Step aboard an amazing Mexican tall ship!

The amazing tall ship Cuauhtémoc is visiting San Diego and you are invited to step aboard her!

Those who walk along San Diego’s Embarcadero during the next few days will undoubtedly see the three high masts and many furled sails of Mexican Navy training vessel Cuauhtémoc.

ARM Cuauhtémoc, built in Spain in 1982, is extraordinarily beautiful. It’s now docked at the B Street Pier, across from the Cruise Ship Terminal, and the public is welcome to walk down the pier and come aboard. I was told by a friendly officer that the ship will be open to the public from 8 am to 8 pm through next Monday.

If you love tall ships (who doesn’t?) you’ve got to take advantage of this rare opportunity. (It’s been ten years since I last saw her in San Diego.)

The following photographs that I took this evening provide an idea of what you’ll find, but they really don’t do justice to the experience of being on the deck of an immense, truly spectacular tall ship!

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San Diego sunshine on Bike Anywhere Day!

Today is Bike Anywhere Day in San Diego! The event, promoted by SANDAG, occurs smack dab in the middle of May, which is National Bike Month.

The sun broke through the “May gray” this afternoon, and more than a few people took advantage of the mild weather as they rode bicycles around the city. Bike Anywhere Day encourages people to enjoy the outdoors on two wheels–whether they are going to work or simply having some healthy fun.

Early in the morning I walked around downtown to visit some of the many Bike Anywhere Day pit stops. The one I found, at the foot of the Broadway Pier, was just getting set up. Some bikes were already present, and I received a big smile from a friendly gentleman representing the Port of San Diego!

In the late afternoon, as I walked home from work, I spotted more bicycles on the move!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Students pinstripe Concours d’Elegance Cadillac!

How awesome is this? Students at Morse High School in Southeast San Diego helped to make the above 1913 Cadillac Model 30 even more stunning!

This classic 5-passenger touring car was a hit at the 2022 Las Vegas Concours d’Elegance, where it appeared after the students re-detailed all the pinstriping, including the doors, chassis and wheel rims!

I saw the car at the San Diego Automotive Museum the other day and was impressed. According to a nearby sign, the museum will continue to provide and support opportunities for low-income youth in San Diego to explore the Automotive Industry and provide opportunities for Apprenticeships and Mentoring through its Vocational Academy launching in 2023.

To learn more about the museum’s IGNITE program, which combines career exploration, independent research, and skill-building through project-based hands-on learning to prepare students for internships and other pathways towards successful careers in the automotive industry, check out their special web page by clicking here.

If you know a potentially interested young person–or if you are interested yourself–check out the above link! It’s easy to sign up and get started!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Tour the new River Center at Grant Park!

The public has a special opportunity to tour the new River Center at Grant Park this Saturday. The amazing nature center beside the San Diego River in Mission Valley is currently under construction. Completion is scheduled for this summer. The goal is to have 10,000 students connecting with nature each year in the River Center’s unique outdoor classroom!

Saturday’s family tour is one activity of many during the San Diego River Park Foundation’s annual River Days event. Other activities along the river through this weekend include gardening, clean ups, wildlife hikes and bird walks.

To view a listing of all the free River Days activities in 2024, click here!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter)!

The fun Fringe Festival returns to San Diego!

The annual Fringe Festival returns this week to San Diego!

For a stretch of 11 days, unusual, innovative, sometimes bizarre performances by relative unknowns will be enjoyed at venues in Balboa Park and across San Diego!

Bad Behavior. Messes Solo Circus. I Need a Beer. Puppet Bash. Kid Goblin. Taptastic. Spiked Punch. Pirates of Hamlet. These are some of the numerous theatrical acts that you’ll be able to enjoy with the purchase of affordable tickets. Proceeds go entirely to the artists!

The two main venues for the Fringe Festival in 2024 are the Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theater and the Centro Cultural de la Raza in Balboa Park. Tickets can be purchased outside each show or online.

