Photographer and model next to One Pointed Attention, 2014, by artist Kelsey Brookes, on a wall in La Jolla.
Here are some photos of cool art seen while walking about the streets of La Jolla. More specifically, the Village of La Jolla–the central business and cultural district which is the heart of this wonderful community.
La Jolla is an affluent part of San Diego, so there seem to be art galleries wherever one roams. But there are also many eye-catching street murals and works of urban art.
This collection of photos is far from comprehensive. These are just photos taken during several semi-random walks around The Village (including today). That’s the way this blog usually operates!
Classic religious imagery floats above entrance to Mary, Star of the Sea Catholic Church in La Jolla.A funny walrus and frightened fish along the roof of a shop on Pearl Street.Trashcan street art depicts Native American, whose headdress contains feathers spelling place names.Urban art on a La Jolla trashcan shows a boldly colorful Southwestern scene, with mountains and cacti.A female face painted on a La Jolla garbage container.Another similar face, composed of different hues.This eye-boggling street mural on Fay Avenue is Sexy Cash, 2015, by Mark Bradford.Most street numbers on city buildings are plain and boring. Not 910 Prospect Street!Unusual human sculpture sits near the sidewalk outside La Jolla’s Madison Gallery.Another strange figure squats nearby.This cool horse outside a Madison Gallery window was created with large pieces of junk and old machine parts.A close-up photo of the imaginative horse sculpture.On Prospect Street, a long narrow mysterious mural and a single underwater eye. Whale, 2014, Nina Katchadourian.Some interesting metal artwork above a store entrance depicts a sailboat and palm trees.It’s Dr. Seuss’ Green Eggs and Ham! This fun art is outside the Legends Gallery in La Jolla, the town where popular children’s book author Theodor Geisel lived.A canvas out on public display in front of the Contemporary Fine Art Gallery in the central business area sometimes called Village of La Jolla.Someone walking down Herschel Avenue said she hated this giant mural! It’s Blah, Blah, Blah, 2015, by Mel Bochner. Perhaps it gave her the blahs.I personally like this mural of a darkly glowing tall ship. It’s titled “at Sea” and was created in 2012 by Ann Hamilton.A cool fish dangles in front of the Herringbone Restaurant.Large, unusual metal sculptures in front of the Tasende Gallery in La Jolla.Hummingbird artwork on a bench near a sidewalk, and a rose.Hammering Man by Jonathan Borofsky at Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego’s location in La Jolla. I believe years ago this motorized sculpture stood near America Plaza downtown.I don’t know what this egg-like object is. If you do, please leave a comment… UPDATE! According to local author Corey Lynn Fayman, the artist is Andy Goldsworthy. I’ve learned this piece is titled West Coast Cairn. Goldsworthy has two other stone eggs in the United States, in Des Moines, Iowa, and Purchase, New York.
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It’s a beautiful day by the ocean in La Jolla. Some kayakers have noticed the entrance to a sea cave in the sandstone. Curious eyes spot them from above and watch the unfolding drama.
Please forgive me for this imaginative little story. It’s hot today and perhaps my brain overheated.
The summer heat is why I went down to La Jolla this morning. By the water it was thankfully a few degrees cooler. While I walked along the Pacific Ocean near La Jolla Cove, I watched some kayaks enter the nearby sea cave.
Upon studying my photographs, this short story emerged. For the exciting conclusion, please read the captions, beginning with the above first photo…
The kayakers can’t resist a strong impulse to enter the cave. They turn carefully to peer into the darkness deep within the earth. There seems to be a strange blue light shimmering inside.The mysterious glow lures them into vast blackness and possible danger. As their kayaks start to fade, the weird light intensifies…Drawn forward into the unknown, the courageous kayakers paddle along the dancing beam of light. They are explorers. Life is a great adventure.Beyond darkness lies the magical source of shining blue. They soon vanish–passing from one amazing world into another.
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At the southwest end of Shelter Island, near the end of Shoreline Park, are some works of art. The female life-size bronze sculpture is Pacific Spirit, by James Hubbell, 2002.
I was off from work yesterday. In the late morning I headed down to Shelter Island. It’s another of my favorite places. After a bite to eat, I enjoyed an easy, peaceful walk while gathering photos for future blog posts. Expect some cool sights in the coming weeks!
