Balboa Park has a signage problem.
There aren’t any gateway-style signs letting visitors know when they’ve arrived at the park (picture the iconic Hillcrest or North Park neighborhood archways). And once people are inside Balboa Park, the signage directing pedestrians where to go is muddled and scant.
At this point, you locals are probably doing that thing locals do – rolling your eyes and thinking about how you’ve never had a hard time getting to or around the park.
But as VOSD’s Lisa Halverstadt explains, park advocacy groups and outside experts who visited Balboa Park agree that a signage overhaul is needed.
Experts aside, Halverstadt’s photos of the sad state of signage both inside and outside of the park, plus the reviews of Balboa Park left by some bewildered visitors, help make the case for how better signs could really help.
“It must be noted that it’s a bit of a maze your first visit,” wrote one Yelper from the L.A. area who visited the park. “The roads and museums are not properly labeled. There are signs that point out completely irrelevant buildings so while you are that annoying tourist pulling over and making U-turns looking for the Natural History Museum, you will never see a sign for it.”
Thousands in Tijuana Voice Disapproval of Same-Sex Marriage
Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto has made moves to legalize gay marriage nationwide.
The U-T’s Sandra Dibble reports that the president’s proposal inspired thousands to fill the streets of Tijuana Saturday to protest same-sex marriage. They chanted “Viva la familia natural” (“long live the natural family”) and joined similar protests happening Saturday throughout Mexico.
Same-sex marriage is legal in Mexico City and just nine of the country’s 31 states.
Iconic Nurse Dead at 92
Greta Friedman, the woman whose picture was snapped as a sailor celebrating the end of World War II laid a surprise kiss on her, is dead. She was 92. (CNN)
While national headlines reference photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt famous Life magazine photo of the nurse and sailor when reporting Friedman’s death over the weekend, local news outlets pointed to the 25-foot sculpture of the kiss that sits on San Diego’s waterfront, next to the USS Midway Museum. (Times of San Diego)
The news is as good a time as any to remind folks that San Diego’s nicknamed “Kiss” sculpture by J. Seward Johnson that depicts the iconic moment has questionable artistic merits. Read former U-T art critic Robert L. Pincus’ takedown of the public art piece that explains how the work just barely skirts straight-up copyright infringement.
The Mayor Is Still Mum
The U-T’s Michael Smolens is the latest scribe to venture some guesses about why Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s still hasn’t publicly weighed in on whether he supports the Chargers’ proposal to build a new stadium in the East Village.
• The VOSD Podcast has an ongoing segment called “Faulconer Watch,” which takes a weekly look at whether Faulconer’s taken a stance on the issue yet. The funny little feature reminds listeners about what a huge deal the proposed initiative is in terms of shaping the city’s future and how strange it is that the mayor has yet to voice an opinion.
This Brewery Cafe Has Real Flair
Modern Times Beer is known for its imaginative interior designs at both its brewery in Point Loma and tasting room in North Park. The Reader reports that the cafe that just opened inside the Point Loma/Midway area location keeps up the creative tradition. There’s something in the cafe that the Reader describes as “a four-tap cold brew tower fashioned from an antique brass diving helmet,” and I, for one, can’t wait to see what that actually is.
• In an interview on the VOSD Podcast last week, Modern Times founder Jacob McKean talks about the brewery’s venture into the coffee business and provides more insight into the beer biz.
Weekend News Roundup
• My neighborhood of Lemon Grove is getting some much-needed rebranding help from San Diego State University students. (Times of San Diego)
• The U-T uses the Sept. 11 anniversary to look back on the San Diego connections that were further detailed in the so-called “28 pages” released in July from a long-classified U.S. report on the attack.
• San Diego’s new homes are big. No, like, really big.
Social Media Moments
• If the story about folks in Tijuana being opposed to same-sex marriage has you down, check out some of the bright and cheery photos from the South Bay Pride event that happened in Chula Vista over the weekend.
• Secret supper clubs are still a thing in San Diego, and this one made a fig pie that looks mighty good.