This series is a compilation of photos I had taken from Google Maps street view that I then edited in photoshop and digitally illustrated over. I edited the photos in a way to evoke nostalgia since that's what this series is all about. I selected a different color scheme for each illustration and edited the photos to match the colors so the illustrations would fit better on top. The photos themselves are all places that represent parts of my life growing up in San Diego. Planning on making more of these images to add to the series, most of the ones I've done so far are of locations in Mira Mesa, the neighborhood of San Diego I grew up and live in.
AZTECA MARKET
This is my local tiendita and my first job that I got when I was 14. This store is a cornerstone of the Mexican and Central American community in Mira Mesa. Despite its size, Mira Mesa being more Filipino & Vietnamese than Latin American has led to there not being many places that stock traditionally Mexican and Central American goods. The owner helps out his customers in any way he can, he lets people come back and pay later for their goods (they always do pay), he stocks what the people request and actually need, and he keeps an updated remittance service line for people to use to send money back home to (usually Guatemala and Mexico). Hopefully this store will be anchored here for years to come.
STANWELL ALLEY
This alley was the way we walked to get to one of my homies apartments after high school due to it being about a block or two from the school. Although we only walked there a handful of times compared to other locations we went to at the time, this image captures the feeling I'd have of being with the homies after school just kickin it or walking around Mira Mesa before any of us could drive.
REC WALL
Another spot my homies and I would come across a lot back in the day was this wall. Back in the day, we'd be at the rec a lot and we'd almost always end up craving some Carls Jr as depressing as it was (it was the closest spot), so instead of walking around the long way we'd just hop this wall from the field of the park into the many parking lots that now a days are slowly being filled up by new buildings.
LONGFELLOW
This shot is actually not of a location in Mira Mesa. One huge part of my childhood that no one that I've been around since that time period really knows about is my elementary school. As a Spanish immersion K-8 school, we were taught exclusively in Spanish until they started to phase in English lessons in the 2nd or 3rd grade. Due to this, I couldn't read or write in English until I was about 8 years old. I only stayed until after 5th grade, however I made many friends that impacted my life in big ways. The campus of this school has been slowly evolving over the years and now looks very little like it did when I went there, but the memories are still there.
REC TREE
This scene is one at the Mira Mesa rec center where I would play rec league basketball when I was in middle school back in like 2009-2011. After the games we'd all gather outside the building that had the basketball court and we'd just kick it under the big tree and usually one of the players' parents would provide snacks.
TIRE CHANGE
One time in like November 2018 I had taken the day off work just to have a 'me' day since I was going to school full time and also working part time during this period. I was driving around Mira Mesa doing I forget what, I think I was coming back from the store or something, and then I decided to turn down this street. Little did I know, someone had tossed a henny bottle onto the street outside one of the houses beforehand and as I came upon the busted bottle I tried to dodge the debris, however since I had just inflated my tires a few days beforehand and overinflated them a bit, my back tire popped immediately. My car started shaking and I already knew what time it was so I turned back around so I wouldn't be stopped on a decline and then I got to work changing my tire. Luckily, my spare had enough air in it and I had my jack and everything. But to get to these I had to take out my subwoofers which weigh like 80-90 pounds and I had to figure out where to put them in the meantime. Fortunately, they just barely fit in my back seat so I left them there as I changed my tire then immediately headed to the tire shop after. As I was changing my tire though, the lady whose house I was in front of happened to pull up and as she went into her house she kinda just looked at me for a bit and didn't ask if I needed help or nothing lol. Oh well.