During my walk in San Ysidro last weekend, I discovered two relatively new murals painted in the Cultural Corridor. It had been a little over a year since I walked this way.
The San Ysidro Cultural Corridor extends north along Cypress Drive from San Ysidro Boulevard to the trolley tracks near the Beyer Avenue station. The alley-like corridor contains many colorful murals that change from time to time. Community development organization Casa Familiar is the driving engine behind this ongoing project.
Past blog posts that include photographs of additional murals in the Cultural Corridor can be found here and here and here and here.
My first images today show a happy mural on a wooden fence at the north end of the corridor. It was painted in 2023. The artist is Ivan Arevalo.
The second mural celebrates San Ysidro. It was painted by Ground Floor Murals. Sadly, you can see how the image of a proud bird of prey has been defaced by a tagger.
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A large steel structure is now being erected near the center of San Diego’s beautiful Balboa Park! It’s the Exchange Pavilion, another initiative of World Design Capital 2024!
San Diego/Tijuana won the coveted title of World Design Capital for 2024. There have been many activities and activations related to this international honor, and the Exchange Pavilion is the newest of these.
The lightweight skeletal structure evident in my photographs is being built in the Plaza de Panama, in front of the San Diego Museum of Art. The pavilion is designed to bring people together, along with their diverse ideas and experiences. Interconnectedness and collaboration are appropriate themes for the first ever binational World Design Capital designation.
The Exchange Pavilion, when completed, will feature interactive digital displays, special lighting, and a space for lectures, performances, workshops and more. It was designed by HELEO in collaboration with Tijuana, Mexico based visual artist Daniel Ruanova.
This very unique installation will remain in Balboa Park all summer long. It will then be relocated to Tijuana in the fall. I was told it will be completed and will open this Saturday, August 10!
I suppose I’ll have to swing by this weekend to check it out!
UPDATE!
I walked through the Plaza de Panama on Friday afternoon and saw that construction of the pavilion is still underway. The narrow digital displays appear to be functioning.
I was told by someone at the site that the Exchange Pavilion will now open on Wednesday!
ANOTHER UPDATE!
I walked by again on Sunday. I learned the pavilion will now open next Saturday 17, 2024.
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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
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Motionless figures confront pedestrians on a downtown San Diego sidewalk. Three life-size transparent “silhouettes” stand beside UC San Diego Park & Market. For those who pause and wish to understand, the figures will freely speak, telling true stories of people in our city who are homeless.
What Does Home Mean to You is the name of this public art installation. It’s just one temporary installation of many along the Bay to Park Paseo. The Bay to Park Paseo is a unique walking experience that leads from San Diego Bay to Balboa Park. Learn all about it by clicking here.
Earlier this year I participated in the inaugural walk up the Bay to Park Paseo. One of these three silhouettes was on display. Last weekend, when I walked up Park Boulevard again, all three were arranged on the sidewalk.
The UC San Diego Design Lab created this thought-provoking installation. An explanation of the public art includes: Visitors will see life-size silhouettes of people who will share their perspectives on housing at the push of a button. Throughout the installation, passersby can use their mobile devices to scan QR codes to dive deeper into other housing experiences from the greater San Diego community or share their own stories through voice or text.
I noticed words by the feet of these silhouettes. The stories are real, but names have been changed.
I took photos for you to see…
“Like my dad said, ‘It’s not over till it’s over.’ That’s his motto. I gotta live by that, no matter what.” A foster youth shares his family story, hopes and dreams with maturity and grit…“Don’t wait for things to come to you. Chase it.” A single mother of three was unhoused, despite having a steady job…“I…turned toward survival mode–a mode that most of society isn’t aware of in themselves, but, you know, I think is in all of us.” During his darkest days, he found resurrection through his community, who gave him a hand when he was at his worst…
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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.
Did you know that San Diego Padres star pitcher Joe Musgrove has a family connection to Little Italy?
His grandmother, Lucy Papitto, resided in San Diego’s Little Italy neighborhood for 30 years!
I didn’t know this until I saw a relatively new mural and plaque today. The beautiful mural can be found on India Street a little south of Grape Street. I’ve read that it was unveiled several months ago during Mother’s Day weekend.
When I walked by this morning, the San Diego sunshine was shining through nearby tree branches, perfectly framing Lucy Papitto’s smile.
IN HONOR OF PADRES PITCHER JOE MUSGROVE’S GRANDMOTHER LUCY PAPITTO, 1ST GENERATION SAN DIEGO NATIVE OF ITALIAN DESCENT WHO CALLED LITTLE ITALY HOME FROM 1928 TO 1958 RESIDING AT 1936 STATE STREET.
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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.
Some trolley riders smiled. Others slept. Some unabashedly sang along. Others stared at the unexpected spectacle with suspicion or disbelief. We all were riding a San Diego trolley to Destination JOY!
A special event was held today in San Diego. Trolley passengers could experience bright smiles and joy at certain stations and, perhaps unexpectedly, while riding the Blue or Orange lines! Destination JOY was the name of this first time event, and I experienced a bit of it myself!
