New street art by Memuco in Old Town!

A wall and a fence by a parking lot in Old Town San Diego have been decorated with murals by artist Memuco (@memuco). I spotted them today during a short walk.

You can see these creations for yourself near the intersection of Congress Street and Twiggs Street.

A gentleman I spoke to at nearby shop The Art of Cigar told me Memuco used both spray paint and brush for his colorful rendition of Quetzalcoatl, which was finished a couple weeks ago.

Painting on the fence’s many vertical slats must have been an interesting undertaking. The snaky, scaly effect he achieved is quite wonderful!

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Pegasus sculpture takes flight in El Cajon!

An extraordinary sculpture by renowned artist James Hubbell can be enjoyed near the center of downtown El Cajon. His interpretation of mythical flying horse Pegasus stands in the succulent and cactus garden at the Olaf Wieghorst Museum!

I took a tour of the museum today, viewing the fine art of internationally recognized painter of western scenes Olaf Wieghorst, who lived for a time in El Cajon.

As we strolled through the museum’s lush garden, I was surprised to see this wonderful sculpture by James Hubbell, another beloved artist. Hubbell’s studio is located in the nearby mountains.

If you love outstanding art (or the Old West or amazing gardens) you must pay a visit to the free Olaf Wieghorst Museum. I’ll be blogging much more about this surprising museum in the next few days!

The sculpture Pegasus near the rustic home of Old West artist Olaf Wieghorst. His house can toured at the Olaf Wieghorst Museum.

Pegasus, by James Hubbell, was a gift of the East County Chapter of the Fine Arts Society of San Diego.

An abstract bronze Pegasus flies gracefully in downtown El Cajon.

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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 Oxford and history at Hotel del Coronado.

Those who approach the Hotel del Coronado from the south will see a handsome yellow building that stands beside Orange Avenue. The old building is called The Oxford, and it was built in 1887 near the ferry landing on the other side of Coronado!

The Oxford was Coronado’s first hotel. In 1911 the building was relocated a couple blocks east of the Hotel del Coronado, where the post office is today. It was used to provide housing for the hotel’s female employees.

In 1983 the building was saved from demolition and in 1986 it was moved again to this spot on the hotel property. In 2021 it was carefully restored. The Oxford today is home to the Hotel del Coronado administrative offices.

An old photo on display in the hotel’s Ice House Museum shows the building being moved in 1986. The large structure was temporarily divided into two halves, and obstructions had to be removed from the streets during its move!

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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)!

Beautiful nature art on Encinitas Boulevard!

If you’ve driven down Encinitas Boulevard under Interstate 5 you’ve seen this wonderful, very colorful public art. Four long mosaic strips depicting local plants and animals have added life to the freeway undercrossing for about a year now.

In 2021 the City of Encinitas chose this design by Minneapolis-based artists Amy Baur and Brian Boldon.

The three foot tall strips feature glazed ceramic surfaces that shine in the sunlight and resemble stained glass. Here’s an article concerning the installation. The artist has stated: “Imagery from Encinitas’ environment — birds, plants, water, coastal and mountain flora and fauna — are layered with geometric shapes reflecting concrete patterns above and below the artwork.”

During my last walk in Encinitas, I took photographs of the beautiful artwork. What birds and plants do you recognize?

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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 risen RaDD seen from San Diego Bay.

For well over a year, the Research and Development District (RaDD) has been rising on downtown San Diego’s waterfront. I’ve been watching the ongoing construction of this project and have posted photographs from time to time. In June I posted these.

I rode the Coronado ferry last weekend and got a good look at how San Diego’s skyline has been altered by RaDD, as seen from across the bay. (The above photo shows the long Tuna Harbor pier in the foreground.)

RaDD is a project of IQHQ. It’s described as a life science district–five new buildings occupying six city blocks–the largest urban commercial waterfront site on the West Coast. It appears to be nearing completion.

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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)!

Old-fashioned carnival at Hotel del Coronado!

An extraordinary event was enjoyed by a good crowd today at the Hotel del Coronado! The Seaside Victorian Carnival entertained hotel guests and the public with old-fashioned carnival games, food, jugglers, magicians, plate spinning, aerial silks, tightrope and other circus acts!

Tents on the beach featured nostalgic games like ring toss and penny pitch. Kids were having a blast trying to win a prize. Funds raised benefited a variety of charitable organizations in Coronado.

