I didn’t realize until now that yesterday was Transit Driver Appreciation Day!
I’ve ridden the San Diego Trolley and MTS buses for many years–going to and from work, and around the city on weekend adventures. I like to travel this way because I can gaze out the windows at my city and search for cool new sights.
So I would like to express my appreciation to all those who drive for MTS in San Diego. Many of the bus and trolley drivers are super nice and deserve all the kudos they can get. They often smile or offer a wave or kind greeting as they do a job that at times is quite stressful.
From a downtown resident who appreciates all that you do, every single day: Thank You!
The crazy tangle of fishing nets, lobster traps, rusty chains, floats, pallets and miscellaneous junk on the G Street Pier is wonderful beyond description.
The pier was open today, so I walked out on it.
Not only did I stride over the beautiful bay, with fishing boats floating before the San Diego skyline, and gulls wheeling overhead, but I felt I was moving through a fundamental Truth of this world made visible. Mathematical truth. Divine truth.
Were great philosophers walking with me, what would they conclude?
To help bring out some of the geometry–the ordered symmetry and fractured chaos–I’ve added a whole lot of contrast to these photographs.
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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!
Much in San Diego will shut down starting tomorrow. I’ll still be working, but many San Diegans will not.
Schools throughout the city and county will be closed temporarily because of the coronavirus pandemic. So too will popular attractions, including the Maritime Museum of San Diego and the USS Midway Museum.
I walked along downtown’s waterfront today, wondering what I might see. A cruise ship was docked at the Broadway Pier, but I saw no passengers. I noticed that the Portside Pier construction is well along. It’s Sunday, so lots of volunteers were busy at the Maritime Museum, but I was one of very few visitors. The usual lines at the USS Midway ticket booth were practically nonexistent.
A few tourists were enjoying a day on the Embarcadero, snapping selfies, but I saw no parked tour buses.
Several people were fishing.
I’m afraid I couldn’t resist buying an ice cream.
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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 photographs in my previous blog post show how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting life in San Diego. But they do not reflect all that I saw during my walk today.
I also saw beauty, optimism, creativity, hope.
Even in times that are dark, light persists.
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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 downtown fast food restaurant has changed its practices due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Today is the first Saturday of the announced COVID-19 pandemic.
I thought I’d take a midday walk in San Diego, to see what I might see.
I headed from Cortez Hill up Sixth Avenue on the west side of Balboa Park, turned east on University Avenue in Hillcrest, then headed south down Park Boulevard. I meandered a little through Balboa Park, before returning to downtown San Diego.
I saw less traffic than usual. Fewer people were about. I suppose many are hunkered down, to avoid possible exposure to the coronavirus. I only saw a handful of older people, which is a good thing. They need to be particularly careful.
Balboa Park was much less crowded than usual.
As you can see in some of the upcoming photographs, various parts of the park have temporarily closed for public safety.
Balboa Park’s West Mesa was much less active than usual for a Saturday around noontime.The Little Italy Farmer’s Market has been closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, and these vendors had moved to a secluded spot on the grass near Sixth Avenue, hoping for some business.An older gentleman waits for a bus on University Avenue in Hillcrest.As I walked over Highway 163, I saw some traffic, but it appeared less than usual for a Saturday.Some folks were out and about in Hillcrest, walking down the sidewalk or dining outdoors.This old Before I Die interactive chalk board might have taken on a little more meaning during the current dangerous coronavirus pandemic.Human thought and endeavor endure in a bookstore window.On a door: Good to meet you. Come in.A lone jogger heads south down quiet Park Boulevard.A mysterious shoe. A moment in somebody’s life.The parking lot at the San Diego Zoo is much emptier than usual. Many are avoiding public places where there are crowds.The Balboa Park Carousel is shuttered on a Saturday afternoon.Closed until the end of March as a proactive safety measure.Many artist studios in Balboa Park’s Spanish Village were closed. This guy told me it’s a good time to do a little maintenance!Sign promoting shows in front of the Casa del Prado Theater is empty.A street performer and his dog on Balboa Park’s normally busy El Prado.Balboa Park was much quieter than usual for a Saturday, but some folks were still out and about enjoying the day.Hand sanitizing stations have popped up around Balboa Park.The House of Scotland at the International Cottages has cancelled its upcoming Tartan Day event.The parking lot in Balboa Park’s Palisades area is almost empty.So is this parking lot on President’s Way. Ordinarily it would be almost full on an early Saturday afternoon.Almost no traffic on Park Boulevard. Very unusual.The hours of this downtown coffee shop have been changed due to the current situation.Almost no traffic downtown on A Street.
Everyone, take care!
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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!
With the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re all experiencing a very difficult time.
Among those hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic are cultural institutions whose live performances are intended for gathered audiences. Many concerts and plays have been cancelled. Most of these institutions are nonprofits that can struggle financially even in the best of times.
