San Diego, CA
Fellow readers, you know the feeling when you finish a book and you don’t have one immediately on deck? I just finished The Wedding People on my Kindle, and downloaded my next read, but it didn’t appear in my library. I was feeling slightly panicky. Kari to the rescue – it seems you have to be on wifi to download a new book. I’m still new to the Kindle, but crisis avoided today.
Heads up: most of this post will be all about my visit to the San Diego Central Library.
When you enter the library, you’ll see a display for Earth Day. I like that this display is a mix of adult, young adult, middle grade, and picture books to celebrate Earth Day.
Mei greeted me in the children’s section and gave me a quick tour. (By the way, when you introduce yourself as a retired librarian, you make an instant friend and the information starts to flow.) The most impressive part of this collection is the long wall of books in different languages – Tagalog, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish, to name a few.
Just outside the children’s section is the I Can! Center, where patrons with vision and hearing challenges can use magnified computer screens and machines that convert sound to text. The shelves are filled with large print books. The librarian on duty, Richard, also pointed out that the Dr. Seuss themed windows and murals are seen only in one other library in the country – in Springfield, MA (Pat’s hometown and birthplace of Dr. Seuss).
Up to the 9th floor – yes, this library has 9 floors. (Two of them are unavailable since they are used for a charter school.) The elevator opens to a large outdoor space with tables and chairs overlooking San Diego. A door leads to the Special Collection, where patrons and staff still use a card catalog. Inside this space is another open door to the Rare Books Collection – and wow! What caught my eye was a display of stamps from all over the world which were donated by San Diego native Ruth Cushman. Ruth collected over 7000 stamps. The Jane Austen display commemorates the 250th anniversary of her birth with rare books and letters. And then I saw the small book collection in a display case. These tiny books were also donated by a San Diego native, who collected over 1000 small books in her lifetime. There is a display of fore edge book art, where the unbound edges of old books have paintings on them that are revealed when you fan the pages. Another card catalog back in the Special Collection room contains memorabilia in each drawer. What a clever use of this old piece of library furniture.
The 6th floor is Art, Music, and Recreation, and a table covered with drawing paper caught my eye – it’s an adult coloring station. And then around the corner I found the SABR section – the Society of American Baseball Research. It’s the largest collection of baseball books and memorabilia outside of Cooperstown. There’s also a display of Padres bobbleheads.
The 5th floor is full of biography, geography, and history books. And on the 4th floor you’ll find the Idea Lab. I listened as the librarian gave a tour to a group of high school students – this makerspace includes a drill machine for metal projects, a laser cutter, numerous 3D printers, a dozen sewing machines, and all the tools you need to create a project. Software for graphic design and film editing is available, and you can convert analog files (VHS, cassettes, movies) to digital at no cost.
The 3rd floor is newspapers and periodicals, and the 2nd floor has the Teen Room, study rooms, and meeting rooms. The display case on this floor is full of matchbox books by San Diego artist/writer Alice Lowe. This is one of the most amazing libraries I’ve ever visited.
Now, have I mentioned California traffic? There’s a lot of it, but it’s moving. Some sections of I-15 are ten lanes, but San Diego has a way to keep everyone moving along. Rick pointed out a several-mile stretch of road with moveable concrete barriers. The Barrier Transfer Machine (aka “road zipper”) changes the lanes from 2 to 3 in both directions to alleviate traffic congestion. The machine can move one mile of barrier in 7 minutes. Why can’t we have this in Charleston? Come on, Banks Construction, you can do this!
Another question. Why don’t we have a Cheesecake Factory in Charleston? I’m envisioning one in the Nexton area myself. I found one just 10 minutes from the library. I sat outside and enjoyed the breeze and the conversation of a large group of Marines sitting near me, who were there to congratulate a new sargeant. The service was slow, which I appreciated today. I started The Names (by Florence Knapp) on my Kindle (the next read for the St. Matthew’s book club), and I was hooked on the first page. Thanks, Patricia, for the recommendation.
Back to El Cajon and a relaxing afternoon in Kari and Rick’s peaceful backyard. Look at the goldfinches at the feeder! Kari shared some of her family recipes from a binder she put together, and she asked for Grandmama’s prune cake recipe. Richie has it framed in his kitchen, and he quickly texted it to me.
I found some gifts to take home to friends and family among Kari and Rick’s unique art collection. They’re really special pieces.
Rick grilled steaks for supper, and we said our goodbyes. They will leave early to set up for the the Cuyamaca College Spring Garden and Butterfly Festival. I’ll stop by their art table tomorrow, then head to the desert to see John and Nanette. What a week it has been – more reflections to come.
San Diego book recommendation: The Women by Kristin Hannah.
Kelly's SC to CA Road Trip and Reflections 