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Where Are All the Strawberry Fields Going?

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By Judi Curry

During my trip to Carlsbad last weekend with members of my support group, we stopped in at a delightful shoe shop, “Coolest Shoes in California” and had an interesting discussion with Christine Davis, the owner of the store.  Somehow we started talking about the Carlsbad Strawberry Fields and making jam, and she commented to me “better hurry.  They won’t be here long.”

At first, I thought she was telling me that the season was just about over, but in discussing it further, it turns out that a Los Angeles developer has agreed to purchase 48 acres of the fields that are along Interstate 5. They purchased the fields from SDG&E and, at the present time, do not have any plans for the fields, except to destroy them.   [Read more…]

Desde la Logan’s Las Monthly Ondas May Edition: Cinco de Mayo is Not Mexican Independence Day

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By Brent E. Beltrán

Cinco de Mayo commemorates El Día de la Batalla de Puebla (The Day of the Battle of Puebla) where in 1862 a ragtag Mexican army lead by General Ignacio Zaragoza defeated a much superior and better equipped force of the French army. Cinco de Mayo is not Mexican Independence Day. It’s not even a significant holiday in Mexico except in the state of Puebla where the battle took place.

After the great liberal Mexican president Benito Juarez decided to stop paying Mexico’s foreign debt for two years to help it’s near bankrupt national treasury France’s Napoleon III, pissed off by this move, decided to invade and build up it’s empire.   [Read more…]

Restaurant Review: Blueprint Cafe

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By Judi Curry

Blueprint Cafe
1805 Newton Ave.
San Diego, CA 92113
619-233-7010

Today was a perfect example as to why I do not introduce myself while reviewing a restaurant until after I have completed the meal and paid the bill.  I have heard about the “Blueprint Café” several times, and have tried to get there to check it out during the San Diego Free Press salute to Barrio Logan this month. Although I have made several arrangements to meet friends there one thing or another has made us change our plans.

Today was the lucky day when all of us were able to meet for lunch at 11:30 am. (All of us consisted of 4 contributors to the SDFP – Anna, Rich, Brent and myself. Brent also brought his adorable 2 year old son “Dino” with him.)   [Read more…]

There Must Be A Magnet Pulling Me to Barrio Logan

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A Visit to the Public Market

By Judi Curry

I have always enjoyed going to different areas in Barrio Logan.  Sometimes I would go every few months; sometimes I would take my foreign language students on a “tour” of San Diego and introduce them to a taco at Las Cuatro Milpas, but NEVER have I ever visited the area 3 times in one week – soon to be 4 times in the same week – as I am doing this week.

Why?  There is no question that I have a compulsive personality. I can no more eat one potato chip than I can eat one piece of “See’s Candy.”  Why only have one martini when two make me feel so much better.  But let’s face it, how many taco’s, taquito’s, tamale’s can you eat in a week?  So what is the pull?   [Read more…]

San Diego For Free: Brews & Views at Alcohol-Friendly Public Spaces in San Diego

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A weekly column dedicated to sharing the best sights and activities in San Diego at the best price – free! We have a great city and you don’t need to break the bank to experience it.
By John P Anderson

Address: Many locations across the city

Date and Time: Varies but generally either 8 AM – 8 PM or 12 PM – 8 PM

Best For: Beer drinkers, coping son-in-laws, well-behaved college students, responsible citizens and visitors of all stripes

San Diego is known for many things. Some prominent ones are sun, surf, an ideal climate, and beer. (If you enjoy reading about beer, read this article from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer that is the best list of top U.S. beer cities I’ve read.)

Once upon a time you could enjoy all of these things together but today we inhabit a safer, tamer, lamer, more responsible world and despite the love many San Diegans have for our local (and non-local) breweries it is not advised to consume their offerings whilst lounging on the golden sand of the Pacific. A ban on beach drinking was passed in San Diego a few years ago.   [Read more…]

Desde la Logan: Chicano Music Legends Join Forces to Play Adams Avenue Unplugged

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I’ve known Chunky Sanchez of Los Alacranes for at least fifteen years and worked with him on numerous occasions including organizing a fundraiser in 2007, called Musicians Helping Their Own, for local Latin jazz trumpet player Bill Caballero who was stricken with cancer and on a project in 2009 called Deportation Nation: Musical Migrations that featured a concert with Los Alacranes, Quino (of Big Mountain fame) and Son Sin Fronteras where the three groups at the end of the night jammed together on the Woody Guthrie classic Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos).

Los Alacranes and Los Lobos go way back.

As a matter of fact the first time Los Lobos played in San Diego was at the Centro Cultural de la Raza at the invitation of Chunky. And usually when the baddest band out of East LA plays a show in San Diego they give a shout out to Chunky y Los Alacranes. These two groups started out during the same era and continue to share a musical brotherhood.