The path that extends the length of narrow Shoreline Park is just about perfect. The park itself is located at the very edge of the bay, stretching from one end of Shelter Island to the other. In one place the path traverses what seems to be more of a large parking lot than a park, but no matter. I love the place. It’s relaxed, usually non-crowded, and just beautiful. There are amazing views of San Diego Bay, sailboats and a large variety of ships, scenic Point Loma, a slice of ocean horizon, the distant Coronado Islands (when it isn’t hazy), busy Naval Air Station North Island and the skyline of downtown San Diego. I often see people sitting on lawn chairs with binoculars, just watching boats pass by, jets take off from North Island, and birds that wheel and dive through the blue sky.
People walk along the pathway which stretches down narrow Shoreline Park. Grass, benches and picnic tables invite both locals and tourists.Bougainvillea and lath provide shade on a sunny warm summer morning. Several of these structures are found along the park.Bicyclist cruises past a raised Osprey nesting platform. A sign nearby provides an explanation.A large Navy warship entering San Diego harbor is seen beyond the Shelter Island pier. Downtown skyscrapers appear misty in the background.Fathom Bistro, Bait and Tackle sign at foot of Shelter Island fishing pier. They’ve been open a couple years now.Someone next to the pathway along Shoreline Park balanced a bunch of rocks up on top of each other. Perhaps it was someone who was fishing.Another cool photo of Shelter Island’s dinghy landing. I published a post with similar photos a year or two ago.Huge swaths of sand along the water are simply covered with gull tracks.Someone spreads a big bag of old bread along the small Shelter Island beach, sending the seagulls into a wild feeding frenzy!It’s a quiet weekday morning outside the Outboard Boating Club of San Diego’s building near the Shelter Island boat ramp. A nearby flagpole is empty.At the base of the flagpole: The Holiday Express. This plaque cast of brass from the aircraft carrier USS Bunkerhill CV-17 is dedicated to that gallant ship and her courageous crew.Perhaps you remember my fun blog post “Wally the sociable sea lion greets boaters.” I saw him again during another walk at the same boat launching area!Floating peacefully along the edge of San Diego Bay, enjoying the calm water and bright sunshine.Someone is ready to row off Shelter Island’s dinghy landing, perhaps heading to a boat moored nearby.
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A smile, a Votes For Women sash, American flags, and a California Equal Suffrage Association banner.
Early this evening a rally and parade celebrating the ratification of the 19th Amendment were held in Balboa Park. As the sun descended toward the horizon, a small crowd gathered in Sefton Plaza to hear a variety of interesting, often stirring speeches. The speakers portrayed notable women in American history who have worked to further the cause of women’s equal civil rights. Wearing period costumes, the historical personalities included Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Alice Paul and Eleanor Roosevelt, plus important local San Diegans Dr. Charlotte Baker, our city’s first female practicing physician, and prominent philanthropist and journalist Ellen Browning Scripps. The event was sponsored by the Women’s Museum of California in Point Loma.
Here are a few photos!
Two women head for Sefton Plaza in Balboa Park, where a suffrage rally would celebrate the anniversary of the 19th Amendment.The 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified on August 18, 1920. It guarantees all American women the right to vote.Historical sign proclaims a woman living here has registered to vote thereby assuming the responsibility of citizenship.In period attire, the person being interviewed played the role of San Diego philanthropist and trailblazer Ellen Browning Scripps during the rally.The woman with the microphone portrayed American suffragist and social activist Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who wrote many of Susan B. Anthony’s speeches.Many wore historical sashes, hats and costumes to commemorate suffragettes and leaders who have fought for equal women’s rights.One participant reenacted Eleanor Roosevelt, speaking about her life and accomplishments. The statue is of Kate Sessions, one of the founders of Balboa Park.The suffrage parade begins. Participants march toward the heart of Balboa Park, down El Prado and over the Cabrillo Bridge.
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A simple but meaningful pavilion stands at the west end of Shelter Island. It holds the Bell of Friendship.
At the west end of Shelter Island, which lies near the entrance to San Diego Bay, you’ll find a testament to the enduring friendship that has been established between two sister cities. San Diego and Yokohama are located on opposite sides of the wide Pacific Ocean, yet these two beautiful cities are closely connected.
In 1958 a large bronze traditional Japanese bell was dedicated on Shelter Island with great ceremony. It’s located in a prominent spot; ships from countries throughout the world pass it every day. The bell, created by Masahiko Katori, one of Japan’s living National Treasures, was presented during a Centennial Celebration which marked a hundred years of formal relations between the United States and Japan. The bell hangs in a pavilion surrounded by a narrow moat of water and a space of green grass.
