Crown City Magazine - March 2020

Q&A with Library Director Author Pens Tales for Teens Music for the Community

MARCH 2020

IN FOCUS | BY JOE DITLER

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In Focus

10 A Note from the Editor 12 Notables 16 Library Director Shaun Briley 24 Author Marisa Reichardt 30 Coronado’s Community Band 36 Crown City History 40 Hotel del Coronado's Master Plan 46 Island Girl Goes Bookish 50 Sprucing up for Spring 54 St. Paddy’s Day Classics 58 Spring in the Garden 62 Dining Guide

On the front cover: Coronado Public Library, 1920 Courtesy of Coronado Public Library On the back cover: North Beach Little Free Library at Ocean Boulevard and Sunset Park.

Photo: Leslie Crawford Background photo: Looking through African Fountain Grass growing in the rocks along Ocean Boulevard, beautiful but invasive.

Photo: Leslie Crawford

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M A R C H 2 0 2 0 | Vo l u m e 3 I s s u e 3

PUBLISHER | Amy Slack amy@crowncitypublishing.com

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER | Heather Canton heather@crowncitypublishing.com

EDITOR | Leslie Crawford leslie@crowncitypublishing.com

CREATIVE DIRECTOR | Martina Schimitschek MANAGING EDITOR | Martina Schimitschek PROOFREADER | Rose Wojnar GRAPHIC DESIGNERS | Natasha Archer, Gina Falletta Design CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Samantha Bey, Karyn Frazier, Catherine Gaugh, Jessica Nicolls, Gina Petrone, Kelly Purvis, Vickie Stone Clyde Van Arsdall IV, Christine Van Tuyl CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Joe Ditler, John Gastaldo, Samantha Goh, Brian Kingston ADVERTISING SALES Amy Slack Heather Canton Publisher Advertising Director amy@crowncitypublishing.com

(619) 288-8050 Kelley Moats

heather@crowncitypublishing.com

(619) 565-7789 Derrick Arce

derrick@crowncitypublishing.com

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CROWN CITY MAGAZINE & WELCOME TO CORONADO 830 Orange Ave., Suite B • Coronado, CA 92118 (619) 435-0334 • hello@crowncitypublishing.com

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Proud Supporter Of Coronado’s Public Schools

We make every effort to avoid errors, misspellings and omissions. If you find any, please bring them to our attention and accept our sincerest apologies.Thanks!

Crown City Magazine is proudly printed by: SOUTHWEST OFFSET PRINTIING 13650 Gramercy Place • Gardena, CA 90249 (310) 323-0112 • southwestoffset.com Crown City Magazine is published monthly. No part of this publication may be used without written permission of the publisher. ©2020 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. CROWNCITYMAGAZINE.COM

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LESLIE CRAWFORD

A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR | MARCH 2020

“El Dia del Mercado” mural by Alfredo Ramos Martinez at the Coronado Public Library.

Cultural Cornucopia

A

ccording to a recent Gallup Poll, more people went to a library this past year than to a movie theater. With the average adult making 10.5 trips to the library annually, those visits surpassed yearly trips to sporting events, live music, theater, historic parks, museums, casinos, theme parks and zoos.

Coronado Public Library is one of our town’s most valuable assets and a place of endless possibilities for all ages. The library has always been a priority for Coronado residents, from the visionaries to the supporters, with great leadership through the years. Set in the center of town, in the middle of a park, with a history as old as Coronado’s beginning, our library is a comfortable, beautiful setting with the best of resources. I would venture to say that Coronado Public Library is one of the best in the state and even the country. Friends of the Coronado Library, a key part of support for the library, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

Stop by their shop, Second Hand Prose, behind the library on D Avenue to find a great variety of book 10

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bargains donated to the Friends.

In this month’s issue, we focus on cultural arts.

We have a Q&A with Shaun Briley, Coronado Public Library’s newest director who shares his vision and plans for the institution. Marisa Reichardt is an author of young adult books who grew up in Coronado and still has ties here. She released her first book in 2016 with another due out this fall and a third in 2021. Jumping to music, we have a feature about Coronado’s own community band, making great music since 1997. Hotel del Coronado gives us the history and overview of the renovation master plan; Island Girl visits independent bookstores; Chef Clyde cooks for St. Paddy’s Day; and the folks at Bungalow 56 get us motivated for spring cleaning. Coronado history and springtime garden tips round out the issue.

Cultural arts are alive and well in Coronado, available to all of us for our entertainment, learning and inspiration. We are all the better for it.

— Leslie Crawford, Editor

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N O TA B L E S | M A R C H 2 0 2 0

March 6-8 OH! SAN DIEGO Organized by the San Diego Architectural Foundation, this is a free event giving the public rare behind-the-scenes access to and indepth information about the architecture and design of some of our region’s finest buildings and places. Coronado has many locations participating with guided and unguided tours. sdarchitecture.org/program/openhouse March 14 CROWN CITY CRAWL 4-9:30 p.m.

Join the Coronado Junior Woman's Club for a bar crawl starting at Miguel’s and The Brigantine. Prizes will be given for the best golf attire. Tickets are $45 ($50 at the door) and include keepsakes, two drink tickets, light snacks, a raffle ticket, discounts and specials. coronadojuniorwomans.org/crown-city-crawl

March 21 PARTY THROUGH THE DECADES 6:30 p.m., Feast & Fareway, This year’s Camp Able fundraiser will include food stations, beer and wine, a silent auction and a dance party to local band Betamaxx. campableatcoronado.org March 18 CSF TELETHON 5-9 p.m., Coronado High School theater Coronado Schools Foundation’s 33rd annual telethon will raise funds for the Coronado Unified School District. csfkids.org April 5-7 HOME FRONT JUDGING In this yearly Coronado Flower Show event, volunteer judges fan out looking at gardens and yards, narrowing their choices to the top 10 Home Fronts. coronadoflowershow.com

For a complete listing of events, visit CoronadoCalendar.com

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leading the library A one-on-one with Director Shaun Briley

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"While the library of the past built a collection, today the library builds a community," said Shaun Briley, who has been director of the Coronado Public Library since the beginning of last year.

Story by KELLY PURVIS • Photos by JOHN GASTALDO

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he Coronado Public Library is marking a major anniversary this year. Founded in 1890 the library will be celebrating 130 years. It is therefore fitting that the 2020 Coronado Community Read is Susan Orlean’s The Library Book, an engaging look at the history of the Los Angeles Library – the institution’s history, architecture, leadership and role in the community.

One component of Orlean’s book is a look at the many librarians that have led the Los Angeles Library. In Coronado, our library director for the past year has been Shaun Briley. He stepped into the 18

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position January 2019 after the retirement of Christian Esquevin. I checked in with Briley, a native of Amersham, England, (just northwest of London) about his career and his thoughts on the library.

Q. What did you want to be when you grew up?

A. I never had any concept of being a librarian when I grew up.

It’s not exactly a job with a reputation for glamor or excitement. I wasn’t even a library user. This is something that I have come to relatively late in life and by accident. I was writing marketing articles that sold products to libraries when I started the course work to become | MARCH 2020

a librarian. I figured I might do it for a while, but over 10 years later I am still doing it. This is because the work is so enjoyable and it is so rewarding to be focused entirely on helping people. This is not one of those soulless “cog in a machine” jobs. You are part of the town’s cultural life and it is one of the last ‘renaissance’ jobs, in the sense that you are challenged to do so many different types of work every day, to become expert on any topic at the drop of a hat. Working in an environment intentionally designed to inspire is pretty nice. The Coronado library is a beautiful building set in a park for crying out loud.

The Coronado Public Library is celebrating it's 130th anniversary this year.

