Photos along San Diego Embarcadero before fireworks.

Today, in the mid-afternoon, people were gathering along San Diego’s Embarcadero to watch Fourth of July fireworks. Families were camping in grassy spots and setting up lawn chairs and blankets in strategic positions next to San Diego Bay. After dark, four barges on the water would be launching synchronized fireworks during the 9 o’clock Big Bay Boom!

I enjoyed a long walk, observing the activity. As time passed, more and more people arrived until a good crowd was milling about on the Embarcadero’s boardwalk.

These photographs begin near the Hilton San Diego Bayfront, proceed through Embarcadero Marina Park South, then head up past the Marriott Marquis Marina, through Seaport Village, through Embarcadero Marina Park North, past Tuna Harbor, the USS Midway and the Broadway Pier, and end a short distance north of the Maritime Museum of San Diego.

It was a sunny afternoon, with barbeques out and kites flying–another perfect day in America’s Finest City!

…

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.

Feel free to share!

Old-fashioned 4th of July in Old Town San Diego!

What would Independence Day be without an old-fashioned 4th of July in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park!

The big celebration of our nation’s birth (249 years ago) would attract hundreds of visitors, including many families. A little after 11 o’clock in the morning, the American flag was raised by Scouts on the central plaza’s flagpole and the event kicked off!

There would be live old-fashioned American music on the stage, Victorian era lawn games like sack racing and tug-o’-war, and booths where kids could make 19th century scrap books or create telegraph Morse code bracelets or pioneer dolls.

A watermelon eating contest would take place later, as well as the annual quilt raffle!

I arrived before the event would begin, checked out the Boosters of Old Town table, walked around the California State Park for a bit, observed the flag raising, then hung around for a while watching the fun!

The Boosters of Old Town San Diego had lots of great stuff for purchase at their red, white and blue table!

And a free smile!

At Threads of the Past, I learned about the quilts that are made here and raffled to raise funds every year. They are modeled after historic Sanitary Commission quilts from the Civil War.

If you ever see the following label on an old quilt, buy it immediately! They are extremely rare.

Now I’m just walking around…

Heading over to check out the blacksmith shop…

Many Old Town blacksmiths were busy on the Fourth of July!

This friendly gentlemen allows kids to pound away on clay, shaping it as if it were red hot iron.

Almost 11 o’clock. The assembled Scout color guard is ready in the doorway of the Casa de Estudillo.

Here we go…

Now to raise the flag of the United States of America on Independence Day…

A welcome speech was followed by nostalgic old-time music performed by Billy Lee and The Swamp Critters, plus lots of family fun, crafts and games!

…

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.

Feel free to share!

Inspiration at West Otay Mesa bus stop!

Inspiration has been painted on a fence near a bus stop in San Diego’s southern West Otay Mesa neighborhood.

A beautiful mural containing a butterfly, flowers and words of wisdom can be found above the bus bench on Del Sol Boulevard directly across from the Del Sol Market. It was painted by @msrosi619.

You can’t change your situation, the only thing you can change is how you choose to Deal with it!!!

Stand together and love one another.

Spread your wings and dare to fly!!!

Just in case you have forgotten today– You matter, You are loved, You are worthy, You are magical.

Be the change you want to to see in the world. Smile always. Love, MS. ROSI

…

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.

Feel free to share!

Youth take over Gallery 21 in Spanish Village!

A youth gallery takeover has begun!

Gallery 21 in Balboa Park’s Spanish Village is now full of art created by young people from National City!

Youth, ages 5 to 18, are exhibiting works they created during the last season of A Reason to Survive (ARTS) programming. The exhibition is titled Echoes of Blooming, and it opened yesterday.

Blooming is the perfect word, because bursts of creativity and personal expression have blossomed on the walls and in the spaces of the gallery.

I visited Gallery 21 today and found pieces that explore themes of transformation, inner strength, and the courage to challenge harmful cycles.

Many of the young artists live in neighborhoods where hope might be difficult to find. But hope can be achieved through artistic self-expression, especially when one’s personal efforts are celebrated in a gallery exhibition!

Congrats to every one of the artists! May you all go on to achieve bigger and bigger successes!

The public is invited to the exhibition’s Opening Reception, which will take place on July 5, from 5 – 7 pm, in Gallery 21 at the Spanish Village Art Center in Balboa Park.

Just a few works of art you’ll enjoy seeing…

…

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.

Feel free to share!

Ancient gods on a storm cloud descend in San Diego!

Ancient gods Zeus and Neptune, in a peculiar combination, have descended on a storm cloud into 21st century San Diego!

Yes, mythical deities can now be observed hovering above Spanish Village Art Center in Balboa Park. Lightning is striking beneath their cloud, so those walking around the art center’s outdoor patio should take care!

This monumental sculpture was erected in Balboa Park a few days ago. The artist is Sergey Gornushkin, president of the San Diego Sculptors Guild, which is headquartered in a corner of Spanish Village.

“The Tempest” is the title of the contemporary sculpture. It appeared at 2024 Burning Man.

“The Tempest” has its roots in a Shakespearian play that is based on these three principles: freedom, empathy and forgiveness, and nature versus nurture. At Burning Man its aluminum lightning bolts combined with an interactive sound and visual system designed to give the viewer a full immersive experience of a thunderstorm.

Here’s Sergey Gornushkin’s website. If you’ve ever visited the sculpture court in Spanish Village, you’ve no doubt seen other fantastic pieces that he has created.

…

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.

Feel free to share!

