Clairemont Christmas Lights
Season Greetings To Clairemont Christmas Park
By Bill Swank
I carried a large, black garbage bag into Fairlane Cleaners on Clairemont Mesa Boulevard and the proprietor, Sarah Na, laughed. She asked, "Is it already that time...
Clairemont Little League Jock-and-Cup Stories
In the 1960s, my neighbor's 10-year-old son, Joey Schickler, was a catcher for one of the Balboa Little League teams. He was a nice kid, but not much of a ballplayer. His younger brother,...
How did Clairemont streets get their names?
By Bill Swank
In my January 2016 column, I mistakenly wrote that Burgener Boulevard was named after former U.S. Representative Clair Burgener. Thanks to eagle-eyed readers Adam Chimowicz and Jim Richardson, who each caught the...
Where is Bay Park?
Where is Bay Park? Waldo won’t be much help for you on this one.
An 1887 map filed with the San Diego County Recorder by the Morena Company shows numerous blocks, lots and streets east...
Tecolote Canyon – Part 1
By Bill Swank
The Kumeyaay people lived at the mouth of Tecolote Canyon for over 2,500 years. The name Tecolote Canyon appeared in 1845 on the first pueblo map of San Diego. By 1872, the San...
The Clairemont Bowl: Where the Action Is
It is estimated that 25% of Americans bowl, so why did they tear down the Clairemont Bowl in 2005?
When it opened in 1957, the Bowl was the most popular social and entertainment destination in Clairemont....
Clairemont’s Greatest Pickup Bar
Middle-aged and overweight, Shelley Winters, a blonde bombshell in her prime, was asked her opinion of pornography and famously answered; "I think nudity on the stage is disgusting, shameful and unpatriotic. But, if I...
House Arrest in Clairemont (2020)
These are perilous times. Although the younger generation is physically and financially threatened by the corona virus, they still have to venture into the world to carry on with their lives and to help...
Clairemont, 1954
Optimism on New Year’s Eve is a time-honored tradition. Optimism and opportunity are vital elements of our American dream and folklore.
Martin Ridge was my history professor at San Diego State College. In 1949, Ridge and...
Clairemont’s Long Forgotten Little League Ballfields
Although Jim Bouton won 21 games for the 1963 New York Yankees, he is better known as the controversial author of the tell-all baseball classic, Ball Four. John Thorn, the official historian for Major League...