Q. What are you proudest of in your career?

A. I have not so much pride but gratitude that I have been lucky enough to have a decent career without having to hustle or cajole others to get ahead. As a reporter,

the most interesting moment in my career would be going to the war in Iraq with British forces as a reporter for Southern Newspapers.

It wasn’t a long deployment and I missed most of the action, but nevertheless it was so out of the

ordinary to be transplanted into that situation and environment. To be in and around live fire wakes you up and when you come home the normality seems unreal and somehow missing a point. It is easy to understand how veterans get CROWNCITYMAGAZINE.COM

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From left to right: Eileen Hauser, senior librarian, programs and outreach; Jacqueline Luna, teen librarian; Shaun Briley, director; Chris Morris, head of circulation; and Sonya Palacios, library page.

knocked off kilter. We are setting up a veterans resource center here at the library this year, which is going to try to connect veterans with resources they might not be getting.

In terms of my library career, the pinnacle to date is probably being named Library Journal Mover and Shaker in 2016, for a number of innovative projects. Library Journal is the national trade magazine for libraries and the Mover and Shaker is a kind of person-of-the-year award.

Q. Who was your greatest mentor?

A. In my 20s, I really looked up to a British writer I met in Spain.

He didn’t mentor me, but his life, mostly spent by a pool with a glass of wine in his hand, looked like the way I wanted to live. He and his wife became great friends. Unfortunately, he was an alcoholic and things didn’t end well for him. I 20

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“The library is now a

place of intellectual recreation.”

– SHAUN BRILEY

took that lesson on board, too.

He inspired me to get out to Spain where I lived for a while – an experience I wrote about in a tonguein-cheek travelogue that even got a few good reviews when it was published by Random House in 2004, the year I came to California.

When I was working in marketing and thinking of jumping over to libraries, I went on a tour of the usually off-limits basement of the old Central Library in downtown San Diego. The librarian who gave that tour was Coronado resident Catherine Greene. She is a smart and funny lady and meeting her convinced me to take the plunge. | MARCH 2020

It showed me that librarians can be sharp and interesting and not in the least like the stereotype. Later, she was the manager of the La Jolla library and when she retired, I took over there. She also encouraged me to apply for the Coronado position.

Q. What big ideas do you have for the Coronado Public Library?

A. People used to come to the library because they wanted to know about something. That happens less now – really hardly at all. These days we go to that great collective information base known as the internet. We aren’t going to uninvent the internet – it is not going away, indeed it is only going to get better and more useful, and libraries have to change.

Now people come to the library because they want to experience life – to read the stories of other

people, to see drama, listen to concerts, have social interactions. The library is now a place of intellectual recreation. Cookbooks do well, biographies, health and lifestyle books – ‘how to live’ stuff – and in particular fiction. The human brain works in narratives and the reading of stories that put us in the shoes of others in whom we see similarities with ourselves is a human need.

There is a scientific school called bibliotherapy that describes the psychological benefits of finding oneself in fictional characters.

There are swathes of our collection that aren’t used at all – take the reference collection for instance. We need to stop buying it and redirect our focus. For those that are worried about ‘lost books,’ it is worth pointing out that books are both perishable and replenishable. There are zero books in today’s library that were in the 1890 version of the library and few that were in the 1970 version.

Also, while the library of the past built a collection, today the library builds a community. The library is a connecting point in Coronado, where residents connect with each other and local groups connect with their audiences. That is a role we need to focus on. The Winn Room is an important resource for the Coronado community but it could be expanded and improved.

Just as retail is trying to adapt to online sales by offering customers an “experience,” we have to do the same thing. I see this as a positive development, not a threat, and we are in great shape. There are over 14,000 active library card users at the Coronado library, a huge chunk of our population. We are a vital meeting space for several local organizations.

Another ‘big idea’ for the

Q. What has surprised you most about Coronado?

A. The most surprising thing to me about Coronado is the way it manages to maintain a small-town atmosphere in the midst of the eighth largest city in the nation. It’s like San Diego just isn’t there. The extent to which the library is at the literal and proverbial heart of the town is also a nice surprise.

The 2020 Coronado Community Read book is about the library fire in Los Angeles.

Coronado library will be joining a cooperative with other libraries in the region so that instead of 100,000 or so books being available with a Coronado library card – the books on our shelves – there will be literally millions of unique titles available. Patrons will be able to come to the Coronado library or our website, find just about any title and be able to check them out here for no cost. This is something that we will be doing in 2020 as I just successfully applied for and won a grant from the California State Library to finance it.

Q. Hardback, paperback or e-book?

A. I read them all and it is the circumstance that determines the preference. For instance, an e-book is great in bed at night when you are in a dark room next to someone who is sleeping but a nice hard back is better when sitting in the yard on a Sunday afternoon.

Q. What is the funniest or most unusual thing that has happened to you as a librarian?

A. Libraries are a magnet for eccentrics and would make a great setting for a sitcom featuring the staff, the ‘regulars’ and a peppering of interesting folks passing through. The most amusing reference question I have had since coming to Coronado was a lady who asked me in all seriousness if I could help her find a rich husband.

Q. What is the role of the library?

A. The library offers a human connection you can’t get on the internet. Talking to a librarian is like having your own personal assistant right there. Another great thing about libraries is standing in a space that contains a microcosm of the world of human thought in a curated and coherent fashion all around you. This creates a magical atmosphere that any library user has experienced and will understand.

Just as with shopping in a store, people often come in not looking for one particular thing and there is something about shelf browsing that will always offer something different to web browsing with its narrowly focused algorithms.

• Kelly Purvis is the arts administrator for the city of Coronado.

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Coming of Age AUTHOR’S BOOKS HELP NAVIGATE HIGH SCHOOL YEARS

By CAT HERINE GAUGH

H

igh school can seem so long ago, yet memories are still vivid.

Favorite teachers. Dances. The first boyfriend or girlfriend. Cheering at football games. Forming lifelong friendships.

But those years are also a time of struggle: Worrying about good grades. Thinking about college.

Questioning what your parents taught you. Figuring out who you really are.

“What happened in high school really shaped you,” said Marisa Matherne Reichardt, Coronado High

"Under Water" book cover for Malaysian edition, designed and published by Penerbit Haru.

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School Class of 1989. “The classes you took, the movies you saw and the books you read.

“Your experiences, good and bad, helped form the adult you became.”

Reichardt didn’t love school, but liked to write. One day, her freshman English teacher Bobbie Booth told her, “You are a writer” and suggested Reichardt enroll in journalism classes next year.

Reichardt did, and for the three years, she worked on the Islander school newspaper and the Beachcomber yearbook.

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Idyllic years Reichardt, born in San Diego, was in seventh grade when she, her younger brother, Michael, and their mother moved to Coronado. Marilyn Meek Matherne had grown up on the island and graduated from Coronado High School in 1963. Meek Matherne still lives in Coronado, and the Reichardts visit often.

“It was an idyllic existence growing up in Coronado,” Reichardt said. “And growing up there in the ’80s was exceptionally awesome. There was dollar night at the movies, skateboard parties and dances at the community center.”

Love and marriage happened in Coronado, too. Jon Reichardt was her brother’s water polo coach.

He’s now the water polo coach, ceramics teacher and surfboard shaper at Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach.

Finding her voice Reichardt will tell you that it sometimes takes a while for writers to discover what they want to say and what they want to write.

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BRIAN KINGSTON

“I loved writing and couldn’t wait for my journalism classes every day,” Reichardt said.

After graduation, she studied literature and creative writing in college and graduate school, pursued screenwriting classes, worked in journalism for a while, got married, moved to Hermosa Beach, had a baby and read a lot of books.

