Father of the Computer, Charles Babbage, 1791-1871.
There are two electrical boxes near the UCSD Gilman Transit Center that caught my eye last weekend. One features tributes to three early pioneers of computer science. The other is painted to appear like a gigantic boom box. Technology and music are central to the life of many students at UC San Diego.
I always love revisiting the campus of UC San Diego. It’s a very beautiful place, bustling with energy. The university is rated one of the finest in the world. When I see the inventors of tomorrow, walking with smiles in the La Jolla sunshine, I feel hopeful.
Enchantress of Numbers, Ada Lovelace, 1815-1852.Father of Computer Science, Alan Turing, 1912-1954.An electrical box painted like a huge boom box near UCSD’s Gilman Transit Center.Musical notes stream from an enormous boom box at UC San Diego!
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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
The complex masts, yards and rigging of a fantastic tall ship.
Stad Amsterdam is perhaps the most beautiful ship I’ve ever seen. It’s now docked in San Diego not far from the Star of India. The incredible Dutch clipper ship, which is operating as a cruise ship, will be visiting our city for a week or so.
I posted some evening photos of Stad Amsterdam taken on Friday here. I also shared a couple of fascinating facts about the ship.
This morning I walked down to the Embarcadero again to see the beautiful tall ship in its full glory. Here are my photos…
A wave from a crew member working high up on a yard of the beautiful three-masted Dutch clipper ship Stad Amsterdam.This is perhaps the most beautiful ship I’ve ever seen.Volunteers and sail crews from the Maritime Museum of San Diego got a special tour aboard the Stad Amsterdam.A friendly gentleman on deck spoke to me for a minute and other curious people who were passing by.I walked along the length of the Dutch tall ship to experience its full majesty.Close photo of the stern of Stad Amsterdam.Another crew member near one of the elegant wood cabins on deck.Members of the Stad Amsterdam crew work together as a team to manipulate a sail.Hauling a rope that is attached to a canvas sail high above.Walking along the Embarcadero, looking at the extraordinarily beautiful tall ship.The profile, size and color scheme of Stad Amsterdam makes it appear a little bit like San Diego’s own historic Star of India.I asked about the figurehead of the Stad Amsterdam and was told it doesn’t represent any particular person. The female holds a globe and points gracefully forward into the future.Crewmembers take to the ship’s rigging to do some work.Out on a yard unfurling a heavy sail.The fantastic tall ship has masts that touch the sky.Crew members work with a sail.The three-masted clipper ship Stad Amsterdam docked near the Maritime Museum of San Diego.Figurehead of the beautiful Dutch tall ship Stad Amsterdam.
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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
You can easily explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on my blog’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There are thousands upon thousands of photos for you to enjoy!
An early 1900’s Italian fishing boat looking for tuna off the coast of San Diego.
Some new murals have appeared in Little Italy on a construction site fence along Kettner Boulevard, between Beech Street and Cedar Street. The artwork, created by Elisabeth Sullivan, depicts the history of tuna fishing in San Diego.
The series of images tell the story of an industry that once prospered in our city, and that shaped the colorful downtown neighborhood of Little Italy.
Italian and Portuguese fishermen bamboo pole fishing at the peak of the industry in the late 1920’s.After a lengthy fishing expedition these tuna clippers head home with their catch.Fishing boats docked for the night in San Diego Harbor after unloading their catch.Women of Little Italy fishing families work to remove hooks, stretch dry and mend the nets.The tuna is unloaded at the wharf and delivered to San Diego fish markets and canneries.During World War II many tuna clippers were converted to Yacht Patrols by the U.S. Navy.In the late 1950’s the efficient modern purse seiner began replacing most of the bait boats.The history of tuna fishing in San Diego can now be observed on a series of beautiful murals in Little Italy!
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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
An example of an elaborate paper toy theater, a source of family entertainment in the 19th century.
Today, just for fun, I headed up to the Paper Theatre Festival, which is held every year at UC San Diego.
Upon entering the Seuss Room at the Geisel Library, I couldn’t help smiling. Scattered about the room was a large collection of Victorian stage dioramas, character cut-outs, books and ephemera from the 19th century when paper toy theatre was a popular family entertainment.
All of the colorful artwork exhibited at the festival is part of an immense paper theatre collection assembled over the course of eighteen years by Scott Paulson. I listened to him talk to visitors young and old about his collection, and tried to absorb a bit of this unique art form’s history. I learned how in that bygone age, families would construct these paper theaters from kits, then act out plays with the included scripts and paper doll actors. The entertaining hobby encouraged people to learn about the operation of a real theater, including set design and stage lighting effects.
