In Hillcrest at the top of the newly refreshed Bachman Place (By Frank Sabatini Jr.)
Street Stuff in Hillcrest and North Park
By Frank Sabatini Jr.
It was the road re-opening that kept residents of Hillcrest and nearby neighborhoods waiting impatiently.
For nearly three decades, Bachman Place has served as a convenient shortcut from Hillcrest to Hotel Circle and other areas of Mission Valley. The sloped, three-quarter-mile road was shut down in April of 2022 to make way for the redevelopment of UC San Diego Medical Center at the top of Bachman. It now includes a new outpatient pavilion and designated drive lanes for emergency arrivals. The project was supposed to take two years or less to complete. But the work dragged an extra 12 months.
Marty Thomas has used the road regularly since becoming a Hillcrest resident in 2016 on nearby Third Avenue. Its closure forced him and thousands of motorists to use the 163 freeway to reach the valley. It also deprived pedestrians and cyclists some decent calorie burns.
“I am so happy it’s back!” he said of Bachman’s quiet reopening last month. “I’ve already walked down and back up it three times in the last two weeks. The walk comes out to about 4,600 steps round trip. And when driving, I can fast-track over to Fashion Valley Mall in five minutes.”
The broadened, freshly paved road now features a wider sidewalk for pedestrians, plus bike lanes in both directions and new lighting.
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Over in North Park, a newly named city block called Lucky Lane pays homage to Chong “Lucky” Wong, the late owner of the former Lucky’s Golden Phenix, which later became known as Lucky’s Breakfast.
Wong delighted customers for 50 years with his inexpensive breakfasts and delicious sides of wit. He often ran the restaurant solo, doing everything from order-taking and cooking to dish-washing and making sure the industrial-size bottles of Valentina hot sauce sitting on his lunch counter were full.
If customers across the room requested coffee from freshly brewed pots perched behind the counter, he would sometimes respond, “Get it yourself.” And they would. One time he asked us immediately after our meal if we enjoyed the food. When we gave him a thumbs up, he said: “Well everything tastes good when you’re hungry.”
Wong wasn’t a chatty type, but he regularly gifted adults and kids with little trinkets and fortune cookies while charming his fans with warm, humorous sarcasm.
Wong died at the age of 90. He emigrated from China as a young teenager. His namesake lane resides along the 3800 block of Grim Avenue, at the corner of North Park Way. It was designated with approval by City Councilmember Stephen Whitburn after a heartfelt petition was started earlier this year by Matthew Lyons of Tribute Pizza, which is located across the street. Rest in peace, dear Lucky.
