Yesterday afternoon, a walking celebration of the new Bay to Park Paseo took place in downtown San Diego!
The inaugural walk moved north from the Hilton San Diego Bayfront hotel up Park Boulevard to Presidents Way in Balboa Park. A good crowd gathered, then followed a three-piece band and our guide, Pete Garcia of the non-profit URBAN INTERVENTIONS. Pete, holding his red umbrella, provided insights into each art installation and was joined by many of the participating designers and artists.
The Bay to Park Paseo is a walking experience that features over a dozen different temporary art installations. The Paseo leads walkers over the Harbor Drive Pedestrian Bridge, then past Petco Park, the Central Library, UC San Diego Park & Market, NewSchool of Architecture & Design, IDEA1, City College, and San Diego High School.
The idea for a pedestrian friendly corridor connecting San Diego Bay to Balboa Park actually originated in 1908. It was envisioned by John Nolen, the first American to identify exclusively as a town and city planner. San Diego’s new Bay to Park Paseo serves as a temporary prototype of what the future might hold for this corridor.
As you’ll see in the upcoming photos, some of these temporary art installations aren’t finished yet. Some also appear very different from their original conception, due to budgetary constraints.
Take a look at these colorful installations, then imagine how awesome a future Paseo with permanent public art would appear!
People gather for the inaugural walk in front of the Hilton San Diego Bayfront. The Bay to Park Paseo has been created in conjunction with San Diego/Tijuana’s selection as World Design Capital 2024.We wait for the band, which was a bit late.The first art installation is a stained glass panel in front of the Hilton San Diego Bayfront.Welcome to the start of Bay to Park Paseo! The project has a butterfly as its symbol.The beautiful stained glass panel was designed by local artist and muralist Shirish Villaseñor, who happens to also work at the Hilton! She has been working on restoring the famous murals in Chicano Park.This butterfly loosely resembles the huge Hermes Copper Butterfly that will be installed on the nearby Harbor Drive pedestrian bridge.Pete Garcia welcomes the excited walkers.Here we go!I learned some of the band members participated in artist James Hubbell’s Friendship Walk on Shelter Island, which you might recall seeing on Cool San Diego Sights.You can see part of pre-existing Wind Palms public art in the background. The San Diego Convention Center appears on the right.Starting across the Harbor Drive Pedestrian Bridge.A designer from Safdie Rabines Architects (who designed this bridge and many other structures in San Diego) describes how a huge Hermes Copper Butterfly will decorate the Harbor Drive Pedestrian Bridge. The landmark public art will remain on the bridge for five years. Small dangling tiles will compose the butterfly, which should move with the wind.Once the butterfly appears, you can bet I’ll take photos!Resuming our walk over the bridge.Walking past Petco Park.Overcast this Spring day, but no rain during the walk.That big square “hole” across the street at Park 12 will contain colorful string-like artwork by acclaimed artist Inés Esnal. You can see the unrelated Growing Home public art seashell on the left.Now we’re approaching the Connector Block 1 installation.Colorful pallets and desert cacti and succulents!Stay and Play is the title of this fun, colorful sidewalk installation.Stay and Play and SMILE!Walking north to San Diego’s iconic Central Library.We gather in front of the Central Library where the Before There Were Borders installation provides a unique augmented reality experience on passersby’s phones.I already blogged about Before There Were Borders. Check that out here.North we go again!We’ve arrived at Connector Blocks 2 and 3. This fun installation, called Walk and Learn, allows people to view historical photographs from downtown San Diego.Spin the dial on a huge “viewmaster” to discover the liveliness of our city’s streets and sidewalks from the past.I see East Village’s very cool Crushing It street mural in the background!Moving along up the new Bay to Park Paseo.Passing the Park & Market trolley station, which already contains artistic elements like curvy benches.Members of the UC San Diego Design Lab pose for a quick photo!What Does Home Mean to You? is the thought-provoking installation at the UC San Diego Park and Market building. I posted a blog concerning it here. One of the three “silhouettes” has appeared. Pushing a button activates an audio recording. A homeless person tells of the hardships she has encountered.UCSD students who contributed to the installation’s design are acknowledged.Here comes the Memories at Midpoint installation. I saw them putting up the artwork and posted photos here.Our walking group has arrived in front of the NewSchool of Architecture & Design.We learn about this fun, surprising installation.What’s inside these colorful mailboxes?Some surprising discoveries!This is fun! What’s next?Along the trolley tracks we go…This cool artwork is next!This installation is called The Desert Super Bloom. It’s in front of IDEA1. There will be three such colorful clusters–two are completed.I love it!Kids painted those tall poles. I see, in the photo’s background, The Strength of Women mural by Rafael Lopez.Walking up toward the City College trolley station.Local artist Armando De La Torre poses for a photo in front of his Along the Blue Line installation before the crowd of walkers arrives! He wants his art to connect with ordinary people.Read more about this installation on a construction fence here. We also learned about artwork in the windows of the nearby Smart Corner building. That installation, called Reading Between the Lines, is best seen at night.Here we are moving right along past the City College trolley station and the Smart Corner building that rises above it.We’ve arrived at the corner of San Diego City College. The originally intended bench installation has to be changed. Now banners proclaim I Have a Dream. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s famous words are perfect at a diverse college where there are many dreams.A dream in beautiful San Diego.I’ve blogged a couple times about the sinuous, wavelike JOURNEYworm in front of San Diego High School. Delicate black mosquito netting was replaced by stronger plastic safety fencing because of destructive winter storms. The bright orange definitely attracts the attention of students and others passing by!The inaugural walk up the Bay to Park Paseo is approaching the finish line. There is one more art installation to check out.Multiple panels along the sides of the Park Boulevard bridge over Interstate 5 aren’t ready yet. But we saw the representation of one mural. It’s a palm tree! The images will be reflective of San Diego’s beautiful Balboa Park.1.7 miles of walking nearly completed!You can see downtown’s Cortez Hill neighborhood in the distance. That’s where I live!The Bay to Park Paseo walkers pose for a concluding photograph in Balboa Park! Why don’t YOU take a walk up the art-filled Paseo? It’s fun!
