JEREMY THE BLOGGER

In San Diego, CA there is a neighborhood called University Heights, which is located about four miles north of the downtown core.  Within this neighborhood lies four distinct historical districts, featuring homes and commercial buildings dating back as early as 1907 with various architectural styles such as Craftsman, American Colonial Revival, Spanish Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival, Minimal Traditional and Ranch. The first of these districts that I have visited is the Spalding Place Historic District which consists of a few commercial buildings and about ten humble Craftsman bungalows, built between 1909 and 1912.  This narrow and unassuming street hosts a delightful collection of quality homes from the past, many of which have been nicely kept up and restored.  Spalding Place is located one block south of Adams Avenue, between Park Boulevard and Georgia Street.

I have tried an abundance of vegan food over the years and this place is at the top of my list.  A lot of vegan food tries too hard to mimic traditional meat dishes by using overprocessed methods as their “meat”.  Vegan by Zamorano was a refreshing change, utilizing vegetables instead of chemicals for their vegan “meat”.  It’s challenging to find vegan Mexican cuisine, so that made this place all that more special.  According to their website, they “...started as a pop-up restaurant in 2018 with one goal in mind: Providing authentic vegan Mexican food at an affordable cost to the Orange County area.”  Apparently they are Orange County's first and only vegan taqueria. Everything was fresh and delicious, from the salsa and chips, to the housemade vegan nacho cheese, housemade cashew crema and everything in between.   I chose three items on my first visit: The Asada Nachos (chips, housemade vegan nacho cheese, refried pinto beans, vegan asada, pico de gallo, guacamole, red salsa, and

The first signs of a town formed in 1884, when a townsite was mapped along the old California Southern Railroad, which was a passenger train line that ran from San Diego to Barstow beginning in the 1880’s and ending in the mid 1930’s.  Although it wasn’t for a little over one-hundred years later, on July 1, 1991 when Murrieta, California officially became a city. Today, there is a self-guided walking tour with QR codes on the sidewalks, listing the various historic buildings and structures throughout the town.  Mixed with new construction as well, there is plenty to see and do in Old Town Murrieta, which may not be known to most since it is off the beaten path.  However, it is just a few miles from the 15 freeway and the suburban sprawl that started in the 1980’s and hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down since. 

Perfectly situated directly under the historic Colorado Street Bridge (Opened December 13, 1913) and alongside the protected open space Arroyo Seco, is Desiderio Neighborhood Park, which celebrated its grand opening in 2019. While this park is relatively small in size (around 4 acres), it feels grand under the concrete marvel above.  This park is the perfect starting point (has its own parking lot, restrooms etc.) for a self-guided walking tour of the beautifully landscaped setting, along with the surrounding historic neighborhood. There is so much to see here from not only the park itself, but the bridge viewed from this unique vantage point, to the old California oak trees lining South Arroyo Boulevard and the gorgeous homes, including ​​the private residence and garden of John Barber that was built in 1926.  This front yard garden has a central pathway leading up to the house with an abundance of native plants and trees.

Here is a little history about El Segundo, CA, directly from the website of Smoky Hollow Coffee Roasters: “In the early 1900's, Standard Oil built its second California Refinery on the coast a few miles west of Los Angeles.  Named El Segundo ("the second"), the refinery would soon lend its name to the thriving industrial town it helped create.  Eventually, the city of El Segundo would become synonymous with aviation and aerospace.  In the early days, refinery smoke would often settle in the neighboring district...an area the locals dubbed ‘Smoky Hollow.’” According to the city of El Segundo’s website, “Smoky Hollow is an authentic and historical business zone that is emerging as a center for creativity and innovation.”  Smoky Hollow Coffee Roasters encompasses a few businesses within its small industrial courtyard-like compound; a film production company, and a bakery.   There is a very small parking lot but an abundance of free street parking.  Entering Smoky Hollow Coff

Originally from Istanbul, Turkey, Boxx Coffee Roasters offers some unique and wonderful coffee offerings.  With two locations, Istanbul and the LA Arts District, be sure to make this one of your first stops when visiting Los Angeles.   They roast locally at their Arts District location, sourcing beans from trusted local producers and long-time partners around the world resulting in delicious single origins and blends and of course, a traditional Turkish coffee as well.  Each time I have been there, the customer service from the baristas is top-notch from the moment of deciding what to order (they will gladly help you pick the best coffee suited to your likes) to bringing your order to your table or if you are simply just waiting to take it to enjoy on the go.  They were also awarded The Best Coffee Shop In Best of Downtown Los Angeles 2022 and have a wide selection of whole beans for sale in-store and online.

Situated on 127 acres in the city of Arcadia, CA, the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden is not only a lush landscape with a rose garden, lake and and dozens of garden zones, it is also a historical site with more wild peafowl than I have ever seen in one place. While there were mostly peacocks with the occasional peahens, they were everywhere; way up on the top of fifty-foot trees, atop other structures and wandering the grounds. Another feature of this sprawling botanical garden are its historic structures. There is a Queen Anne style cottage that was constructed in the 1880’s, a matching Victorian coach barn with slats of cedar and redwood paneling covering the interior with original iron grillwork and the original adobe home from 1840, just to name a few. Keep in mind when you visit that they are going through a few remodeling projects, mainly one of the entrances and some refurbishment of the adobe home and Queen Anne cottage, but in no way does this affect the overa

On the eastern edge of Downtown Los Angeles lies the Arts District, a vibrant neighborhood full of art galleries, museums, restaurants, coffee shops and more.  My first time there was on a Sunday morning in March, 2023.  It was a nice Spring day with a cool breeze and very few people out and about, which made walking the neighborhood comfortable.  Largely composed of industrial buildings dating from the early 20th century, the area has been revitalized in the recent decade to incorporate live work lofts and new construction apartments and condominiums.   My self-guided walking tour was truly enjoyable with the unique architecture and surprisingly peaceful neighborhood next to the usually bustling Downtown Los Angeles core.  I was also pleasantly surprised that there were no homeless people anywhere to be found and how clean the streets and surrounding areas were. Some highlights of the neighborhood: Boxx Coffee Roasters - 950 E 3rd St, Ste 102.   Urth Caffé - 459 S. Hewitt St. Verve Co