Coming to the Area

My first visit to Pico del Mar was the spring of 1978. My family and I went to the Del Mar Theatre to see Rocky! I can't remember if it was Rocky 1, 2, or 3 but I remember eating a burger from Oki Dog, which was a treat because we didn't eat fast food often.
My siblings and I didn't know my mother was in the process of purchasing a home in the area. Soon, we were walking to the Del Mar theatre to watch another Rocky movie. Those were the days!

Who we are

My name is Janelle Brown and I moved here in 1978 with my family. I moved away after high school but my parents remained. I returned to the area in 1995, a year after the Northridge earthquake. I'm a homeowner and the mother of a teen-age daughter who's attending college locally. I work for the American Red Cross and have recently opened my own business, Elizabeth Terel Celebrations, A Wedding and Special Events Boutique. I currently serve as President of Pico del Mar Neighborhood Association and as Co-Chair of P.I.C.O. Neighborhood Council.
My parents, James and Althea, are both retired but very vibrant. I have three brothers and one sister, all except one brother, are married with children. I have six nephews and four nieces and I will be a great-aunt this year! Boy, do I feel old, not really! I am excited about the new addition to our family, it's a BOY and he's making his appearance this month. A Christmas baby, oh what a special Christmas this will be for my family, The Browns.

Remembering the past

The neighborhood was different back then, there weren't any gates surrounding the properties. We would play for hours after school, going from porch to porch listening to the music of the day, riding our bikes up and down the street, sitting on our neighbor’s lawn. We knew all of the neighbors, Lucy; a childhood friend had every board game imaginable. The home her parents owned was torn down and an apartment building sits on the land. J-J was the first to get a car on my street; their property was destroyed in the 1994 Northridge earthquake. A duplex with a large fence was built on their property and they have moved away. The Glasgows' lived across the street in the yellow apartment building, our point of reference when giving directions to our new home. The Copeland’s lived next door, Mr. and Mrs. Copeland and their son Earl. My mom and his mother worked together in our hometown down south. Becky and her sisters lived in the brown apartment complex across the street in the rear unit. Tanya, an aspiring actress lived in the front unit and was friends with Dee who played Dee on the sitcom ''What's Happening''. Dee was the first actress I'd ever met. Donald, his siblings, and their mother lived in the black and white house down the street. They've longed moved away but I see his siblings every now and then. His family moved to Las Vegas. Sandy and Vicky and their mom and dad lived in the beige duplex two doors from my home. Their parents sold the property and now a gate surrounds it.
I could go on forever about the families that have lived on my street in Pico del Mar! What's your story of Pico del Mar?