Help sick kids and their families in San Diego!

Donate today to help sick kids and their families in San Diego!
Donate online today to help seriously ill kids and their families!

Would you like to do something positive today? Would you like to help others who find themselves in an unspeakably difficult situation?

Please consider making an online donation to the Ronald McDonald House Charities San Diego. Their mission is to help families that have a child receiving critical treatment at a San Diego hospital.

These kids have a very serious, often life-threatening disease or condition. And parents need to be at the bedside of sick children. Ronald McDonald House provides a place nearby where these families can stay.

Today was Ronald McDonald House Charities San Diego’s 9th annual Red Shoe Day. I took these photos during my morning walk to work!

If you weren’t able to slip a few dollars into a red shoe, and you find it in your heart to help, please visit the online donation page here.

Thank you!

If you support Ronald McDonald House, you'll smile just like these generous people!
If you support Ronald McDonald House, you’ll smile just like these generous people!
Your gift will sponsor a meal, provide supplies for a student, or help a family stay near a hospital where their child is receiving critical treatment.
Your gift will sponsor a meal, provide supplies for a student, or help a family stay near a hospital where their child is receiving medical treatment.
More happy people on the streets of San Diego! Have I convinced you yet?
More good people on the streets of San Diego!
Even if 2018 Red Shoe Day is over, you can still donate online today!
Even if 2018 Red Shoe Day is over, you can still donate online today!

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Marvel banners in Gaslamp for 2018 Comic-Con!

Cool banners that celebrate Marvel’s Infinity War films and Marvel Studio’s first ten years have been hung in the Gaslamp Quarter for 2018 San Diego Comic-Con! There are several different colorful designs featuring lots of popular characters, including members of the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy. Check them out!

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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!

You can easily explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on my blog’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There are thousands upon thousands of photos for you to enjoy!

Final Space trolley wrap for 2018 Comic-Con!

I can’t believe it! There’s yet another trolley wrap for 2018 San Diego Comic-Con! That makes nine designs that I’ve spotted so far, with about a month still to go! There are three wraps for Syfy (each promoting two shows), four for FOX, and now two for TBS.

This fun trolley wrap promotes Season 1 of Final Space which is now available on the TBS App.

Enjoy some photos!

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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!

Fresh street art along 30th Street in North Park.

Some panels on a mural on Gunn Street west of 30th Street have been repainted. The two shown are by Jorge Gutierrez and Maxx Moses.
Some panels on a mural on Gunn Street west of 30th Street have been repainted. The two shown are by Jorge Gutierrez and Maxx Moses.

North Park is brimming with street art. During a walk yesterday down 30th Street, from University Avenue to Upas Street, I encountered fresh artwork that I haven’t blogged in the past. You can see some of those old photos here and here and here.

As I proceeded down the sidewalk I noticed that a number of electrical boxes and walls have been repainted in the past couple years.

Enjoy these new photos. North Park is alive with creativity!

This box showing the four cardinal directions has been repainted by Jonny Alexander.
This box showing the four cardinal directions has been repainted by Jonny Alexander.
East.
East.
South.
South.
West.
West.
A purple claw has emerged from this electrical box!
A scary purple claw has emerged from this crate-like electrical box!
The yellow eyes of a mysterious monster peer out!
The yellow eyes of a mysterious monster peer out!
Let's be friends. That love potion appears intoxicating . . . and possibly toxic!
Let’s be friends. That love potion appears intoxicating . . . and possibly toxic!
A skull in a bottle. Sink or swim.
A skull in a bottle. Sink or swim.
More fun street art on the same utility box on 30th Street in North Park.
More fun street art on the same utility box on 30th Street in North Park.
Stenciled on a wall. For my hustlers, here's some motivation. He who has begun is half done.
Stenciled on a wall. For my hustlers, here’s some motivation. He who has begun is half done.
A cute little critter that seems to be inside a living heart.
A cute little critter that seems to be inside a living heart.
Exotic street art on an electrical box.
Exotic street art on an electrical box.
Strength through Peace.
Strength through Peace.
Three sitting female figures contain spiritual symbolism.
Three sitting female figures contain spiritual symbolism.
A wild splash of color.
A wild splash of color.
Mural on side of 30th Street Laundry. A Beautiful Morning by Sentrock.
Mural on side of 30th Street Laundry. A Beautiful Morning by Sentrock.
An ankh symbolizing life in the hand of a lady with colorful abstract hair.
An ankh symbolizing life in the hand of a lady with colorful abstract hair.
Fun robot graphic on the front wall of Soi 30th, a North Park Thai Eatery.
Fun robot graphic on the front wall of Soi 30th, a North Park Thai Eatery.
A cool Pangea Seed Foundation Sea Wall created in North Park by Lauren YS. A beautiful underwater mermaid is contrasted with a skeleton.
A cool Pangea Seed Foundation Sea Wall created in North Park by Lauren YS. A beautiful underwater mermaid is contrasted with a skeleton.
The mural concerns ocean acidification and the resulting death of kelp and sea life.
The mural concerns ocean acidification and the resulting death of kelp and sea life.
San Diego Padres baseball player under painted fireworks.
San Diego Padres baseball player under painted fireworks.
This final North Park electrical box was painted last month. You can find it on Upas Street east of 30th Street, in front of The Taco Stand.
This final North Park electrical box was painted last month. You can find it on Upas Street east of 30th Street, in front of The Taco Stand.
An old salt by the ocean and a sailing ship.
An old salt by the ocean and a sailing ship.
A friar by the old mission.
A friar by the old mission.
Hecho a Mano. Made by hand.
Hecho a Mano. Made by hand.

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To enjoy future posts, you can also “like” Cool San Diego Sights on Facebook or follow me on Twitter.

Medieval knights mock fight in Balboa Park!

