Pelican perch, killer coffee and magnificent mansions

History: Bird Rock’s amble toward community-hood started in the early 1900s, when the M. Hall Company bought large tracts of land in southern La Jolla for a subdivision the company dubbed, “Bird Rock — City by the Sea.” The enclave stayed small until the 1930s, when the arrival of World War II factory workers ignited a mini housing boom. The building continued after the war, and Bird Rock Elementary opened in 1951 to accommodate the influx of new families. The small town spirit has survived the long, disruptive installation of traffic roundabouts in the mid-2000s, the Bird Rock Bandits’ fatal fistfight in 2007 and the arrival of the 26th season of MTV’s “The Real World” reality show, which set up camp in the neighborhood in 2011. The show moved on, and Bird Rock remained real.
How it got its name: Local tradition says the community was named after an offshore pelican perch at the end of Bird Rock Avenue.
Did you know? The first war-time sinking of a U.S. submarine occurred off Bird Rock, when two F-series submarines collided in the fog on a training mission in 1917. Also, aviator Charles Lindbergh ate at the Bird Rock Inn before taking that historic flight in the Spirit of St. Louis in 1927.
Things to do: Fuel up with award-winning coffee at Bird Rock Coffee Roasters before heading north on La Jolla Hermosa Avenue to the bike path, where you can see the ocean and some impressive architecture. Speaking of architecture, indulge your inner snoop on Camino de la Costa, a stretch of oceanfront mansions that will have you drooling on your flip flops.
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