State of the Blogger Address

I can’t believe a month has come and gone since I finished walking for SPBXB. I have to admit that I was totally burned out at the end and needed to decompress. Consider me no longer compressed. So what have I been doing this month? Buying in San Pedro, for one. I’ve actually come up with a new slogan. Buy In Town, Every B.I.T. helps. B.I.T, Buy In Town…Get it? Maybe it needs a visual.

I’ve also been working on a little something else. It’s a walking tour of downtown called “The San Pedro Hollywood and History Tour”. I’m not ready to go public with it yet, and by public I mean non-spbxb readers. I’d like to take some practice runs, so I’m hoping some of you nice people will want to take an hour long stroll downtown with me. The tours will take place on weekends after the holiday. If you’re interested, send me an email because I’m limiting the tours to 10 people each. I will send out an official call for tourists in the next couple of days.

So what else is new? I miss San Pedro, guys. That sounds funny, doesn’t it? But I do. I miss exploring. So my next big project is to just keep exploring. I know, too simple. I’m gonna go inside buildings, visit museums, eavesdrop on conversations….whatever I gotta do to find that next story. Of course, it won’t be 5 posts a day, but we gotta keep on keepin on. San Pedro stories, I want some. Do you have a story to share? Let me know and I will come check it out. Do you want to invite me over and share some cool historic family photos with me (and spbxb)? I’ll bring cookies. I’m building a case against San Pedro and when I’m done, I know we will be found guilty of being AWESOME.

San Pedro: Beyond the Block. Let’s do this.

1 2 3 Red Light!

It looked like it was going to be clear long enough for me to take a walk this morning. I drive the 7 blocks to the Averill Park area and it starts up again. Ugh! This is really starting to affect my sanity…so I’m going to break free. I’m heading to the library for SPBXB’s first ever FIELD TRIP FRIDAY!! I haven’t been below Walker all week, so I’m a little scared as to what I will find. Check back in a few…

Blame it on the rain

Please excuse the ‘rain delay’ for the past two days. While I wasn’t nearly as affected as our neighbors on 4th and Grand, I was having a bit of a soggy situation of my own. I promised you some dreamy Vista del Oro houses and I plan on making good on it. I hope you’ve all had a chance to batten down your hatches and are inside, warm, cozzy and dry. Let’s get this thing started back up again.

Smooth Criminal

We’re not at the high school, but we are within the safe school zone. If I were commiting a crime, I would be subject to increased penalties for doing it within the safe school zone. Good thing I’m not, right?! The reason I bring it up is because I had a little run in with a concerned woman walking her dogs on Leland. I had passed the lady back down the street, but I guess she had followed me. I was taking a picture of these really cute houses when she caught up to me and asked me why I was taking pictures. She had some kind of accent, maybe european. I told her they were for my website, I was afraid she wouldn’t know what a blog was. I walked towards her so I could answer any other questions she had and she just said “that no legal”. I assured her it was. But she wasn’t going to understand me, whatever explanation I gave.

I figured its time to reassure people that what I’m doing is completely legal. As long as I stay on the sidewalk, I can pretty much snap pictures to my hearts content. But I’m definitely not going to be a jerk about it. If I’m taking a picture of your house and you ask me not to, I won’t. I am first and foremost your neighbor. I might be a little grumpy about it if you scream at me (no one likes being yelled at), but I will oblige you. Even if you see a picture I already posted, if you have a good reason to want me to take it down, I will. I don’t like taking pictures of kids near their homes. They’re usually in school when I walk, but still. My first rule is to always be respectful and safe. I mean, one of my nightmares would be if someone caught someone cheating via one of my pictures and they blamed me for it. Its far fetched, but totally possible (I’ve come up with a ton of scenarios). I never take pictures to be malicious and I am definitely not casing your neighborhood to rob it. So sleep safely tonight knowing that. I know I have more run ins to look forward to, but I also hope more people discover who I am and what I’m doing, so if you could spread the word – that would be great.

I joked with my friend Michale that I was the Pedro Paparazzi, except I’m not waiting outside Crimsin hoping to get a crotch shot. haha. Anyway, I’m glad we had this talk.

The Rules

• I will be equipped with a pedometer, a camera, some flyers and pepper spray.
• If you see me walking around your neighborhood, please say hi. I also welcome guest walkers who would like to serve as neighborhood ambassadors.
• I will take pictures, not all will be posted.
• I will try my hardest to respect the privacy of my neighbors and not post house numbers, faces, or license plates without permission. If you aren’t around for me to ask permission I will leave a flyer with my contact info.
• My main rule on SPBXB will always be the Golden Rule. I’m not here to make fun of people, unless you’re a Trojan fan. I’M ONLY KIDDING.
• Which brings me to my next point, I think I’m funny. You, however, may not share my sense of humor. I always welcome your input and suggestions on how to make SPBXB better.

 

I have a feeling we’ll all be old friends soon. Until next time, I’m just up the street.

Welcome!

San Pedro: Block by Block (SPBXB) is both a blog and a promise: Everyday. Touch my feet to each street. Block by block. Sole to soul. 

Why? Two reasons. The first is a little involved while the second is more of a bonus. My main reason to start SPBXB is to really get to know my hometown. Every San Pedran, no matter your “True”-ness, has an ongoing love affair with our Port Town. We wear our pride on our backs, cars, smoke stacks, bridges and many have it inked into our skin. We rep San Pedro so hard, it’s a designer label.

I’m ready to take my relationship to the next level and put a ring on it. I’m going to walk a ring around every block in San Pedro. From the north side at Five-Points all the way down to the end of Paseo del Mar. One chunk a day until I can raise a bottle of water in celebration at the end of the Cabrillo Beach Pier. The plan is to walk at least 30 minutes a day, discovering all the ins and outs that make San Pedro special and post my findings here. This journey is bound to be an expedition (this is where the second reason comes in). Besides the mental bonus of all the new things I will learn, I’ll be getting some much needed exercise – we have some killer hills in this town! I’m really anxious to get started, just imagine the things you miss zooming by at the speed of life. Check back often to see what you’re missing.