Look what I watched today!

Every Sunday afternoon, on a large area of grass in Balboa Park’s Morley Field Sports Complex, medieval knights come together and engage in mock combat! These brave knights hail from the Realm of Andor. They are a part of the international Belegarth Medieval Combat Society.

Wielding foam weapons like swords, maces and battle axes, these guys get a super fun athletic workout. I was told by a friendly member of the Realm of Andor that the sport is like a mixture of fencing and rugby, with fairly simple rules. When a combatant receives a strike to a critical area, they fall down as if dead. A hit on a limb results in a loss of its use. Two limbs gone, you’re a goner. The last one standing wins!

I watched as the combatants veered all over the place, swinging a variety of formidable ancient weapons. Two or three knights would gang up on another; others would be struck by a sneaky knight from behind. Some of the members, in their cool costumes and bearing shields, appeared to be rampaging extras in the filming of Lord of the Rings. Many make their own weapons. It’s all about fantasy and high energy fun!

If you’d like to learn more, or perhaps join, check out their website!

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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!

Comic-Con banners in Balboa Park’s Federal Building!

Comic-Con banners have been hung inside the Federal Building in Balboa Park, former home to the Hall of Champions, and future home to the Comic-Con Center for Popular Culture!
Comic-Con banners have been hung inside the Federal Building in Balboa Park, former home to the Hall of Champions, and future home to the Comic-Con Center for Popular Culture!

Look what I spied today!

Just before noon I entered the Federal Building in Balboa Park–former home to the Hall of Champions, and future home of the museum-like Comic-Con Center for Popular Culture. My stomach was grumbling, demanding a cheeseburger from the Home Plate Cafe, where I often eat lunch on Sundays. (While most of the Federal Building is now vacant, the cafe remains open just inside the historic building’s entrance.)

Being tall, I peered over a partition that runs along the perimeter of the old Hall of Champions lobby, and look what I saw!

Several Comic-Con banners have recently been hung inside the building!

According to what I’ve read, the Comic-Con Center for Popular Culture will open in 2019, but funds still need to be raised. It’s my understanding that sales of the exclusive Comic-Con 2018 Mondo print will be part of the fundraising effort.

I don’t know if an event of some kind will be held in the Federal Building during 2018 Comic-Con. Whatever the reason for the recent appearance of Comic-Con banners–it’s definitely a cool sight that got me excited!

If you’d like to see what the Hall of Champions looked like just before it closed, click here.

UPDATE!

In early 2019, during an event at the site of the future Comic-Con Museum, I learned the finished museum is scheduled to open in May 2021!

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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!

Fun photos for those who love Star Wars!

San Diego Comic-Con is approaching fast.

With the appearance of this year’s Comic-Con trolley wraps, many people I speak to are starting to get excited.

Now that I’m thinking about Comic-Con, too, it has occurred to me that over the years my blog has featured lots of photos concerning one of the absolute biggest franchises in pop culture: Star Wars!

I’ve rounded up a bunch of links that would be fun to check out. You’ll find unique photos of Star Wars artwork, models, cosplay, and even some humorous Star Wars street art!

Star Wars lightsaber combat at Maker Faire!

Cool–and funny–Star Wars street art!

A cool Star Wars character created by local artist!

Star Wars cosplay at Independence Day parade!

San Diego artist spray paints cool Star Wars images!

Three cool street art faces in East Village!

(Click the above link at your discretion. Yes, I’m afraid there’s an image of Jar Jar Binks.)

Comic-Con insanity! More cosplay and a TV star!

(Click to see many instances of Star Wars cosplay, including a Jawa.)

Cosplay photos and other 2017 Comic-Con stuff!

(Click to see more Star Wars cosplay, plus a full size replica of a Star Wars T-47 Snowspeeder.)

Some cool photos from Comic-Con Preview Night.

(Click to see a fair amount of Star Wars stuff, including the full size speeder used by Rey in The Force Awakens.)

Enjoy!

A fine Saturday walk through the Gaslamp.

A little before noon, I enjoyed a fine walk through the Gaslamp Quarter, mostly down Fifth Avenue.

A lot of people were about for a late Saturday morning. So many exciting events going on today.

The World Cup. Taste of the Gaslamp. The Etsy market at Horton Plaza Park. People out on a walking tour, learning about the Gaslamp’s extraordinary old buildings and lively history. And the tourists, the workers, and downtown residents like me.

Enjoy this small slice of life in San Diego.

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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!

Simple sunshine and happiness in Balboa Park.

What a crazy week. I was so busy tracking down Comic-Con trolley wraps, I didn’t have time to sort through photographs I took in Balboa Park last Sunday.

When I finally reviewed the photos this morning, I noticed they all had a wonderful something in common: simple sunshine and happiness.

Balboa Park never grows old.

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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!

Conan trolley for 2018 San Diego Comic-Con!

Conan O'Brien flies a jet pack on a 2018 San Diego Comic-Con trolley!
Conan O’Brien flies a jet pack on a 2018 San Diego Comic-Con trolley!

I got photos of the Conan O’Brien trolley wrap that debuted yesterday in San Diego for 2018 Comic-Con. Sorry the photos are a bit bright. Our nearest star was shining very brightly this morning!

Here they are!

A trolley for 2018 San Diego Comic-Con has a wrap promoting the Conan show on TBS.
A trolley for 2018 San Diego Comic-Con has a wrap promoting the Conan show on TBS.
Conan 2018, Live From Comic-Con. TeamCocoHouse Fourth Avenue.
Conan 2018, Live From Comic-Con. TeamCocoHouse Fourth Avenue.
Conan flies toward the Spreckels space station in outer space somewhere above Comic-Con!
Conan flies toward the Spreckels space station in outer space, which is orbiting somewhere above Comic-Con!