Mission Hills

Mission Valley

The University  on the hill where I live...

Presidio Museum in Mission Hills

Mid City Nazarene Church

Sonia's Roses, Plants and Flowers at the western edge of Mid-City

Wheels and Tires

From Edward Albee’s The Zoo Story: “Sometimes a person has to go a very long distance out of his way to come back a short distance correctly.”

After a month away from San Diego, I took one of my bicycles, the one that folds and fits into the trunk of my car, out to the bike shop where I bought it a dozen years ago.  I was out past the large, modern campus of San Diego State University on El Cajon Boulevard.. After picking up the bike, I decided to drive through the district known as Mid-City to get back home to Mission Valley, a route I hadn’t taken in several years.  It seemed to me that all the folks out walking along the streets were people of color.  Beginning at College Avenue I decided to count the “white” people, to get an actual number.  For two miles I looked for people to count,but there were only people of color.  More people were actually walking along sidewalks on both sides of the street than are usually seen walking in communities like Mission Hills or Point Loma.  A two-block-long queue of people lined up to get food at the Mid-City Nazarene Church. People pushed carts and carried bundles.  Many wore clothing which Mission Hills folks would probably think of as costumes. Mid-City is alive and wonderful.  It is definitely integrated; but the integration doesn’t include people who look like me. But it’s America… and that’s the way it is. I’m going to be thinking about what it means for a long time.