Walking about the Seuss Room, I bent over to peer into many highly ornate 3-dimensional dioramas. Slots at intervals on the stages allow different paper backdrops–scenery sheets–to be inserted, as you can see from my photos. Paper characters, which are often mounted at the ends of sticks, can be moved about on a stage as a dramatic performance demands.
The festival is geared toward kids, who are encouraged to handle these fun paper playhouses, learn about their history and create their own small dramas. The event continues Sunday and Monday. Click here to learn more!
Paper Theater – It’s the smallest show on Earth! Historical amusements are on display at the Paper Theatre Festival at the UC San Diego Library.Objects on display include books, posters and materials to create paper theaters.A mirthful dance of magical characters!A variety of paper toy theaters and related items are on display at the annual festival.A scenery sheet depicting a London street to be used in a play of Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations.Detail from one ornate paper stage.These cut-out paper actors include dragons, knights and other fantastic characters.Mr. Jackson’s Elizabethan Theatre includes the characters and text for Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.An example of a French paper theatre kit.The exhibition includes a crazy MOV-I-GRAFF card. The outline of the face is a fine chain. The face’s shape can be altered with a jiggle.This stage features a troupe of dancers!Edward Gorey’s Dracula. Classic horror and toy theatre!Teatro de Mexico. A folk art toy theater.Benjamin Pollock’s Toyshop. Hansel and Gretel. A model to cut out and make.A fun, very colorful Hansel and Gretel scene made of paper!
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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
You can easily explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on my blog’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There are thousands upon thousands of photos for you to enjoy!
Evening photo of the beautiful tall ship Stad Amsterdam docked on San Diego’s Embarcadero.
An incredibly beautiful tall ship is now visiting San Diego. The Stad Amsterdam, an enormous three-masted clipper ship modelled after the 19th century frigate Amsterdam, is docked at the Embarcadero just north of the Maritime Museum of San Diego.
Talking briefly to a crew member, I learned the Stad Amsterdam is operating as a luxury Dutch cruise ship. It recently cruised north along the coast of Mexico after passing through the Panama Canal.
The Stad Amsterdam arrived in San Diego yesterday and will be visiting our fair city for the next eight days.
I stumbled upon the amazing tall ship this evening as I walked across Harbor Drive from Waterfront Park. Fortunately there was still enough light to take a few photos. I’ll probably swing by again this weekend to enjoy another look at the ship in broad daylight!
One interesting thing I discovered while doing a bit of research. In 2009 the Stad Amsterdam was used to reenact the second voyage of HMS Beagle, made famous by Charles Darwin. The survey expedition to South America was aired on Dutch television.
Photo of stern of Stad Amsterdam as the sun is setting behind a bank of clouds. The sails of Star of India, pride of the Maritime Museum of San Diego, can be seen in the distance.A sailboat turns on gleaming San Diego Bay past the figurehead of Stad Amsterdam.The last rays of sunlight illuminate the furled sails of the amazing tall ship Stad Amsterdam.
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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
A mysterious, glittering reflection of the Port Pavilion on San Diego Bay.
So many new buildings are rising around downtown my head spins whenever I’m out for a walk.
In the past few years a host of gleaming high-rises has materialized near the water, and the Embarcadero has been so dramatically improved I can barely recall the way our waterfront once appeared.
This morning during a walk I captured some dreamlike visions with my camera. And my mind began to ponder the stealthy passage of time. The past can be so difficult to remember…the future can be so difficult to envision…
Another morning. A gull glides over smooth San Diego Bay. A short distance north of downtown, the Coast Guard station shines in the early sunlight.Reflections of buildings along San Diego’s waterfront. Like dancing fragments of light, these visions change as the years pass quickly by.The InterContinental Hotel, under construction at the location of old Lane Field, is beginning to appear complete.Near the Broadway Pier, morning light invites people into the brand new day. Remnants of past days are quietly swept up.A crane on a barge. The demolition of Anthony’s Fish Grotto on the Embarcadero has begun.A peek into the past, and into the future.
If you’d like to time travel on this blog, here are some links concerning past construction along the Embarcadero, in chronological order.
I myself hadn’t visited some of these old posts for years. Memories were rekindled…
One side of an electrical box on University Avenue at Interstate 805. This particular art closely resembles other examples I once photographed in National City.
Check out a whole bunch of super cool photos! All this awesome street art was encountered during a short walk in City Heights.
I began on University Avenue near I-805, walking east along the sidewalk on the south side. Then I crossed at 35th Street and headed back west down the sidewalk on University Avenue’s north side.
