Author: Richard Schulte

Downtown San Diego has been my home for many years. My online activities reflect my love for writing, blogging, walking and photography.

Flower sculptures at A Reason To Survive!

Colorful flower sculptures greet visitors to A Reason To Survive (ARTS) in National City. They’ve sprouted near the front entrance.

I happened to notice these very creative flowers last weekend. I don’t recall seeing them before–but it had been a long time since I walked this way.

A Reason To Survive is a nationally known program for youth that encourages self-confidence, growth and leadership through art. Their Mission Statement is: ARTS lifts young people in the South County region of San Diego to become confident, compassionate, and courageous community builders through the transformative power of creativity.

Over the years I’ve photographed several community projects undertaken by young people participating in ARTS. They’ve greatly beautified National City.

Do you know more about these flower sculptures? If so, please leave a comment!

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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)!

Cool photo memories from May 2019.

As many of you know, when a new month comes along I like to revisit interesting blog posts from five years ago. It’s time to check out what Cool San Diego Sights was featuring back in May of 2019!

The upcoming links will take you to photographs of dragon boats races in Mission Bay, Cinco de Mayo in Old Town, a Balboa Park Pow Wow, an arts festival in North Park, and the Manzanita Mountain Man Rendezvous.

And there are photos of murals, monuments, the historic El Cuervo adobe ruins (which few people know about) and a super cool stellarium. What’s a stellarium? Aren’t you curious?

Click the following links to see many photos!

An amazing cube, like real Space: full of stars!

Photos of dragon boat races on Mission Bay!

Fun photos of Cinco de Mayo in Old Town!

Natural habitat for birds, wildlife near SeaWorld.

Colorful nature painted near Fiesta Island.

Intertribal dancing at Balboa Park Pow Wow.

Street art painted live at North Park festival!

Freedom Bell at Balboa Park’s Veterans Museum.

Photos of the historic El Cuervo adobe ruins.

Photos of Manzanita Mountain Man Rendezvous!

Art from San Diego’s skateboarding underground.

New mural in San Diego’s drive-through art gallery!

Wreath ceremony on USS Midway honors heroes.

Memorial Day weekend at Festival of the Sea!

POW/MIA monument unveiled at Veterans Museum.

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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)!

An extraordinary street organ in Balboa Park!

In Balboa Park last weekend, a large group of families and children gathered around Jim Coffee and his extraordinary street organ. I joined them.

As Jim turned a crank to produce cheerful organ music, we all watched as automata brought small magical scenes to life in front of the organ. The street organ and its lively automata were all hand made!

I first met Jim in Balboa Park seven years ago. See those photos on my dormant Beautiful Balboa Park blog by clicking here. Back then he entertained passersby simply with the music of his 20 pipe “Misty” street organ. Today eight motors activate incredible small scenes mounted to the same organ–a carnival with turning Ferris wheel and merry-go-round, a flying helicopter with waving people, musicians playing instruments, and more!

With the addition of this fun automata, everyone who gathers around to listen and watch is even more enchanted!

If you want to learn more about Jim and his wonderful creations, visit his website 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)!

National City installs Historic U.S. Route 101 signs!

Earlier this month, National City installed seven new Historic California US 101 Route street signs. They were placed where old Highway 101, the source of many fond memories, once ran. These seven new signs join thirteen others that were installed in Chula Vista and San Ysidro near the beginning of the year.

This very cool project, which commemorates an important part of history in San Diego’s South Bay, was spearheaded by Jack Gechter of the South Bay Historical Society.

Jack indicated these new signs are located along National City Boulevard, from a spot just north of Chula Vista to a spot just south of Division Street. Here are the exact addresses:

North Bound – National City Blvd. north of C Street (just north of Chula Vista)
North Bound – 2501 National City Blvd.
North Bound – 701 National City Blvd.
North Bound – 141 National City Blvd.
South Bound – 128 National City Blvd.
South Bound – 700 National City Blvd.
South Bound – 2340 National City Blvd.

Learning this, I had to check these new signs out! I spotted six of them and took the upcoming photographs during a walk on Sunday.

Are you curious where US 101 ran south of San Diego?

This 1947 Chevron Map shows the Historic California US 101 Route starting near the US/Mexico Border in San Ysidro, and continuing north along Beyer Blvd toward Chula Vista, along National Avenue (Broadway in Chula Vista and National City Blvd in National City) to 8th Street, along 8th Street to Harbor Drive, then along Harbor Drive to Pacific Highway.

This 1933 AA Map shows a slightly different Historic California US 101 Route at the northerly end of National Avenue (National City Blvd) to 1st Street, then along Main Street.

Should you drive along National City Boulevard, keep an eye out for these new signs!

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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)!

An incredible new National City mural!

