(view of downtown San Diego at the top of J St & 26th)
TC took that shot as I drove down the hill looking for a place to park...
I hate parallel parking so I was looking for a spot to just "drive" in to instead of having to back up and reverse and all that. The downside was that we were at the bottom of the slope and would have to walk up.
I didn't realize that Food for Thoughts Cafe was here even though they've been open for two years already,
The cafe is nestled between the CNRI building (California Neuropsychopharmacology Clinical Research Institute, now that's a mouthful) and Albert Einstein Academy (Middle School).
The cafe space used to be a hallway but now has food prep on one side, the counter, and on the northern end, a tiered sitting area complete with outlets for customers to charge their phones. The cafe is now open seven days a week (yelp still lists M-F) and opens at 9 am now (not 7:15 as listed on yelp; I know because this threw our morning off slightly). There is seating outside as well but no shade. This cafe must be a popular hang out spot for the kids when school gets out.
Across the street was Grant Hill Park. a very small park which boasts amazing views of the city.
Speaking of views, here is the view from our table...looking westward, you can see parts of downtown San Diego including that tall building with the yellow accents that looks "unfinished" but it's not.
We could see kids from the middle school next door in one of their classes. There were also cutouts of super heroes. Even though we couldn't see the printed side, we were able to figure out who was who based on their silhouettes (Superman and Batman; now shown, the Hulk and Daredevil).
I used a coupon this morning (which is how I found out about this place), 2 for 1 item (up to $7 off):
TC's Berry Acai bowl ($7.50) and "Brain" Smoothie ($4.99/strawberry, pineapple and banana) + my "Rumi"sandwich (turkey, lettuce, tomato, mayo,and cheese on Bread and Cie bread) and a side of pickle (which TC was excited to have). My sandwich ended up being the "free" item ($6.75 saved). The owner, Kai, was there that morning and was very welcoming and friendly.
Behind the counter were tubs of German candies (such as Haribo gummies in different shapes and flavors; one of the most popular was the one shaped like a cola bottle).
After enjoying our breakfast, we crossed the street to check out the views from the park...
There is the cafe from this vantage point.
plus some of downtown San Diego's high rises in the distance...
This was a really lovely shot of the Coronado Bridge as well as Barrio Logan...
We didn't go all the way up the hill since there were a few people up there that we weren't too sure about.
More views by the street corner:
You can even see those tall condos on the Coronado side from here...
This seemed like a random spot to put a hospital. I never would have known about this place until I looked it up. According to their website, since 1991, CNRI is a clinical research site that specializes in Phase I-IV clinical drug trials. Their "mission is to provide hope and solution for those inflicted with mental illness and other conditions by providing excellence in drug therapy research".
More info about this neighborhood:
Grant Hill
plus an interesting post about graffiti in the neighborhood, including this park:
"Sherman Heights!! 20th and 27th Grant Hill Park! Mr. Lil One, Prayers and More!" TheAvenue619, May 20, 2016
*The author of the blog has a lot of meticulous and fascinating posts about gang territory, graffiti/tagging, art, and the local hip hop scene. He mentions in many posts that he used to be in and out of juvenile hall when he was young (but am assuming he has turned his life around). His part time job delivering medical supplies takes him to various neighborhoods. In between calls, he spebds time by driving around and documenting his surroundings. I really like that he highlights certain neighborhoods in the Southeast and South Bay with an eagle eye for graffiti that most of us bypass or overlook.
Article:
"Grant Hill's Hidden Cafe - Food for Thought" SD Reader, Nov. 26, 2016
plus an older one with background on the store owners and their concept:
"Coronado locals open Food for Thoughts Cafe with grand plans in mind" Coronado Times, Feb. 14, 2015
Food for Thoughts Cafe
446 26th Ave
San Diego, CA 92102
(858) 876-4838
fb page + reviews from that four lettered site
Grant Hill Park
2600 J. St.
SanDiego, CA 92102
fb page + reviews from you know where
The morning was still young but we headed back home since TC had some homework and other projects to catch up on before school starts up next week. I was happy to spend a little time with her this morning since she had sports practice on every other day this week...
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