Category: Uncategorized

A colorful Philippine Cultural Festival in San Diego!

San Diego has a very large Filipino community. So it’s no surprise that many in the community came out today for the big, colorful 36th Annual Philippine Cultural Arts Festival!

This always popular festival, which takes place in Balboa Park, attracts an enthusiastic crowd, as you can see in my photos. (As I type this, the event is still going on for another hour or so.) There’s every sort of entertainment on the main stage, including music, singing, and a whole lot of folk dancing in costume. Those wandering about the grass can find Filipino food, cultural displays and art at every turn. Smiling authors and artists greet people, too!

The event is presented by the SAMAHAN Filipino American Performing Arts and Education Center, and I joined the audience cheering on many students performing traditional dances.

I learned Filipino Folk Dance Classes are offered for children, teens and adults. Click here for more information!

That smile in my next photo belongs to author Jocelyn Francisco, Ph.D. She wrote the Little Yellow Jeepney series of children’s books!

Perhaps you recall that the film Lumpia With A Vengeance had a very well attended panel this year at San Diego Comic-Con. That cool guy smiling on the left–Patricio Ginelsa–is the Director! The movie will be available on demand and digitally on October 3.

Here’s a young guy with truly fine art. I wonder how soon until his work is included in museum collections. His name is Sean Arce.

I enjoyed perusing a few cultural exhibits…

Another great performance!

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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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Drone Soccer coming soon to San Diego!

Something super cool is coming to San Diego! Drone Soccer will soon be rolled out to some of the City of San Diego’s Recreation Centers!

What is Drone Soccer? Check out the U.S. Drone Soccer explanatory video here. Flying “soccer balls” powered by drones are maneuvered strategically, as players strive to score goals by flying their ball through an elevated hoop. (Sounds a bit of like Harry Potter’s airborne game of quidditch to me!)

Kids playing Drone Soccer in San Diego will learn all sorts of great STEM knowledge, including robotics, engineering and drone piloting–all the while having lots of fun!

Parks and Recreation had a canopy set up in front of the Municipal Gymnasium today letting people know this is in development. It’s still in the early stages, so there’s no dedicated San Diego webpage or social media page that you can follow just yet. I was told that should be finished shortly.

The hope is that next year, during the U.S. Drone Soccer 2024 National Championships at the San Diego Convention Center, some local teams will be ready to compete! How cool is this!!!

Are there any schools in San Diego that already have Drone Soccer teams? Are you a teacher? You need to check this out! Spread the word!

Meanwhile keep your antennae up. If I learn more in the days ahead, I’ll provide an update 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 Twitter!

Restoring many murals in Chicano Park!

About a week ago I was privileged to be shown many outdoor murals that are currently being restored in world-famous Chicano Park. What I observed were artists and volunteers working on the Chicano Park Mural Restoration Project 2023.

New color and vibrancy were being applied by many brushes. Preserving these historic murals, which speak vividly of struggle, resilience, and accomplishment by members of the Chicano, Latino, Mexican migrant and Indigenous communities, is an important undertaking. Chicano Park has been designated a National Historic Landmark.

Over 15 murals are to be fully restored in collaboration with the original artists. In the next photo you can see Mario Torero, who painted many of the Chicano Park murals.

I encourage anyone in San Diego who has never experienced Chicano Park to swing on by and wander among the monumental artwork. History, culture and decades of activism in the pursuit of civil rights will make an unforgettable impression.

I was amazed when I learned a group of three artists that painted a mural in 1977 as young women are now restoring their beautiful mural, almost half a century later! They call themselves Mujeres Muralistas. Watch an interview of the artists here. You can see their inspired work in my final two 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 Twitter!

Help solve an important San Ysidro mystery!

Photo courtesy Charlie Velazquez.

Your help is needed!

Do you have any old photographs taken years ago in San Ysidro? An effort is underway to reconstruct a World War II Memorial in San Ysidro, but more information is required.

147 men and women who lived in San Ysidro served in the military during World War II. Their names were listed on a memorial that stood in front of the old San Ysidro Library. But that memorial mysteriously disappeared, and now all that remains is a single photograph that shows only some of those names.

Here’s an article that provides a good explanation.

A group called the Friends of San Ysidro Luncheon Group has been attempting to ascertain all 147 names that were on the missing World War II Memorial, and they are still hoping someone out there has photos of it.

Do you know anyone out there who might have taken photographs in San Ysidro long ago? Your help would be greatly appreciated!

If you have any helpful information, please email Jack Gechter at jackgechter@cox.net.

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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 Twitter!

More fun sculptures in downtown Vista!

Last week I enjoyed a fine walk through downtown Vista, in San Diego’s North County.

As I moseyed about, I was pleased to discover a bunch of fun sculptures that were new to me! I found these works of public art in spots where past sculptures stood several years ago.

(I noticed these pieces are available for purchase. Contact the City of Vista if you’re interested.)

The streets of downtown Vista are so alive with public art that it’s a joy to wander about and stumble upon fresh surprises!

This is what I found…

Faces in All Sorts of Places by Isabella Bowman.

Cactus Love by Noe Estrada.

Deep Roots by Alex Gall.

Colorful Season by Norberto Estrada.

Octo by Sergey Gornushkin.

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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 Twitter!

More creative, colorful Murals of La Jolla!