An incredible National City mural was spray painted late last year on a wall at the Güdbyek bicycle shop and National City Motorcycle. Perhaps you’ve seen this stylish, very bold artwork while driving down National City Boulevard.

The artist is Arturo Parada “Durothethird,” a Toronto-based graffiti artist, designer, and lover of BMX, who has provided work for dozens of major international clients.

You can see him working on the mural here.

Pretty cool, huh?

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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)!

San Diego Bonsai Club’s Spring Show!

Fantastic examples of bonsai could be viewed by the public this weekend in Balboa Park. The San Diego Bonsai Club hosted their Spring Show and Sale in Casa del Prado’s Room 101.

A series of long, narrow tables appeared to be lined with tiny, ancient, wind-blown trees. It’s uncanny how the beautiful art of bonsai can trick and fascinate the eye.

These bonsai were carefully sculpted by members of the club. The show and sale also featured supplies like pots, soil and starter trees, and expert bonsai technique demonstrations.

Check out these photos. I felt like I was walking beside a miniature forest!

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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)!

Sea monsters invade the Mile of Cars!

Several terrifying sea monsters have been observed invading the Mile of Cars in National City! A menacing octopus, a very toothy fish, and the Creature from the Black Lagoon have gathered next to Perry Ford!

I saw this fun street art during a long walk through National City this morning. My objective was to photograph the new Historic California US 101 Route street signs that were recently erected along National City Boulevard. (That post will be coming up shortly.)

Between my walks in National City and Balboa Park, I ended up taking lots of photos today!

Stay tuned!

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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)!

Crazy ski competition in Balboa Park!

Balboa Park was the peculiar venue for a big ski competition today!

Who needs snow when the House of Finland holds its annual lawn program at the International Cottages and provides skis? Grass works fine!

The afternoon Hiihtokilpailu (which is Finnish for ski competition) saw several teams (four athletes each, sharing two long skis) racing cross-country style (without ski poles). I watched the crazy spectacle.

One team couldn’t get out of the starting gate, two had calamitous, spontaneous collapses, and the fourth had major trouble turning around. One machine-like team named the Engineers would go on to win the big Final. (Fortunately, all contestants were awarded cookies.)

These photos of the silly “skiing” contest might make you chuckle.

I probably would’ve fallen over, too!

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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)!

C Street Keeps It Green for Earth Day!

A special Earth Day event was held today in downtown San Diego. C Street Keeps It Green was the name of the fun environmental event, which took place–surprise!–on two blocks of C Street.

I saw inspirational art being created, spoke to representatives of the Downtown San Diego Partnership, checked out info presented by I Love a Clean San Diego, San Diego Community Power, and the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition, and enjoyed learning more about the San Diego Chinese Historical Museum–did you know every second Sunday they are open free to the public? There were smiling vendors, too, and music!

Enjoy some photographs and read the captions…

Inspirational art and messages are created on C Street in San Diego.

Three Falls Brand had all sort of cool merch–many of the designs were a fusion of lucha libre wrestling and hard rock music.

I learned the San Diego Chinese Historical Museum has an exhibition titled Poem ‘ Li Sao’, Qu Yuan & Dragon Boat Festival. The featured, very famous poem, by the father of Chinese romantic poetry, consists of more than 2,470 Chinese characters!

Old photographs show how the Chinese played an important role in early San Diego history.

Smiles by representatives of San Diego Community Power, which provides cleaner electricity from renewable sources like solar and wind at competitive rates.

Another smile! Oside HandMade provided fun small potted plant projects for the Earth Day event.

Creativity in action.

San Diego County Bicycle Coalition provided all sorts of useful information.

I Love a Clean San Diego told me about their recent Creek to Bay Cleanup. Tons of trash were removed from our precious waterways.

I’m shown how small positive choices we make add up! And another big smile!

Music for the event across C Street!

Our beautiful planet Earth.

A quote about nature by Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Shayna Goodwin, a San Diego Clean and Safe Ambassador, creates her first mural. And it’s absolutely incredible!

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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)!

Kids fighting cancer: a Celebration of Champions!

The 29th Celebration of Champions was held today in San Diego at Embarcadero Marina Park North!

Families from around the region gathered for relay races, a circle of life, and happy activities celebrating kids who fight childhood cancer. The event benefits Rady Children’s Peckham Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, which offers one of the nation’s top pediatric cancer programs.

Young kids played and romped during the festival, and families remembered loving children who had tragically passed away.

Generous sponsors ran relays with individual families and children, everyone cheering encouragement. The San Diego Padres and Gulls were present, as were SDSU cheerleaders and Star Wars cosplayers and Batman with his cool Batmobile! I almost forgot the pony rides and carnival!

What an inspirational event. An immense crowd had gathered in the San Diego sunshine. Faith in humanity restored. You had to be there.

If you’d like to help out Rady Children’s Hospital, 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)!