It was hazy and gray as we cruised back into San Diego Bay at the end of our whale watching trip. Many sailboats were heading out to the ocean.
When I looked at these photos, the sailboats appeared to be engaged in a dreamy dance of light and darkness.
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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!
Today I headed out into the wide Pacific Ocean aboard the Adventure Hornblower. We were going to look for whales!
Sometimes you can find blue whales–the planet’s largest animal–feeding at the Nine Mile Bank, which is an underwater mountain range deep in the ocean west of San Diego.
You might recall I went summer whale watching last year. I blogged a good description of what the experience is like here.
We didn’t spot any whales on this unusually foggy, hazy summer’s day, but we observed two pods of dolphins.
The first was a small pod of common dolphins not far from the harbor’s entrance.
About four miles out of San Diego Bay we slowed down to enjoy the view of a large pod of very active bottlenose dolphins! The captain said they appeared to be travelling south together, not feeding. There were some baby dolphins, too, but I failed to capture any good photos of them.
It’s hard to photograph suddenly surfacing or leaping dolphins–at least it is for me and my little camera. I’m usually much too late reacting.
But here come several photos you might enjoy!
The cool thing about whale watching in San Diego, you’re almost guaranteed to see lots of dolphins. And if you don’t see any whales, Hornblower Cruises gives you a voucher to enjoy another free trip!
For me, heading out into the wild, beautiful ocean is an amazing experience every single time.
I got my voucher! Maybe I’ll try again this winter, when numerous gray whales are migrating along our coast!
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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 very unique historic building stands at the southwest corner of Sixth Avenue and Broadway in downtown San Diego.
The Samuel I. Fox Building, built in 1929, always attracts my attention when I walk by. It’s earthy colors seem to change depending on the time of day, due to shifting sunlight and shadow.
The Samuel I. Fox Building was designed by renowned architect William Templeton Johnson, who also masterminded the San Diego Museum of Art and Natural History Museum buildings in Balboa Park, the Serra Museum in Presidio Park, and the La Jolla Athenaeum. He is one of several architects responsible for the San Diego County Administration Building.
He also designed the extraordinary San Diego Trust and Savings Bank Building, which stands directly to the north across Broadway. You can see photos of that building, where William Templeton Johnson kept his office, here.
A Gaslamp Quarter plaque near the Samuel I. Fox Building’s entrance describes its history:
Entrepreneur Samuel Fox built this four-story structure for a half of a million dollars. It was intended to accommodate his Lion Clothing Company, which was the sole tenant until 1984. It boasts 16-foot ceilings, antique oak wood paneling, heraldic lions in full relief, and an over-hanging tile roof. The building was recognized as an artistic masterpiece and a merchandising success.
A few days ago I took these exterior photos.
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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!
I didn’t know what to do with these photos!
They were taken all over San Diego–some recently, some years ago.
This evening I’m purging hundreds of old files from my computer. And I thought it would be a shame to not share these!
So now, for your viewing pleasure, in completely random order, I present this handful of problematic photos!
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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!
Go on any walk through downtown San Diego and you’ll see a strange mixture of sights. Sometimes you have to stop in your tracks to look again.
Many of the visions that rise before your eyes seem contradictory. Urban hipsters drinking coffee and listening to live music . . . a few steps away from people who are homeless. The boarded window of a looted Gaslamp shop . . . and spray painted messages of empathy and kindness.
And there are the sights that are wonderfully odd. Downtown’s reggae dog. A surprising tree in a surprising place. An insurance company for sharknados.
So much strangeness is mixed in the ordinary life of a city.
The mysteries appear everywhere.
I took these photographs during several walks the past few days.
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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!
There’s a surprising abundance of public art on Shelter Island. Sculptures seem to be everywhere! I’ve already shared photos of most.
Amazing sculptures along the length of Shelter Island can be seen here and here and here and here and here and here and here!
As you might recall, yesterday’s blog post featured a few photographs from a walk in front of the Silver Gate Yacht Club. I looked skyward at a bronze sailor high on a ship’s mast holding a spyglass. During that same walk along Shelter Island Drive yesterday, I paused to admire three additional sculptures!
The first graces a parking entrance to Humphrey’s world-famous outdoor concert venue. I’m not sure who created the artwork. I could see no plaque, nor find any information. Part of the metal sculpture looks like an electric guitar. Or perhaps it’s an abstract face producing jagged sound waves! I hope someone out there knows more about it.
The next photo is of a small sculpture perched outside the lobby of the Island Palms Hotel.
It appears to have been created by Alber de Matteis, the same artist who created that very first sculpture I linked to. He has a distinctive style.
Lastly, the third sculpture is definitely by Alber de Matteis! According to a nearby plaque, it’s titled Timeless Wave.
Like a blue wave curling in to the earthy shore, the graceful artwork stands between Shelter Island Drive and a hotel parking lot, directly in front of the Island Palms Hotel’s Casa Del Mar Building. It was dedicated June 2009.
The plaque features a short but evocative poem that begins:
The Waves ebb and flow,
they are the breath of the ocean.
Like two hands reaching out for one another…
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This blog now features thousands of photos around San Diego! Are you curious? There’s lots of cool 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.
A fantastic sculpture rises into the sky in front of the Silver Gate Yacht Club on Shelter Island.
