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The other day I played tourist in La Mesa, a town in which I’ve lived for nearly 12 years. I had been exploring the City of La Mesa website (http://www.cityoflamesa.com/), and came across a small piece about Secret Stairs. I like secrets. I grabbed my keys, camera and water, ready to explore.
Entering the Nebo/Windsor neighborhood, one transitions rather suddenly from straight, wide, and busy streets (Lemon & Spring Sts.) to quiet, narrow, windy roads. The adventure had hardly begun and already I felt like I was in a small European town – except for the trucks and SUVs parked alongside and the green and blue EDCO containers resting along the curb. Nonetheless, I took pleasure in the variety and personality of the houses, gardens, garages, and trees. No two are alike as far as the eye can see, and that was refreshing.
I wasn’t sure what I was looking for, my only guide is half of the map provided by the website and a faint memory of the photo of stairs disappearing up into the sky, flanked by bushes and a partially hidden sign. I had one eye on the narrow road and one eye scanning the slight spaces between the houses. Wait, I think I see one. I wasn’t entirely sure and I didn’t want to wander disrespectfully into someone’s yard, so I cruised one more block up the hill till I found steps going downhill on one side of me and steps going uphill on the other side. Okay, this has to be it. I pulled over, curbed my front wheels and hopped out to investigate.
I was 3 months old when my family spent time in France, 7 years old when we drove our Chevy Impala through Yugoslavia, and 8 years old when we spent two weeks in Italy, so my memory of that time isn’t very clear. Yet as I stood at the top of a flight of stairs that dips and weaves between palm trees and bougainvillea, glides along thoughtfully painted garden fences, and disappears into valleys below, I couldn’t help but think to myself, this is just like the quaint villages abroad, I’m sure of it! And off I went.
To be continued…
The other day I played tourist in La Mesa, a town in which I’ve lived for nearly 12 years. I had been exploring the City of La Mesa website (http://www.cityoflamesa.com/), and came across a small piece about Secret Stairs. I like secrets. I grabbed my keys, camera and water, ready to explore.
Entering the Nebo/Windsor neighborhood, one transitions rather suddenly from straight, wide, and busy streets (Lemon & Spring Sts.) to quiet, narrow, windy roads. The adventure had hardly begun and already I felt like I was in a small European town – except for the trucks and SUVs parked alongside and the green and blue EDCO containers resting along the curb. Nonetheless, I took pleasure in the variety and personality of the houses, gardens, garages, and trees. No two are alike as far as the eye can see, and that was refreshing.
I wasn’t sure what I was looking for, my only guide is half of the map provided by the website and a faint memory of the photo of stairs disappearing up into the sky, flanked by bushes and a partially hidden sign. I had one eye on the narrow road and one eye scanning the slight spaces between the houses. Wait, I think I see one. I wasn’t entirely sure and I didn’t want to wander disrespectfully into someone’s yard, so I cruised one more block up the hill till I found steps going downhill on one side of me and steps going uphill on the other side. Okay, this has to be it. I pulled over, curbed my front wheels and hopped out to investigate.
I was 3 months old when my family spent time in France, 7 years old when we drove our Chevy Impala through Yugoslavia, and 8 years old when we spent two weeks in Italy, so my memory of that time isn’t very clear. Yet as I stood at the top of a flight of stairs that dips and weaves between palm trees and bougainvillea, glides along thoughtfully painted garden fences, and disappears into valleys below, I couldn’t help but think to myself, this is just like the quaint villages abroad, I’m sure of it! And off I went.
To be continued…