La Jolla Village News, June 16th, 2011

Page 1

VILLAGE NEWS

Scott Appleby & Kerry ApplebyPayne

LA JOLLA

A Family Tradition of Real Estate Success

858-775-2014

LA JOLLA’S PREFERRED SOURCE FOR LOCAL NEWS

THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2011

San Diego Community Newspaper Group

DRE#01197544 DRE#01071814

www.SDNEWS.com Volume 16, Number 38

This photo, taken on June 10 by reporter Mariko Lamb, shows the street view of the next “Real World” house.

For better or for worse...

k c o R d r i B o t g n i m o c d l r Real Wo La Jolla’s ‘SuperDads’

Larry Michaels spends the days with his 8-year-old daughter, Mia, while Photo courtesy of Larry Michaels his wife works long hours at Qualcomm.

Above: This photo, from www.realworldhouses.com (via Willis Allen Real Estate's website), shows the exterior of the beachfront property at located at 5212 Chelsea St.

BY MARIKO LAMB | VILLAGE NEWS Sources have confirmed that the MTV reality television program “The Real World” will be filming in and around the 6,845-square-foot, $3.5 million home located at 5212 Chelsea St. in Bird Rock. According to www.realworldhouses.com, the entire beachfront property, which totals 9,800 square feet, contains a house with five bedrooms and six and a half bathrooms, a private, below-ground pool and spa, and ocean views from every floor. Residents confirmed the site has been under construction for several weeks to prepare the cast members’ future home. There are mixed sentiments about the development, especially from residents of By KENDRA HARTMANN

the quiet, family-friendly neighborhood of Bird Rock. Tom Patton learned while visiting his parents who have lived in the neighborhood for 40 years. “I don’t think they’d be very happy,” he said. “My dad gets a little consternated about any of the goings-on in the neighborhood. He’s retired and he likes to be in a nice, quiet neighborhood,” Patton said of his father, Stuart Patton, a retired UC San Diego professor. “There’s a place for TV and movies. I don’t think this would be the place for that,” he said. “If you’ve looked around, you can see why they’ve picked this neighborhood. They’ll just have to live with it. I mean, they won’t be here forever.”

Another neighbor, who wished to remain anonymous, said curious onlookers and members of the production and construction teams have already increased traffic and more police officers have been patrolling the neighborhood. “I mean, it’s a public street. Park wherever you want. But it’s common courtesy that you don’t park every day in front of someone’s house until 10 o’clock at night,” he said of two vehicles that have parked in front of his neighbor’s home every day for the last several weeks. “Hopefully, they get in and get it done, and by the time that people catch wind of it, it’ll be done,” he said. “They’ve got to go someplace I guess, but I’ll be glad when SEE REAL WORLD, Page 4

WOR D ON TH E STR E ET

“What’s your reaction to the news that ‘The Real World’ will soon begin filming at a home in Bird Rock?”

While the project is potentially a problem for some neighbors, we're also trying to let folks know that we have many services in Bird Rock that can be used during this time, and that the use of those services could be good for the neighborhood. That said, we're addressing all the concerns of residents in the area."

Joe Parker President, Bird Rock Community Council

It's hard to judge prior [to filming] if it's negative or not. There's the possibility of nationwide attention for our businesses, so that's a positive, but I can understand how residents would not be happy since this filming will Sara Melaten be in the middle of their milPacific Beach resident, lion-dollar homes."

I'm addicted to reality TV, so I'll probably watch it. But the Bird Rock residents have been here forever and this is a protected area, so they're not going to be too happy."

There could be some negatives, but it could also draw some nice attention to the businesses in the area. It all depends on how things are portrayed. We shouldn't assume it will be a bad thing."

Chuck Patton Owner, Bird Rock Coffee Roasters

Bird Rock dog-walker

Ben Murphy

I wouldn't do anything about it unless I were disturbed at all hours of the night. If at any point it steps on my toes, that's when I would say something."

Sylvia Schecter Pacific Beach resident, regular La Jolla visitor

Paying tribute to local fathers BY KENDRA HARTMANN AND CLAIRE HARLIN | VILLAGE NEWS With mothers often getting recognition for their well-deserved contributions to family life, fathers sometimes get overlooked. Some dads work hard outside the home to provide for their families. Others play less traditional roles. And for some, being a dad is a full-time job in itself. Here are the stories of just a couple of La Jolla fathers who go to great lengths for their families every day.

LARRY MICHAELS Larry Michaels used to work for Qualcomm in the marketing department. That was before he followed his dream to be a chef — and before he and his wife, who also works for Qualcomm, had their daughter, Mia. Now, Michaels’ day consists of getting Mia ready for school, shuttling her to various extracurricular activities, volunteering at her school and cooking for his family. In between, he puts time into his own business, My Five Star Chef — planning private catering events for anywhere from four to 75 people — and balancing responsibilities as 8-year-old Mia’s primary caretaker. “I just sort of fell into this role,” Michaels said. “I find that it comes pretty easy for me.” Michaels, who generally works nights and weekends, said the biggest challenge in a typical day is finding the time to develop his professional life in between school bells. “I haven’t solved the dilemma of finding part-time work during school hours,” he said. Mia, meanwhile, gets to be spoiled in the culinary department. Instead of frozen waffles for her friends after sleepovers, they get homemade crepes. For Michaels, however, the rewards come with the long-term effects of having his daughter grow up in his care. He’s lucky, he said, that his wife has been able to do the “heavy financial lifting,” while he gets to spend time with Mia. “It’s amazing being able to spend time with [Mia],” he said. “We have a unique relationship, and she’s turning out great. I’ll take some credit for that, and give some to my wife.” As far as playing a non-traditional family role, Michaels said he got over the stigma that stay-at-home dads sometimes get a long time ago. It was harder when Mia was younger, he said, especially when the only community activities for stay-at-home parents and their children were usually preceded by the moniker

Owner, Bird Rock Surf Shop

SEE DADS, Page 2


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