Then she wrote her own books.

“Underwater,” was published in early 2016. The next one, “Aftershocks,” is due out this fall. The third, “A Shot at Normal,” is set to be released in 2021.

Ms. Booth was so right.

“Generally, I like to write outside of the house, often at Starbucks where there is activity around me. I have a laptop, so I can go anywhere, and I can write wherever I go, even on vacation in Hawaii.”

– MARISA REICHARDT

“At Barnes & Noble, I would sift through the fiction section, looking for books by authors I really liked,” she said. “I was always attracted to coming-of-age stories.

Books by Curtis Sittenfeld and Megan McCafferty were hugely influential for me. | MARCH 2020

“‘Catcher in the Rye’ is generally the first coming-of-age story people read. Today’s teenagers might think of it as an old book (published in 1950), but it is still relevant. Once they read it, they say, ‘I get this.’”

“Those books made me realize

ABRAMS/AMULET

PUBLISHER, MACMILLAN/FSG

these were the stories I wanted to tell,” she said – stories about teenagers for teenagers that will help them navigate the journey into adulthood.

At first, she was overwhelmed by the thought of writing a book, but she eventually did. Then she wrote another one.

“They are in a drawer,” Reichardt said. “And that’s where they will stay.”

Then came “Underwater” about 17-year-old Morgan who survived a school shooting. Her grief and guilt bring on debilitating anxiety that prevents her from leaving her apartment. A therapist comes to see her, to help her remember the life she used to have: the sunshine, the beach, swimming in the ocean.

Then her new next-door neighbor, a teenage boy named Evan, knocks on the front door. A swimmer and surfer, “Evan has the smell of the beach,” Reichardt said. “He is a catalyst in helping Morgan.”

And the meaning of the title?

“It’s a metaphor,” she said. “Morgan feels like she is underwater and longs to breathe the air again.”

The next book, due out this fall, is “Aftershocks,” which centers on Ruby, a teenager who survives a devastating earthquake, in fact, “The Big One,” long predicted for Southern California. Surrounded by rubble and death, Ruby’s survival is just beginning.

Reichardt’s third book is in the process for publication in 2021. “A Shot at Normal” is about a teenage

girl forced to deal with the tragic consequences after her well-meaning parents refuse to have her vaccinated against the measles.

Serious subjects These are serious topics, not to be confused with children’s books.

Reichardt specifically writes Young Adult fiction, or YA. Young people from 12 to 18 years old make up the primary audience, although adults in their 20s and 30s read them, too.

YA fiction is as varied as adult fiction: there’s fantasy, science fiction, history, adventure, romance and contemporary life, among other genres. Think of recent films based on books for this age group: “The Hunger Games,” “The Fault CROWNCITYMAGAZINE.COM

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COURTESY OF MARISA REICHARDT

Marisa Reichardt feels honored to write for the young adult audience. "We owe them the truth," she said.

in Our Stars,” “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants,” and even the Harry Potter series.

Reichardt’s teenage protagonists deal with events that have a tremendous impact on their lives and on the lives of others. She gets story ideas from the news feed that comes over her smartphone.

“Generally, I like to write outside of the house, often at Starbucks where there is activity around me,” Reichardt said. “I have a laptop, so I can go anywhere, and I can write wherever I go, even on vacation in Hawaii.”

She sets up playlists of songs that relate to the story she is writing and listens over headphones as she writes.

Research is constant. When she needed to know more about 28

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psychology, disaster preparedness and the anti-vaccination culture, “I reached out to people who know more about it,” she said. “People are really open to help. You don’t want to write a book that’s not accurate. People with knowledge can help you get it right.”

Reichardt writes in whole chapters.

“I usually stop when I know what’s coming next,” she said.

“But I don’t always know what’s coming next. I could be in the middle of Hermosa Beach pier or grocery shopping at Vons when the solution comes to me. Writers are always writing.”

The truth Reichardt said it is an honor to write young adult fiction. | MARCH 2020

“You are not a young adult writer unless you have respect for teenagers,” she said.

“Teenagers are sharp. They will be the first to call you out if you are wrong about something. They detect dishonesty before anyone else.

“They are coming into their own, they are questioning what their parents have taught them.

In my books, I tell them that therapy works, that there is no one right way to deal with grief, and it is OK to ask for help when you need it. I want to give them hope.

“We owe them the truth,” Reichardt said. “It is the most important thing a writer can do, and it is the most important thing that I do.”

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The Coronado Concert Band welcomes players of all ages and abilities to become part of the band. Requirements are enthusiasm, participation, and practice.

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CORONADO CONCERT BAND PHOTOS

The Coronado Concert Band, with its signature Hawaiian shirts, has been playing together since 1997.

In Tune

Camaraderie instrumental for community band

By SAMANTHA BEY

T

o say the musical gene runs in Phil Imming’s family is a bit of an understatement. He has 40 cousins across the United States who all play music professionally and a son who composes music in Los Angeles. His own storied past includes playing with the Coronado High School band (CHS class of ’66),

directing the Stanford University band (class of ’70) and starting the Coronado Concert Band in 1996.

Phil’s younger brother Ron Imming (CHS class of ’74), also played for the Coronado High School band under the legendary teacher Bob Demmon, who had been a member of the surf band The Astronauts in the 1960s. Ron

stepped in as assistant band director when Demmon couldn’t be at an event; like the time he fell ill for the premiere of a CHS musical.

Demmon told Ron to get the “red book from his office” and direct the band in the pit, which he did.

Ron was a sophomore in high school.

Phil explained that students CROWNCITYMAGAZINE.COM

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CORONADO CONCERT BAND PHOTOS

The Coronado Concert Band kicks off the annual Coronado Flower Show in Spreckels Park.

The band's conductor, Fred Lee, now retired from the Sweetwater Union High School District, is an award-winning instrumental music director.

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were really inspired by Demmon, who transformed the CHS marching band into an award-winning group that called themselves the Die Hards. “Back then there were a lot of drugs in high school, and I know that Bob gave (band) students purpose and saved their lives,” Phil said. “The Die Hards were a bunch of friends, and they’re still friends today.”

The Die Hards decided to get together for a reunion and march in the Fourth of July parade in 1992.

They marched in the parade that year, reminiscing about the “Demmon-isms” they remembered from two decades before such as how Demmon would yell, “you own this street!” as they performed, Phil said. Demmon marched alongside them in the parade, and said it was “good,” which, Phil explained, was high praise.

The Die Hards had such a great time, they decided to do it again the following years. To hone their sound, they hired Coronado local and professional trumpet player Dirk Komen to help them rehearse.

The group still had what it took.

Komen listened, then “he said, ‘I can’t really help you here – you guys have got it!’,” Phil remembered. “And he’s a particular guy, so it meant a lot to hear that from him.”

So much about the parade that year felt special that when the group got back to the band room they didn’t want to wait a whole year to play again. Phil, who had visited family in Kansas and watched them play in their community band, had always thought Coronado should have a band of its own. Phil got together with fellow Die Hards members Mel Lions and Joe Campbell and pulled it together. The Coronado Concert

The band, pictured here at Lamb's Players Theatre, has played at numerous local and regional events.

Band was born.

The band started with about 25 people, and the idea was that anyone could come play, regardless of age and ability, a framework that is still the case today. They also began a subgroup, the Coronado Big Band, for musicians who played brass instruments that didn’t always have a place in the more classical concert pieces.

They began practicing in the high school band room once a week and performed their first official concert in the Spreckels Park gazebo for a September Coronado Concert in the Park in 1997.

