Carnivorous plants eat lunch in Balboa Park!

Hundreds of ravenous carnivorous plants lined up for lunch in Balboa Park this weekend!

The San Diego Carnivorous Plant Society held its 10th Anniversary Carnivorous Plant Show and Sale in Room 101 of the Casa del Prado, and a good crowd turned out to see the hungry–and often beautiful–insect-eaters!

I arrived just in time for the Venus flytrap feeding at 1 pm.

We watched as living insects became lunch. I learned it takes several days for a carnivorous plant’s digestive juices to do their work, so perhaps each meal is a couple of breakfasts, lunches and dinners.

We also learned how a Venus flytrap has something like a timer. If a trigger hair in the trapping leaf structure detects a movement, the plants will wait a short bit to see whether movement is detected again. Then the leaves rapidly close like a hungry green mouth!

Once digestion is complete, the trapping leaves reopen, revealing an empty insect husk that can be blown away by the wind or washed away in a rain.

If you want to join the San Diego Carnivorous Plant Society or simply want to learn more about it, here’s their website.

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Beautiful garden railway runs in Balboa Park!

Perhaps you remember the Centennial Railway Garden, which was built in a small outdoor space at the San Diego Model Railroad Museum in 2015 for the centennial of Balboa Park. (You can see it here.) That model train layout is now history. Those 3D printed models of Balboa Park buildings have been replaced with beautiful handmade buildings that represent the late 1800s Victorian era.

Check out these photographs of the new Freight and Flora: A Garden Railway Exhibit!

A company called Applied Imagination constructed and donated the awesome little buildings. You can view other similar garden railways on their website!

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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 Twitter!

Banners celebrate Wave players in World Cup!

Banners have appeared in downtown San Diego that celebrate the five San Diego Wave FC soccer players who are participating in this year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup!

Street lamp banners have been hung for Alex Morgan and Naomi Girma playing for the United States; Kailen Sheridan for Canada; Sofia Jakobsson for Sweden; and Emily Van Egmond for Australia! One banner shows all five soccer stars together.

This evening I happened to spy these banners on B Street.

Congrats to the San Diego Wave FC for their incredible popularity, and the inspiration they provide for thousands of young people!

Yes, I need to watch a game at Snapdragon Stadium one day…

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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 Twitter!

Get a special San Diego Padres transit card!

Would you like to get a special, limited edition PRONTO transit card that celebrates the San Diego Padres? I got one today!

Next time you go to Petco Park for a home baseball game, look for an MTS canopy at the Gaslamp Quarter trolley station and grab a free Padres PRONTO card!

I asked what someone should do if they want one of these special cards but don’t find an opportunity to grab one as I did. The friendly MTS community engagement person suggested you should visit the MTS Transit Store at 12th and Imperial, or call 619-595-5636.

Very cool! Go Pads!

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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 Twitter!

Inside the homes of famous and local artists!

Have you ever wanted to peek into the homes of well-known artists? Now is your chance!

The La Jolla Historical Society has an intriguing exhibition now running at its Wisteria Cottage Gallery. The Artist At Home provides a glimpse into the domestic life of artists–many of whom are world-famous, and many who live in the Southern California and Baja region.

The exhibition has a bit of fun recreating how the home of an artist might appear. But by far the most interesting thing you will see are the numerous photographs of artists in their living spaces and home studios, often at work.

The architecture is frequently unique, designed by creators who continuously create. Works in progress are scattered in rooms among furnishing. It’s apparent that for many artists life and work are indistinguishable. Living is devoted to creating.

Learn more about the exhibition The Artist At Home, including the location and hours, by clicking here.

Niki de Saint Phalle and her assistant Tim Herr at the Princess St. studio. La Jolla, California. 2000.

Studio of James Hubbell. Santa Ysabel, California. 2012.

Norman Rockwell.

Georgia O’Keeffe.

Andrew Wyeth.

Studio of Irène de Watteville. Solana Beach, California. 2023.

“Being an artist is a lifestyle… There is no major distinction between home and studio life.” Einar and Jamex De La Torre.

Studio of Johnny “Bear” Contreras. San Pasqual Reservation. 2023.

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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 Twitter!

Annual art exhibition at Athenaeum in La Jolla.

If you’ve never visited the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library in La Jolla, now would be a great time to go. They’re currently presenting the 31st Annual Juried Exhibition in their beautiful, light-filled Joseph Clayes III Gallery.

During my La Jolla walk yesterday, I stepped into the Athenaeum merely to savor the handsome architecture and furnishings of this special, unique library. As I turned from the entrance into the main gallery, I was pleased to discover this juried exhibition. The very different pieces–including sculptures, paintings, drawings and photographs–were created by twenty-five artists. (How prestigious is this annual exhibition? Three hundred artists submitted their work for consideration.)

Visit the Athenaeum to enjoy the great pieces in this gallery and elsewhere in the library. You’ll appreciate the passion of artists who love to create.

Check the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library website here to learn more!

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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 Twitter!

Famous map museum in La Jolla to close.

Very sad news. One of San Diego’s most important museums will soon be closing permanently. The Map and Atlas Museum of La Jolla, considered one of the top map museums in the world, will remain open through the end of this month. After August 31, 2023, it’s gone.

If you are interested in art, printing or world history, you absolutely must visit this museum before it vanishes forever.

Extremely rare maps fill the galleries. Many contain blank spaces–those places on the planet that centuries ago hadn’t been fully explored. By observing the known (or surmised) outlines of oceans and continents, and the shifting boundaries of nations, it’s possible to follow history and the evolution of geographic knowledge.

Five years ago I carefully explored the museum. You can find that informative blog post here.

The Map and Atlas Museum of La Jolla is located at 7825 Fay Avenue. Take the office building’s elevator down to the lower Courtyard Level. The museum is open to the public on Wednesday and Thursday, and the 1st and 3rd Saturdays, from 11 am to 4 pm.

Those who are curious have few chances left to visit. You won’t regret it!

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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 Twitter!

Positive mural painted at Waterfront Park!

Several weeks ago a colorful new mural was painted in Waterfront Park in San Diego. You can find it on the east side of the restrooms, which are located a few steps south of the County Administration Building.

Diversity is a fact. Inclusion is an act! A positive message of human kindness is conveyed by the happy artwork.

The creators of this mural are REVISION (@revision_sandiego) and Hanna Gundrum (@littlehouseink).

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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 Twitter!

Serpent Tree vanishes from Waterfront Park!

The Serpent Tree has vanished from Waterfront Park! The big, colorful sculpture by famous artist Niki de Saint Phalle has been put into storage, I’ve been told.

The north half of Waterfront Park is being redeveloped. A dog park, basketball and pickleball courts, and other recreational facilities will soon be built. Will the amazing Serpent Tree reappear in the park? I haven’t yet heard what its fate will be.

Today I noticed a banner on the construction fence describing the project. It shows how this part of Waterfront Park will eventually appear.

If you’d like to view photos of Serpent Tree shortly after it was installed in 2015, 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 Twitter!

Art inside the Ocean Beach Arcade building.

Do you love art?

Should you ever walk down Newport Avenue in Ocean Beach, keep a sharp lookout for the Ocean Beach Arcade. It’s the brick building you see in the next photograph. Inside you’ll discover a number of small businesses, including a coffee shop, vintage store and art supply store. And you’ll find yourself surrounded by all sorts of fun artwork!

The mural of a boy peering into a window with his dog immediately brought out my camera. As I looked around, I snapped more photos!

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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 Twitter!