley – what little there is
Lost roads of San Diego:Sorrento Rd., Smilax, Edelweis There was also once a Smilax Road in Sorrento Valley, one in a series of short roads named for local flora. It paralleled the railroad tracks on …
September 23, 2019
University City – UCSD's bedrooms
No trolley in my backyard A group of neighborhood conservationists in University City are hoping to put the brakes on a plan to extend trolley service from downtown San Diego's Santa Fe Depot to a …
August 12, 2019
Spring Valley – land of contrasts
Dictionary Hill in Spring Valley got its name from encyclopedia salesman One of the oddest things about the Dictionary Hill area, also known as La Presa, is the way the streets were laid out on …
July 1, 2019
Allied Gardens – a fight for serenity
Superior Ready Mix dusts Allied Gardens “We sweep the streets three times a day, at 4:00 am, mid-day and then mid-afternoon. We paved the interior street that is the extension of Princess View several months …
April 29, 2019
What Matthew Alice found interesting in San Diego
Why locals mis-pronounce Garnet P.B.’s OGs (original gentry) pronounced the name as it should be, like the jewel, “GARnet.” Because they witnessed the name-change, they recognized that the street was part of a series of …
December 17, 2017
The Answer Man: 25 years of facts ... mostly
All the greatest questions and answers from Matthew Alice’s Straight from The Hip column which ran for over 25 years in the San Diego Reader.
January 29, 2014
Repossession of possessions upon death
Heymatt: A few years back, a friend’s husband’s death required the coroner. His very expensive cowboy boots, sterling silver belt buckle on a nice leather belt, wedding ring, and watch were undamaged. He also had …
June 19, 2013
The tallest tree in SD
Heymatt: What’s the tallest tree in San Diego? I have some guesses, but I suspect I’m completely wrong. And I wonder if the tallest tree in these parts is one that was planted by humans …
June 19, 2013
Storm-ending bombs?
Heymatt: If we can develop bombs that level whole cities, why can’t scientists come up with the same stuff to obliterate tornadoes before landfall? What is it in these tornadoes that can’t be neutralized? Tornadoes …
June 19, 2013
Mouthy ASL users, “South” vs. “Southern” Florida, the surname South
Why do people mouth words while using ASL? Why “South” and not “Southern” Florida? Popularity of the surname South.
June 12, 2013
San Diego's tallest building
Heymatt: How tall is the tallest building in San Diego? Is there a limit as to how high you can build in the county? — Jeff, via email There’s an easy answer to the first …
June 5, 2013
The right to use restrooms
Heymatt: Your answer about gender-specific bathrooms got me thinking about building codes. Since all these buildings have to be constructed with working restrooms, is it technically illegal for someone in a shop to tell me …
June 5, 2013
Grounding straps for cars
Heymatt: When I was a kid (a long, long time ago), all the cars had a strap hanging down under the frame that dragged on the street. We called them “grounding straps.” The story back …
June 5, 2013
Yacht shopping
Heymatt: Where can I get a huge yacht like the one the Russian billionaire has parked in the harbor? I doubt you can just go down to the yacht store and pick one up. Is …
May 29, 2013
Star Wars fanboy question
Heymatt: Now that Disney owns the rights to Star Wars, do you or one of your Ewoks know if they are going to release the original, unmolested Star Wars movies IV-VI? As far as I …
May 29, 2013
Staying awake behind the wheel
Heymatt: I do a lot of long-distance driving and keeping myself alert and wakeful is always a challenge. Drinking coffee and caffeinated energy drinks like Red Bull and whatnot is a pretty good strategy to …
May 29, 2013
Baja plates no hindrance for CHP
Heymatt: Every day I see cars here in San Diego with Baja California license plates. I was wondering if our cops can run the plates on cars that are registered in Mexico or if those …
May 22, 2013
Star-gazer setup in University City
Hey Matt, I grew up in the University City area. I’m a grownup now, but I still go back up Regents and then up Pennant Way from time to time to visit Mom when she …
May 22, 2013
“Catch my drift?”
Heymatt: I hate the phrase, “if you catch my drift.” I think it sounds stupid and it doesn’t even make much sense. What is my drift and why should anyone have to catch it? — …
May 22, 2013
Bubble butt history
Heymatt: Okay, I’m sure there are more pressing questions out there but, what causes bubble butt? For some people, it’s like their body weight accumulates disproportionately around the hips and booty, even if they don’t …
May 15, 2013
Ugly, yellow, truncated domes for the disabled
Dear Matt: Please help my poor husband solve his ongoing perplexity. When there are perfectly good and relatively new wheelchair ramps on each corner of an intersection, why do we see crews tearing them out …
May 15, 2013
Heaviest skiers the fastest speed skiers?
Hey, Matt: During the 1992 Winter Olympics, speed skiing was a demonstration sport. Speed skiing is just another name for schussing. Knowing some physics, I commented that this sport was silly because (all other things …
May 8, 2013
Plastic covered what off the 125 Freeway
Heymatt: Driving north on the 125 into Santee, I see mounds of something covered with white plastic. They’re on the west side of the freeway. They look like grave sites and there are dozens of …
May 8, 2013
How canine became K-9
Dear Matt: While watching TV, there was a police scene where they were waiting for the K-9 unit to arrive to track the suspect. This led me to wonder where the term/name K-9 came from …
May 8, 2013
WWII bomber mystery parts
Heymatt: Watching [the movie] Battle of Britain, I saw a ball-shaped device just back of the pilot’s window on the left side. It was mounted on cables or wires top and bottom. Could this be …
May 1, 2013
The restroom gender conundrum
Heymatt: Why do gender-specific, single-occupancy restrooms exist? I see things like, for example, a queue of women outside the women’s room when there is plenty of space in the adjacent men’s room, or vice-versa. Why …
May 1, 2013
Fletcher Hills’ mystery radio station
Heymatt: I grew up in Fletcher Hills. Ever since I was a kid, I have wondered what was going on at the corner of Hacienda Drive and Hacienda Circle. There is a fenced-off area with …
May 1, 2013