San Diego Unseen: An Urban Portrait
This month marked my 6 millionth visit to Carlsbad, the frequency owing to my play-going duties and the fact that I used to stop over after visiting family in neighboring Oceanside. There’s a certain pleasantry about the place that over the years hasn’t diminished in the least—family may have moved away, but Carlsbad always seems to intercede, its warm welcome never failing to materialize in one way or another. This time, a cutie motorcycle cop let me skate with a friendly warning after I wandered onto a one-way street, thinking I was shortcutting my way to the I-5. She was almost sweet about the whole thing—but in the end, her sense of integrity, however admirable, cost her dearly.
See, I’d stopped at O’Sullivan’s Irish Pub and Restaurant for its Double-Cut Pork Chop entrée, having learned of its incomparable taste and value (14 ounces and two side dishes for $15.95) many months before. I asked the guys to stick it in a box for take-out—and, as it happens, that was my first mistake. Between the pork chop, the sides and the nose-curling barbecue dressing, the aroma about ripped my head off as I started back home. I quickly filched a potato skin, but not before I zigged when I should have zagged and attracted Officer Hotball’s attention. My explanation, of course, included a shameless plug for O’Sullie’s—if we’d had more time, I’d have told her it sits at 640 Grand Ave. and is open from 11 a.m. to midnight Mondays through Fridays and from 10 a.m. to midnight Saturdays and Sundays (the number is 760-729-7234; see osullivanscarlsbad.com for more).
I offered her a couple potato skins for her trouble. She politely waved me off, flashing one of those sheepish “Golly-I-wish-everybody-were-as-nice-as-you” smiles as she got on her bike and went back to work. It was as kindly an encounter as I’ve had in crazy ol’ Carlsbad, and not just because of her impeccable handling of the situation. Don’t look now, but I’ve always had a big thing for younger women in uniform, especially one whose accoutrements include firearms and handcuffs. But that’s another story.
—Martin Jones Westlin
