Just astoundingly ridiculous. Mind you, I am 5'8", and of course, there just has to be an American flag design covering the entire rear window.
Riverside County, California
I'd love to share with you all a neighborhood of Indio that was a big piece of my childhood: Mountain View Cottages (previously named Plaza Del Sol, and locally known as the JLJ's, JOJ's, or Jail J's 🤣). 46299 Arabia Street. 92201. My old hood. 🌄🌴🌳🧡
I resided at this apartment complex from November 2012 to April 2018, from 14 to 19, and before that time, my family and I were staying at Martha's Village. This is the neighborhood in Indio which I lived for the longest time and grew up, and to this day, I still hold numerous memories from living there buried deep inside my head, many of which I'm content to have experienced. Not all (i.e., the numerous cockroaches, bedbugs, my family and I being below the poverty line, etc.), but many. Anyway, during my time residing at the JLJ's, I most vividly remember...
Attending Indio High School for all four years, and hanging out at the Indio Teen Center for my last two; going to the Fairgrounds right across the way and having a blast just about annually, or just walking by and watching all the fair rides at night; traversing to the nearby swap meet down the road an innumerable amount of times (ah, the kettle corn there is some of THE best!); the countless beautiful desert sunrises and sunsets; me, my youngest brother, and our friends at the time just roaming around the apartment complex, especially during the extremely hot summers; chilling out at the apartment complex's pool and playground; hanging out in the laundry room while waiting for my clothes to finish washing and drying; walking to Rite Aid, Coin Less Laundry, Panda Express, Dragon Sushi, Wienerschnitzel, Dollar Tree, In-N-Out Burger, Little Caesar's, Food 4 Less, Cardenas, and so on, or just walking aimlessly all around Indio just to pass the time and take it all in; walking the three and a half miles to Destiny Church to attend their services and volunteer, and back; going to the Indio Fashion Mall and just walking and looking around; strolling to the Indio Library to cool off while reading a book or on the computer; stopping by a "candy store" that was held in a unit in the complex; the ice cream truck or paletero man roaming through the neighborhood; my youngest brother and I climbing over the wall to a local video game store; being told to avoid Mayfair that is located next door; and so on and so forth.
So, with all that out of the way now, who else here lives at, or has lived at the JLJ's? How did you like it there? How would you say this apartment complex is holding up now?
Granted, it's definitely not the best nor most attractive area of Indio, but I do deeply miss this neighborhood so much, and the JLJ's will always both have a special place in my heart and be home to me. 🌄🌴🌳🧡
Okay, I know some of you here may remember strolling through the back alley behind the Indio Fashion Mall. Because I sure as hell certainly do, and I've done just that many, many times. I just had another dream about this area last night, too. ✨
Growing up at the very nearby Mountain View Cottages (JLJ's) in the 2010's, this exact path was my shortcut to and from Indio High School and other places such as Dollar Tree (which has since been replaced by St. John's Community Health), In-N-Out Burger, GameStop, Carl's Jr., Indio Teen Center, and K-Mart (now El Super). And yes, I visited the Indio Fashion Mall many times, as well. Believe it or not, I even walked through the back way during the dark and starry nights. Nobody ever bothered me strolling through there at night, not even once. Sketchy, I know. 😅
I also vividly remember seeing the now extinct Kyriakos Christian Center church that sat in the neighboring vacant lot – facing John Nobles Avenue – for years. Does anyone seem to know what the future may hold for this vacant lot now?
I gladly admit that I do receive recurring dreams of both my old neighborhood of the JLJ's and this surrounding area of Indio in general. The nostalgia is very, very real. ☀️🌌🌴🌳🏜️✨💕