On July 20 at 7 p.m. at Point Loma United Methodist Church, 1984 Sunset Cliffs Blvd., Eric DuVall will attempt to explain his 45 year fascination with the sidewalks of Ocean Beach and Point Loma. This is a path upon which entire streets appear and disappear, and where the passage of time and the physical history of our community are literally written in concrete. No, really! Would anyone have thought that something so ubiquitous and ordinary, something so obviously hard, if not always cold, as common sidewalks, could be even remotely interesting? Or that the very sidewalk beneath your feet might be steeped in mystery and controversy? Well it sure is.
DuVall’s occasional Facebook feature, Sidewalk Sunday, proved – against all odds – to be popular. DuVall is not an expert on the subject, but merely an observer. An observer of something that doesn’t move, something that is the same this morning as it was 30, 50, or even 100 years ago. Or is it?