They were on a roll. Three

months later they performed under the tree in Rotary Park after the annual Christmas Parade, and just a few weeks after that, the city paid the band to represent Coronado in San Diego’s annual Holiday Bowl Parade.

They stopped marching in the Fourth of July parade, but in 2001 they had their first performance at the Coronado Flower Show, a tradition that is still going strong today. Since its inception, the Coronado Concert Band performed for a myriad of the city’s events and celebrations, including a 1999 concert for the dedication of the new Coronado School of

CORONADO CONCERT BAND

Upcoming performances: • “Celebrating Music In Our Schools” 6:30 p.m., March 26.

Coronado High School Performing Arts Center, 650 D Ave. • Flower Show Noon, April 18. Spreckels Park, 601 Orange Ave. • Memorial Day Promenade Concerts Opener 4:30 p.m., May 24.

Spreckels Park, 601 Orange Ave. CROWNCITYMAGAZINE.COM

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CORONADO CONCERT BAND PHOTOS

The Die Hards, consisting of former CHS band members, marched in the Fourth of July parade from 1992 to 1999.

the Arts (CoSA); holiday concerts at the Hotel Del Coronado; summer twilight concerts at Spreckels Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park; performances at the dedication of the Coronado Community Center in 2005; the Coronado Library’s 100th anniversary celebration; the City of Coronado’s 150th anniversary; and the Special Olympics Torch Run that came through town in 2015. They performed in the Coronado Concert in the Park every summer for 15 years, and after a several-year hiatus, they’ll return this summer to open one of the popular Sunday concerts.

Today, there are about 40 people in the band (many of the original Die Hards included), with a member as young as 13 and others in their 90s. The group is open to anyone who wants to play or learn how to play, no audition required. They play everything from pop to musicals to classical pieces to popular film scores. Phil can play any low brass instrument but is best at the bass trombone and has the most fun playing the 34

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The band participated in the Holiday Bowl Parade in 1997.

Information The band rehearses from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursdays in the Coronado High School band room.

Contact: (619) 435-1299 or coronadoconcertband.org

euphonium. He said it’s hard to choose his favorite song the band performs, but if he had to choose it would be John Williams’ The Raiders March. “We really nail that one,” he said. “And it’s a lot | MARCH 2020

of fun to play!”

Phil said that what really makes Coronado Community Band special is how it brings together the community. “Community bands as an institution are a special thing.

There were 10,000 at the turn of the century, and I really want to keep that tradition alive,” he said.

“It’s such a worthwhile experience for audiences and players, young and old. There is a real sense of pride that comes with it. You look at the band and think ‘That’s our band!’ And I just want to keep the music going.”

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Crown City History I N C O L L A B O R AT I O N W I T H H O T E L D E L C O R O N A D O & C O R O N A D O H I S T O R I C A L A S S O C I AT I O N

Art teacher’s work remembered B y V I C K I E S T O N E , C U R AT O R O F C O L L E C T I O N S , C O R O N A D O H I S T O R I C A L A S S O C I AT I O N CORONADO HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION

E

veryone can name a teacher or mentor that was influential, not only for their studies, but also in passing along life’s lessons. Around the 1940s, Esther Painter Hagstrom was that mentor for many students.

Hagstrom taught at Coronado High School and Coronado Elementary School as an art instructor from 1937 to 1951. She was a popular and beloved teacher whose legacy is still remembered.

Joedy Cronin Adams (class of 1947) recalled this about Hagstrom: “I remember Mrs. Hagstrom not only as a patient and effective teacher but also as a compassionate human being. I was new to Coronado High School, and Mrs. Hagstrom must have sensed that I was very shy. She gave me a note from Larry Cortner, who was interested in meeting me. I really didn’t know what to do, as dating was something new to me. Mrs. Hagstrom offered to give a note back to Larry, if I chose to write one. I did this, and we ended up dating for many years.

So I look back and think of Mrs. Hagstrom as my first matchmaker.”

A native of Washington, Hagstrom studied fine arts at the

Hostesses for the 1950 Coronado Arts Association ball are (left to right) Gladys Gladden, Esther Hagstrom, Louise Wigert, Nancy Williamson and Ann Greve Meyer.

University of Washington where she earned her bachelor's degree in 1927. She later pursued graduate studies at the University of Southern California, the University of California Berkeley and the San Francisco Art Institute.

Unconventional for the time, Hagstrom separated from her Navy officer husband to move to Coronado with her young son.

She settled here in 1936 and began teaching in 1937 and taught in the

school district until her death in 1951. In addition to her teaching post, she was also in charge of developing the art curriculum for the school district and taught art at adult night classes as well as private lessons.

Her social life also revolved around art. She was an active member of the Coronado Art Association, serving as the exhibition chairman and as head of the decoration committee for the group’s

March 1903 Hotel Del Coronado served fresh fish for breakfast every day, depending on what was caught from the pier or in the area. The temperature of the day was also marked on the card. The card was suitable to send as a postcard to share the bounty and mild climate of Coronado with friends and family back home.

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Costume Arts Ball.

Hagstrom was versed in all different kinds of media, but she was best known for her watercolors and etchings and would send out her works as printed Christmas cards. Many of her watercolors are in a collection at the Coronado Public Library, donated by Hagstrom’s granddaughter, Suzy Hagstrom. The Hagstrom art collection includes watercolors, prints, oils, pencil drawings, wood carvings, pastels, ceramics and acrylics. The Coronado Historical Association displayed one of the collection’s pieces, titled “The Rainbow Fleet,” in “Patrons to Painters,” a 2017 exhibit about the history of Coronado’s art scene, which touched on Hagstrom’s contribution to the art community.

Hagstrom died of a cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 46 in January 1951. Hundreds attended her memorial service, which was held in Coronado High School’s auditorium. The class of 1951 dedicated its yearbook to her, and two special copies were sent to her father and her son, who was a CHS graduate.

The Coronado Public Library held a special exhibition of her work in 2013, which included many of her etchings and watercolors. Along with Hagstrom’s original work, her students’ art was also exhibited. Many of them said that it was because of her that they continued with art, either professionally or personally.

March 8, 1915 Georgia “Tiny” Broadwick started parachuting from balloons in 1908 when she was 15 years old. In 1913, she became the first woman to jump from an airplane. On this day, Broadwick demonstrated her “safety pack” aka parachute to the Navy and Army making four jumps over North Island from a military airplane. On the fourth jump, Broadwick’s static cord got caught on the airplane tail assembly so she cut the line and did the first free fall ascent, eventually pulling her ripcord and landing safely on North Island.

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COURTESY OF HOTEL DEL CORONADO

Lt. Comdr. and Mrs. Earl W. Anderson, of 817 C Ave., were driving on North Island with their children when they found a baby seal, a bit larger than a large dachshund, by the runway.

Anderson carried him down to the water, but the baby seal headed back to the runway. So the family took him home and named him Flipper. The zoo was called but wouldn’t take in a male seal, even a baby, because it would provoke a fight in the seal pools, but they gave the family guidance on food and care. Mrs. Anderson’s sister, visiting from Wisconsin, was able to get the little seal to eat a piece of thawed packaged fish. Flipper was finally turned over to a Mrs. Wold in South Bay. Mrs. Wold was an amateur ichthyologist, lived near the beach and hoped to raise Flipper as a pet.

March 8, 1956

Helen and Theodor Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss.

A Writer’s Retreat

Canadian Army veteran Larry Chapman, a recluse who lived on the Silver Strand in a shack made of driftwood, died of natural causes at the age of 54 at his home. His shack was nestled into the dunes within the property lines of the state park. Although many attempts had been made to remove Chapman, they were unsuccessful. Very little was known about his past, but the quirky man was a friend to many. Chapman took care of the pets of his friends when they traveled, so he usually had furry companionship. His shack was always open, and the teapot was always on. He loved poetry and would recite to his visitors.

