Wandering Around San Diego

Once a month, along with my sidekick Fran, I plan an outing to one of the many unique neighborhoods in San Diego. This week we visited Kensington, a small enclave of homes and shops near the 8 and 15 freeway. What we got was more than we bargained for, and our best trip yet.

As always, Fran and I scoped out the area in advance, got information on the history of Kensington, found a great restaurant for lunch, and mapped out an interesting walking tour. There were 31 of us today and some of the locals in this quiet neighborhood came out of their homes to see what was going on. We weren't one block into our tour when we came upon the home of 87 year old Irene Cantos. She owns a beautiful Spanish style bungalow, well maintained with a nicely landscaped garden. She was standing on her front porch wondering what all the commotion was about. I went up to her, introduced myself, and told her we were exploring her neighborhood and were admiring her home. She hugged me like we were long lost friends. What followed next, you won't believe.

At first she didn't want to talk about her house, but after a bit of prodding, she opened up. We ended up touring the inside and outside of her home and hearing stories about herself and her family that entertained us and will keep us talking for quite a while. It turns out she was a well known opera singer back in the day. She loves show business, and after she warmed up to us we couldn't stop her. Her home was gorgeous on the inside, with many original elements of the house in tact, including the fireplace with beautiful Spanish tiles. Everything was tastefully done in this 90 year old home, which Irene and her husband have called home for 46 years.

What a treat. Irene was a pleasure to meet and I won't soon forget her. We spent so much time with her we had to cut our tour short, lest we be late for lunch. We ate at Bleu Boheme, a French bistro on Adams Ave. in Kensington. The food and service were excellent. Drive through Kensington next time you're in the area and discover why it is one of the best kept secrets in San Diego.