I’ve randomly bought tickets to several shows in the past, not knowing what to expect. I noted the actors are all striving hard to achieve success. The performances can be a bit unpolished or crazy or unconventional, but they’re super creative and fun!

To see the full lineup and schedule, and detailed information about this wonderful festival, click here!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Border Blitz of comic artists from Tijuana!

A new binational art exhibit opened last week at San Diego’s Comic-Con Museum. Three notable Mexican artists–Charles Glaubitz, Alejandra Yépiz Portillo, and Urbano Mata–have contributed large walls full of comic art in a collaboration between the Consulate General of Mexico in San Diego and the Comic-Con Museum in Balboa Park. The exhibition is titled Border Blitz: Artistas del Cómic de Tijuana.

San Diego and Tijuana share unique qualities, including dynamic cultural cross-pollination between two nations. Border Blitz: Artistas del Cómic de Tijuana celebrates the selection of San Diego/Tijuana as World Design Capital 2024!

During my visit to the museum last weekend, I really enjoyed all the great, super creative artwork on display. I took the following photos as I explored the extensive upstairs gallery. To experience everything, make sure to visit the museum yourself!

The first group of photos represents the artwork of Charles Glaubitz. The artist’s work includes zines, graphic novels and animation, and transcends traditional visual arts. He intersects vibrant psychedelic imagery with ancient myths, quantum physics and spirituality! Pretty wild, right? Check it out…

The second artist is Alejandra Yépiz Portillo, who was born in Ensenada, Mexico. The pieces chosen for this exhibition represent the beginning of her work in professional comics. Her fun art is ever-evolving. She focuses on coming of age, comedy and drama with digitally drawn comics and panels imitating manga…

Finally, the third artist who lives in Tijuana is Urbano Mata. He asks: what is it like to live and love in a city divided by a border? He is noted for his comedic, cynical and carefree cartoon style. His characters are usually based on real people–affectionate portraits of people he knows closely…

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Chinese lantern street lamps replaced downtown!

In the last couple weeks, several street lamps in the form of traditional Chinese lanterns have been replaced along Third Avenue in downtown San Diego. Third Avenue, between Market Street and J Street, is the heart of the Asian Pacific Thematic Historic District.

The original Chinese lanterns were installed in the 1980s, back when the historic district was first designated. Those lamps, however, had deteriorated over time and were badly in need of replacement.

With the help of the Downtown San Diego Partnership, several of the old lamps were refurbished and provided with LED lighting. They’ve been reinstalled on Third Avenue in the vicinity of the San Diego Chinese Historical Museum.

Sadly, these beautiful Chinese lantern street lamps no longer run the entire distance to Market Street. I was told the City of San Diego disposed of several of the old lanterns that might have been given to the museum and also refurbished.

The San Diego Chinese Historical Museum has retained one of the newly refurbished lanterns for safe keeping as you can see from my next photograph. It will be used as a model for future lanterns, if money can be raised to produce them. Recreating them from scratch will be, unfortunately, fairly expensive for the nonprofit museum. (Would you like to help?)

The museum would also love to create an Asian Pacific Thematic Historic District gateway on Market Street. Chinatowns in other cities feature such gateways.

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Star of India’s mizzen gaff carefully descends!

Today volunteers and crew members at the Maritime Museum of San Diego undertook a complicated operation. Very carefully, they slowly removed and lowered a spar on the Star of India called the mizzen gaff.

The mizzen gaff of the historic, 161-year-old tall ship hadn’t been inspected for 15 years, and it was time for another look. The United States Coast Guard is tasked with ensuring that working ships like the Star of India remain in safe sailing condition.

I stood and watched for a long while. You can see why special care must be taken when lowering this long, heavy spar. Imagine what might happen if somehow it slipped! Many lines held by steady hands were supporting and maneuvering it, making sure a calamity could not happen.

I watched for probably half an hour, and it seemed to my eyes that little progress was made in that time. That’s how carefully the operation was conducted!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Fantastic art of John Jennings at Comic-Con Museum!

