Gary and I like to find the unusual in a city, something that most tourists don’t stop to visit. Today we are heading south of town to check out the murals in Chicano Park which is located just under the juncture of the Coronado Bridge and Interstate 5. But, first a bit of history to set the stage. Mexicans began to arrive in San Diego in the 1890’s but the numbers increased when many fled the violence of the 1910 revolution. Soon, there were many and the area was called the Barrio Logan. Originally this extended down to the waterfront and they had a beach. However, this access was eroded in several ways.
In the 40’s the Navy took lots of land on the harbor during WWII.
In the 50’s the area was zoned as commercial and lots of junk dealers and repair shops moved in.
In the 60’s Interstate 5 divided the neighborhood and then the Coronado Bridge divided it further. Over 5000 homes and shops were demolished to make room for the freeway and the bridge. But the City Council promised to build a park as compensation.
in 1970, a young man was walking to college when he looked over and saw construction workers and machines. Thinking they were getting ready to build the park, he walked over to talk to them. Oops, they were getting ready to put in a parking lot for an old building that the State Highway Patrol was renovating for its use.
He spread the word and people gathered, surrounded the heavy equipment and prevented any action. Flyers were sent out and more people gathered, coming from as far away as Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. They planted trees, bushes and flowers. And, finally, construction was called off and the people had their park. It consists of 7.9 acres with a playground, a bandstand, walkways, greenery, 2 handball courts with stadium seating and 67 outdoor murals, the largest collection of outdoor murals in the US. It has been designated as an historical site by the San Diego Historical Site Board.
But, we came to see the murals. We parked and, hey. look over there, kitty corner from the park. Is that a donut shop? Sure enough, we got to begin our day with a donut, and what donuts they were. $.55 and 4” in diameter, 1 1/2” thick without a hole. WOW.
OK, now back to the sightseeing. Murals were painted here in the 70’s but weather has taken its toll and new murals are replacing these. You can tell the older murals from the newer ones just by the vibrancy of the colors. But also note that there is no graffiti on any of the murals maybe above them or below them but not on them. They are such a source of pride in this neighborhood. Here’s some detail from one of the murals.
Most are commissioned murals from professional artists and they turn what is otherwise a dismal forest of grey cement trees into a work of art. You can see, in some of the pictures above, all of the cement pillars and how they broke up the neighborhood. My mother lived in Des Moines growing up in a nice neighborhood. You could look out the front window across the street and see other homes just like theirs. Then Interstate 235 was put in and those other homes were taken out. Every day as I rode home from work on the bus, I could look down and see my mother;s home. The view out the window is not nearly so pleasant now. And, of course, the value of the homes plummets. But it’s a story everywhere.
After touring thèse murals, we headed over the Coronado Bridge (irony, here) and walked along the waterfront park, into town and back to get in our daily walk. Lunch was on a bench near the marina, overlooking the bay and the infamous Bridge.
Beautiful park with a nice bike and walking trail around this section of the bay. Here I also found a toilet - 56 degrees and it was a shiny steel toilet seat in a stall with no doors. As happy as I am to find these facilities, I’m not used to metal seats and a lack of doors.
Then on to try to find a new GPS. Gary has done some online research and has a pretty good idea of what we want but that can only go so far. Pressing the buttons and seeing the display in a real store makes all the difference. We hit Best Buy and played with a few there. Unfortunately, most are not hooked up to satellites since the signals can’t get through the metal ceiling. So, that is of limited usefulness also.
Now, listen closely. Did you hear that noise? That swooshy sound? Can you guess what it is? Well, it was the sound of money rushing from our pocket to Costco’s till. Yep, we stopped at Costco for a few things and - found lots of others without which our life would be barren.
No comments:
Post a Comment