East Village Tutors Come To You

East Village, thanks to recent redevelopment with Petco Park, the Central Library, and urban housing, has become a flourishing community in the city of San Diego. East Village is one of many neighborhoods that has “crossed over” from run-down urban blight to up-and-coming flourish, in part, thanks to the Harbor Drive Pedestrian Bridge that now dominates the landscape of East Village.

Built by Reyes Construction, the Harbor Drive Pedestrian Bridge crosses over Harbor Drive at Park Boulevard in downtown. It is 550 feet long, which makes in one of the longest self-anchored pedestrian bridges in the world. Its span is 350 feet, and can accommodate hundreds of people at any given time that need to cross Harbor Drive. The bridge is suspended from a single 131-foot tall pylon set into the ground at a 60 degree angle. An unusual design, it features a curved concrete deck that is suspended only on the deck’s inside curve by a single pair of suspension cables. The resulting shape of the bridge calls to mind a ship, and is a subtle nod to the many water vessels that dot the San Diego bay. The bridge was constructed using stainless steel and has lighting above and below the deck. It has been described as “a sleek, nautically themed bridge with a very nice view of the city” by its designer. Local residents of East Village agree.

The bridge was originally built to accommodate pedestrian traffic from Petco Park, completed in 2011, and crosses to and from parking areas on the other side of Harbor Drive to the adjacent Hilton Bayfront Hotel. The bridge spans over six lanes of traffic, a rail yard, trolley tracks, and connects the convention center with the Gaslamp Quarter and the East Village. If any structure in San Diego brought together its communities in a very literal way, it is the Harbor Drive Pedestrian Bridge. It is a thoroughfare that can take people from one place to another—a connecting line between major points in this thriving city and community of East Village. Prior to the construction of the Harbor Drive Pedestrian Bridge, traffic was heavy, with the area frequently congested with pedestrians and cars alike. Now, traffic flows easily, accommodated by this elegant bridge.

Students in East Village may find themselves in a similar situation their community was in prior to 2011—constantly at odds with the frustration of not going anywhere quickly. When grades suffer, self-confidence does too. Grade Potential tutors are there to facilitate the transition between academic uncertainty to academic success. Tutoring as part of the learning process is easily compared to a bridge. Going from one point to another is an important practice with the improvement of study skills, academic performance, and the self-confidence that results encourages students to continue crossing mental bridges for greater schooling successes.