For Elexia de la Parra, a cross-cultural identity is a way of life. 的创始人 Artelexia, a stunning kaleidoscope of a gift shop located in the heart of 北公园我出生在 圣地亚哥 在提华纳长大. During her childhood, she spent weekday mornings crossing the border to attend school in the U.S. 下午返回墨西哥之前. “I feel very fortunate to have been exposed to both cultures—I just loved it,她说。.
Some of de la Parra’s fondest memories include going to markets all across 墨西哥 with her grandfather. “The markets are packed with people, full of delicious smells. It’s all very colorful, with artwork and fresh fruit and juices everywhere,她说。. “It’s like candy for the eyes, really for all of the senses.”
在美国上大学后.S., 德拉帕拉住在欧洲, 旧金山, New York before the pull of home brought her back to 圣地亚哥. 不确定她下一步的职业发展, de la Parra decided to experiment with an idea born out of her early market memories. She started selling folk art she’d found in her travels in 墨西哥 at a local farmers' market. Her concept took off and soon she opened a brick-and-mortar location.
Artelexia now lives on a lively corner in 北公园—the beautiful mural outside makes it impossible to miss. De la Parra says that the 圣地亚哥 neighborhood is the perfect spot for her business, as well as the home she shares with her husband and her puppy, 视频(西班牙语为“面条”). “这里有强烈的社区意识，”她说. “Everyone is really friendly—you’ll notice that right away.”
For any 圣地亚哥–bound travelers, de la Parra highly recommends making 北公园 home base. “这里非常适合步行. There’s a really cool vibe with a lot of great little bars and 餐厅—it’s mostly mom-and-pops,她说。.
To get a taste of the neighborhood’s deep-rooted Mexican-American culture, 德拉帕拉强烈建议你从她常去的地方开始, El烤盘. “El烤盘的一切都很棒，”她说. “这是非常家庭式的墨西哥菜. I like their tamales, tacos, barbacoa, 和ir sopa de pollo, which is a chicken soup.” De la Parra also loves exploring Mexican folk and fine art at 名美国际博物馆 和 圣地亚哥艺术博物馆，两者都是 巴波亚公园.
拥有独立经营的精品店, 餐厅, 几乎每个街区都点缀着酒吧, de la Parra says 北公园 is the kind of place where you can spend a day window shopping and noshing. 她最喜欢的一些小吃包括 游牧甜甜圈, Holsem咖啡, 哈蒙德美食冰淇淋, where you can “get a tray of like 15 different ice cream flavors 和y come in these teeny little cones.不要跳过“真的很可爱”。 色素 礼品店或 逐字的书“一个让你迷失自我的地方.”
The pedestrian appeal extends beyond shops and eateries, 也有:“有一个非常棒的六英里徒步旅行叫做 七桥步道 正好穿过北公园. It takes you across all of these different walking bridges that are super-duper different and so lovely. 有 Cabrillo桥, built in 1915; the 第一大道大桥, built in 1931; the Quince Street Bridge, which suspends 60 feet above Maple Canyon; 和 云杉街吊桥-这真的很有趣.”
De la Parra says if you need directions or want a local recommendation for anything at all, 在北公园最好的办法就是问. “这里的人都很开放. Everyone here is really quick to help and offer suggestions,她说。.
五个最爱
Explore like a local with more of de la Parra’s top recommendations in her eclectic neighborhood.
完美的披萨: “在我的厨房改造期间，我一直靠 对披萨. 每个星期, you can see the owner at the farmers' market getting all the vegetables for his restaurant, 他们有很棒的员工. 我最喜欢的披萨叫Classic Combo Supreme. It’s a play off the famous Costco Food Court pizza—but made with all organic ingredients. 我也喜欢他们的Elaine Benes小沙拉. 太神奇了."
观察: "Encontro is a little bar right on the corner of University and 30th Street. 他们有一个室外露台, 和ir bar on the inside faces outward so even if you’re sitting at your table you’re looking outside. 观察人们总是很有趣的. You’ll see a lot of neighborhood people, 30-year-olds and 40-year-olds walking their cute dogs."
喝啤酒的最佳地点: “这里有很多啤酒厂，但我喜欢 加州酒吧. They’re known for having all of the local 北公园 beers, so you can try everything in one place. You’ll always see the owner, Boomer, it’s a super fun place with amazing pretzels. 他们很喜欢老鹰队, so whenever there’s an Eagles game you will hear shouting and cheering like crazy."
野餐地点: “我爱 鸟公园. It’s one of the few parks in 北公园 where you can have drinks, so it’s super popular for picnics. 你可以看到人们在上舞蹈课, 练习大提琴, you have an amazing view of all of downtown—it sort of feels like a utopia. It’s a very family-oriented neighborhood, so no one is getting rowdy. It’s just lots of people hanging out and listening to music."
最好的书店: "逐字的书 is right around the corner from my shop and it’s amazing. It’s a huge bookstore that’s really cute from both the outside 和 inside with artwork and cool furniture. It’s one of those places you can just lose yourself in."
