Some very unusual art is installed in a concourse at Snapdragon Stadium. An array of 24 stadium lights has been mounted to one wall. Color changes at the center of each individual silvery floodlight. Over all are the words: San Diego.
When I attended a recent event at Snapdragon, I asked a knowledgeable employee who was working nearby about this art. I learned the old floodlights are from the demolished San Diego Stadium (aka Jack Murphy Stadium, Qualcomm Stadium, SDCCU Stadium), which stood on this same property in Mission Valley from 1967 to 2021.
Cool idea!
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It’s a museum-like place that the public can tour, whose mission is: Advancing knowledge of the brain and mental health through research, education, and the arts.
I enjoyed a look inside the Brain Observatory recently and much of what I saw was astounding. I was shown about briefly and learned about the unique facility’s history and mission.
The Brain Observatory houses a fully-functional research laboratory. Students and visitors can learn about the brain by utilizing authentic, state-of-the-art scientific equipment and by exploring real data, including samples from a large collection of donated human brains.
Founded in 2005 by Dr. Jacopo Annese, the Brain Observatory began as a brain research lab at UC San Diego. Ph.D. scientists from around the world, including a Nobel Prize winner from the Salk Institute, are on the Advisory Board.
The Brain Observatory uses MRI and microscopy to understand the biological basis of normal brain function and neurological disease. Advanced scientific equipment is also used to educate youth who take part in school programs.
Curious? The public can tour the Brain Observatory by reservation. In addition there are lunchtime lectures. Learn about these great opportunities by clicking here.
Dr. Jacopo Annese enthusiastically talked about his endeavors during my short visit. He has big plans. My own brain tried to assimilate so much information.
Brain Observatory tours and lectures, and the programs for students, are certain to be very stimulating!
A look inside the Brain Observatory in downtown San Diego. This space was last occupied by the SDSU Downtown Gallery.The fascinating Brain Observatory uses scientific equipment to slice brains and conduct microscopic investigation.Education is a focus of the Brain Observatory. Student artwork hangs on one wall.Photos of people who donated their brains to science.
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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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Kellogg Park at La Jolla Shores features environmental displays in an outdoor plaza by the busy beach boardwalk. A three dimensional model of underwater canyons in the Pacific Ocean is one part of The Map of the Grand Canyons of La Jolla Educational Plaza.
I blogged about this amazing plaza a couple years ago. See those images (which include stunning mosaic art) and read descriptions by clicking here.
During that previous walk, the three-dimensional, topographic model that you see in the above photo was under construction. Well, it was finished when I and some friends walked by recently!
The fascinating model depicts canyons running down from Mount Soledad into the ocean. On the sides of the model, plaques present information concerning the geology of the canyons, ocean wave dynamics, and other related environmental issues.
Should you ever walk past Kellogg Park in La Jolla Shores, pause for a few moments and learn a good deal about oceanographic history, our local environment, and this planet we live on.
From the HEIGHTS OF Mt. Soledad to the DEPTHS of the Grand Canyons of La Jolla – Walter Munk Foundation for the Oceans – Honoring Walter Munk’s legacy of daring exploration and discovery through scientific research, education, and ocean conservation… A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO WALTER & MARY MUNKChecking out information about the La Jolla Sea Caves, and Native American Kumeyaay Cosmology.Walter Munk, “Einstein of the Oceans” – Austrian born Walter Munk arrived at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in 1939 as a summer intern, beginning a career of pioneering ocean exploration and discovery spanning eight decades…How Bathymetry Affects Wave Refraction at Scripps Pier from a paper published by Walter H. Munk & Melvin A. Traylor (1947) – Wave refraction (bending) is affected by the shape of the ocean bottom. Wave energy can focus or dissipate, affecting coastal erosion patterns and surf conditions.Geologic Block Diagram From Torrey Pines State Beach To Mt. SoledadGeologic Columnar Section of Mapped Formations La Jolla Area (from Late Cretaceous to Holocene)Graph shows how Atmospheric CO2 (carbon dioxide) Affects Sea Level.
“People should treat the oceans like we do anything else that we care about–with consideration, with care, and affection.” –Walter Munk
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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)!
A new basketball court is taking shape at Waterfront Park, just north of San Diego’s County Administration Building! Check out the above photo taken this afternoon.
A large swath of the garden that originally existed on the north side of Waterfront Park has been removed, and recreational facilities are beginning to appear. Right next to this basketball court will be two pickleball courts. There will be table tennis and fitness equipment. A dog park will also be created.
These facilities will be welcomed by many downtown residents.
According to a banner on a construction fence, estimated time of project completion is July 2024.
(I’ve been told the Serpent Tree, a colorful sculpture by Niki de Saint Phalle that used to rise here, will not be returning. If true, that’s sad.)
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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)!
Remember these two things: Play hard and have fun!
These words of wisdom were spoken by San Diego legend and hero, our beloved Mr. Padre, Tony Gwynn. They are also painted in a colorful mural at Snapdragon Stadium in Mission Valley.
Tony Gwynn is one of the greatest baseball players of all time. He won eight Major League Baseball batting titles and was a 15-time All-Star. Perhaps just as importantly, he was honored for his character and humanitarianism with the 1995 Branch Rickey Award, the 1998 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award and the 1999 Roberto Clemente Award, which USA Today called “baseball’s Triple Crown of humanity and kindness.”
Tony liked to smile and laugh. He loved everybody. He played hard and had fun. He was an example for all of us.
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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)!
