Downey Renovations

Amanda Davila, Staff Writer
May 27, 2016

Renovations are still being made in Downey to keep the city modern and the most successful of these is The Downey Promenade, that opened in the later part of 2015 in order to commemorate the space exploration and movie-making history the city represents.

The Downey Promenade’s appearance holds years of the future and the past through the space-like architecture. The shaded areas are designed to look like space, while the water fountain in the center creates a splashdown effect.

Raised in Downey, Cecilia Yu, was able to see buildings she had passed by as a kid transform into a gathering place of history.

“It wasn’t too long ago when I dropped off my eldest son at the movies here; when he got off the car my memory came back of what this used to be,” Yu said. “As a little girl I always wished I could have stepped inside the space center and now I think it is great that this place was renovated as a sort of celebration.”

The most notable part of this area is the History Walk, which is located on the pathway inside the promenade. This walk includes a path of plaques and reading stations and medallions that take you back to the past of Downey.

Former Downey High Student, Natalie Damian, finds herself following the path of the History Walk as she waits for her movie to start.

“A lot of these plaques have interesting information about the past,” Damian said. “This is a great way to get the information out, especially to those who aren’t aware of the history of our city.”

As a way to attract the younger crowd, Downey has turned this historical landmark into a friendly environment.

Junior, Ngozi Okaroma, likes the welcoming atmosphere the Downey Promenade gives her.

“I think it’s a great place; they really captured the attention of teenagers by adding the restaurants,” Okaroma said. “Overall, it’s a cool place to hang out and be with your friends while still enjoying history.”

From a space center, to a movie studio, and now a promenade, Downey has managed to transform itself into a modern city while still keeping its historical past.

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Amanda Davila, Staff Writer

During the summer of 2015 at Huntington Beach’s U.S. Open, Amanda Davila could win an Oscar because she created a chaotic scene due to her fear of sharks.

“I had gone to the U.S. Open with my best friend Leslie, but this was a different experience,” Davila said. “I’m not one to create a scene.”

Davila talked about sighting what she thought were two sharks while being inside the ocean. She had seen two fins in the ocean; her first instinct was to start yelling about the so-called sharks. She immediately went to let the lifeguard to let them know what she had seen, but the lifeguards couldn’t make out what Davila was telling them because of how bad she was crying.

“It was a mistake; I swear I would have never done that,” Davila says. “Anyone would have freaked out if they saw sharks in the water, even if they weren’t exactly sharks.”

Throughout the chaos she created, she found out those two sharks in the water were actually two dolphins. She received some unfriendly stares and created enemies because of how she disturbed the beach, especially from a mother with three small crying children.

“This mom probably hated me for making her three small children cry,” Davila said. “I felt terrible.”

Leslie Murillo, who had gone with Davila, also provided more details about what had happened that day. Murillo being terrified of ocean water was more than happy to not have been involved with Davila’s chaos.

“I’m terrified of the ocean because you have no idea what is around you” Murillo said, “so I wasn’t in the water with Amanda when she yelled and I am so happy I wasn’t.”

Davila could have had a nice normal day at the beach. Instead she created a mess believing she had seen two sharks while swimming in the ocean. Lifeguards quickly began to evacuate people from the water; in the end to find out those two sharks were instead two dolphins.

Beatrice Pena, Staff Photographer

From shows like Cherry Glazerr to sold out arenas, junior, Beatrice Pena has made concerts a hobby, but out of the many she has been to she will never forget the performances put on by Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar on December 13, 2013 at the Honda Center in Anaheim where she also had an encounter with a ticket scalper.

“I went from seats all the way at the top of the stadium to being right in front of Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar,” Pena said, “It was an amazing experience to be so close to some of my favorite artists.”

As people settled into their seats at the Honda Center the atmosphere became wild with anxious people screaming and dancing to the opening act: Kendrick Lamar.

Serenity Reynoso, junior at Downey High School, agreed with Pena about the Kanye West concert being an amazing experience.

“I loved the Kanye concert definitely one of my favorites, “ Reynoso said, “The vibes from the concert were great; everyone was just so alive.”

A close friend of Pena, Junior, Leslie Murillo was able to enjoy the atmosphere of the Kanye West concert because she also attended, sharing a familiar experience with a ticket scalper.

“I got tickets the day of the actual concert from a ticket scalper at the door,” Murillo said, “I was in shock because we basically got into the sold out Kanye West concert for free.”

The Kanye West concert became a night to remember for multiple people, especially Beatrice Pena because she was able to celebrate her birthday only a few rows away from Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar.

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