Covina Present

Because I live 700 miles away, I don't get to visit Covina very often. Last week, however, I was in L.A. for some eye appointments, and while in the area I spent an afternoon driving and walking around my old home town.

The last time I was here, Citrus Avenue had been transformed into an outdoor dining area which shall we say was not exactly conducive to sightseeing. So I was pleased to now see that the main street had returned to normal; or at least normal for Covina in this day and age.

All photos © J Scott Shannon.

The view as I exited my car at Citrus and Italia to begin my stroll down Memory Lane.

Both clocks were wrong, though the one at left was only off by ten minutes.

Even in the worst economic times of the Seventies, you never used to see this many empty parking spaces on Citrus.

So odd to see all these open spaces, especially during lunch hour on a street with about two dozen eateries.

The sidewalks were mostly empty, too.
(The sign is incorrect, by the way. The Warner & Whitsel Building a/k/a Custer's was erected in 1909.)

One of the few oranges left in 21st century Covina.

The former performing arts center is apparently reopening as something called "Laugh Factory." No joke.

The comedy club should be a good next-door neighbor for this place.

The landmark Finch Clock also displayed the wrong time. (The other side said it was 2:30.)

At least this little karate fox at 214 gave me a reason to smile. Hai-ya!

"Historic Downtown Covina."

Overall, it puzzled me how Citrus Avenue was as busy as it's ever been in terms of car traffic, but as a public space, it seemed almost deserted. I took my time walking leisurely down and up Citrus twice for the better part of an hour, and I couldn't have crossed paths with more than two dozen people. Also paradoxical was how genuinely nice and attractive everything looked, yet the place just felt barren, cold. Not vibrant like the Covina I remember. Not like that at all.

Perhaps I was just unlucky and visited on an unusually slow day. It had been raining earlier, so maybe that kept people away. I actually hope it was only a fluke, because I would truly wish for present-day Covinans to have the same enriched community experience living and growing up there as I did. Maybe things will be different next time I visit – if I ever get the chance to at my age, that is.