Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

New generations in Serra Mesa

Serra Mesa - Image by Salvatore Filippone
Serra Mesa

That first southbound walk home from Wegeforth Elementary, back in '68, was long and hot, each shadow on Mobley Street a refuge. For a transplanted fourth-grader, it was an arduous half-mile trek. These days, I never break a sweat on the drive back to my family home. I do slow down — children on bicycles remain common, though they wear plastic helmets now and the bikes cost more than several decades of inflation could account for. A bicycle was indispensable when I was growing up. Although the neighborhood may be nothing more than a canyon-locked mesa to an adult in a car, to an adolescent on a ten-speed it was a kingdom.

Seen from the air, Mobley traverses a peninsula jutting into the canyons. Side streets branch off here and there, following the lay of the land. It's a topography that repeats itself throughout Serra Mesa. Outsiders easily get lost, as many streets lead nowhere unless you live on them.

Sponsored
Sponsored

The intersection of Mobley and Gramercy Drive always seemed to me the heart of Serra Mesa. Coming north from my house, the traffic light there was the gateway to everywhere else. To the east, it was a short ride down and up a deep dip that took me to Taft Junior High. Beyond that, Gramercy becomes Mission Village Drive, which plunges downward to Qualcomm Stadium. Across from Taft, a fenced-off lot once held a Safeway, a bar, and a Thrifty drugstore, where ice cream was five cents a scoop well into the '70s.

If you head north through that traffic light, Mobley becomes Hammond Drive, a downhill curve that straightens after the next light and becomes Murray Ridge Road. Continuing on Murray Ridge you'll pass the new townhomes which replaced the original military housing that started the development back in the 1950s. In the '70s, I found it easier to coast my bike down the alley that runs parallel to Murray Ridge, a secret route to a friend's back yard where comic book swapping was the order of the day. Murray Ridge takes you over the 805 (where it becomes Phyllis Drive) and into the western reaches of Serra Mesa, which extends to the 163.

On the other hand, if you stand at that traffic light and turn south to face Mobley, you'll be looking at the essence of Serra Mesa. This is where the suburbs begin. Mobley runs almost straight south from this point, lined by tall trees and telephone lines, until it descends out of view to its final cul-de-sac a mile or so down. It's a tranquil place, far enough from the freeways that their rumble is reduced to a hum that does nothing to drown out birdsong. Twenty-five years ago, before dawn, you could hear signal bells from a railroad crossing to the west. Returning home, as I do, I get the feeling that little has changed, beyond the growth of the trees and the birth of new generations.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

SDSU pres gets highest pay raise in state over last 15 years

Union-Tribune still stiffing downtown San Diego landlord?
Next Article

San Diego's Uptown Planners challenged by renters from Vibrant Uptown

Two La Jolla planning groups fight for predominance
Serra Mesa - Image by Salvatore Filippone
Serra Mesa

That first southbound walk home from Wegeforth Elementary, back in '68, was long and hot, each shadow on Mobley Street a refuge. For a transplanted fourth-grader, it was an arduous half-mile trek. These days, I never break a sweat on the drive back to my family home. I do slow down — children on bicycles remain common, though they wear plastic helmets now and the bikes cost more than several decades of inflation could account for. A bicycle was indispensable when I was growing up. Although the neighborhood may be nothing more than a canyon-locked mesa to an adult in a car, to an adolescent on a ten-speed it was a kingdom.

Seen from the air, Mobley traverses a peninsula jutting into the canyons. Side streets branch off here and there, following the lay of the land. It's a topography that repeats itself throughout Serra Mesa. Outsiders easily get lost, as many streets lead nowhere unless you live on them.

Sponsored
Sponsored

The intersection of Mobley and Gramercy Drive always seemed to me the heart of Serra Mesa. Coming north from my house, the traffic light there was the gateway to everywhere else. To the east, it was a short ride down and up a deep dip that took me to Taft Junior High. Beyond that, Gramercy becomes Mission Village Drive, which plunges downward to Qualcomm Stadium. Across from Taft, a fenced-off lot once held a Safeway, a bar, and a Thrifty drugstore, where ice cream was five cents a scoop well into the '70s.

If you head north through that traffic light, Mobley becomes Hammond Drive, a downhill curve that straightens after the next light and becomes Murray Ridge Road. Continuing on Murray Ridge you'll pass the new townhomes which replaced the original military housing that started the development back in the 1950s. In the '70s, I found it easier to coast my bike down the alley that runs parallel to Murray Ridge, a secret route to a friend's back yard where comic book swapping was the order of the day. Murray Ridge takes you over the 805 (where it becomes Phyllis Drive) and into the western reaches of Serra Mesa, which extends to the 163.

On the other hand, if you stand at that traffic light and turn south to face Mobley, you'll be looking at the essence of Serra Mesa. This is where the suburbs begin. Mobley runs almost straight south from this point, lined by tall trees and telephone lines, until it descends out of view to its final cul-de-sac a mile or so down. It's a tranquil place, far enough from the freeways that their rumble is reduced to a hum that does nothing to drown out birdsong. Twenty-five years ago, before dawn, you could hear signal bells from a railroad crossing to the west. Returning home, as I do, I get the feeling that little has changed, beyond the growth of the trees and the birth of new generations.

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

March is typically windy, Sage scents in the foothills

Butterflies may cross the county
Next Article

Reader 1st place writing contest winner gets kudos

2nd place winner not so much
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.