March 15, 1936

The Coronado Journal reported that the Warner Brothers movie, Dive Bomber, was filming at North Island. The all-male cast included Errol Flynn, Fred MacMurray and Ralph Bellamy. The crew was housed at the Hotel Del Coronado, but Flynn had sailed his yacht Sirocco down from Los Angeles and stayed aboard at the Coronado Yacht Club. The film was the first aviation story filmed in fast-action technicolor and allowed for small cameras to be attached to wings of dive bombers.

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S WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

March 27, 1941

By GINA PETRONE, H E R I TA G E M A N A G E R , HOTEL DEL CORONADO

ince opening in 1888, Hotel del Coronado has played host to a passing parade of guests, including some of the greatest American writers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Some notables, such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, William Jovanovich and Richard Matheson (who wrote the 1975 novel Bid Time Return, which was later made into a movie titled Somewhere in Time) were inspired by the resort and immortalized the hotel in their work. Others simply came for rest and relaxation.

Among those seeking sunshine were journalist Joseph Pulitzer, one of The Del’s very first visitors in February 1888;

PHOTOS COURTESY OF HOTEL DEL CORONADO

L. Frank Baum, the creator of the Wizard of Oz (left) and Tennessee Williams stayed at The Del.

author/actor William Gillette, who wrote the play Sherlock Holmes while staying at The Del in 1898, performing it on Broadway two years later; and renowned author Henry James, who stayed at the resort in 1905 while on a speaking tour.

Edgar Rice Burroughs, who created the Tarzan character and brought him to life in a 1912 magazine story, wintered in San Diego in 1913. He returned in 1930 and did some writing at The Del. Upton Sinclair, who produced what one historian called “a stream of novels directed toward a variety of social ills” was in residence in 1916.

Ogden Nash, famous for his verses – among them, “Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker” – appears in a hotel guest newsletter for his 1942 visit.

Legendary playwright Arthur Miller was at The Del during the filming of Some Like It Hot in 1958 and frequently accompanied wife Marilyn Monroe to the set. Monroe was uncharacteristically carefree during her stay, but Miller was described by one reporter as “a glum cigar-store Indian.”

Science fiction writer Ray Bradbury went public with his enthusiasm for The Del in a 1995

magazine article, saying “I love the Hotel del Coronado at Christmastime. First of all, it’s like you’re back 100 years, which is where you should be at Christmas.” Bradbury, who was born in 1920, claimed he raised his daughters at The Del. Perhaps the author most associated with The Del is L. Frank Baum, the creator of the Wizard of Oz series. Baum adored the hotel, where he wintered regularly beginning in 1904. Although The Wizard of Oz was written before Baum’s first visit, he wrote at least three other Oz books while in Coronado. Baum’s days at The Del revolved around a strict work regimen, writing every day from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Baum who was very wellknown at the time, was said to be down-to-earth.

He was described as “kind, genial, gentle-voiced, a true and fine gentleman.”

Other writers who spent time at The Del include Tennessee Williams, John Updike, Maya Angelou, Erma Bombeck, Art Buchwald, Dr. Seuss, Louis L’Amour, Robert Ludlum, Robert Massie, Truman Capote, Norman Mailer, Paul Theroux, and even Peanuts creator Charles Schultz.

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The Del's Beach Village was completed in 2007.

Blueprint for the Future The Del’s master plan builds upon the past

By GINA PETRONE

Editor's note: First in a series of stories on the changes at Hotel del Coronado.

W

hen Hotel del Coronado founder Elisha Babcock Jr. aspired in 1886 to build “a house that people will like to come to long after we are gone,” he knew 40

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that The Del’s future and its ability to transcend generations lay in its growth and development.

The hotel opened in 1888 and before the turn of the 20th century, a natural history museum and an indoor bathhouse were built south of the resort; an ice factory and carpenter shop were | MARCH 2020

installed in the industrial area; the two original smokestacks were replaced with a single 80-foot one; the white and gold parlor became bridal suites; fireplaces were removed; and private baths were added to guestrooms.

Second owner, John D. Spreckels, expanded the resort when

COURTESY OF HOTEL DEL CORONADO

he opened Tent City in 1900. But it wasn’t until April 1948, after Barney Goodman bought the resort, that a hotel master plan was announced by managing director Harry S. Ward. The proposed plan included the construction of a series of cottages along the beach frontage and an “ultra-smart” marine dining room and lounge at the waters’ edge. The Beach School was turned into a private cottage and two additional private bungalows were added by the Goodman-Strauss trust, while a former storage room was renovated and opened as the Luau Room in 1949.

After John Alessio acquired The Del in 1960, a master plan was formulated to develop the resort and adjacent property as a combined hotel and apartment

resort. That plan didn’t materialize, however. M. Larry Lawrence acquired the property in 1963 and announced plans to add 300 rooms to the hotel through a fiveto 10-year master plan.

In 1973, Ocean Towers was completed, which added 200 guest rooms, along with Grande Hall, a new banquet facility. In 1979, the poolside addition (California Cabanas today) opened adding 96 guestrooms. Prior to Lawrence’s death in 1996, he had begun developing a plan that called for new buildings on all four sides of the historic hotel, including on the west side. Travelers Insurance acquired the property in 1996 and sold it to Lowe Enterprises, which began to move forward with preparation of these development

plans. More immediate plans called for painting the wood interior of the lobby white – a plan that was immediately scrapped once it became public.

In the summer of 1999, Lowe Enterprises formally proposed a master plan that added a conference center, guest-room building, structured parking, a restored front porch and new main entrance. Under the plan, the Oxford Building would also be converted to guest rooms. Significantly, the plan proposed the demolition and removal of the industrial buildings including the power plant (1887), ice house (1889) and laundry (1910). A later iteration of the plan called for retaining the power plant but building a conference center on the site.

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The Laundry Building was built in 1910 and operated as a laundry facility until 2018. It was restored last year.

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COURTESY OF HOTEL DEL CORONADO

A rendering of the plans for the Power Plant, constructed in 1887. It will serve as a co-work lounge and meeting space. The Del's 1999 proposed master plan (below) includes a new entry.

Save our Heritage Organisation (SOHO) mobilized to oppose the plan and its destruction of historic resources with a “Save The Del” campaign. After some negotiation, a settlement agreement was reached that retained the power plant, the tunnel from the power plant to the hotel and the front façade of the ice house. Approved in May 2002, the plan called for the new conference center (with some guest rooms) to be built immediately adjacent to the power plant and converting the power plant into meeting space.

In 2003, the hotel was acquired

by KSL Resorts. The new owner completed the first phase of the 2002 Master Plan in 2007 with the addition of the Beach Village cottages and villas, a new spa and fitness center, new entry garden, street improvements along R.H. Dana Place and a new beachfront walkway. On the south side of the property, development of the new conference center was precluded by discovery of a fault zone running through the site.

An amended master plan was proposed and approved in 2008. It relocated the conference center away from the industrial buildings, preserving the laundry building, and also consolidated the approved guest rooms into one new building. In contrast to the 1997-2002 process, SOHO actively supported Hotel del Coronado throughout the amended master plan review process.

Implementation of the master

plan is now underway. In addition to retaining and restoring the power plant and the laundry, the hotel is also preserving the entire ice house. This original 1889 structure will be restored to serve as the Ice House Museum, showcasing the hotel’s storied past.

For more information on the upcoming changes, visit masterplan2022.hoteldel.com.

• Gina Petrone is heritage manager at Hotel del Coronado.