The thirteen-year-old Murals of La Jolla project is in constant flux. Older murals vanish, amazing new murals suddenly appear on buildings, along streets, in alleys. According to the official website there are currently 16 murals on view and the project has commissioned 45 artworks to date.

During my walk through the Village of La Jolla a couple of weeks ago, I spotted some murals that I hadn’t previously seen or photographed.

Here they are!

Ocean Front Property in Arizona, Rosson Crow, 2022.

The Scripps Gill Loggia, Rex Southwick, 2023.

Ebony on Draper and Girard, June Edmonds, 2021.

Paintings Are People Too, Monique van Genderen, 2020.

Eclipse (Playtime), Isaac Julien, 2020.

Resurgence, Chitra Ganesh, 2022.

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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 Twitter!

Author faces behind La Jolla Warwick’s bookstore.

Do you recognize some of these faces? They belong to authors who’ve participated in events hosted by La Jolla’s legendary Warwick’s bookstore. Some of the authors are very famous!

During my latest La Jolla walk, I noticed this collection of many faces printed on canvas in the alley directly behind Warwick’s. Upon doing some Googling, I noticed there was an article in 2021 concerning the mural. The twenty author illustrations were created by local artist Lori Mitchell.

Read the article here.

I increased the contrast of these photos because the artwork appears to be a bit sun-faded.

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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 Twitter!

Training ship Golden Bear departs San Diego.

I was walking along San Diego’s Embarcadero this morning when I noticed a large, very interesting ship departing from Broadway Pier. I like to gaze at unusual ships, while trying to deduce their function. Was this a research vessel of some sort?

When I got home, I learned the TS Golden Bear is a training ship used to train cadets attending the California State University Maritime Academy. The unique school, based in Vallejo, is part of the California State University system and the only maritime academy on the United States West Coast.

TS Golden Bear is actually the third training ship bearing the same name. This particular ship actually began its life in the late 1980s in the United States Navy as USNS Maury (T-AGS-39). At the time, the USNS Maury was the fastest and largest oceanographic ship in the United States fleet. Read more about the TS Golden Bear 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 Twitter!

Historical photographs at San Ysidro Library.

Border Sign, circa 1920. San Ysidro The Gateway to the U.S.

Those interested in the history of San Diego should visit the San Ysidro Library. Inside the library’s community room, fascinating historical photographs of San Ysidro (one of San Diego’s southernmost districts) can be viewed.

I visited the library yesterday. I wanted to check out the old photos and visualize how San Ysidro appeared long ago.

I learned how this border community began as the Little Landers colony, a family farming cooperative created by agricultural reformer, journalist and writer William E. Smythe in 1908. The motto of Little Landers was “A little land and a living surely is better than desperate struggle and wealth possibly.” It was one of the nation’s first communes. The colony was named San Ysidro, probably after the patron saint of farmers, Isidore the Laborer, and was formally inaugurated on January 11, 1909.

I was also surprised to learn San Ysidro had a Pony Express station!

Here are just a few of the photographs you will see should you visit the library…

Little Landers Colony School, circa 1907. The schoolhouse was located on East San Ysidro Boulevard (old Tia Juana Boulevard) where I-805 is today.

Little Landers Colony Sign by San Ysidro Post Office, circa 1913.

U.S. and Mexico Border Crossing officials, circa 1924. Looking north from Tijuana toward San Ysidro. The train in the background is on the San Diego Arizona Eastern Railway built by John D. Spreckels.

Pony Express Station, circa 1916. Refugees from the Great Flood of 1916, worst natural disaster in the history of the South Bay.

San Ysidro Library, circa 1930. The original 1924 library–first Branch Library owned by the County of San Diego. It was the only library in the country with a smoking room for men!

I took outside photos of the old 1924 library several years ago. See them 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 Twitter!

Historic Route US 101 signs for South Bay!

Jack Gechter stands next to Historic Route California US 101 sign at South Bay Historical Society booth during Chula Vista Lemon Festival.

A very cool project is now being undertaken by the South Bay Historical Society. I learned about it last Saturday as I explored the Lemon Festival in Chula Vista.

A number of Historic Route California US 101 signs (like the one you see above) have been created, to be installed in National City, Chula Vista and San Ysidro along those streets where the legendary highway used to run.

Old timers might recall how US 101 ran north from near the US/Mexico Border in San Ysidro, along Beyer Blvd toward Chula Vista, along National Avenue (now Broadway in Chula Vista and National City Blvd in National City) to 8th Street, then along 8th Street west to Harbor Drive, before heading up through downtown San Diego and eventually into North County. Old U.S. Route 101 during its history saw various realignments, before being entirely replaced south of Los Angeles by Interstate 5 in 1964.

Here’s a great article detailing where the historic highway ran through San Diego and the South Bay cities. You’ll see current photographs of those places where it ran. Here’s another article with a map depicting an earlier US 101 Route, running up today’s National City Blvd to Main Street.

Many similar Historic Route US 101 signs have already been installed in San Diego County, particularly through the coastal cities of North County.

Once these new signs are installed, they will add a fine, nostalgic touch to those South Bay communities that the old highway once connected to the rest of California. And they will resurrect many fond memories.

Historic 101 Route Sign in San Ysidro, California. Image courtesy Jack Gechter.

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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 Twitter!