When it comes to San Diego’s Old Town, and the carpetbagger New York based Delaware North’s big old ideas to turn the state park into a semi-historic recreation of the mid-1800s they neglected to mention when they bid for the contract that the revenues would be reminiscent of mid-1800s San Diego as well. Revenues are apparently down by nearly 60 percent. Ouch.
And for those of you who miss the old Bazaar Del Mundo… it is an ongoing concern, located nearby on Taylor Street.
my wife and I were HUGE fans of the old scene down at old town. we went once to a restaurant managed by delaware north… never again. they took all the cheesy fun out of old town, and let’s face it- once you take away the cheesy fun from old town, there ain’t…much..left…
i wish nothing but abject failure & unprofitability upon delaware north.
Not all of Old Town is being worked by DN, just the Bazaar Del Mundo, Rancho el Napal and Case de Bandini. So bascially the eating establihments. The rancho is still cool and the candy store, shops, school house center park area, stables and Old Town Ave. That being said, for anyone who once enjoyed the color and atmopshere of BDelM, you are in for a shock. What I can’t understand is why DN took out all the flowers and luch plantings? Was that in the contract? The CA state park system is also loosing big money here to. Powers used to give them 22 million a year or something, now they are getting a lot less. I hope the sec of parks, who approved the deal gets the ax.
I know a lot of people that used to go to spots like Casa de Bandini every week. Now they have stopped going to Old Town entirely. DN killed left a sour taste for a lot of people, and they won’t be coming back easily.
I am a native San Diegan and we went regularly to Bandini’s and shopped/ate at Bazaar. To say that “only these places” were taken out of Old Town is like saying, “only the soul” was ripped out of Old Town. We took family visiting from out of town ONCE after DN took over and it was depressing. You would have thought it was Old Ghost Town for how few people were there, esp at what used to be Bandini’s! It wa heart-breaking. I don’t think I could bear to walk through Bazaar now that all the plants are gone. I hope whoever approved these deal gets the ax too.
I hope the NY company goes under. Casa de Pico, although not located in Old Town, is still serving excellent food in Grossmont. I miss Old Town!
The Bazaar del Mundo Shops deeply appreciates everyone’s comments here. While we are not in the State Park anymore, we are thriving across the street on the corner of Taylor and Juan Streets at the entrance to Old Town. All the color and fun that brought you to Old Town in the past is still going strong in the new location next to Diane Powers’ Casa Guadalajara restaurant.
Also, Casa de Pico, now in La Mesa in Grossmont Center, continues to win fans with its fabulous Mexican food, birdbath margaritas and festive atmosphere.
Diane Powers would like to express her gratitude for all the support she has received since the move.
Well, here I am still missing The Aztec….both of them, as well as Bandini’s. What I wouldn’t give for contact information for the the owners of The Aztec restaurants. They were the most warm and wonderful people. The food was the best I’d ever eaten and they sold it for pennies. I would love to work with them on a history and recipe book and maybe work in places like The Cotton Patch, Krishna Mulvaney’s, etc. I miss them all but if I could just have one back, it would be The Aztec in a heartbeat! What I wouldn’t pay for an old Aztec meal!!!