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A Novel Endeavor Finding San Diego’s Best Independent Bookstores My inner bookworm wriggled in delight with this assignment.

Readers, booksellers, bookcollectors, librarians are my people! To me, nothing feels better than an unhurried meander among thrillers, first editions, sci-fi, biographies and new fiction. I had no idea just how many cool and quirky independent book stores are hiding around town. Visit any of these establishments and you’ll return with a story to tell.

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A RO U N D TOW N | CH RIST INE VAN T U YL

C U R I O U S & FA N C I F U L F I N D S The artistic, eclectic and highly Instagram-able Verbatim Books, in the heart of North Park, is vast and beautiful yet whimsical and inviting. Lined with a well-curated collection of gently loved books, you’ll find quality editions of classics, favorites and titles from more than 200 local authors. Immensely browsable and engrossing, your biggest problem will be deciding which book to take home.

• Verbatim Books, 3793 30th St., San Diego (619) 501-7466, VerbatimBooks.com

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STO RY B O O K ENDINGS Everyone heaved a collective sigh of relief when we learned that Bay Books would remain in Coronado, reopening just a few doors down from its original location. From popular new titles to old-school classics, from indie favorites to military histories, Bay Books is known for its genius selection and handwritten reviews. Don’t miss the fantastic young adult and children’s book sections.

• Bay Books Coronado 1007 Orange Ave., (619) 435-0070 BayBooksCoronado.com

GO UNDERCOVER Tucked away in Ocean Beach under the shadow of a palm tree, you’ll find Run for Cover Bookstore, a cheery and delightful bookstore that seems to glow from the inside out. You’ll love this gem of a shop, curated to inspire and featuring a wide selection of books ranging from fiction, non-fiction, young adult and more. The shop features lots of human-interest stories and an engaging children’s section.

• Run for Cover Bookstore, 4912 Voltaire St., San Diego (619) 228-9497, RunforCoverBookstore.com

I N A G A L A X Y F A R , F A R A WAY… Sure, you’ll find lots of sci-fi at the Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore, but you’ll also find mystery, young adult, romance, fantasy, horror as well as graphic novels.

Dedicated to providing readers and collectors with a great selection of books, as well as the opportunity to meet many of the authors, the store has been impressing fiction readers since 1992. For the avid reader, they even offer a book subscription service with a monthly reading list and a staff selection.

• Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore 3555 Rosecrans St. No. 107, San Diego (619) 537-7137, MystGalaxy.com CROWNCITYMAGAZINE.COM

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A W I N S O M E C AT C H Sometimes you don’t know you need a book until you meet it face to face, hold it and thumb through its pages. At the plucky and well-appointed Book Catapult in South Park, you’ll find heaps of new books including literary fiction, short stories, and more.

The best part? The personal book reviews and recommendations tucked behind the covers. The space is cheerful and clever – just big enough to get lost in, but small enough to browse all the aisles.

La Playa Books, in Point Loma Village, is the quintessential neighborhood bookstore, selling used and out-of-print books along with a sprinkling of new titles. The store is bursting with literary treasures, including some rare books.

Virginia Woolf once said, “Second-hand books are wild books, homeless books…they have a charm which the domesticated volumes of the library lack.”

Visitors to Second Hand Prose, are sure to agree. A thrifty reader’s wonderland, the store is tucked behind the Coronado Public Library on D Avenue, just across from the high school and is run by Friends of the Coronado Public Library. It’s also a great place to donate gently used books to make room for new tales. All sales benefit literacy and cultural programs associated with Friends of the Library.

• La Playa Books, 1026 Rosecrans St., San Diego (619) 226-2601 LaPlayaBooks.com

• Second Hand Prose 640 Orange Ave., (entrance on D Avenue), (619) 435-1516

• The Book Catapult, 3010-B Juniper St., San Diego, (619) 795-3780 TheBookCatapult.com

FIRED UP The English term “bluestocking” was once a derogatory name, meaning a prudish, literary woman who wanted to engage in conversation with men. The term has evolved to mean a symbol of intellectual liberation and love of language. You’ll find lots to get your brain firing at Bluestocking Books in Hillcrest.

With an array of new and used books, lovers of literature, history and a good story won’t leave empty-handed.

• Bluestocking Books, 3817 Fifth Ave., San Diego, (619) 296-1424 BlueStockingBooks.com 48

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I T ’ S O N LY PRUDENT

TREASURE HUNT

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S PAC E S | K A R Y N F R A Z I E R + J E S S I C A N I C O L L S

Spring Cleaning

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leaning products and supplies are a necessary evil of daily life, but you don’t need to compromise style for cleanliness. Kitchen counters can become overloaded with dish soaps, hand soaps, scrub brushes, sponges and countertop sprays.

Pare down and make sure the items that stay on the counters are purposeful and aesthetically pleasing. We have gathered our favorite cleaning products and supplies for the kitchen and laundry rooms. They might even help make cleaning less of a chore.

• Karyn Frazier and Jessica Nicolls are the owners of

SAMANTHA GOH PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTOS

the interior design firm Bungalow 56.

▲ Easy on the eyes Pretty scrub brushes and dish towels are a must.

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C R OW N C I T Y M AG A Z I N E | M A R C H 2020

SAMANTHA GOH PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTOS

▲ Keep it bottled up A tray for your countertop spray and scrub brush creates a contained space for these items. There are quite a few lines that carry pretty bottles for counter spray, dish soap, hand soap and lotion that you will be excited to leave out on display. (Our favorite is the plant-based Murchinson-Hume.)

▲ Natural additions We like to add in a candle or room spray (our favorite is P.F. Candle Co. room spray) and some fresh branches or a plant. ▲

Basket case Baskets are our go-to for containing clutter. Store cleaning rags, extra cleaning supplies, and more in these multifunctional beauties. Target and Ikea have great-looking options. Laundry baskets don’t have to be ugly. A nice linen laundry basket can make the space feel less cluttered.

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Stew can be made with beef as well as lamb, a popular meat option in Ireland.

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St. Patrick’s Day

CLASSICS

Corned beef made from brisket is cured and slow-cooked. It's usually served with cabbage and potatoes.

Corned beef and stew traditional comfort food

By CLYDE VAN ARSDALL IV

I

n Ireland’s lake region of County Cavan, in the town of Virginia, Geoffrey Thomas Taylour, Lord Headfort, one of the richest men in all of Ireland, built a hunting lodge. The lodge has been many things over the past century, but when I lived and worked there as a chef in training in 1993 it was the Deer Park Lodge, a magnificent boutique hotel and restaurant.

This is where I discovered the wonderful food Ireland had to of-

fer. The Irish countryside provided an abundance of incredible produce, poultry and game while the lakes, rivers and ocean produced some of the best seafood I had ever tasted. The Irish also use their amazing resources to produce some of the world’s finest whiskeys and, of course, one of the most iconic beers in the world, Guinness. I learned many things while cooking in Ireland, but the most important was using fresh ingredients.

Now each year, I cook my two favorite Irish dishes on St. Patrick’s Day: Irish stew made with Guinness and corned beef and cabbage.

These are two of Ireland’s most iconic dishes for a reason; they are true comfort food. I use Saint Patrick’s Day to cook up a meal that evokes memories of my time living there. I also enjoy some Guinness (which isn’t nearly as good as the fresh version in Ireland), maybe a sip or two of Irish whiskey and CROWNCITYMAGAZINE.COM

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Soda bread can easily be made at home or check the local bakeries around St. Patrick's Day for availability.

tie everything together with the traditional Irish sounds of the Chieftains.

Comfort food has its origins in the home. Let me help you celebrate the day with dishes that you can make for your family and friends.

