How exciting! I see that potted plants have arrived in Balboa Park, to be planted in the new garden areas by the Lily Pond and around the Botanical Building!
The nine new garden areas together are called the Central Gardens. It’s a major addition to the park we all love!
Creating the Central Gardens with their new walkways and new pergola is Phase Two of the Botanical Building and Gardens revitalization.
This beautiful mural was completed earlier this year in San Diego’s downtown East Village neighborhood. It memorializes three San Diego Zoo animals that passed away in 2025. It was painted by Ground Floor Murals.
I had a nearby errand this afternoon, so I swung by to see it. You can view the mural near the corner of Market Street and 16th Street, behind the Brikho Fuels gas station, on the south side of the Ace Uniforms building.
The zoo animals remembered are Kalluk the polar bear, Nicky the Masai giraffe, and Maka the Western lowland gorilla.
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A beautiful mural in Oceanside’s Balderrama Park remembers and celebrates home town football hero Junior Seau.
The legendary NFL linebacker attended Oceanside High School and spent most of his life a resident in San Diego’s North County.
He played with the San Diego Chargers for 13 seasons, helping to lead them to Super Bowl XXIX. His play seemed superhuman. He would become one of the most popular Chargers players of all time.
Junior was active in the community, plus a surfer and restaurateur. He was loved by everybody.
His untimely death was so tragic, believed to be caused by repetitive head trauma while playing the game.
The Oceanside mural, painted by Ground Floor Murals, captures the beautiful soul of Junior Seau.
Another fantastic mural depicting Junior Seau can be viewed in San Diego on El Cajon Boulevard. It was painted by the same artists.
It’s November 9th. It’s still considered early November, right? In any event, I enjoyed a fun and very unique walk through Balboa Park today.
I found evidence Veterans Day is almost here–now just two days.
Before we know it, Thanksgiving and the Holiday Season will be here, too!
Enjoy some photos of interesting sights…
First up, the San Diego Potters’ Guild was having their Semiannual Patio Show in Spanish Village Art Center this weekend. While people watched, one guild artist was demonstrating the use of a potter’s wheel.
Next, some photos of the badly deteriorated Convair Sea Dart mounted in front of the San Diego Air and Space Museum.
Time is running out to see this very rare, experimental supersonic seaplane. It’s going to be replaced in front of the museum by an F-14A Tomcat fighter jet, as soon as the latter is restored at the museum’s annex near Gillespie Field.
The replacement won’t be just any ordinary F-14A, either. It will be the very plane used in the filming of Top Gun: Maverick!
Next, the free two o’clock Sunday concert at the Spreckel’s Organ Pavilion was a Veterans Day Celebration.
San Diego Civic Organist Raúl Prieto Ramírez played Aaron Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man, various rousing John Philip Sousa marches, the United States Armed Forces Medley, and, yes, some good old Bach.
Toward the end of my walk, I stumbled upon something rather unique! A row of chess boards was set up in the Plaza de Panama, and a Chess Grandmaster, Two-Time National Champion was competing against multiple random people at one time!
I learned the Chess Grandmaster is also candidate Patrick Wolff, who is running for California Insurance Commissioner. His people were filming the proceedings for their campaign’s social media.
This is something you don’t see every day!
Chet, who plays guitar in Balboa Park, was causing the Grandmaster to pause and think a long while!
Lastly, I saw the Old Globe’s Dr. Seuss Christmas tree was getting ready for its annual lighting this evening. I didn’t have a reservation for the free event, however. Maybe next year…
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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.
There’s a fun, light-hearted children’s puppet show coming up later this month in San Diego, at Balboa Park’s historic Marie Hitchcock Theater!
Check out the graphic and the description I was sent:
Magic Jacket Productions is proud to announce the first-run production of “Zhuri’s Pet Project,” a light-hearted children’s puppet show written and directed by Heather Whitney.
Energetic six-year old Zhuri really wants a pet – but can she convince her Dad that she’s ready to take care of one? Join Zhuri and her friends Elijah and Leo for a fun-filled multimedia children’s puppet show as she looks for the perfect “fur-ever” friend. This show features original songs, life-size puppets, and plenty of laughs for animal-loving kids and parents alike.
To learn more about this happy puppet show, which runs for about 30 minutes, check out the Marie Hitchcock Theater’s ticket page by clicking 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!
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 special event is coming up next Saturday, November 15, 2025. Visitors to the Maritime Museum of San Diego will have the opportunity to explore how emerging technologies are transforming how we use and protect ocean resources.
The event is free with General Admission and is perfect for families, students and anyone interesting in learning about blue technology. Hours are 10 am to 4 pm.
What is Blue Tech? It’s a category of advanced technologies focused on the sustainable development of the world’s oceans and coasts, also known as the Blue Economy.
According to one sign in the Maritime Museum, there will be hands-on exploration and interactive experiences concerning underwater robots, engineering, data tools and more. Student marine clubs will be there with their own innovations, too!
Super cool!
Some high tech equipment I spotted today near the sign…
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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.
A lot of stuff was going on along San Diego’s Embarcadero today, this Saturday in early November!
I enjoyed another fine walk along downtown San Diego’s waterfront. Yes, the day started off gray and overcast, but in the early afternoon the sunshine would break through a bit.
During my walk I observed a whole lot of interesting activity. I’ll post my photos in the order in which they were taken. Read the captions to understand what I was seeing.