Several sand sculptures could also be enjoyed. And flying high above the sand were students from San Diego State University. Check out my photos of their amazing feats!

On the boardwalk, people lined up for caramel apples, chocolate kettle corn, giant pretzels and other yummy treats!

The main attraction was a slate of circus acts. I stayed awhile, watched several jugglers (one on stilts), an amazing chair stacker/balancer/juggler, and an aerialist smiling and spinning above a rapt audience!

Another perfect day at Coronado’s world-famous Victorian beach resort!

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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)!

Balboa Park Carousel bewitched for Halloween!

Has someone cast a magic spell on the Balboa Park Carousel in time for Halloween?

Most of the carved wooden animals are suddenly wearing witch hats!

I’m wondering… Was this beautiful menagerie cursed by a jealous witch? Horse, ostrich, giraffe, chicken, cat and dog–they’ve turned into witches, too!

There seems to be no horrible after effect, however. Everyone riding the carousel was laughing, smiling and having a splendid time!

Perhaps that’s the magic of Balboa Park!

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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)!

A patriotic Massing of the Colors in San Diego.

The 67th Annual Massing of the Colors and Service of Remembrance was held today in San Diego’s Balboa Park.

The patriotic ceremony featured a procession of color guards through the Spreckels Organ Pavilion. In addition to military color guards, participants represented dozens of schools, organizations and agencies from throughout San Diego County.

The event was presented by the San Diego Chapter of Military Order of the World Wars, whose mission includes instilling love of country by honoring our nation’s flag and the liberty it promises. For a writer like myself, freedom is precious.

As I sat in the front row waiting for the event to begin, a gust of wind on the stage blew over our nation’s flag. Several people immediately rushed forward to raise Old Glory again.

The Massing of the Colors this year was co-sponsored by the Spreckels Organ Society. Patriotic music, including an Armed Forces Medley, was provided by San Diego Civic Organist extraordinaire Raúl Prieto Ramírez!

A special mention in the ceremony and program acknowledged Vietnam Veterans and their sacrifices. Fifty years ago, that terrible war ended.

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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)!

Solar eclipse breaks through in Balboa Park!

Would this morning’s solar eclipse be seen in San Diego? An overcast sky worried many who wished to observe the highly anticipated event.

A huge crowd lined up in Balboa Park near the Fleet Science Center to obtain eclipse glasses. Amateurs set up telescopes, large and small. With the help of Fleet scientists and volunteers, kids enjoyed several fun educational activities, including the creation of pinhole boxes for safe indirect viewing of the eclipse. At one side of the plaza, a laptop showed live images of the eclipse from some cloudless location. Families sat waiting on the edge of the park’s nearby fountain. Minutes were ticking away. Would those clouds above us thin in time, as everyone hoped?

And then–there it was! The crowd cheered! The moon was glimpsed off and on as it gradually passed over the sun’s disk in an annular eclipse that would, at its maximum, obscure about 70 percent of Earth’s own life-giving star.

Several minutes later, the sky would mostly clear, and many in San Diego would take delight in the awe-inspiring spectacle.

Enjoy these photographs of the big eclipse watching party in Balboa Park!

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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)!

Exhibit for San Diego City Clerk’s Archives Month!

A great exhibit is now open to the public inside the lobby of downtown San Diego’s City Administration Building. The San Diego City Clerk is celebrating its 5th Annual Archives Month with displays concerning our city’s historic 1935-36 California Pacific International Exposition in Balboa Park!

Step into the City Administration Building in the next few days and you’ll discover old photographs and documents concerning the exposition, and even the big coin you see above!

This original coin, inscribed Welcome To America’s Exposition, was actually the welcome sign for San Diego’s second world’s fair, which followed the 1915-16 Panama-California Exposition, also held in Balboa Park.

The above 1935-36 California Pacific International Exposition Sign was donated to the City Clerk Archives for safekeeping.

Here’s a photo of someone posing with the original sign!

There are many fascinating images on display, including photos of American presidents, dignitaries and celebrities who visited the expo almost a century ago. You also have an opportunity to take a selfie with a replica of the coin that is light enough to hold above your head!

Can’t make it downtown? View archived photographs, ephemera and city documents that concern the 1935-36 California Pacific International Exposition by clicking here!

This fascinating historical exhibit will be on display in the City Administration Building lobby from October 2nd through October 16th, so check it out if you can!

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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)!