VOLUME 3 ISSUE 2


Jan. 21-Feb. 3, 2011 OLD TOWN • MISSION HILLS • HILLCREST ➤➤ THEATRE P. 12 BANKERS HILL • UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS • NORTH PARK • SOUTH PARK • GOLDEN HILL • NORMAL HEIGHTS • KENSINGTON • TALMADGE BOLD NEW VISION


Golden Hill resident architects present a for 25th Street


The owners of Hillrest's ion theatre break into 2011 with cinematic daring


➤➤ BOOK P. 13


Recently released gardening book


inspired by Uptown succulents


By Lauren Ventura SDUN Editor


The community of Golden Hill has come a long way during the past decade and it appears community members and residents have no inclination of stopping this forward momentum in 2011.


➤➤ FILM P. 15


The area in and around 25th Street has been on the top of the Golden Hill revival agenda and has included several proj- ects under the umbrella of the “25th Street Renaissance” plan. The plan, which aims to revitalize 25th Street, has moved rather slowly, with much of it being solidifiedlast year, the Golden Hill “Renaissance” has made notable progress with an influx of piz- zerias, coffee shops and bars that attract a seemingly constant flow of hip 20-somethings who flock to the area for its artsy edginess, proximity to downtown and inexpensive rent. The main areas of discussion for the “25th Street Renais-


sance” project include six blocks on 25th Street between B and C streets. One area though that remains blighted hovers between F Street and the I-94 off-ramp at 811 25th St. Golden Hill architecture firm, FoundationForForm (FFF), and its own-


see Vision, page 8


Mike Burnett (jumping) and Craig Abenilla (kneeling) own the Gold- en Hill architecture firm, Foun- dationForForm. The architects/ quasi-developers are planning to revitalize a property at 811 25th St. by turning it into a mixed-use structure and gateway for the community from the I-94. (Courtesy of FoundationForForm)


The director, Alejandro Gonzáles Iñárritu of 'Babel' does it again with 'Biutiful'


➤➤ DINING P. 16


Chef Rene Herbeck of Au Revoir, Hillcrest's newest bistro, c'est


Index


Briefs……………………3 Opinion…………………6 Calendar…………………7 Urban Garden……………10 Pets of the Week………19 Dr.Ink…………………24


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A tree grows in Hillcrest


Local resident works with a formidable community to save a 100-year-old Eucalyptus


By Dave Schwab SDUN Reporter


They’re calling it “Filbert’s


tree” because Filbert Vigil is the one who led the fight to save the stately, 100-plus-year-old Hillcrest Eucalyptus tree that’s graced the corner of Richmond Street and Pennsylvania Avenue long before there were houses, sidewalks or even a neighborhood. Vigil lives across the street


magnifique


(L to R): Sandy Robertson, Filbert Vigil, Nancy Moors, David Campbell, Ann Garwood of Hillquest, Ricardo Arroyo and Luke Terpstra of the Hillcrest Town Council posed recently in front of Fibert’s tree located at the corner of Richmond Street and Pennsyl- vania Avenue in Hillcrest. (Dave Schwab/SDUN)


Engineers look to spark


success in Kenyan village North Park fundraiser more than an amazing race


By Christy Scannell SDUN Reporter


A Feb. 5 event in North Park will have


powerful effects halfway around the world. Literally. The Great North Park Hunt is a fund- raiser sponsored by the San Diego chapter of Engineers Without Borders to provide solar electricity to a community center in Mbita, Kenya. But while participants in the “Amazing Race”-style hunt will enjoy an af- ternoon of fun in North Park, it’s the villag- ers in western Kenya on the coast of Lake


Victoria who will benefit most, said Chris Willemin, an Engineers Without Borders member and North Park resident. “This (community center) is a place


where they can teach basic computer pro- gramming skills, data entry, computer repair and understand how the Internet works,” he said. “Hopefully it will lead to jobs. We are helping to provide a tool and put it in the hands of someone to let them be innovative.” Engineers Without Borders is a volun-


see Hunt, page 5


from “his” tree, on the property his family’s owned since 1965. One evening about three months ago he was sitting on his balcony and noticed a big white X on the side of the beloved community landmark.


“I just assumed they were going to take the tree down,” he said. So he called the Sierra Club and told them about the condemned tree and was told, “Once they’ve been marked— there’s nothing you can do.” Undaunted, Vigil contacted HillQuest, a 9-year-old community news website billing itself as the “urban guide to 92103,” and asked them for help. HillQuest


founders Ann Gar-


wood and Nancy Moors took up his cause.


Pinch-hitting for Vigil, who


cares for an elderly mother, Gar- wood read a letter from him to the


see Tree, page 2 TURANDOT


by Giacomo Puccini Icy, Dramatic & Stunning


January 29, February 1, 4, 6 (m)


Visit sdopera.com Call (619) 533-7000 All performances at the San Diego Civic Theatre.


Health & Fitness Issue pg. 24


Code 10415


Photo by Ken Howard


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