The beautiful Colombian tall ship ARC Gloria is docked in downtown San Diego at the Broadway Pier. The public can go aboard and tour it through Sunday, November 9, 2025.Some vessels were alongside the huge cruise ship Norwegian Jade, presumably fueling it.The Cruise Ship Terminal was abuzz with activity. Two ships were in!The Nieuw Amsterdam cruise ship docked in San Diego.The usual vendors along the Embarcadero.Here’s world-famous tall ship Star of India of the Maritime Museum of San Diego.
I’m a member of the Maritime Museum of San Diego. Members get free tickets for a harbor tour on the Pilot boat. That’s what I did!
Hello Kiki, our tour guide! She’s funny, informative and awesome!
Ready for the harbor tour!And away we go. That’s San Salvador, the museum’s seaworthy Spanish galleon replica.Along the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal I spotted two ships of the National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions Fleet: the Sea Bird and the Sea Lion. They tour Baja California and Alaska.Rowing along San Diego Bay, with the convention center and a couple of superyachts in the background.The San Diego Food and Wine Festival is going on this weekend at Embarcadero Marina Park North.The Tuna Harbor Dockside Market always attracts a crowd on Saturdays.Looks like the ferry is returning from Coronado.There’s the Colombian tall ship ARC Gloria, seen from the water.As the Pilot boat returned to the museum, Californian, official tall ship of California, was departing for a Saturday sail.
After the harbor tour, I headed south along the Embarcadero’s boardwalk. Here I am approaching the USS Midway Museum…
I see the pedicabs are out today.Always many vendors near the USS Midway Museum.Some characters I spotted as I walked along the Embarcadero.Now I’m on the pier near Tuna Harbor. The Tuna Harbor Dockside Market is winding down a little after noontime.A kid was helping out on fishing boat Jonny D. Fishing families are always friendly people.Some people enjoy Fish and Chips on the pier.Looking back along the pier toward downtown San Diego.I think these umbrellas at Seaport Village are new.People were given wine glasses when they checked into the Food and Wine Festival.A balloon twister and kids near Seaport Village.
Yes, San Diego is wonderful.
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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.
The public is invited to tour the very beautiful Colombian tall ship ARC Gloria, which is presently docked in downtown San Diego at the Broadway Pier!
The large three-masted barque is used by the Colombian Navy as a cadet training ship. It’s also the flagship of the Colombian Navy and floating goodwill ambassador. It’s currently on a tour of the west coast of North America.
Through the afternoon of Sunday, November 9, 2025, during daytime hours, anyone can freely board the amazing tall ship and walk about its decks. That’s what I did this morning, camera in hand!
A friendly salute welcomed everybody stepping from the gangplank. There are plenty of awesome photo ops. Visitors, after roaming about the ship, also have the opportunity to purchase souvenirs to remember their experience.
Take a look!
The figurehead of the ARC Gloria is a gilded, winged angel named María Salud. This figurehead is a tribute to the daughter of the sculptor who created it, Victor Gutiérrez Jiménez.
Here we go!
A shining plaque beneath the ship’s crest contains the words HIMNO BUQUE ESCULEA ARC GLORIA… MUSICA Y LETRA DE EVELIA PORTO DE MEJIA.
According to this: Evelia Porto de Mejía (1925-2013), a writer and composer from Cartagena, is renowned for her contributions to music and etiquette on Colombia’s Caribbean coast. She composed the anthem for the Gloria training ship of the Colombian National Navy, as well as several musical pieces that celebrate the traditions and culture of Cartagena.
A printed banner duplicate of a very famous mural by Mexican painter Diego Rivera can be seen in San Diego’s Barrio Logan neighborhood. Sueño de una tarde dominical en la Alameda Central (Dream of a Sunday Afternoon at Alameda Central Park) decorates the exterior of the M & R Transmission building at 1775 National Avenue.
The original mural, painted by the artist between 1946 and 1947, can be viewed at the Museo Mural Diego Rivera in Mexico City.
The mural depicts famous people and events in the history of Mexico, passing through the Alameda Central park in Mexico City.It features many historical figures, including Hernán Cortés, Benito Juárez, and Frida Kahlo. The central figure is La Catrina, a skeleton figure symbolizing the connection between life and death.
I took these photos a few weeks ago, when I walked through Barrio Logan.
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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.
A new exhibition has opened at the Timken Museum of Art in Balboa Park. It’s titled Poetic Portraits: Allegory and Identity in 16th Century Europe. Read all about it here.
Visitors to the museum have the opportunity to see the work of notable Renaissance artists, including Sofonisba Anguissola, whose painting Portrait of Giovanni Battista Caselli, on loan from the Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid, is being displayed in the United States for the first time.
Lovers of fine art and art history will certainly enjoy this exhibition. They’ll also treasure the excellent booklet concerning the artists that is freely handed out at the front desk. It explains how both allegory (symbolism) and identity (descriptive details) combine in the painting of these portraits. This results in a poetic blending of abstract ideals and visual reality.
To most of us here in the 21st century, the people in the portraits are complete strangers. (A few aren’t even positively identified by experts.) But one can see how, compared to flatter, blander pre-Renaissance art, these portraits have assumed a more definite personality.
Gazing at each portrait, I found myself wondering: what had the subject’s true personality been like? The eyes and facial expressions might provide a hint.
The world-class Timken Museum of Art is always free to the public. The exhibition continues through March 29, 2026.
Check out the museum’s website for everything you need to know 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!
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.
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