Even more colorful murals in Leucadia!

Leucadia, a neighborhood in north coastal Encinitas, overflows with street art along its beachy Coast Highway. Here are even more examples!

I’m afraid this post is a couple months overdue. I took these photographs during a walk in early June. These colorful murals along North Coast Highway 101 were either relatively new, or I simply hadn’t noticed them during previous walks.

Anyway, check out this great artwork! Read the photo captions for a little more info…

A colorful tropical mural by artist Kevin Anderson on south side of Leucadia Barber Shop.
This fun mural at Mothership was created by artist Kenton Hoppas.
I spotted this butterfly during my Leucadia walk up North Coast Highway 101.
A colorful aquatic mural on south side of Just Peachy Market front entrance.
Harvesting fresh produce. Mural on north side of Just Peachy Market front entrance by @wyns_art in 2023.
A cool mural dazzles the eyes at the Leucadia Donut Shoppe. It’s titled Seaside Daze, by Taylor Chapin in 2022.

…

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.

Feel free to share!

Building a chuck wagon at Escondido history center!

The Escondido History Center is always full of surprises!

Imagine my own surprise today when I discovered guys building an old-fashioned chuck wagon at the history center’s Bandy Blacksmith & Wheelwright Shop!

The retired volunteers, working on the project, let me step into the wheelwright shop to see exactly what they’re up to.

Check it out! The chuck wagon is being built from scratch and will be faithful to designs used over a century ago in the Old West. They hope to have it ready in time for Escondido’s 2025 Grape Day Festival, which will take place this September in Grape Day Park.

A chuck wagon is a horse-drawn wagon operating as a mobile field kitchen….They were included in wagon trains for settlers and traveling workers such as cowboys or loggers…

As you can see from my photos, this wagon is going to be awesome when finally completed!

First, here’s the old blacksmith and wagonworks building on the Escondido History Center‘s Heritage Walk, where the chuck wagon is being built…

Next is an old photo of a typical chuck wagon (without its cloth covering).

The guys working in Escondido will create a covering for their chuck wagon using duck cloth. You can see how the rear of the old chuck wagon in the photo has compartments used for storing food and cooking materials.

Now, inside the busy wheelwright shop today…

In the next photo, the wooden section that folds down near the front of the wagon is the foot board. The wagon’s seat will be mounted there behind it.

Next is the chuck box, which will be mounted to the rear of the chuck wagon. The combined cupboard and fold-down workspace stores cooking utensils, spices, and essential ingredients for cooking out in the field.

(Think of an old-fashioned tailgate party–featuring baked beans!)

The box-like pan boot is mounted under the chuck box. It typically held pots and pans and other cooking necessities such as a Dutch oven…

The opposite side of the chuck wagon under construction appears slightly different…

A barrel for water or other “liquid refreshment” will be mounted to this side!

The adjacent Penner Barn had its door opened by one of the friendly guys so I could take a peek inside…

The chuck wagon’s undercarriage is ready to go!

…

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.

Feel free to share!

Community Unity Mural brightens Escondido alley!

This very beautiful and inspiring mural debuted in an Escondido alley last April, during Arts, Culture, & Creativity Month. Titled Community Unity, it was created by twelve students from Calvin Christian School.

I saw the mural for the first time today during a long-overdue walk around downtown Escondido!

This webpage describes the public art and its origin.

The mural contains colorful imagery representing Escondido and people in the local community. It was printed on large panels and placed in the alley that runs half a block south of Grand Avenue. Walk west down the alley from Broadway and you’ll come to it. The mural stands as a joyful reminder that unity is possible when all voices are welcomed and celebrated.

When you see the bright artwork, your day will be brightened, too!

…

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.

Feel free to share!

Preparing the Entry Garden in Balboa Park!

San Diego’s beautiful Balboa Park is undergoing a transformation. Gardens are being created around the newly renovated Botanical Building and the Lily Pond.

Phase 2 of the Botanical Building and Gardens revitalization project includes the creation of a new Entry Garden along either side of the long Lily Pond. New plants will be introduced where thin strips of grass now stretch along the water’s edge.

Today I observed workers digging up the grass on the west side of the Lily Pond.

This article explains that the Entry Garden will greet visitors along the Lily Pond with bold, high-contrast plantings in pink and lime green, including Agave Blue Flame.

One effect of this change, I suppose, is the pond will be more protected from human encroachment. The ducks might appreciate this. So, too, might parents with young children teetering at the water’s edge.

I look forward to seeing the result of this transformation. More gardens around the Botanical Building will likely mean more beauty!

…

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.

Feel free to share!

A new San Diego trolley for Comic-Con: Brawl Stars!

Another trolley wrap has appeared in San Diego for Comic-Con 2025!

The trolleys promote an offsite activation created by mobile video game Brawl Stars that will appear during Comic-Con called Starr Park. Starr Park will be set up at the Fifth Avenue Landing, near the superyachts that dock behind the San Diego Convention Center. It will be open to the public during Comic-Con, July 24 to 27.

I’m not familiar with the game Brawl Stars. As Google AI explains: Starr Park is a fictional theme park that serves as the central setting and lore element within the mobile game, Brawl Stars. It’s depicted as a once-optimistic place, but with a darker, unsettling undercurrent, especially within its security footage and promotional materials. The park is a focal point for the game’s narrative, with updates frequently referencing its lore and introducing new content within its framework.

I can’t wait to see this offsite materialize. I’ll take photos as we approach Comic-Con!

…

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.

Feel free to share!