In a conversation with a medical professional wielding a needle, I was on my best behavior. This person, a single mom of three, loved living in South University City for all the same reasons many parents do: safe environment, good local schools, compact community layout, where a kid can walk or bike to the park and rec center, dodging cars at Genesee, of course. She also described the town wrapped around Governor Drive as kind of boring and not the best place for a single. I wasn’t about to challenge her since she held the needle.
Take a walk the length of Governor Drive, and it is kind of visually boring. Governor Drive is well over 40, has been in San Diego sun all these years without the sunscreen benefit of full-grown shade trees. Governor Drive could use a facelift, and facelifts aren’t inexpensive. The medians are mostly blacktop and plain. Before Hugh Pates organized his University City Community Association Weed Whackers, weeds and litter, cigarette butts and gross, indescribable items clung to the medians. Governor Drive sidewalks, especially root-damaged ones hastily patched with blacktop, border well-cared-for home property in most cases. Some homeowners provide visual splendor with flowers, plants and well-maintained lawns. However, a few front yards seem to be designed by Landscaping From Hell with dirt and weeds. It’s America, however, and everyone is entitled to property rights or wrongs.
Then there is the infamous 805 weed infestation the city neglects; check what is growing on the sidewalk cracks on the north side of Governor between route 805 and Lakewood. To paraphrase the song from “Oklahoma,” “The weeds are as high as an elephant’s eye”¦”
Still, Standley Park’s wide sidewalk and grassy plot are inviting. Swanson Pool has added greenery in front of the building. Three medians are home to pine trees and low-growing bushes at the west end of Governor, at Radcliffe across from Standley Middle School, and in front of Carl’s Junior. Once yellow flowers filled the median in front of Carl’s, but they’ve been ripped out. Why?
UCCA has been working with Councilman Peters’ office on a plan to beautify a portion of Governor from Stadium to Mercer. The process has slowed down, but it still has a heartbeat. Originally there was going to be a dramatic splash walk with colored concrete, curved sidewalk, and some trees and bushes. This idea was shelved because UCCA, speaking for the community, really wanted to dress up those blacktop medians instead of spending money on something so dramatic that the community would find it extravagant and wasteful. UCCA is also hoping to find money for gateway signs that acknowledge our community in lieu of those generic signs “Welcome to University City.” Our new signs should read “Welcome to University City, home of La Jolla 92037 when it is convenient.”
Well-landscaped communities are usually well-bankrolled. For example, Carmel Valley, a new community, has money from the developers who squeeze money from homebuyers and design lovely landscaped medians, corner parks with flowers and benches, large, curved sidewalks next to grassy strips with deciduous trees. Not a day goes by that there aren’t gardeners raking leaves, cutting grass, or sweeping sidewalks. If University City signed on as a Maintenance Assessment District (MAD), we could assess ourselves a small amount of money to maintain whatever we decide to do to improve Governor, Genesee, and Regents. Exiting 52 and entering our little community, one wonders why the home prices are so high. Attractive gateway signs and planted medians might validate us as a nice place to live instead of the home of gas stations. (There used to be a few more gas stations at the corner of Regents and Governor, for you newcomers.)
In deference to Governor Drive, at least it’s just boring. Take a walk down Garnet in Pacific Beach these days. It is a little more exciting to the eye, if you like store names like Dirt Bag Clothing or a hamburger place called Big ASS Bertha’s Best Burgers. Numerous tattoo and body-piercing parlors promise some unique artwork on your body. Don’t touch the payphones with bare hands. Not only are they filthy, but they act as starving con artists hungry for your coins. Garnet’s sidewalks feel dirty to the shoe. Still, Pacific Beach Town Council has hoisted street banners and placed some sculpture on the medians. Trader Joe’s and flower shops share the street with bars and bistros. At least when you get to the end of Garnet, you are looking at the Pacific and the beach.
In University City, if you go from the west to east, you move from a finger canyon to 805 with its littered underpass. You see opportunities to improve the triangular concrete enclosure in need of planting. Thanks to Miramar Nursery for landscaping their side of Governor and 805. It would be great if they could adopt that triangle and plant the Park and Ride area.
“Give it a rest” is my husband’s comment each time we head down Governor on a trip to a local store or on a long trip out of town when my chatter about Governor gets on his nerves. Governor is like an aging friend who’s been neglected and needs a little TLC and one of those reality-show makeovers. n
Sandra Lippe, a former high school teacher with an M.A. in Creative Writing, was born and raised in Connecticut. She is a 33-year resident of University City with husband Ernie. They have two children, one perfect grandchild and another due in April.