For the past 36 years, Judit Hersko has lived in South Park and experienced its transformation firsthand.
“Certainly in that time it has changed a lot,” Hersko, an installation artist and professor, said. “I’ll actually quote something that was published somewhere, it may have been the L.A. Times, that it’s sort of become the SoHo of Southern California — North Park and South Park together. (It’s) transformed into this really popular spot. I think people come here because of the wonderful spaces (such as) cafes and restaurants and breweries that have sprung up in these neighborhoods.”
But this wasn’t the case when Hersko and her husband, both professors, first moved into South Park. She said she remembers that there were fewer small businesses, no Target retail store and more crime in the early 1990s.
“We couldn’t afford our house if we bought it now,” Hersko said, adding that they have stayed in South Park for over three decades because of the neighborhood’s atmosphere.
“South Park is very walkable,” she said. “Juniper Canyon is a hop and a skip and a jump away. We are basically surrounded by nature. We constantly see our neighbors on the street walking (around). It just has the vibe that we enjoy and the historical element. Our house was built in the 1940s.”
Hersko also said she loves that some of their neighbors are also their colleagues at the California State University San Marcos and the University of California San Diego. She has worked at Cal State since 2003 and is now a professor and chair of the art, media and design department.
Hersko, a sculptor by trade, said she was able to connect with other colleagues in different departments rather easily, including the science department in the early 2000s, because CSUSM was still a relatively small campus.
“I have always been interested in working with physical phenomena and optics in my work, so I decided to reach out to scientists and they embraced me,” Hersko said. “And it has sort of led to everything I do.”
She went on to collaborate with scientists via her writing and installation artwork, including creating an art exhibit featuring biological oceanographer Victoria Fabry’s work on climate change, Hersko said. This led to receiving a grant from the National Science Foundation Antarctic Artists and Writers and being able to visit Antarctica for research in 2008.
“It was just a magical time getting to work with scientists in the dry valleys and walking over glaciers and even having dinner with Prince Albert of Monaco.”
A few months ago, Hersko was able to visit the Arctic Circle and collect materials for her artwork she calls performance lectures.
“I have created these narratives since 2009 that bring in an unknown explorer to Antarctica in 1939, and it’s a woman, who is a photographer as well,” Hersko explained. “This unknown photographer allows me to bring in the history of exploration and science at the (North and South) Poles and the absence of women from that history.”
When Hersko is back home, she said she is walking around visiting her favorite places in South Park. Here are her picks.
Judit Hersko is an artist, professor and chair of the art, media and design department at CSUSM. (Judit Hersko)
Q: Where is your favorite dining option?
A: The Rose. It’s a beautiful place with lots of wine on the shelves. It’s a super popular spot. We go there more for dinner. They have some really cool flatbreads. There’s one that has a salad on top of the flatbread that’s delicious. It’s a great place to meet friends and enjoy a lively atmosphere.
Q: What is your favorite small retail business or pop-up vendor to support?
A: Secret Sister. It has a lovely ambience and some very good seasonal cakes. My husband and I don’t really eat sweets, but if we do, that’s what we get. Their bread is also very good. Secret Sister closes at 2 p.m. every day, so if you want to get their bread, you want to get there in the morning hours before it sells out. Café Madeleine is another great spot. It feels like you are in a European cafe. We actually love sitting outside there and having coffee, and my husband might have croissants.
Q: Where is your favorite open space?
A: Juniper Canyon, which is very close to my house. You can walk through the canyon and come up to different streets. There’s also Switzer Canyon nearby, so there are two big canyons that are just gorgeous walks. I personally love Morley Field too. I had a wonderful colleague, David Avalos, who passed away this summer. We used to go walking around Morley Field. It’s where I also go swimming at Bud Kearns Memorial Swimming Pool. It’s my happy place. It’s a public pool that is inexpensive and was renovated a couple of years ago.
An artwork is hung on the water meter box at the Bird Park of Morley Field on Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025 in San Diego, CA. (Michael Ho / For The San Diego Union-Tribune)
The general view of Bird Park at Morley Field on Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025 in San Diego, CA. (Michael Ho / For The San Diego Union-Tribune)
An artwork is hung on the electrical box at the Bird Park of Morley Field on Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025 in San Diego, CA. (Michael Ho / For The San Diego Union-Tribune)
The general view of Bird Park at Morley Field on Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025 in San Diego, CA. (Michael Ho / For The San Diego Union-Tribune)
A welcome sign is displayed at the Bird Park of Morley Field on Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025 in San Diego, CA. (Michael Ho / For The San Diego Union-Tribune)
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An artwork is hung on the water meter box at the Bird Park of Morley Field on Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025 in San Diego, CA. (Michael Ho / For The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Q: Where is the best piece of artwork?
A: Bird Park. I know Robin Brailsford and Wick Alexander, who designed the park. Few people realize that if you see Bird Park from an aerial view, for example, with a drone, you can see the image of a gigantic bird. There are also so many wonderful art details along the walking path at Bird Park. You find all these bird names and quotes that are sandblasted into the concrete on the side. There’s also art spread throughout the park and even the utility and electrical boxes are painted with birds. It’s sort of lovely to discover something new along the path. Robin passed away last year. She was a well-known artist in San Diego and beyond, so seeing her artwork and the park is a great memory to have.
Q: Where is your favorite entertainment attraction or historic landmark?
A: There are historic buildings on 30th Street and in the Burlingame area of South Park. You see homes and buildings with historical plaques on them. One is the building Matteo’s restaurant is in. It used to be Rebecca’s Cafe and Matteo’s has honored the tradition of running a wonderful eatery, which is also a favorite hangout. They give profits back to the community by using the profits to support programs in the neighborhood. Some of the homes in Burlingame are from back when the San Diego Zoo started around 1916, and the zoologists lived there. I know because I’ve read up on that history and the zoo was formed because they didn’t know what to do with the wild animals that were brought in for the Panama-California Exposition in 1915 so they just started the zoo right after that. And they didn’t have people to take care of the animals so they recruited experts and those were some of the professionals who came to South Park at that time.