Are you a fan of science fiction, horror, comic books or graphic novels? You don’t want to miss Collaboration(s)! A Journey with John Jennings, a fantastic new exhibit that opened last week at the Comic-Con Museum in Balboa Park!

John Jennings is an Eisner Award–winning and New York Times best-selling artist, designer and author who has worked in comics for over twenty years. He’s also a professor of media and cultural studies at the University of California, Riverside and the director of the Abrams ComicArts imprint Megascope, which publishes graphic novels focused on the experiences of people of color.

Jennings was introduced to comics by his mother at a young age, and fell in love with the medium, whose possibilities are limited only by human imagination. Since then he has made many notable contributions to the popular culture.

Perhaps you’re familiar with the new Marvel character, Ghost Light. Jennings was the creator! He is the author of the 2023 comic series Silver Surfer: Ghost Light.

The African American character Ghost Light actually began his life as Al Harper, a physicist and friend to Silver Surfer, who sacrificed his life to save the world in a 1969 story titled And Who Shall Mourn for Him? That was back in Marvel’s comic book Silver Surfer #5.

Jennings brought the character back in a way that represents the modern African American experience. Ghost Light also reflects John Jennings’ artistic collaboration with co-creators and his love of Afrofuturism, which can be observed throughout this new museum exhibit. He has helped to create thousands of images that have been enjoyed in art shows and diverse publications.

As my few photos demonstrate, you’ll be dazzled by the bold, very colorful comic artwork produced by this prolific artist. You’ll see familiar Marvel superheroes, monsters and dark horror, images filled with symbolism and mythological and historical references, and futuristic wonders that might blow your mind!

Visitors to the exhibit can also “collaborate” with the artist by writing a story or coloring a sketch, and then share it on a wall in a Comic-Con Museum gallery. Very cool!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Photos of Spring colors in Balboa Park!

The colors of life in Balboa Park become even more vivid in Spring. New flowers, bright greenery, San Diego’s sunlight on amazing architecture, sunshine on smiling people…

Here’s another collection of colorful photographs. I took these today while walking in one of the world’s most amazing parks.

Read the photo captions to learn a little more about each image!

New friends meet in Balboa Park.

A tour of Balboa Park stops on El Prado to learn some San Diego history. In the background, Garden Stewards tend to flowers near the reflecting pool, and beyond them rises the Botanical Building, which is being renovated.’

Spring flowers and the incredible wood lath Botanical Building, which is being rebuilt.

A closer photo of the Botanical Building’s major restoration.

Spring colors at the San Diego Epiphyllum Society’s big Plant Sale outside the Casa del Prado.

Spring flowers around the fountain at the center of Balboa Park’s Plaza de Panama.

Bicycles and spring colors outside the House of Hospitality.

Spring into Summer at the Prado Perk!

A peaceful bench near flowers and grass at the edge of the Casa del Rey Moro Garden.

A perfect day for a bike ride through the park.

Beautiful roses at the International Cottages.

A garland of flowers inside the House of Sweden’s cottage.

The Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Celebration will take place next Saturday at the International Cottages in Balboa Park.

The Spreckels Organ Pavilion is a favorite spot for elegant photography.

Models wearing handmade Oaxacan fashions smile in Balboa Park. They represent Floresita Customs & Imports!

A painting class in the park. There is inspiration around every corner.

A painter in the Plaza de Panama interprets scenery in Balboa Park.

Chet play his guitar beautifully as usual.

Mitchell pauses with his didgeridoo to talk to a passerby.

The weekend Glass Show and Sale fills the Spanish Village Art Center with many colors.

Stunning glasswork for sale is displayed on many tables.

A sale!

Glass artist Melissa Heaney has created some truly extraordinary pieces.

What’s a Spring day without a ride on the fun Balboa Park Carousel?

A family rides over green grass on the Balboa Park Miniature Railroad.

Nearby flowers are super abundant!

The very colorful Balboa Park Pow Wow is held every year around Mother’s Day.

Native American culture comes to life in Balboa Park. It’s another beautiful, soulful Spring weekend.

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter)!