  [Read more…]

Review: Barrio Logan’s Ryan Bros. Coffee

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Ryan Bros. Coffee
1894 Main St.   
San Diego, CA  92113
619-546-6314

By Judi Curry

It is so seldom that my daughters and I get together just to enjoy ourselves. Today was an exceptional day for us. Unfortunately, my middle daughter, Lynn, lives near Anaheim and her plan to catch an Amtrak to join us fell through when the tracks were closed for maintenance. We missed her and hope she will join Michele, Stephanie and me at some other time.

Our goal had also been to visit the Public Market and we were disappointed to find out that it was only open on Wednesday and Sunday.   [Read more…]

Restaurant Review – Las Cuatro Milpas

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Las Cuatro Milpas
1875 Logan Ave. (Cesar E. Chavez Pkwy.)
San Diego, CA 92113
619-234-4460

In a way, it grieves me to be writing this review because Las Cuatro Milpas is one of my very favorite Mexican Restaurants and it is already so busy I hate to know that others reading this review will want to get in their car and drive down to Barrio Logan immediately.

But before you do, check the time because they open at 8:30am and close at 3:00pm, UNLESS they run out of food and close earlier.

The first time I went to this wonderful, small – much smaller then than now – was in 1966.  My husband and I stood in line for almost 35 minutes, next to the then-mayor and Police Chief of San Diego. The line stretched almost around the block then – and still does today.(New people stand in line now – they served all the “old ones.”)   [Read more…]

I’m not Sure if I Adopted Barrio Logan or if It Adopted Me…

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By Letitia Rogers

I’ve moved around a lot. From where I was born, in El Cajon, to rural Oregon and even more rural Alaska. Wherever we lived, though, we were still San Diegans, listening to the Beach Boys Christmas album — even with snow outside. I spent 20 years in LA and never seemed to settle, always hinting at a return to San Diego.

In 2007 I made the move and while working downtown, my car got towed. The impound lot was near Barrio Logan. Uh oh. I’d never been there and only had vague stories of why not to go there. Danger was implied. We exited at Cesar E. Chavez and driving by old houses with bars on the windows, I wondered: who lives here?

That move didn’t stick and I ended up back in LA. While figuring out my next move after a film job ended, I got a call from a family friend in San Diego about an opportunity. Gayle is a caterer & chef and had decided to open a restaurant in Barrio Logan. Very little foot traffic and a down economy wasn’t ideal but she’d moved her catering kitchen to a building at Newton and Beardsley and taken over the old Guild restaurant space in the front.

She was going to give it a go. I was intrigued. It was to be friendly and relaxed with affordable, good food for the people working and living in the community. I think my ever-on-the-move brain only heard the word “community.” That’s what I was looking for and I said “Yes.”   [Read more…]

Restaurant Review – Chief’s Burgers & Brew

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Chief’s Burgers & Brew
Lomas Santa Fe Drive and Cedros
Solana Beach, CA
858-755-2599
www.chiefsburgersandbrew.com

By Judi Curry

Three of us took the Coaster up to Carlsbad Village for an excursion that we had talked about doing for months.  On our way home from Carlsbad, we stopped off in Solana Beach and one of the “natives” suggested that we have lunch at Chief’s. It was relatively close to the train station, and because the other restaurant that had been recommended was closed, we decided to go there.

  [Read more…]

Barrio Logan No Longer a Food Desert: Gets Spiffy New Supermarket

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The new Northgate Gonzalez supermarket opened on December 12, 2012 bringing fresh foods and groceries to an area long neglected by mainline supermarket chains – Barrio Logan. It is located at the corner of Cesar Chavez Parkway and Main Street. Prior to opening, this ethnic Latino neighborhood had only the usual complement of fast food restaurants offered to poor ethnic neighborhoods such as McDonald’s and Church’s and Popeye’s fried chicken chains.

In a food desert there is little in the way of fresh fruits and vegetables, but thanks to the Mercado Redevelopment Project, Barrio Logan has been considerably spruced up and is a food desert no more! In 2010 The San Diego City Council approved plans to transform two city blocks of vacant land in Barrio Logan into the Mercado Project which also featured 92 affordable housing units.   [Read more…]

Restaurant Review: Chicken Pie Shop

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“Chicken Pie Shop”
2633 El Cajon Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92104
619-295-0156

My friend Jim and I were on our way to review a Mexican restaurant that I had been asked to review and were surprised to find that it was closed due to the Easter Holiday.  Since we were on El Cajon Blvd I thought that he might enjoy going to the “Chicken Pie Shop” which was a favorite of mine years ago. It is interesting to note that they were celebrating their 75th birthday, having opened their doors in 1938.

We parked in the lot behind the restaurant and walked around to the entrance of the shop.  It was busy, but not overly so, and Beth, our waitress beckoned us to the back of the restaurant where we had our choice of a booth or a table. We took the booth.

The menu has not changed since I began going there in 1965.  They have many different types of “pot pies” but Jim and I both selected the  “Pie Dinner “ which included, mashed potatoes, corn for the vegetable, Cole slaw, roll, butter and dessert for $7.50.  For 50 cents more we each had a bowl of soup – split pea – although our choices included chicken and vegetable. The soup was served hot, and was tasty. A little more garlic or spice would have made it perfect.   [Read more…]

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