Today’s newsletter is presented by Kaiser Permanente.
Hello, Uptown!
I woke up the other morning to jackhammering and drilling on my block. It was a mild annoyance that was quickly superseded by delight because we had the rarest of sightings not too far from my home:
Big Hole in Ground.
I just love a big hole in the ground. There’s something so compelling about peering through those layers of asphalt and gravel into the underworlds beneath. It’s even better if you can comment about the big hole to other people standing around, which they will obligingly do, because when there is a big hole everyone wants to come and stand around and look.
In fact, there’s even a wonderful word for the type of people who go out and look at what construction workers are doing: umarell, or in the plural, umarelli. It is an Italian word for the people, mostly but not entirely men, who you inevitably see hanging around any construction project, sometimes nodding, sometimes commenting, but mostly just quietly watching.
I even heard that in some cities they even put portholes into the scaffolding so that the umarelli can continue their watching uninterrupted.
Anyway, the other umarelli and I stood around for a while talking about the things umarelli always discuss (“Big hole, huh?” “Yup.”). Then we went back to our respective homes, satisfied that another honest day’s work was behind us.
I know you’re probably jealous reading this, so don’t worry. If you live around the central part of the city, you too will likely have your chance to go out and look at Big Hole in Ground. The city said Monday that they have set a record in street repairs, paving the 30th mile this week and making the third year of growth in a row for San Diego’s in-house paving operation.
If you want to know when your neighborhood is getting some love, you can plan your next umarelli excursion using the city of San Diego’s paving map at streets.sandiego.gov. Trust me. Big Hole in Ground can melt the heart of even the staunchest skeptics.
Brooke Binkowski
Uptown News newsletter host
Uptown story spotlight
A labor-backed group is trying to stop a North Park redevelopment on environmental grounds
By Dorian Hargrove • Times of San Diego
San Diego City Council will hear an appeal seeking to overturn the redevelopment of a historic building into a seven-story mixed use building, just feel from the North Park sign.
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