Week 123: La Vecindad and Slumlord Millionaire

Week 123: May 4th-10th, 2025

Due to the horrible reality of May Gray in San Diego, we were in for a pretty gloomy first part of the week. However, the clouds did not deter me and Amanda from getting tacos at La Vecindad in Hillcrest. I got a good happy hour (or Cinco De Mayo?) deal on two tacos for $8. I also got soup, to counteract the gloom from the weather, and shared queso fundido with Amanda.

We got there earlier than “normal” dinner (around 4:30pm), which was good because by the time we were done eating, the line was almost out the door. I definitely see why it is such a popular place, because the staff were all friendly and the food was good. You can see the La Vecindad Yelp page here if you want to check it out.

This week, I also traveled up to the Bay Area for Mother’s Day weekend. Of course, right as I am leaving, the San Diego weather took a turn for the better. However, I did get a good pool day in right before I headed to the Bay.

Thankfully the sunny weather followed me to Berkeley which is good, because I have a pretty busy schedule. The Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) in San Francisco was having their annual CAAM Fest, where a bunch of films and programs were being featured. My impressive cousin Yennie was the impact producer on a documentary called “Slumlord Millionaire,” so my family and I went to go see it at CAAM Fest. It was a great opportunity to support Yennie, independent film makers, public media, and CAAM.

“Slumlord Millionaire” is an incredible documentary that reveals housing injustices in NYC and ongoing battles between regular people and powerful landlords. It is especially poignant today because housing costs nationwide are at an all time high, billionaires are getting richer, and the poor are getting poorer. I highly recommend watching the film, as it showcases struggles across many cultures and does a great job of storytelling while being educational. It should go without saying, but here is your friendly reminder that we should all be supporting local and national public media and holding billionaires accountable for their wrongdoings, today and every day, as long as we can.

I’m glad to be back home to celebrate Mother’s Day and see my family, and I’m looking forward to next week’s Something New. I will be attending a Giants’ baseball game with my family to support my dad. He is a finalist for the NBC Sports Bay Area All Star Teacher award (remember to vote here for Greg Martin every day until June 2nd!) and was invited to do an interview and attend a game. I think we’ll even have a brief moment on broadcast television, who knows?

It is also my 26th birthday next week, so stay tuned for more quarter-life crisis updates.

See you next week.