The Downtown Report: Mid-May Edition

By Mike Ritto on May 16, 2022

Walk on, bike on

But don’t drive on. That’s the situation with the continuing saga of Walk On Wilshire. We pointed out the changes in our last issue on pages 6 and 20, and since then a meeting was held regarding the changes made on Wednesday, May 11 and since that meeting the barricades have been reconfigured and many new signs have been posted.

Why all the sign photos? Seems a lot of bike enthusiasts are not sure how to navigate the latest moves, which include opening up the crossing from one side of West Wilshire to the other.

While there for a few minutes, a few bicyclists and pedestrians seem to have had no issue getting through this part of Bike Boulevard. Maybe the new signs are helping or maybe enough riders have been through here to get the hang of it. It’s a work in progress, with local business owners hoping for a different look than the temporary orange barriers.

Camp Hillcrest

Many of you grew up going to this fantastic park, so we don’t need to tell you that kids love it, and they are about to love it even more. Camp Hillcrest begins on Monday, June 6 and runs all the way to July 29. In addition to fun at the park, there are excursions to Aquarium of the Pacific, Camelot Golfland, Santa Ana Zoo, Knott’s Soak City, Big Air Trampoline Park, Medieval Times, Discovery Cube, and Knott’s Berry Farm. What a great lineup. Registration began on May 2 so if you are interested you can do so in person at the Hillcrest Park Recreation Center, downstairs at 1155 N. Lemon Street or, of course, you can just call (714) 738-6575 or check the city of Fullerton Website and search Camp Hillcrest. http://www.cityoffullerton.com.

H2O No!

No secret, we all have to conserve water big time. And as one would expect, the many eating establishments downtown are big water users. There was a time when most took the rubber mats from prep areas and behind bars outside and blasted them with a good dose of water and whatever cleaning solution they chose. That no longer hap- pens. Some use a service that picks up the mats and replaces them with clean ones, doing the dirty work elsewhere in a much more efficient way. Some use a different method. Also, no longer will you see power washing with the water draining into the swales and then off to the ocean. Some of this has been covered here in the past, but worth mentioning with some dire water days ahead. Not drinking that glass of water when eating out? Don’t ask for it. Even though many of the things we can and must do are small, we all need to do our best to cut our usage 35% and not just in our downtown, of course.

Don’t be surprised if you see brown lawns coming into vogue again as outdoor watering is restricted. Unwashed cars will be common again as well. If you want to make sure you are doing your part, log onto http://www.mywaterpledge.com and to find out about community events, education programs, and public art projects dedicated to protecting our oceans, waterways, and marine life go to http://www.wylandfoundation.org.

Changes in Town

Looks like Pickled Monk is giving way to a new restaurant, Pour Vida Tortillas and Taps at 101 N Harbor. Up the street on Amerige, Hope House is getting close to groundbreaking just east of Pomona. We told you about the new camera store at 809 North Harbor and wow, they moved fast. Image One is already open for business.