Have you seen graphics on a San Diego Trolley concerning something called World Design Capital?
The trolley wrap I spotted this morning celebrates the designation of San Diego/Tijuana as World Design Capital 2024!
The two border cities–San Diego, California and Tijuana, Mexico–together compose what is essentially a binational metropolis. The dynamism of these two international cities, enriched by cultural cross-pollination and collaboration, helps make our region a hotbed for new ideas. This unique dynamic helped San Diego/Tijuana achieve the title World Design Capital!
The World Design Capital website explains: By showcasing our region as a global hub for design, innovation, arts, and culture, WDC 2024 will foster lasting economic, social, cultural, civic, and environmental impact.
Numerous community initiatives are being supported by World Design Capital 2024. There are events, activations, exhibitions, projects… You can see a complete program list here.
One event is the upcoming 31st Annual San Diego Latino Film Festival. I blogged about the popular festival a few days ago here.
I’ve also blogged about the art-filled Bay to Park Paseo walking experience that is being created along Park Boulevard, connecting San Diego Bay to Balboa Park. Read my initial blog concerning it here.
There’s more to come!
UPDATE!
A couple days later I noticed World Design Capital banners have appeared downtown, 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)!
Ikebana is the ancient Japanese art form of flower arrangement. Certain rules and a certain symmetry, containing contrasts and elegance, make this art form a bit like poetry. Every part of the arrangement, like every word in a poem, is potent in itself and vital. The assembled composition is more beautiful than the sum of its parts.
During the flower show, participants could learn the essentials of ikebana while watching live demonstrations by masters of the art.
If you love exquisitely beautiful things–or unspoken poetry–keep your eyes peeled for future ikebana shows in Balboa Park.
Meanwhile, enjoy these photographs…
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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 shapely, elegant beauty of Balboa Park’s Botanical Building is returning!
San Diego’s iconic wood and steel structure, which was badly in need of repair, is in the process of being rebuilt.
I took these photographs today. Compare them to photos I took months ago. You can view those here.
New wood lath now forms the airy roof of one wing. When it was built for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition, Balboa Park’s amazing Botanical Building was one of the largest lath structures in the world!
I can’t wait to see it finished!
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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)!
Two huge events are coming to Balboa Park in March. The amazing Cherry Blossom Festival and the epic Thursday Club Rummage Sale are just days away!
Pink cherry blossoms have begun to appear in the Lower Garden of the Japanese Friendship Garden. When the Cherry Blossom Festival opens later this week, walking through the cherry trees will be like walking through a dream. The event always attracts a large crowd. There’s Japanese food and entertainment, too! It’s a good idea to arrive early.
The 2024 Cherry Blossom Festival runs from March 7 – 10. Learn all about it at the JFG website by clicking here.
The second big event is the Annual Rummage Sale of the Thursday Club. For 2024, the rummage sale will be held in the Municipal Gymnasium, which is located between the Comic-Con Museum and the San Diego Air and Space Museum.
Arrive early for this one, too! The massive event, billed as San Diego’s Largest Rummage Sale Since 1927, attracts thousands of bargain-seekers. You’ll find gently used furniture, decor, clothing, electronics, collectibles, art, books, music, you name it!
Doors will be open Saturday, March 9, from 9 am to 4 pm. On Sunday, March 10, you can swing by from 10 am to 2 pm. Click the Thursday Club website here to learn more.
Proceeds from the rummage sale go to very good causes:
The Thursday Club, a group of volunteers dedicated to educational, cultural and civic community involvement and leadership for over 100 years in San Diego, has returned almost $2 million to Balboa Park and the community through club activities… Each year, half of the proceeds of the sale go to benefit a variety of programs and projects within Balboa Park, and half goes to support non-profit organizations in the San Diego community.
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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)!
Could kids find and create art at the San Diego Festival of Science & Engineering? Yes!
Today was Expo Day, a free event held at Snapdragon Stadium. Thousands of young people wandered through the stadium’s concourses, viewing STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) displays, and partaking in experiments and activities provided by about a hundred exhibitors!
The annual event is absolutely gargantuan and impossible to cover in one blog post. I’ve blogged about Expo Day several times in past years, when this educational extravaganza was held at Petco Park.
Winding through the crowd, I discovered the Art Pavilion and, with permission from various exhibitors, my camera got busy.
Enjoy a few photos of artwork created by students, teachers and artists attending the San Diego Festival of Science & Engineering. Read the captions!
Families explore the Art Pavilion during Expo Day 2024, a San Diego Festival of Science & Engineering event at Snapdragon Stadium.Are those molecules or cool sculptures? Kids get creative with the help of the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego.Two hands, liquid and bending light by artist and educator Sheena Rae Dowling.This cool STEAM artwork, full of creative ideas, won a blue ribbon!Demand evidence. Think critically. Erica, a biology student at National University, created this scientific artwork!The Art Club of Patrick Henry High School created these colorful Science Pyramids: Temples of Truth. If you point your phone at the artwork, you can experience augmented reality bursting from each pyramid!Beautiful art depicting native flora and fauna presented by the San Diego Natural History Museum.Space exploration art from a C.A.R.T. student.Lunna, founder of VAINANA, creates art with bananas to fight hunger and promote food sustainability.The colorful work of EcoArts Kids. Students create environmental art in afterschool programs at several San Diego elementary schools.Part of the SoRoART group exhibition of soft robotics by SDSU students. Air periodically inflates these lungs, as if they’re breathing!
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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 San Diego Sights! 