Should we be frightened? Halloween has crept into San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter!
I took these spooky (and fun) photographs early this morning in dim light, then in the late afternoon as restaurants and bars prepared for a terrifying onslaught of evening partiers.
Trick or treat!
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For a small adventure, hike down into Swan Canyon from the streets of City Heights.
The long, narrow canyon is one of several in this San Diego neighborhood. Like other nearby canyons, it features trails for nature walks in a mostly urban environment.
I enjoyed a short, easy hike last weekend in Swan Canyon. My aim was to photograph a newly painted mural on an old concrete foundation down in the canyon. If you’d like to see those photographs, click here.
There are several ways to enter the canyon. The trailhead I used is at the intersection of Olive Street and Highland Avenue, a couple blocks east of Fairmount Avenue. I headed east down the Olive Street Trail to the bottom of the canyon. You can see several trails on Google Maps if you perform a search.
At the bottom of the canyon, there’s a sign showing where the Olive Street Trail and Quince Street Trail cross. From the Olive Street Trail, I turned left and headed north up the Quince Street trail.
After a short distance of upward climbing, I noticed a definite but unmarked trail to the left. It led to the mural.
It’s hard to get lost in the narrow canyon. Just keep looking around.
Once I reached the mural, I easily retraced my steps. You could venture down another trail or in a different direction if you’d like to conduct your own voyage of discovery!
The trails I walked down were fairly well maintained, but wear good shoes and bring water on a warm day. You can see a few hollows in the shrubbery where homeless people might live, and graffiti in places, particularly near the mural–so be aware of that.
The above sign stands at the trailhead.
The sign contains information about wildlife and plants in our city’s canyons, and is provided by the organization San Diego Canyonlands. See their website here. You’ll find loads of useful information!
Did I come across any wildlife during my walk? The canyon did smell fresh and wild. I observed no coyotes, raccoons or red-tailed hawks, but I did spot a squirrel, and a few small birds in some trees.
Looking down from the trailhead…
Here we go! Watch your step…
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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 X.
The San Diego Symphony has placed a community ofrenda in their box office lobby for Día de los Muertos. The beautiful Day of the Dead altar can be found inside the front entrance of downtown’s Symphony Towers. Step inside, turn left and you’ll see it.
The community ofrenda was designed by local Mexican-American artist Maricruz Alvarado. She has been creating beautiful ofrendas for 25 years.
(By the way, I recently posted photos of a gigantic skull that Maricruz made! See it by clicking here!)
Members of the community are invited to contribute photographs and other momentos to the San Diego Symphony ofrenda in memory of deceased loved ones.
I swung by for a look early this morning…
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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 X.
San Diego saw a huge celebration of Turkey’s unique history and culture on Sunday. The House of Turkey brought a festive parade and lawn program to Balboa Park!
I spied the flag-waving procession heading down El Prado around noontime. The smiling group was led by the House of Turkey royalty. Those participating gathered beside the Bea Evenson Fountain, danced and clapped their hands in rhythm!
At the International Cottages, a huge crowd enjoyed traditional food, including Gözleme, Börek and Turkish Tea.
There were crafts, kids activities, cultural displays, and after opening remarks, the happy music of the ATASC-SD Turkish Music Chorus. Then at two o’clock colorfully costumed Turkish folk dancing by the performing group Grup Anadolu began!
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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 X.
Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) was celebrated today by the Old Globe in San Diego’s Balboa Park. Lots of family-friendly activities and theatrical performances were enjoyed by the public in the Old Globe’s outdoor Copley Plaza!
I enjoyed the first performance of this magical event: actors portraying Mexican folk passed through the audience, came to a grave in front of a beautiful Día de los Muertos altar, and summoned the spirit of a deceased loved one. The spirit came and danced with them, before finally departing.
The event would go on to feature other performances, including a puppet play and Drummers Without Borders. My camera captured their smiles before I headed off, as you can see in the final two photos.
Learn more about the Old Globe’s very colorful Day of the Dead event on their web page 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 X.
This afternoon, the San Diego Youth Symphony took to the stage at Balboa Park’s Spreckels Organ Pavilion, to perform their traditional Halloween concert. And many of the young musicians were in costume!
I noticed cows, Harry Potter, the Riddler, a Super Mario mushroom . . . and two adult conductors who were quite evil-looking!
