Sister cities

When I was in fourth grade, Mr. Williams at Spencer V. Williams Elementary School (as it was known back then) taught us Spanish. Being the only one in class who couldn't roll their R's was the start of my lifelong resistance to learning Spanish. But one thing that Mr. Williams taught us that I still remember is that Guadalajara, Mexico, is Downey's sister city.

Downey was the first U.S. city to establish a sister city with Mexico. In the late 1950s, the mayor of Downey attended the International U.S.-Mexico Conference, where he met the mayor of Guadalajara. The two leaders agreed to make a sister city arrangement, which was signed on Aug. 26, 1960.

I thought of that today when I passed the La Chiva Loca restaurant, with its logo "Las Originales De Guadalajara." I still can't roll my R's, but I do love the food.