Posted by We were sitting in our hotel room in downtown San Diego, having just gotten back from enjoying the iconic La Jolla neighborhood and beaches. It was still mid afternoon, and we were tossing around what we could do for the rest of the evening. We had been to the amazing Zoo the day before, and the next day we were slated to visit the museums in Balboa Park.
“Wanna go to the cat store?” I said it knowing that we had planned to visit the next day, but since we had some time, I suggested we go that night. My wife, a self-proclaimed cat lady (who has slowly turned me into a guy who buys “cat dad” stickers), raised her eyebrows and lit up at the suggestion.
“You mean Purrgatory?” I said yes. Given the fact that they closed in about an hour, we swiftly scheduled an Uber and off we went.
Amanda and I are really good at identifying and visiting great neighborhoods when we travel. And while we wanted to check out Purrgatory (who doesn’t love that name?) as a place we wanted to visit, we kind of whiffed on realizing that North Park, the neighborhood it was in, was really something special.
Purrgatory was great. The incredibly tiny shop (I love small retail!) was stacked with anything from cat stickers, to toys, treats, posters, bags and cards. And so much more. We had to make several laps around the micro-shop just to make sure we saw at all.
After purchasing over $60 of stuff (hey, we were inspired OK?) the young lady behind the counter pointed us to a couple of other shops a few blocks to the North. They were near another fun looking place I had identified on Google Maps, Verbatim Books.
Verbatim did not disappoint. With an incredible collection of used books of all genres and a super eclectic interior, we spent a good deal of time just wandering.
As the sun began to set, we walked across the street to one of the places the woman at Purrgatory recommended.
Pigment was amazing. The incredibly thoughtful and intentional design and array of merchandise was, for lack of a better word, perfect. Think plant store meets boutique meets totally random but delightfully appropriate gift shop. They even had a make your own succulent arrangement wall, which was such an attractive idea. We were blown away.
Next we popped into Artlexia, a colorful Mexican gift shop that surprised around every corner. We only had a few minutes before closing, but we absolutely loved it!
When we stepped back on the street, the weather had taken a turn for the worst. A misty rain and a persistent chill coated the evening. But that didn’t stop the farmers market that was in full swing outside. Vendors bundling up to stay dry, and patrons perusing the selections with rain jackets and umbrellas… there was a very raw but real feel to the night, and it sort of exemplified what we had seen of the neighborhood.
Sometimes I just write about what I see. And what I saw from this neighborhood reminded me of that diverse, beatnik community that just started to catch fire again not so many years ago in every city USA. Of course, when this happens, there are often consequences of gentrification, but I didn’t get a sense that this was strictly a place for uppity white people. Maybe I’m wrong. But it felt like a classic Rust Belt city neighborhood in a place where everyone was welcome that happened to be on the West Coast.
And I think it’s important to address this. Having never been to the West Coast, it was nice to find a community that felt a lot like home on the other side of the country. Even when cities are thousands of miles apart, vibrancy, creativity and the small business spirit looks about the same.
North Park in San Diego was a delightful surprise that held our attention on a cold, wet evening that wasn’t exactly the weather we were expecting. It was one of the nicest revelations of our trip, and I look forward to visiting again in the future.