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Downtown Watsonville

Brown Berets Bike Shack

La Plazita

Pizza Mia

Radcliff Elementary School

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The Neighborhood Spot.

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East Fifth St.  Watsonville, CA. 25 minutes south of Santa Cruz and 30 minutes north of Monterey. That is where Watsonville is located. There is one spot that tends to stick out when people ask where is a good place to eat in Watsonville? That spot is called Pizza Mia. A family owned restaurant that has been in the community since 1996. Now why is this all important? Well it is located than no other than on East Fifth Street which is about two blocks from where I grew up at.   Everyone in the neighborhood knew what time it was when we were hungry, growing up all you needed was three dollars and you were good for the day. Three one dollar bills was the sweet spot growing up, you would get two big slices of pepperoni pizzas, which at the time were as big as my head and I needed to have both hands to hold my plate. The counter was so high up I had to be on my tippy toes at times when I ordered my food.  When things were going on around the area that weren't the most "po...
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First Day, First Race, New Kid

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Young Davey West Lake Ave.  A Conversation with David, hundreds of miles away from home to Watsonville. It’s wild to think it’s been 18 years since I first met David. We’ve known each other since the 3rd grade, and even though life has pulled us in different directions at times, that bond has always remain solid. We grew up in the same neighborhood, went to the same elementary, same middle school, and even parts of high school. Today, we caught up, no longer kids, but with a lifetime’s worth of stories between us.  Thrown into a new world with a different language, different culture, and different expectations. David didn’t speak much, but when that bell rang, he sprinted off like he had something to prove.  I have the great pleasure to finally sit down with him to talk, not just as friends, but as two people who’ve lived through some of the same chaos and grown from it. This story is about what it means to find your way, to survive, and to hold on to your roots even when...
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La Tiendita!

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Ford St. This is a corner store that was about two blocks up from my house and one street over. It wasn’t anything fancy, but to me, it was one of my favorite spots. Chips, cookies, candy, it had everything a kid could ever want. This is the place where I first tried Hot Cheetos with nacho cheese. That combo felt like the dopest thing back then hot, cheesy, and messy in the best way. It was a whole experience, one you couldn’t get just anywhere. You had to know about that spot. The store sat on the corner of Rodriguez Street and Ford Street. During the day, it was a good spot. You’d see a bit of everything there kids grabbing snacks, old men chatting outside, moms picking up quick groceries. I used to stop by every other week or so in the morning before catching the bus to middle school. It was a good walk that gave me time to think. Gave me enough time to settle in and sort of prepare for my day mentally. It was almost a mini pre-school ritual you can say. I tried to go mostly every o...
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