Corned beef is made from brisket, a relatively inexpensive cut of beef that goes through a long curing process using large grains of rock salt, or “corns” of salt, and brine. It’s then slowly cooked, turning a tough cut of beef into one that’s super tender and flavorful.

If you want to try curing your own brisket, it takes about 10 days 56

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and Alton Brown has a reliable recipe online. I seldom have the time to cure my own, so I purchase one that has been cured then slow cook it with the provided flavor packet. The key is to cook the brisket and let it cool completely in the refrigerator before slicing.

Once the corned beef is completely chilled slicing across the grain into thin pieces can be done without the brisket falling apart. The slices can be warmed in the oven or microwaved with the addition of some of the reserved cooking liquid.

This dish is typically served with steamed or boiled wedges of green cabbage and boiled potatoes. Both | MARCH 2020

can be cooked in the same liquid used to cook the brisket. I also like to provide several different mustards such as whole grain and Dijon.

My second favorite dish is Mulligan, or Irish, stew. It’s the quintessential comfort food as it is warm, hearty and designed to help get you through the damp, cold Irish weather. Traditionally, it is made with lamb, as is just about everything in Ireland, including burgers. The smell of cooking mutton (mature lamb) permeated every aspect of my life while I was there. Here at home, I use beef in my stew, as I got my fill of lamb while in Ireland.

Markets will sometimes have stew beef meat, which is the leftover trim from steaks. The quality of this varies, so I often just buy a few good steaks and cut them into bite-sized pieces. The traditional vegetables are potatoes, carrots, and onions, sometimes peas.

The key to a good stew is the tenderness of the ingredients. The meat should be almost falling apart. The stew should be cooked enough until some of the vegetables fall apart, which contributes to the thickening of the stew, while some remain intact and still have a bite to them. This can be accomplished by adding the vegetables in stages For the cooking liquid I use beef broth and Guinness, but you can use chicken stock and your favorite local stout or porter beer. The perfect accompaniment to stew is Irish soda bread. Look for it at Bread & Cie in Hillcrest. They sell a great version close to St. Patrick’s Day. Sláinte!

• Clyde Van Arsdall is executive chef and general manager of the Neiman Marcus Café.

Beef stew can be made without potatoes and then served with mashed potatoes on the side.

R E C I P E | C O U R T E SY O F C H E F C LY D E VA N A R S DA L L I V

Guinness Beef Stew 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided 3 pounds beef chuck roast, trimmed of excess fat and cut into bite-sized pieces Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper 1 large white or yellow onion, peeled and diced 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced ⅓ cup flour 1 (12 ounce) bottle Guinness beer 4 cups beef stock 3 large carrots, peeled and diagonally sliced into bite-sized pieces 1½ pounds Yukon gold potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces 3 tablespoons tomato paste 1 bay leaf ½ teaspoon dried thyme optional garnish: chopped fresh parsley

Deer Park Lodge Virginia, County Cavan Ireland 1993 1. Season beef with a few generous pinches of salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add half of beef to pan. Cook until seared, turning the beef every 30 to 45 seconds or so until all sides are browned. Remove beef with a slotted spoon, and transfer to a clean plate. Add an additional 1 tablespoon oil to the stockpot and repeat this process with the remaining half of the beef.

2. Add the onion to the stockpot (adding extra oil if needed, but usually there are leftover drippings/ oil from the beef) and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Stir in the flour until it has evenly coated the onions, and cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Gradually stir in the Guinness and use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of

the pan to loosen any of those yummy brown bits. Stir in the beef stock, carrots, potatoes, tomato paste, bay leaf, thyme and the cooked beef (along with any of its accumulated juices). Continue cooking until the stew reaches a simmer. Then cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer over low for 1½ hours, stirring occasionally, until the beef is tender, and the potatoes are soft.

3. Remove bay leaf and season with additional salt and pepper if needed.

4. Serve warm garnished with chopped parsley if desired Note: If you would like some of the potatoes and carrots to have a bite to them, just hold half back and add after the stew has been cooking for approximately 30 to 40 minutes. Another alternative is to omit the potatoes and instead serve stew over mashed potatoes.

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LESLIE CRAWFORD PHOTOS

T H E D I S H O N D I R T | B Y L E S L I E C R AW F O R D

Watch for dazzling violet trumpet vine (Clytostoma callistegiodes) in bloom.

Spring in the Garden

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ver the next few months our gardens will come alive again.

The days are getting longer, plants are waking up and the itch to get our hands in the dirt is real. Weeds will be out in force, so weeding should be a priority over these next few months to make sure good stuff doesn’t get choked out.

We’re getting ready for Home Front Judging (April 5, 6, and 7) and the Coronado Flower Show (April 18 and 19). Garden tours will be happening all over San Diego County, which always inspires and provides great ideas for your garden.

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Succulents are tough but many varieties can have beautiful, subtle coloring. | MARCH 2020

MARCH ✿ Fertilizing is a big focus this month. The rain we’ve had is a good thing, but a lot of nutrients get washed down into the depths of the soil. Nitrogen, especially, has been depleted. Consult with your favorite nursery about which fertilizers you should be using for your different plants. It’s important to feed plants, because they are getting ready for some major growth. Leafy greens need water and fertilizer, otherwise, lettuces will be tough and bitter. ✿ We are probably at the end of any significant rain. Make sure your irrigation is turned on, and make any repairs if needed if you haven’t already.

with different colors and sizes through April and May to have a summer’s worth of blooming beauties. ✿ Don’t forget to spruce up your yard for Coronado Floral Association’s yearly Home Front Judging.

APRIL April is National Gardening Month and the height of flower shows and garden tours in Southern California. Every year is different, depending on weather and rainfall, so flower shows never get boring. Remember, if you are entering growing plants in a show, clean detritus around the plant and clean off the outside of the pot, too. The judges pay attention to that kind of thing. ✿ Warmer weather means that garden pests are waking up, stretching and getting ready to

feast on all the fresh growth in your garden. Aphids are already starting to appear in my yard, so I’m blasting with water first, but if I see the problem getting out of hand, I will be a bit more aggressive with an insecticidal soap.

I keep a spray bottle of Safer handy to spot treat when needed. ✿ If you have plants with frost damage, it’s time to prune the dead foliage once you start seeing new growth. ✿ Prune spring flowering shrubs such as azaleas, camellias, forsythia and lilac when they finish blooming, because they bloom on year-old growth. ✿ Roses need about 1½ inches of water twice a week this month.

They are working hard with all the blooming that’s going on. ✿ Mulch a two-inch layer of organic matter around your annuals, perennials, trees and shrubs LESLIE CRAWFORD PHOTOS

✿ Houseplants need some TLC after being inside with windows closed and heaters on.

Dusty leaves and accumulated minerals in the soil can leave plants vulnerable to disease and pests. An easy way to refresh them is to put them in the shower and wash them down liberally to clean the leaves and flush the soil.

Then add some fresh soil as a top dressing. ✿ It’s time to plant sunflower seeds. Start seedlings mid-March for blooms around the Fourth of July. Since snails and slugs love to munch on the seedlings and will take them to the ground overnight, start them in a flat with seed starter soil and let them grow until they are about 5 to 6 inches tall before planting them in the ground. There are so many great varieties of sunflowers, so stagger your starts

New Zealand flax (Phormium tenax) sends up a delicate bloom stalk (left). Pink jasmine (Jasminum polyanthum) smells as good as it looks in bloom (right).

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to suppress weeds and hold in moisture. When the weather warms up it will also keep the roots cool. Mulching around roses is a great way to keep them evenly moist and help prevent fungus growth by reducing water splashing and spreading spores.

Note: Don’t mulch around warm season vegetables right now, because they really need the heat around their roots.

