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

North Bark

Call me crazy, but it seems San Diego is becoming more dog-friendly than kid-friendly. I have never seen so many stores dedicated to the spoiling of one's pooch in my twenty-four years of life. You do not have to venture far from home before you come across a dog grooming business, or a dog clothing boutique, or even a dog motel.

This didn't really bother me until recently. I do not have a car and I avoid public transportation like the plague, because toddlers and the bus do not mix well. And also because everyone on the bus avoids each other like the plague, which can damage one's self-esteem. So I usually walk to do my errands around North Park. The other day, I set out in search of a children's clothing/toy store. I figured I would come across at least one or the other. There are families all over North Park and the surrounding districts; such as, City Heights, Normal Heights, South Park, and I know I have seen at least a few in Hillcrest. Well, after walking along University Ave from 35th Street to Park Blvd, I had come across no children's clothing stores and no children's toy stores. Not a single one. The Salvation Army Thrift Store, Walgreens, and CVS are the only stores on this stretch of University that have at least a small collection of toys or clothing suitable for children. But guess what I did find? PLENTY of businesses selling dog clothes, dog toys, and dog haircuts. Now, I know that Hillcrest is right next door to North Park and the majority of gays do not have children. They do have dogs though. I understand why the dog stores exist. But not even one children's store? My daughter enjoys walking (part of the way) with me around the neighborhood. She likes to wave to all the dogs while they get their nails done and gossip with each other. But it would be nice if we could walk to a toy store every once in a while so she can pick out a new toy, preferably not a chew toy... San Diego seems like a good place to raise...dogs? I like North Park, but it is becoming less and less of a kid-friendly neighborhood. The coffee shops, the bars, the adult boutiques, and the dog stores have left little room for parks, recreation facilities, and stores for me to spoil my cute daughter in. The rent is more affordable in North Park than in most of the more kid-friendly neighborhoods. But I am starting to debate a move, even if I do not know how I will afford it. I love dogs, but I love children more. The ridiculous amount of dog stores on that stretch of Universtity Ave, and the complete absence of any children's store made me question what North Park has to offer to single-parents of small children.

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

Previous article

Flowering pear trees in Kensington not that nice

Empty dirt plots in front of Ken Cinema
Next Article

Flowering pear trees in Kensington not that nice

Empty dirt plots in front of Ken Cinema

Call me crazy, but it seems San Diego is becoming more dog-friendly than kid-friendly. I have never seen so many stores dedicated to the spoiling of one's pooch in my twenty-four years of life. You do not have to venture far from home before you come across a dog grooming business, or a dog clothing boutique, or even a dog motel.

This didn't really bother me until recently. I do not have a car and I avoid public transportation like the plague, because toddlers and the bus do not mix well. And also because everyone on the bus avoids each other like the plague, which can damage one's self-esteem. So I usually walk to do my errands around North Park. The other day, I set out in search of a children's clothing/toy store. I figured I would come across at least one or the other. There are families all over North Park and the surrounding districts; such as, City Heights, Normal Heights, South Park, and I know I have seen at least a few in Hillcrest. Well, after walking along University Ave from 35th Street to Park Blvd, I had come across no children's clothing stores and no children's toy stores. Not a single one. The Salvation Army Thrift Store, Walgreens, and CVS are the only stores on this stretch of University that have at least a small collection of toys or clothing suitable for children. But guess what I did find? PLENTY of businesses selling dog clothes, dog toys, and dog haircuts. Now, I know that Hillcrest is right next door to North Park and the majority of gays do not have children. They do have dogs though. I understand why the dog stores exist. But not even one children's store? My daughter enjoys walking (part of the way) with me around the neighborhood. She likes to wave to all the dogs while they get their nails done and gossip with each other. But it would be nice if we could walk to a toy store every once in a while so she can pick out a new toy, preferably not a chew toy... San Diego seems like a good place to raise...dogs? I like North Park, but it is becoming less and less of a kid-friendly neighborhood. The coffee shops, the bars, the adult boutiques, and the dog stores have left little room for parks, recreation facilities, and stores for me to spoil my cute daughter in. The rent is more affordable in North Park than in most of the more kid-friendly neighborhoods. But I am starting to debate a move, even if I do not know how I will afford it. I love dogs, but I love children more. The ridiculous amount of dog stores on that stretch of Universtity Ave, and the complete absence of any children's store made me question what North Park has to offer to single-parents of small children.

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