Enjoy!
Another side of the same box. Weird humanoid figures seem composed of fluid ink.Urban artwork that seems both ancient and futuristic. Strange geometric patterns in these figures appear symbolic.The fourth side of the box.Cool mural in City Heights on the side of the Teros Gallery. Journey Within Through the Sea of Soul, by Celeste Byers and Aaron Glasson, depicts the gallery owner riding a Chihuahua ship on a distant planet upstream into herself!Walking east down University Avenue I spied more street art on electrical boxes.A young girl, and a young boy with binoculars.A man and small child together ride a motorcycle.A face looks upward.Another young face, and a sitting girl reaching for what appears to be a pencil.This trash can at a bus stop was brightly decorated by a street artist.More fun street art, near the corner of University Avenue and 35th Street.A funny dog appears to be assailed by a crazy bird.More humorous faces and birds.I’ve crossed the street and am heading back west. I noticed this colorful tower to the south features references to both City Heights and Cherokee Point, a neighborhood south of University Avenue.Before crossing the street I spied this fun street mural near another bus stop.Now that I’m walking next to it, I can really enjoy this sun and pink flamingo. Both are wearing sunglasses. By artist Gilly Bee, created for #TheAvenueMuralProject.I found another super cool mural on the side of The Kings Barbershop.The front of The Kings Barbershop was painted by DyseOne and Hasler.A very colorful mural on University Avenue in City Heights! I believe this bold spray paint art is fairly new.It’s the Tooth Fairy on the wall of North Park Dental! By artist Sand One, a Latina street artist from East Los Angeles.
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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
You can easily explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on my blog’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There are thousands upon thousands of photos for you to enjoy!
A bit of wisdom by poet Sunny Rey painted on a utility box in City Heights. True Love is a returning…A homecoming…Love awakes the child in you…And walks you through your final door…
I read touching words this morning during a short walk down University Avenue in City Heights. A poem was painted on one side of a utility box; images of a father and son’s love decorated other sides.
The beautiful street art and its poem were about growing older, and wiser, and coming home.
Street art in City Heights on University Avenue shows a father and son holding hands, walking down the sidewalk.
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I’ve finished writing another short story. A Steep Hill is about an old man who undertakes very difficult journeys near his home. If you like, you can read it here.
I didn’t walk yesterday. I gave my legs a rest, watched football, did some work on the computer. I really missed being outside.
While Cool San Diego Sights tends to concentrate on walks in the city, I’ve taken quite a few photographs while journeying through or near natural beauty. My hikes are generally easy. Their central purpose is stimulate the mind and senses.
Here are photos from 14 nature hikes all around San Diego. Click the following links to discover trails of wonder near and far. Perhaps they’ll inspire you to see what’s out there.
Every walk in one’s life can open unexpected vistas. Natural beauty and adventure await in every direction…
This blog now features thousands of photos around San Diego! Are you curious? There’s lots of fun stuff to check out!
Here’s the Cool San Diego Sights main page, where you can read the most current blog posts. If you’re using a phone or small mobile device, click those three parallel lines up at the top–that opens up my website’s sidebar, where you’ll see the most popular posts, a search box, and more!
To enjoy future posts, you can also “like” Cool San Diego Sights on Facebook or follow me on Twitter.
You might have noticed I personally love the Japanese Friendship Garden in Balboa Park. It’s so peaceful and beautiful. The garden always refreshes my mind and sparks my creativity. It’s one of my favorite spots to write short stories. (I hope to have a new one finished soon!)
When I learned a new cultural exhibition would open today in the garden’s handsome Inamori Pavilion, I knew at once that I had to check it out. The exhibition is called Art in Bloom – Floral Art of Japan.
The diverse pieces of artwork on display feature exquisite flower designs. By reading several signs in the exhibit, I learned about the symbolism of certain flowers in Japan. For example, I learned the camelia represents spring.
After feasting my eyes on the Art in Bloom exhibit, I walked up a winding path through the Lower Garden and carefully searched the grove of Japanese cherry trees for spring blossoms. None yet! One of the knowledgeable master gardeners informed me we have several weeks to go!
(Don’t forget to attend the certain-to-be-amazing 2018 Cherry Blossom Festival. This year it will be held on March 9 through March 11.)
Here’s a pic taken outside the Inamori Pavilion, followed by photos of a few works of the floral art inside…
Flowers at the Japanese Friendship Garden near the Inamori Pavilion, where the Art in Bloom exhibition is located.
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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
Cool San Diego Sights! 