Sustainable transportation, climate change mitigation, health and well-being, and civic engagement were the central themes of the event, which was presented by Way Outside the Lines in partnership with many community organizations and the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS). The mood of the event was happy and optimistic–full of good vibes!
At the Iris Avenue Transit Center, both registered participants and ordinary transit users could listen to poetry readings about human love in a sometimes difficult world, see colorful artwork, listen to live music, and even learn how to beat the summer heat. The theme at this station was the Sound of Joy…
Anyone could walk up and try their hand at painting. This is local artist David Gomez, who also had a small gallery of his artwork on display.
Institute for Public Strategies was at the Iris Avenue Transit Center educating people about how to beat the summer heat.
These musicians weren’t playing when I happened by, but they gave me the thumbs up!
A group that signed up for the full 4 hour Destination JOY experience prepare to board a random Blue Line trolley. They and surprised passengers would be entertained by a musical trolley show!
At the E Street Transit Center in Chula Vista, the roving group would enjoy more outdoor activations. The theme here was Art of Motion. Anyone who happened to come by the trolley station could participate in yoga and other healthy activities.
Smiles from the Yoga Lab!
I then headed off on my own to check out the activations at the 24th Avenue Transit Center in National City. Expression of Color was the theme at this station, and much of what I saw, including more colorful artwork, concerned protecting our natural environment.
I learned that a new project called Mundo Gardens is planned for National City. The Interstate 805 ramps for 43rd Street will be coming down creating an open space for the community.
From the 24th Street Transit Center I rode a Blue Line trolley back into downtown San Diego, missing the final Orange Line activations at the Euclid Avenue Station & Jacobs Center.
I did find friendly folks from the Urban Collaborative Project inside UC San Diego Park & Market near the trolley station of the same name. They aim to make Southeast San Diego a more vibrant, informed, connected, and empowered community!
The following stone was painted by Elie Kennedy, who had a table nearby. Visit my blog post concerning her work spreading love in San Diego by clicking 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.
Destination JOY was a wonderful, very unique event held today in San Diego. San Diego Trolley riders could enjoy diverse entertainment and activations while on the trolley or at select stations!
The event included music, art, poetry readings and more at the Iris Avenue Transit Center. Inside a dark trailer, a makeshift art gallery presented The Goldie Collection by local artist David Gomez (@the_art_of_controversy).
Check out some photographs of his shining mixed media artwork. As a sign explained: The paintings in this collection tell a story of innocence lost, betrayal, hope and a friendship that spans generations… While the story and images might appear a bit exotic, the themes are universally human. Cool art, right?
David was also painting outdoors for the Destination JOY trolley event. I’ll be blogging about this fun San Diego event in my next post!
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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.
I met Elie Kennedy today. She was at a table painting small, smooth stones inside the UC San Diego Park & Market building. She was participating in today’s Destination JOY event, which would bring San Diego Trolley riders into her smiling presence.
Elie makes lives in San Diego better. She does this by spreading hope and love with positive, affirming messages painted beautifully on stones. Perhaps you’ve seen Elie at art and craft events around the city. I also met her seven years ago in Balboa Park.
Elie has helped sick kids at Rady Children’s Hospital paint happy, hopeful stones. Above all, she’s an advocate for Suicide Prevention and Awareness. Her own family experience, and a day of painting stones on the beach for a loving memorial, propelled her down this road. The selling of her stones raises funds to bring awareness to the issue of suicide prevention.
Today, seeing the stones arranged on that table and her smile lighted my day. Chased away dark thoughts. Reminded me of important things.
The distinctive street art of Gerardo Meza (@mezarte) has been showing up in both Hillcrest and Bankers Hill!
I’ve noticed several electrical boxes painted in the last year in the two neighborhoods by the prolific artist. His colorful street art can be observed in communities all around San Diego.
Should you walk through San Ysidro just north of the Mexican border, you’ll find many examples of his work. Gerardo Meza is Chairman of the Border Public Arts Committee. Among other accomplishments, he’s also Coordinator of Art Box San Diego and Cofounder of the San Diego Art Society.
Gerardo’s artwork with its Mexican flavor is unmistakable. It can be weird, distorted, humorous, frightening, sexy, hip, mythological, ironic… It’s very original and definitely attracts your attention!
My first four photographs are of two boxes in Hillcrest…
And here come photos of two boxes in Bankers Hill…
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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.
I spied this very colorful mural in Bankers Hill on the north side of West Hair Salon on Fifth Avenue. It appears to uniquely combine elements of Día de los Muertos calavera face painting and Pride rainbow imagery!
The artist signature is that of Genaro Garcia (@artegennaro).
I took this photograph over a parked car the other day, but you can see most of the artwork.
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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.
Summer in San Diego is moving along. August has arrived!
As usual, a new month means it’s time to revisit blog posts from five years ago. During August 2019, Cool San Diego Sights featured some very unique and amazing stuff.
My photographs from back then include an epic mural depicting San Diego that few people see, an exhibition of very weird architecture inspired by UFOs, and jaw-dropping sand sculptures created by world-class artists!
Here come eight links to past blog posts that you might explore.
Click the following links to view photographs from five years ago:
Cool San Diego Sights! 