Columnists

It's Spring and I've got

The last weeks of summer are what I like to call “Christmas for Grown Ups.” Yes, it’s that wonderful time of year when all the kids go back to school. Seriously, it should be a national holiday. It would be awesome. We could have traditions like buying new clothes, new books and pencils and rulers…and countdown calendars to the big day so that parents don’t miss the best day ever.

Immigration is a topic of heated discussion in the United States. The current presidential campaign has provoked fear, distortions, outrage and scary stories; a case currently before the U.S. Supreme Court seeks to resolve how much control states can have over non-citizens living within their borders.

As the Christian church enters its second millennium of

I spent the last few days with my weed whacker clearing out

My first snorkeling experience was in a cove in Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii. Awed by the absolute beauty of the brilliantly colored fish and coral and enthralled by a huge turtle swimming ahead of me, I lost all common sense and swam farther and farther out to sea following the turtle and searching for new and more colorful marine life.

For the past two weeks the media has been full of tributes to

Ryan was defiant, angry and was dabbling in an abundance  of risky behaviors.  He wandered the streets when he should have been in school. He had little motivation and less self-esteem.  Ryan was sixteen years old and headed for trouble.

I’m always walking around our downtown and poking my head into businesses, and am usually met with a smile, update on how things are going and maybe a question or two about what’s going on with something downtown.This routine includes my walking up and down Monterey Road as I have done for years now.That practice now has me facing one of the old lines I always battle, the classic, “That’s the way I’ve always done it.” I have been known to frequently respond to that comment with, “Then you’ve always been doing it wrong.” This has endeared me to many.At this point I have to admit that maybe I’ve been doing it wrong myself, at least recently. I haven’t been walking up and down our side streets and Depot Street as regularly as I should have—and that’s been all wrong.I recently had a conversation with Miriam of La Nina Perdida which is on Main Avenue right off of Monterey Road. This location is technically in the downtown but she stated she doesn’t really feel like a part of the downtown.This is a shame because La Nina Perdida is in the downtown, and quite frankly her restaurant is poised to contribute heavily to Morgan Hill’s reputation as a regional dining destination.La Nina Perdida was named as one of the Bay Area’s Top 10 best Mexican restaurants. It said so right in the June 17 edition of the San Jose Mercury News with other top restaurants ranging from San Francisco to Oakland to Los Gatos. Nice company and a well earned distinction!Head to the west on Main Avenue and you’ll find other favorites in Chinese and Italian cuisines across Monterey Road.I’m now spending more time on Main Avenue but also paying more attention to Depot Street.The north end of Depot Street has had a dining destination since The Granary was built. First we had Mangia La Pizza and then a Michelin Star Chef brought us Odeum in that location.There was also space for something else—not just physical space but room in our appetite for something a little different.When I first heard about Running Shop and Hops, I wasn’t convinced it would work but wished them luck.  I had been hearing about how runners and bicyclists love a beer after their activity, but would it really work in Morgan Hill? The short answer is a resounding YES! I don’t know how many shoes they sell, but I can tell you that this is one of the most consistently busy businesses downtown—yes, they are downtown.This mom and pop shop is run in a way that is dedicated to the local scene. Only the finest craft brews are served and the more local the better. They even promote bringing in food from local restaurants.There is more to the downtown than just Monterey Road so be a little adventurous and see what else the downtown holds.John McKay is president of the Morgan Hill Downtown Association, a city planning commissioner and co-founder of the Morgan Hill Tourism Alliance. He can be contacted at [email protected].