California Official Visitor's Guide 2022 - 72

san diego county
NORTH PARK
146 " My favorite coffee
shop is HOLSEM. Everything
about it is just so lovely, from
the high ceilings to the white
marble and their lovely staff.
It's owned by two women
who work there every day-
you see that a lot in North
Park. I always get cold brew
with almond milk and half an
ounce of sweetener, shaken. "
147 To get a taste of the
neighborhood's MexicanAmerican
culture, de la Parra
strongly suggests her go-to,
EL COMAL. " Everything at El
Comal is amazing, " she says.
" It's very homestyle Mexican
cooking. I like their tamales,
tacos, barbacoa, and their
sopa de pollo, which is a
chicken soup. "
148 " I love BIRD PARK.
It's one of the few parks in
North Park where you can
have drinks, so it's super
popular for picnics. You can
see people doing dance
classes, practicing the cello,
and you have an amazing
view of all of downtown-it
sort of feels like a utopia. "
ASK A LOCAL Elexia de la Parra
For Elexia de la Parra, a cross-cultural identity is
a way of life. The founder of Artelexia, a colorful
gift shop in North Park, was born in San Diego
and grew up in Tijuana. During her childhood,
she spent mornings crossing the border to attend
school in the U.S. before heading back to Mexico in
the afternoon. " I feel very fortunate to have been
exposed to both cultures-I just loved it, " she says.
After living around the U.S. and in Europe, the
pull of home brought her back to San Diego, where
she started selling folk art she'd found in her
travels in Mexico at a local farmers market. Her
concept took off and soon she opened a brick-andmortar
location on a lively corner in North Park.
For any San Diego-bound travelers, de la Parra
highly recommends making North Park your home
base. " The walkability is huge. There's a really cool
vibe with a lot of great little bars and restaurants, "
she says. Here's a sampling of de la Parra's favorite
neighborhood spots.
72 | VISITCALIFORNIA.COM
149 " NOMAD DONUTS
has delicious, creatively
flavored donuts. You see the
owner there all the time and
they always have a line of
people outside the door.
The flavors are constantly
changing, but everything
is perfect for when you need
that sweet little something. "
150 " I love CALIFORNIA
TAPROOM. They're known
for having all of the local
North Park beers, so you can
try everything in one place.
You'll always see the owner,
Boomer, and it's a super fun
place with amazing pretzels. "
151 " During my kitchen
remodel, I have been living
off TRIBUTE PIZZA. My
favorite pizza is the Classic
Combo Supreme. It's a play
off the famous Costco Food
Court pizza-but made with
all organic ingredients. "
152 " VERBATIM BOOKS
is right around the corner
from my shop and it's
amazing. It's really cute from
both the outside and the
inside with artwork and cool
furniture. It's one of those
places you can just lose
yourself in. "
153 " HAMMOND'S
GOURMET ICE CREAM
does something really cute:
They have trays with mini
ice cream cones. You can get
like 15 different ice cream
flavors, and they come in
these teeny little cones. "
California Taproom
El Comal
Verbatim Books
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California Official Visitor's Guide 2022

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