Long construction fences along Kettner Boulevard in downtown San Diego protect workers who are implementing a public transit upgrade. The work is being undertaken by the Metropolitan Transit System (MTS).
As this webpage explains: MTS has embarked on the America Plaza/Santa Fe Depot Pedestrian Enhancement Project to improve the pedestrian experience in and around this important transit hub.
Today, while walking past Santa Fe Depot’s old baggage terminal building, I noticed how the sidewalk is being widened and made more attractive. Several bus routes have stops in the vicinity.
(Years ago the historic baggage terminal was the downtown location of the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego. In the future, the roomy building will be part of a new UC San Diego arts campus, referred to as “The Depot.”)
MTS will be making different improvements in the neighborhood of the Santa Fe Depot and America Plaza, and I’ll continue to follow the progress!
UPDATE!
Three months later, I saw how the different bus routes will have their own loading spaces, as is the case at other transit centers…
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People heading down National Avenue in Barrio Logan might be stunned to see this amazing work of art in the parking lot of Barrett Engineered Pumps. It’s an old tree stump carved into the likeness of mythical Quetzalcoatl!
The sculpted wooden Quetzalcoatl (an important deity in Aztec culture whose name translates to Feathered Serpent) was created by Cesar Castañeda. You can watch a YouTube video that follows the artist’s five month project back in 2012. The documentary is titled The Rise of Quetzalcoatl. Find it by clicking here!
Quetzalcoatl was carved by hand from an enormous stump that was salvaged from a fallen tree. The tree had fallen in Balboa Park beside State Route 163.
(I once observed a tall eucalyptus tumbling onto the 163 during a violent wind storm years ago. It seemed to descend in slow motion, narrowly missing an oncoming car. I wonder if this was the same tree?)
I learned from a friendly worker at Barrett Engineered Pumps, where Quetzalcoatl now resides on a trailer, that this very cool sculpture is for sale! I didn’t ask the price, but if you’re interested you should probably swing by and check it out!
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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.
A lifelike bronze statue of a Navy SEAL frogman was installed this morning in downtown San Diego!
The frogman sculpture arrived by box truck, which parked on Kettner Boulevard near One America Plaza, just outside the future Navy SEAL Museum San Diego. (The museum opens very soon–on October 4, 2025.)
With extreme care, slowly, methodically, the new public art was removed from its crate and elevated to its black marble pedestal, which had been installed outside the museum a few days ago.
I and some bystanders were wondering how exactly the operation would proceed. We watched with great interest, and I snapped a bunch of photos.
Words engraved on the pedestal explain:
This statue is adapted from the original at the Navy SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce, Florida. It depicts a SEAL placing a limpet mine, an underwater explosive device.
It was designed by master bronze portrait sculptor Lena Toritch, and honors the U.S. Navy SEAL combat diver: a symbol of unwavering courage, stealth, and precision, standing as a testament to their dedication, rigorous training, and selfless service to our nation.
Cleaning the top of the pedestal…
Injecting epoxy into four holes atop the supporting pedestal…
Aha! They’re going to use straps.
Tilting the diving frogman sculpture upright.
Up it goes!
So far, so good!
Centering it…
Workers screw in four rods, which will descend into the epoxy-filled holes on top of the pedestal.
Success!
As I understood it, the statue would remain this way for a while as the epoxy hardened. So I left.
I returned several hours later and found…
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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.
A brand new performance stage is being built in Balboa Park!
The stage, when finished, will occupy a corner of the San Diego Sculptors Guild outdoor courtyard, in Spanish Village Art Center!
Funny how history can repeat. Many years ago an outdoor stage occupied the same courtyard.
During a historical tour of the neighboring artist studios, I learned that today’s Studio 36 Sculptors Guild was an outdoor theatre in the early years of Spanish Village. The front was a lobby and ticket booth. Writers, actors and set designers would act out plays on the inner patio.
Today I was told performances of every type will be welcomed at this newly constructed stage. One member of the San Diego Sculptors Guild, Justin Hammond, is part of a band that will play here! The band’s name is Auva Xuln (@auvaxuln).
What a super cool venue!
Imagine wildly creative sculptures all around, like a fantastic, silent audience!
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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.
Grant Park and its new River Studio are almost ready to open by the San Diego River!
Finishing touches are being put on the public park and educational center in Mission Valley. The River Studio at Grant Park will start educating local school students in mid-October.
As you can see from today’s photos, sun-filled Grant Park is receiving new greenery, while its amphitheater, shade structure and River Studio building have already been completed.
Over a year ago, before much construction had begun, I posted photos of a tour of the site and wrote about the initial plans. At the beginning of this year I walked outside the project again and posted these photos of work underway.
If you’re curious about the mountain lion and bear in today’s photos–the sculptures will be positioned inside the park to delight visitors. Grass and native plants will fill the outdoor spaces. You’ll notice I spotted some tile art created by kids, too!
(You might find it confusing–the project has also been called “The San Diego River Discovery Center at Grant Park” and “San Diego River Center at Grant Park.”)
Approaching the outdoor amphitheater and River Studio from the nearby parking lot…
Grant Park dedicated July 25, 2025.
The amphitheater is home to The Conrad Prebys Stage. Kids will learn about the San Diego River and its life here.
A beautiful fountain at one end of the amphitheater.
Looking across Grant Park areas that still need to be planted.
Turn left here and what will you encounter?