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For four decades, Don Diego was a fixture at the Del Mar Fair. With a friendly “¡Bienvenidos Amigos!” the dashing goodwill ambassador greeted visitors to the Del Mar Fairgrounds.
Sombrero in hand, typically in dress representing a gentleman Mexican ranchero, Don Diego also introduced Grandstand shows and escorted the Fairest of the Fair beauty queen and her court.
An exhibition at the San Diego History Center in Balboa Park opened several days ago which includes a unique tribute to the fair’s iconic Don Diego, who in reality was actor Domingo Tomás Hernández Bethencourt.
The exhibition is titled Fashion Redux 2024. In its 13th year, the annual event is a collaboration between the San Diego History Center and Mesa College’s Fashion Program.
What immediately caught my eye today were the two ensembles once worn by Don Diego, which belong to the San Diego History Center’s very extensive Historic Textile Collection.
Visitors to the exhibition can also watch old video footage that shows Don Diego at the Del Mar Fair.
A few personal memories were rekindled. As a child my family would visit the fair, and I remember seeing Don Diego on promotional material and on television. He was quite famous. I don’t recall whether I saw him in person. I think I might have. That was a long time ago.
Tommy “Don Diego” Hernandez passed away in 1984.Actor Tommy Hernandez, as Don Diego, with 1958 Fairest of the Fair winner, Raquel Tejada. She became famous as Raquel Welch during her later acting career.Don Diego ensemble, inspired by traditional Mexican charro costumes.Brown felted cardboard sombrero worn by Don Diego.Don Diego ensemble, inspired by traditional Spanish flamenco costumes.
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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 (formerly known as Twitter)!
Today, students learning plein air painting were out in Balboa Park’s blooming Inez Grant Parker Memorial Rose Garden, interpreting the surrounding beauty!
Danny was kind enough to let me photograph his own painting. Then I walked about, absorbing the San Diego sunshine and the creative energy around me.
Is there a more beautiful setting into which one can place an easel?
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More public art is rapidly appearing along San Diego’s new Bay to Park Paseo!
The Bay to Park Paseo is a 1.7 mile downtown walking experience that will be filled with outdoor art. The paseo stretches from San Diego Bay up Park Boulevard to Balboa Park. The project celebrates San Diego/Tijuana’s selection as World Design Capital 2024!
This afternoon, I noticed that people were stringing up colorful art in front of the NewSchool of Architecture & Design, which stands at the midpoint of the Bay to Park Paseo. The installation is called Memories at the Midpoint.
According to this page, the design approach looks to stimulate the senses through sound, sight and interaction, challenging us to look at the past, present and future. From above, four canopies will be suspended from street trees using recycled painted plastic bags, suspended wooden wind chimes, and ocean drums to create awareness of the environment. At the pedestrian level, an installation of mystery mailboxes as well as window graphics with digital media information and prints will invite passerbys to interact with both students and designers.
I can’t wait to see how this completed installation appears!
Another installation on the Bay to Park Paseo popped up in the past day or two. The large graphic on the UC San Diego Park and Market building was created by The UC San Diego Design Lab. The installation is called What Does Home Mean to You?
All isn’t completed, however.
Passersby will encounter thought-provoking questions and a collage of visual imagery that represents different notions of housing on the windows of the empty retail space; a second location will invite pedestrians to reflect on their own housing experience.
Visitors will see life-size silhouettes of people who will share their perspectives on housing at the push of a button. Throughout the installation, passersby can use their mobile devices to scan QR codes to dive deeper into other housing experiences from the greater San Diego community or share their own stories through voice or text.
Lastly, I’ve noticed more figures are appearing on that fence just south of the City College trolley station. I blogged about this installation (which began to appear back in late January) here.
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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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During my walk last weekend through Ellen Browning Scripps Park in La Jolla, I paused to take photographs of two plaques. One is over a century old. The other was created much more recently.
Both plaques honor people who, in their own way, made the world better. Both are heroes.
The Abraham Lincoln Centennial Memorial, set inside a boulder, is dated February 12, 1909. It was placed by the people of La Jolla beside a flagpole that no longer exists. I found an article that concerns the placement of this plaque. Read it here.