Spooky pieces played during the fun concert included Valse Diabolique, The Boogie Man Blues, Themes from Harry Potter, Waltz of the Wicked, and Curse of the Rosin Eating Zombies From Outer Space! Yes, that last one is a thing. I’m not kidding!
I took photos of a few fun costumes before and during the concert…
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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 X.
I know, I know–I’ve posted blogs about orchid shows in Balboa Park many times over the years. But the flowers are so spectacular. Here we go again!
The 2024 Fall Orchid Show and Sale of the San Diego County Orchid Society was held this weekend inside the Casa del Prado.
Exotic species of orchids and prize winning plants were displayed on tables in one half of Room 101. In a corner, people on chairs listened to a speaker and viewed an orchid growing demonstration. In the other half of the large room, local orchid growers and artists had abundant beauty available for purchase.
If you’re interested in becoming a member of the San Diego County Orchid Society, check out their website 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 X.
A San Diego gem, the historic Botanical Building in Balboa Park, which first opened its doors for the Panama-California Exposition in 1915, has been completely restored. Look how fresh and beautiful it now appears!
Not open quite yet! The plants in the iconic building are busy growing, drinking in the San Diego sunshine under their new huge wood lath roof. They might get a little rain tomorrow!
I took these photographs as I walked around Balboa Park today.
I can’t wait for the Botanical Building to reopen its doors to the public. Stay tuned for an announcement from the City of San Diego’s Parks and Recreation.
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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 X.
The magical world of Harry Potter has invaded San Diego’s Balboa Park! An incredible, epic display has materialized just in time for Halloween, courtesy of the House of England at the International Cottages!
Check out all these awesome Harry Potter props inside and outside the House of England cottage!
Is that Sirius Black in dog form?A friendly witch welcomes everybody to the House of England cottage before Halloween.The four houses of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry have banners hanging.The Sorting Hat is ready to sort you!Ready for class to begin?Nagini is on the loose near the Monster Book of Monsters!Watch out! Voldemort likes unicorn blood.It’s a mandrake root! Are your earplugs in?Thank goodness, this Cornish Pixie isn’t loose!Get some dark magic artifacts at Borgin and Burkes.Looks like the Goblet of Fire and tiny Patronuses.Get your Essence of Bat Wings! Full Strength!Hedwig has brought a letter.Must be Snape’s class. Pick your poison!We must be in the Owlery on the top of Hogwarts Castle’s West Tower.Dark wizards are on the loose!Ready for a game of Quidditch?Perhaps you’d like to battle these chess pieces. They don’t seem terribly large.Books can contain so much magic! (Uh, oh–tell Ron that Scabbers is loose.)Fawkes, Dumbledore’s phoenix, is ready to help Harry.Gigantic spiders! Are we in the Forbidden Forest? No, just outside, in the rear of the House of England cottage in Balboa Park.Can you see this Thestral?WATCH OUT! It’s a Death Eater!!!
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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 X.
The public was invited to enjoy a wonderful free event at the University of San Diego this afternoon: the 4th Annual Arts and Culture Festival!
The University of San Diego College of Arts and Sciences and the Department of Music presented sixteen excellent outdoor performances on campus. Students took to three outdoor stages, singing, dancing and more. I stayed for a bit over an hour and enjoyed every second!
The event is an outreach to intrigued students or potential students, the Linda Vista community, and anyone in San Diego who loves and supports the arts. I’m in the latter category.
After gazing at a number of sculptures created by students around the Camino/Founders Patio, I took a seat for the initial performance by the school’s Vocal Jazz Ensemble.
Next was an energetic combat demo, cleverly (and very humorously) staged by actors from the Old Globe. The Old Globe and University of San Diego offers a top ranked Shiley Graduate Theatre Program. (Jim Parsons, star of The Big Bang Theory, is a graduate!)
Then came several musical numbers by young members of Song/Story/Stage, then a shining performance by the very fine Concert Choir, then mariachi music and ballet folklorico dancing, then more dance, then more music…
USD’s Music Department appreciates the public’s support. Check out their website here. Follow their Instagram posts here. They even offer private music lessons!
A handout at the event included a quote from a student, Lauren, which explains: “Music is something that we all resonate with and encounter in our everyday lives and USD’s music department embodies that by being a home base for music majors and non-majors, no matter what your experience is, to come together and create something beautiful…”
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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 X.
Cool San Diego Sights! 