A bear!
Bears no longer live around here. Human activity is to blame.
Walking beside the McGrath Family Commons. There will be a big grassy area ideal for picnics or play.
A shady place to sit, while gazing out at nature and river vegetation.
Walking along. A friendly worker was busy digging holes and putting in plants.
Wooden benches for relaxation.
Here’s that tile art I mentioned. Each tile depicts a river plant or creature…
Those vertical posts to the right of the River Studio will support a shady canopy.
Now let’s walk back to the River Studio…
I was privileged to be shown the interior of the River Studio, where student groups will learn about the San Diego River environment.
Students from local schools will observe the effects of urban runoff. Using microscopes they’ll examine water samples. They’ll learn how the organisms they observe reflect the health of the nearby river.
Those aquariums will contain live fish.
Also inside the River Studio, there’s a gallery wall with art created by members of the San Diego River Artists Alliance. The group celebrates the San Diego River ecosystem.
The works of art will change from time to time and will be available for purchase. Sales will help fund the San Diego River Park Foundation.
When it finally opens in mid-October, this important addition to Mission Valley is going to be amazing!
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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 visited the historical park, at the edge of San Diego’s Old Town, earlier this year. My wanderings then were limited by a construction fence.
Back then I noticed how paths had been created, new plantings were underway, a new gazebo had been built, and an outdoor classroom was almost finished. See those past photographs, taken from behind the fence, here.
Today I discovered the construction fence is down! The grassy expanse at the south end of Heritage County Park is open once again and everything is fresh, new and beautiful!
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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.
Today is the 238th anniversary of the drafting of the Constitution of the United States. September 17th was the date in 1787 when delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the historic document in Philadelphia.
The City of San Diego has issued an official Proclamation that celebrates Constitution Week. I was fortunate to see it close up!
The City of San Diego Proclamation, signed by Mayor Todd Gloria, includes the following words:
…celebrating Constitution Week serves as an important reminder of the historic rights, privileges and responsibilities the Constitution affords us…
…Constitution Week commemorates the week the Constitution was signed and delivered to the Continental Congress. It laid the foundation for the birth of a new nation and became one of the most significant chapters in United States history…
…the Constitution lays out liberties like freedom, opportunity, and rule of law…
As a writer and individual who loves to create, I cherish freedom.
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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.
Waka poems are a type of poetry in classical Japanese literature. A waka poem is unique in that it consists of 31 syllables.
An exhibit at the Japanese Friendship Garden in Balboa Park contains examples of waka from Japan’s Heian period (794 – 1185) written in kana script. Each composition is beautiful, not merely as a poem, but as a visual work of art.
A sign in the garden’s Exhibit Hall explains: “Among the aristocracy of the time, romantic relationships often began through the exchange of waka… Since men and women had limited opportunities to meet in person, emotions were conveyed through poetry…”
Learn more about this exhibition at the JFG website here.
I was completely unaware of this type of poetry before visiting the garden today. Spellbound, I stood before the examples on display and read translations of each Japanese poem.
The English translations do not contain 31 syllables, obviously, but they definitely convey feelings indicative of romance. I noticed these wakas often employ metaphors taken from nature.
Here are a few of the translations:
There are many villages where the cuckoo bird sings. It’s a bird that I find attractive, but I don’t feel close to it. I like it, but it’s not mine, so I feel a bit jealous. Poet: The Tales of Ise
I won’t allow you to meet me, even if you imitate the crow of a rooster before dawn. Poet: Sei Shōnagon
I was dying to see you, but after I met you I want to live forever. Poet: Fujiwara no Yoshitaka
Should my heart waver and betray our love, then even the impassable waves of a tsunami would cross over the mountains. In other words, I would never be unfaithful. Poet: Author unknown.
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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.
The new Navy SEAL Museum San Diego is almost ready to open! Opening day is Saturday, October 4, 2025. That’s less than three weeks away!
This afternoon, walking past downtown’s One America Plaza building, I noticed the black marble pedestal that will support a Navy SEAL frogman statue has been installed outside. You can see it in my first two photographs. The nearby America Plaza trolley station is in the background.
I also observed new graphics have appeared near the museum’s front entrance!
Abandon Self – Embrace Team… The Deed is All – Not the Glory… Be Someone Special… The Only Easy Day was Yesterday
Responsibility – Service – Commitment – Discipline
Last weekend the annual Harvest Festival at the Balboa Park Club featured folk dance and dancing workshops. Sadly, few people arrived for an event that has greatly faded in popularity over the years. I’m told young people are no longer taught folk dancing in school, as they once were years ago.
Shortly after entering the Balboa Park Club building, I discovered historical art painted on old signs, from the days when folk dancing brought both young and old together for a fun social gathering.
I learned that the wonderful graphics in my first photos were painted to promote the now defunct Kayso Folk Dance Club, which thrived in San Diego back in the 70’s and 80s. A gentleman named Kayso, originally from Armenia, painted the costumed dancing figures himself. The images might have become a bit worn over the years, but they still have great personality!
I also love the following old sign, which I learned is from the 1950s. It promotes the Cabrillo International Folk Dance Club, which is still alive and well!
The International Dance Association of San Diego County has a website here that lists dance clubs currently operating in Balboa Park and elsewhere around the city. You’ll find many opportunities to learn different dances, and to dance at every level of experience!
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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.
Cool San Diego Sights! 