The second plaque reads:
In honor of our beloved mother Selma Malk, who enjoyed this view from her home at the La Valencia Hotel for 31 years.
The plaque was recently placed between a newly renovated picnic area and the scenic boardwalk south of La Jolla Cove.
According to this article: Selma Malk lived for 32 years at La Jolla’s La Valencia Hotel and volunteered at the Birch Aquarium and Athenaeum Music & Arts Library in La Jolla and the Mingei International Museum in San Diego’s Balboa Park. She died in La Jolla in 2017 at age 103.
In the next photo, you can see the historic La Valencia Hotel.
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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 (formerly known as Twitter)!
Some unusual art was recently moved onto the second floor of San Diego’s Central Library. Cedar Fire was created by local artist Timothy Murdoch in 2019.
The work is composed of collected burnt wood and house paint. Many communities throughout San Diego were affected by the historic, incredibly destructive Cedar Fire in 2003. The fire destroyed 2,820 buildings including 2,232 homes.
I still remember how all of San Diego County was disrupted as people coped with the fast moving, Santa Ana wind driven fire. I had to drive up Interstate 15 under a dark orange sky during the fire, and it seemed I was the only one on the freeway. It’s hard for me to believe that was over twenty years ago. Seems like yesterday.
Does this sculpture look familiar? Cedar Fire, part of the City of San Diego Art Collection, was previously displayed in the lobby of San Diego’s City Administration Building.
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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 (formerly known as Twitter)!
The original black fabric JOURNEYworm has been replaced. The sinuous art installation, which is visible along Park Boulevard near San Diego High School, is now made of orange plastic safety fencing!
I posted photos of the first, more fragile JOURNEYworm in early February. Unfortunately, a series of very windy winter storms decimated the thing. So now I see it has been replaced with material that is more durable.
What on earth is the JOURNEYworm? It’s part of a new Bay to Park Paseo walking experience, which will stretch from San Diego Bay to Balboa Park!
I provided a description of the project when I posted those original photographs. To revisit those photos, click 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 (formerly known as Twitter)!
Art was recently installed on windows near the main entrance of San Diego’s Central Library. Before There Were Borders depicts native wildlife and the languages of indigenous peoples who lived in our region north and south of the present-day U.S./Mexican border, long before the arrival of Europeans.
Animals such as roadrunners, whales, deer, mountain lions, pelicans, rabbits, butterflies, coyotes and bears are matched with their names in four languages: Kumeyaay/Kumiai, Kuupangaxwichem/Cupeño, Payòmkawichum/Luiseño, and Cahuilla.
But there’s much more to the installation. As this explains, a “digital art piece will be accessible within the arcade of the Central Library. Rob Quigley, designer of the Central Library, envisions it to be one of ‘stage’ and ‘performance.’ As participants move though the arcade, images will appear to entice further exploration using a simple scan of a QR code with a smartphone. The installation will include video holograms, viewing cultural objects through augmented reality, and immersive reality language experiences.”
Before There Were Borders is part of a 1.7 mile artistic walking experience along the Bay To Park Paseo, a project inspired by the selection of San Diego/Tijuana as World Design Capital 2024.
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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 (formerly known as Twitter)!
Deadpool has traveled from Chile in South America to San Diego, and I found him hanging out today in Balboa Park!
This young man with the cool Deadpool cosplay, posing for photographs on El Prado, didn’t speak much English. But I did ascertain he loves the Deadpool movies.
I don’t know if he’s in pursuit of any supervillains at the moment. Perhaps his buddy Wolverine was nearby, but I didn’t see him.
You never know what or who you’ll encounter in wonderful Balboa Park!
If you’re reading this on a serious San Diego newsfeed, sorry. I’m just a blogger who likes to walk around the city, and sometimes I post silly, fun things.
Perhaps you’ll enjoy a quick smile before returning to a world where depressing news is far too common.
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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 (formerly known as Twitter)!
Stunning. Powerful. I’m not sure how I can adequately describe one performance today at the La Jolla Playhouse WOW Festival.
Two acrobatic dancers from the Taiwanese circus troupe 0471 Acro Physical Theatre in their performance of Duo acted out the passion and turmoil of love. The crowd watching in UCSD’s Revelle Plaza was completely mesmerized.
Not only was the performing couple incredibly athletic, but they convincingly displayed the many emotions of troubled but enduring love. There was reluctance, passion, the pushing away, the pulling together. There were moments of sky reaching ecstasy.
There was interesting symbolism, too. It seemed to me the clothing they carried and displayed at times was symbolic of an ideal partner as lovers might see it. But the hesitation, indecision, conflict, resentment and other emotions made the actors, whirling about without that fancy clothing, more human, more true. Through the motion of their bodies, they transmitted their inner impulses and desires.
How the two acrobats could expressively move and fly about for half an hour nonstop was jaw-dropping. I thought their acting was even more impressive. It expressed what love is.
I saw people in the audience with hands over their heart.
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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 (formerly known as Twitter)!
Cool San Diego Sights! 