If you have the means, now might be a good time to make a donation to help the performing arts through a very dark tunnel. That way, we can all enjoy a bit more light when we finally come through.
I’ve linked to the donation pages of some notable local institutions that are being hurt by the pandemic. And don’t forget the many museums throughout San Diego. They will also suffer as people avoid gathering in public.
To me, that’s the one word that best describes the San Diego Convention Center.
Yesterday I enjoyed a fantastic inside tour of our city’s world-class convention center, thanks to the annual Open House event put on by the San Diego Architectural Foundation.
During the whirlwind tour our group saw many areas throughout the convention center, in both the iconic original structure and the later Phase 2 addition. We poked our noses into a vast hall where a new technology convention was being set up (no photos allowed), headed up an escalator one level, walked through the Sails Pavilion and a large ballroom, then took a freight elevator down to one of two huge loading docks. We walked through service corridors, got to see the convention center’s kitchen, and we learned about the logistics required to smoothly run such a mind-boggling operation.
During the tour we learned about the San Diego Convention Center’s new carpeting, the new digital signage, the emphasis on sustainability with LED lighting and a comprehensive recycling program, and so much more!
The problem is, as we turned each new corner, my eyes were always busy looking for photographic opportunities and I took few notes. I was dazzled by the sheer beauty of the public spaces. I can’t imagine a more beautiful convention center exists anywhere in the world. There is abundant sunlight, complex, jewel-like patterns of glass, and stunning views of San Diego Bay and downtown.
I won’t even try to caption these upcoming photos. To those who follow Cool San Diego Sights due to my coverage of Comic-Con, here’s what the San Diego Convention Center looks like without swarming crowds!
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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!
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Looking up at the impressive chandelier in the Grand Salon of the San Diego Civic Theatre.
I’ve lived in downtown San Diego for nearly 20 years. It’s sad to admit, but there are places of great interest within easy walking distance that I still haven’t visited. Until today, one of those places was the San Diego Civic Theatre.
This morning I took a guided tour behind the scenes at the San Diego Civic Theatre, courtesy of the San Diego Architectural Foundation’s big annual Open House event!
According to the event website: “The 2,967 seat San Diego Civic Theatre is the region’s largest and most attended performing arts venue. Owned by the City of San Diego, the theater hosts performances in opera, classical and contemporary music, dance and Broadway shows, in addition to serving as a community gathering place for inaugurations, governmental addresses and public meetings. Built at a cost of $4.1 million, the Grand Salon features back lit Italian onyx panels and an iconic $35,000 chandelier made of Bavarian crystal.”
Our group entered the lobby from Civic Center Plaza, ascended stairs and stood with heads tilted back as we took in the awesome beauty of the Grand Salon. Overhead, the impressive 2800 pound chandelier sparkled with its 186 lights and 52,000 crystals, casting magic about the elegant gathering place.
We then walked into the enormous theatre and stood for a moment “atop” the orchestra pit, the floor of which can be raised or lowered like an elevator. Then we went backstage to see the positively enormous space that is utilized to produce major shows of all sorts. In one corner of the dark stage, out of sight of the audience, there’s a very cool shrine to Elvis Presley!
It’s hard to describe the immense grandeur of this venerable theatre. The world’s biggest stars have performed here over the years, including Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, Johnny Cash, Diana Ross, Tony Bennett, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan and many others. Several United States Presidents have also attended events in the building. Today, the venue is the home of San Diego Opera, Broadway San Diego and California Ballet Company.
The lighting inside the building wasn’t ideal for my poor little camera, but during the tour I did manage to capture a few photos.
An outside view of the architecturally interesting San Diego Civic Theatre as I approached from the east down B Street.A poster outside the lobby entrance. The San Diego Civic Theatre is celebrating its 55 year anniversary.Waiting outside in Civic Center Plaza for the tour to begin.We enter the building lobby, which as you can see is dimly lit.Graphic shows the Civic Theatre under construction, before opening in 1965. It was designed by Lloyd Ruocco, one of San Diego’s most influential architects.Looking up inside the gorgeous Grand Salon, which is located on the building’s second floor. The original design had the salon at ground level.The sunbursts decorating the edges of each level were removed years ago.The amazing chandelier is the centerpiece of the Grand Salon.I believe this bust in the Grand Salon is of Giuseppe Verdi.A glimpse of the gritty inner workings of a major theatre, tucked between the audience and the stage.Now we are backstage, looking at dozens of ropes that might be used to lift or manipulate props, lighting, drop curtains–and perhaps even actors!Looking up!Here’s the shrine to Elvis in a corner of backstage. I didn’t catch the story behind it.Old black and white photograph shows a packed house.Looking out from the stage upon thousands of empty red seats!
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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!
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