The artwork, by renowned Encinitas-based artists T.J. Dixon and James Nelson, depicts a sailor high atop a ship’s mast holding a spyglass, searching for land. On a plaque at the sculpture’s base is a poem titled Homecoming by John Alger.
I’ve transcribed the first stanza:
When sailors set for distant shore, with songs upon their ears
They dream of seas both fair and strong, to leave behind the tears
Of loves and those who dwell on land, and ne’er know the sea
Or ports o’ call in distant land, this yearning to be free…
The sculpture–mast and figure–is made of steel and bronze. The sculpture was created in collaboration with Brian Thomas of Thomas Marine. It was dedicated in 2011.
I’ve photographed other great sculptures by T.J. Dixon and James Nelson all around San Diego. You can see them here and here and here and here and here!
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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!
This year I’ve walked quite a bit in San Diego’s North County. Many of those journeys filled my eyes with wonderful art.
I’ve amassed so many photos over the years, I’ve decided to list the following links. They take you to blog posts concerning a variety of art-filled walks in North County. (No, there’s no listing for San Marcos or Rancho Bernardo. I’m sure there’s cool art in those places which I’ll discover in the future!)
Are you ready for some fun?
Click the following links to see cool murals, street art, sculptures . . . and one world-famous installation by a major international artist that is tucked away in a place few visit. What am I talking about? I’m afraid you’ll have to do a little exploring! (Hint: it’s magical.)
The following links include hundreds of photos!
Carlsbad
Cool street art throughout Carlsbad Village!
Faces painted with words of confusion, revelation.
Del Mar
Del Mar’s sculpted Journey and A River of Time.
Amazing mosaic wall at the Del Mar Library!
Breeders’ Cup horses race on a Del Mar street!
An amazing Sunset Seat on the cliffs of Del Mar.
Encinitas
Photos of cool Sea Walls mural in Encinitas.
Cool pics from a wonderful walk around Encinitas.
Fun tile mosaic art on Encinitas sidewalk!
The miracle of the Surfing Madonna.
Amazing walk from Swami’s to the Cardiff Kook.
Escondido
Happy art and the Escondido Students’ Tile Mural.
Colorful art in Escondido celebrates nature!
Unusual public art at Escondido Transit Center.
Beautiful public art near Escondido City Hall.
Public art in Escondido: two female bronzes.
Carving stone and the Blue Granite Shift.
Star Streams at the Center for the Arts.
Niki de Saint Phalle’s Grande Step Totem.
Photos of Queen Califia’s Magical Circle!
The gigantic bronze leaves of Kit Carson Park.
Leucadia
Murals in Leucadia along Coast Highway 101.
A colorful walk through nerdy, artsy Leucadia.
Oceanside
Sculptures near the Oceanside train underpass.
Flying pigs and other cool Oceanside murals!
The cool Cruisin’ carhop mural at 101 Cafe!
Poway
The Pioneers sculpture at Old Poway Park.
Photos of Tony Gwynn statue at Lake Poway.
Solana Beach
A walk down Solana Beach’s Coastal Rail Trail.
Sea life mosaics at Solana Beach bus station!
Cool mural overlooks Solana Beach train tracks!
Cool art and history in Solana Beach.
Sea-themed mosaics at Fletcher Cove and Overlook Park.
Vista
Amazing sculptures around downtown Vista!
Wild Horses run through Vista Village!
Murals in and around Alley Art Man Way!
Letters Home: A fallen soldier and a memorial.
Love Locks many hearts together, forever.
Stained glass panels beautify Paseo Santa Fe!
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This blog now features thousands of photos around San Diego! Are you curious? There’s lots of cool 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.
One morning last week, I went on a walk through San Diego’s East Village. I headed south along Tenth Avenue from A Street to Petco Park.
I simply took photos of anything that delighted my eye. I believe all these sights are new to my blog, with the exception of the one above. I remember taking pictures of that fantastic tile mosaic years ago, but not up close.
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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!
During this shortened coronavirus pandemic baseball season, is it possible to actually watch a Padres game at Petco Park? Assuming you aren’t positioned in one of the nearby high-rise buildings? Well, sort of…
Today after work I headed to Petco Park, knowing a Padres afternoon game would be in progress. I was curious to see whether anything interesting was going on at the ballpark–if there was anything to see at all. The Padres and other Major League Baseball teams have taken many steps to protect the public and their staff from the highly contagious COVID-19 virus.
I did see the Arizona Diamondbacks buses parked outside. I did hear the distant announcer vaguely calling plays, music playing between at-bats and innings, and recorded cheering.
When I walked around to Social Tap and the nearby entrance of Gallagher Square (which used to be called Park at the Park), I noticed some fans were hanging out behind the fence bordering the kids’ small ball field.
I joined them.
We could see the video screen that faces Gallagher Square, and one of Petco Park’s faraway scoreboards. We could clearly hear the game–as one would hear it on television, without the play-by-play or commentary. Through a teeny tiny gap in the fence it was possible to see the tops of the heads of visiting bullpen pitchers, the pitcher’s mound and a little tiny bit of the home dugout. But you really couldn’t tell what was going on.
What was fun was the idea that I was actually at the ballpark, with a few other devoted fans!
I happened to walk up as the Padres were trailing the Diamondbacks 1-2. Right after I arrived, a huge rally began and the Padres were soon leading 6-2. Everyone cheered.
Even though nobody heard the few of us.
The Pads won!
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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! 