MAY ✿ The weather has warmed up enough to plant melons, squash, tomatoes, peppers, beans and eggplant. ✿ Epiphyllums are still blooming, so continue to cut off faded blossoms and mist frequently in hot weather, but don't overwater. A good rule of thumb is to water when the soil is dry down 1½ inches. ✿ Now that cymbidium orchids are done blooming, it is time to divide and repot if they are overcrowded. ✿ Prune and feed your camellias and azaleas with an acid fertilizer formulated for these plants. A good rule of thumb is to apply at half strength, feeding every six to eight weeks until the end of September. ✿ Caterpillars can be destructive, but keep in mind a lot of them will turn into butterflies.

I keep a bottle of BT (bacillus thuringiensis) handy to keep them under control. I watch my climbing roses for signs of an invasion, because this is where I usually see them first. ✿ Who doesn’t need more ladybugs in their garden? Ladybugs are aphid munchers. They are a bit pricey, but buy a little bucket of these beauties and invite your neighborhood kids over for the release. Priceless.

Happy spring!

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D I N I N G G U I D E | L O C A L R E S TA U R A N T S

CORONADO ALBACA Coronado Island Marriott Resort & Spa 2000 2nd St. (619) 435-3000 Amalo Brew Coffee Coronado Library 640 Orange Ave. (619) 537-9011 Avenue Liquor Wine & Subs 878 Orange Ave. (619) 435-4663

Café Madrid Coffee Cart 1029 Orange Ave. (619) 843-2524 Calypso Cafe 505 Grand Caribe Causeway (619) 423-5144 Central Liquor & Deli 178 Orange Ave. (619) 435-0118 Chez Loma 1132 Loma Ave. (619) 435-0661

Babcock & Story Bar Hotel del Coronado 1500 Orange Ave. (619) 435-6611

Clayton’s Bakery and Bistro 849 Orange Ave. (619) 319-5001

Bistro d’Asia 1301 Orange Ave. (619) 437-6677

Clayton’s Coffee Shop 979 Orange Ave. (619) 435-5425

Bluewater Grill 1701 Strand Way (619) 435-0155 Boardwalk Beach Club 1300 Orange Ave. (619) 522-0946 Boney’s Bayside Market 155 Orange Ave. (619) 435-0776 The Brigantine 1333 Orange Ave. (619) 435-4166 Bruegger’s Bagels 1305 Orange Ave. (619) 435-3900 Burger King Ferry Landing 1201 1st St. (619) 435-8707 Burger Lounge 922 Orange Ave. (619) 435-6835 Café 1134 1134 Orange Ave. (619) 437-1134 62

Clayton’s Mexican Takeout 1107 10th St. (619) 437-8811 Cold Stone Creamery Ferry Landing 1201 1st St. (619) 437-6919 Coronado Brewing Co. 170 Orange Ave. (619) 437-4452 Coronado Coffee Company Ferry Landing 1201 1st St. (619) 522-0217 Coronado Cupcakery Ferry Landing 1201 1st St. (619) 437-0166 Costa Azul Ferry Landing 1201 1st St. (619) 435-3525

CROWN CITY MAGAZINE

The grilled bacon and blistered shishito pepper burger at the Tavern.

Crown Bistro Crown City Inn 520 Orange Ave. (619) 435-3678 Crown Landing Loews Coronado Bay Resort 4000 Coronado Bay Road (619) 424-4000 Crown Room Hotel del Coronado 1500 Orange Ave. (619) 522-8490 Crown Town Deli Ferry Landing 1201 1st St. (619) 675-0013 Danny’s Palm Bar & Grill 965 Orange Ave. (619) 435-3171 Domino’s 1330 Orange Ave. (619) 437-4241 Eno Pizza Hotel del Coronado 1500 Orange Ave. (619) 522-8546 | MARCH 2020

Feast & Fareway 2000 Visalia Row (619) 996-3322 Garage Buona Forchetta 1000 C Ave. (619) 675-0079 Gelato Paradiso 918 Orange Ave. (619) 629-5343 High Tide Bottle Shop & Kitchen 933 Orange Ave. (619) 435-1380 Il Fornaio 1333 1st St. (619) 437-4911 Island Pasta 1202 Orange Ave. (619) 435-4545 Juice Crafters 943 Orange Ave. (619) 319-5931

Leroy’s Kitchen + Lounge 1015 Orange Ave. (619) 437-6087

Mindful Cafe Sharp Coronado Hospital 250 Prospect Ave. (619) 522-3600

Lil’ Piggy’s Bar-B-Q Ferry Landing 1201 1st St. (619) 522-0217

Mootime Creamery 1025 Orange Ave. (619) 435-2422

Little Club 132 Orange Ave. (619) 435-5885

Nado Gelato Cafe 1017 C Ave. (619) 522-9053

Little Frenchie 1166 Orange Ave. (619) 675-0041

Nado Republic 1007 C Ave. (619) 996-3271

Lobster West 1033 B Ave. #102 (619) 675-0002 Mexican Village 126 Orange Ave. (619) 319-5955

KFC/Taco Bell 100 B Ave. (619) 435-2055

McP's Irish Pub 1107 Orange Ave. (619) 435-5280

La Salsa 1360 Orange Ave. (619) 435-7778

Miguel’s Cocina 1351 Orange Ave. (619) 437-4237

Nicky Rotten’s Bar & Burger Joint 100 Orange Ave. (619) 537-0280 Night & Day Cafe 847 Orange Ave. (619) 435-9776 Panera 980 Orange Ave. (619) 437-4288 Park Place Liquor & Deli 1000 Park Place (619) 435-0116

Peohe’s Ferry Landing 1201 1st St. (619) 437-4474 Poke123 1009 Orange Ave. (571) 221-4649

The Henry 1031 Orange Ave. (619) 762-1022 Tent City 1100 Orange Ave. (619) 435-4611

Primavera 932 Orange Ave. (619) 435-0454

Villa Nueva Bakery Café 956 Orange Ave. (619) 435-1256

Rosemary Trattoria 120 Orange Ave. (619) 537-0054

Village Pizzeria 1206 Orange Ave. (619) 522-0449

Saiko Sushi 116 Orange Ave. (619) 435-0868

Village Pizzeria Bayside Ferry Landing 1201 1st St. (619) 437-0650

Serea Coastal Cuisine Hotel del Coronado 1500 Ocean Ave. (619) 435-6611 Sheerwater Hotel del Coronado 1500 Ocean Ave. (619) 522-8490 Spiro’s Greek Cafe Ferry Landing 1201 1st St. (619) 435-1225 Starbucks 960 Orange Ave. (619) 437-8306 Stake Chophouse & Bar 1309 Orange Ave. (619) 522-0077

Which Wich 926 Orange Ave. (619) 522-9424 Wine a Bit 928 Orange Ave. (619) 365-4953 Yogurt Escape 942 Orange Ave. (619) 435-9700 Yummy Sushi 1330 Orange Ave. (619) 435-2771

CATERING BBQ Boss (619) 432-2677 Clyde Van Arsdall Neiman Marcus (619) 542-4451

Subway 1330 Orange Ave. (619) 435-8272

Chef Drew McPartlin (619) 990-9201

Swaddee Thai 1001 C Ave. (619) 435-8110

Coronado Caterer (619) 917-3392

Tartine 1106 1st St. (619) 435-4323 Tavern 1310 Orange Ave. (619) 437-0611

DiCristo Meals (858) 267-7161 Pret Gourmet (619) 990-2461 Scratch Gourmet (619) 987-4912 CROWNCITYMAGAZINE.COM

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CROWN CITY MAGAZINE

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