The Bell of Friendship, which is six feet high and almost two and half tons, is seldom rung; but on New Year’s Eve the ram strikes the heavy bronze, resonating deeply–many say spiritually–welcoming a hopeful future.
The Japanese Friendship Bell was presented by the City of Yokohama to the people of San Diego in 1958 as a symbol of eternal friendship.This magnificent bell was cast by the artist Masahiko Katori who has been designated as a Living National Treasure by the government of Japan.The Japanese Friendship Bell is one of several landmarks that can be seen along the length of Shoreline Park on Shelter Island.
At the front of the simple pavilion stands a three foot tall sculpture of a young girl. “The Girl in Red Shoes” by Japanese artist Munehiro Komeno debuted in 2010 and represents the friendship between the ports of San Diego and Yokohama. The sculpture portrays Kimi, a Japanese orphan who was adopted by a loving American couple in the 1920s. The girl was later diagnosed with tuberculosis and couldn’t leave Japan. The touching story has been told many times, and has become a symbol of the goodwill that exists between our two nations. Kimi holds a rose and carnation. The rose symbolizes Yokohama; the carnation is San Diego.
The Girl in Red Shoes by Munehiro Komeno. June 2, 2009. Kimi represents close friendship between the United States and Japan.Biking past a unique and beautiful sight on a glorious summer day.
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Visitors stroll through endless natural beauty at the Japanese Friendship Garden in Balboa Park.
Please enjoy the following photographs. They were taken today at the Japanese Friendship Garden in San Diego’s wonderful Balboa Park. As you can plainly see, natural beauty is abundant in this amazing garden. I hope you have a chance to visit.
Gleaming droplets of water descend from a hollow bamboo kakei into the tranquil, cleansing tsukubai basin.Even age and imperfections in this fallen leaf are beautiful beyond description.A rocky island, seemingly, in the Karesansui Dry Stone Garden, with carefully raked gravel inviting meditation.Looking upward into the sunlit leafy canopy near the koi pond.The day’s light makes striking patterns of living green.Bright red bougainvillea bracts catch the eye of a young person walking through the Japanese Friendship Garden in San Diego.Bougainvillea red is an especially beautiful sight in the bonsai garden.A yellow day-lily which is growing near the Charles C. Dail Memorial Gate.Bamboo leaves flutter in the gentle San Diego breeze.This small sculpture is a mystery according to one of the groundskeepers. It was placed in the garden by someone unseen. The sculpture might be a young Buddha. It might have been placed here by someone who lost a child. No one seems to know its history.Bright green palm fronds produce instant human delight.Close-up photograph of the amazing, strange seed pod of a sago palm.Delicate white flowers of the star jasmine seem to have descended into this world from a heavenly place.Close-up photo of torn wood fibers where a dead tree limb finally separated from the trunk.Water cascading over stone shines in the sunlight. A small gentle river flows through the bottom of the spacious garden canyon.Looking down through magical, jewel-like water.Jumbled leaves have turned many colors.Nature’s fantastic patterns are evident everywhere you turn in the amazing Japanese Friendship Garden.After being corrected by a great reader, this appears to be a gardenia. I first thought it might be a white azalea! That shows you how much I know!Visitors at the Japanese Friendship Garden stand in the shade of the Inamori Pavilion looking down at a pleasant waterfall.A pink saucer magnolia bloom and buds. In the background you can see the new Inamori Pavilion, which opened this year.Another photographer was recording the carefully arranged natural beauty at the Japanese Friendship Garden.Even dry brown curled leaves can take one’s breath away.Leaves and shadows of leaves.If one small place can contain such abundant wonder, imagine what the vast universe holds.Natural beauty at the amazing Japanese Friendship Garden
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Kid enters an inflatable floating cylinder walk-inside thingy on a narrow beach on San Diego Bay.
Shame on me. After all these years, I’d never once visited Chula Vista’s Bayside Park, down in San Diego’s South Bay. When I saw that HarborFest would be held there today, I instantly decided to go. I’m glad that I did!
I’ll let the captions of these photographs tell the story of what I saw…
So much was going on at 2015 HarborFest at Chula Vista’s Bayside Park, a really big sign was required!Thousands turned out to just chill, enjoy the sunshine, devour food, listen to live music and have fun at HarborFest.The big annual South Bay event had lots of fun activities on the water, including paddleboarding, kayaking and Seal and Swift Boat tours of the bay.These gents in festive old-fashioned costumes were providing music in one corner of the park by the water.Colorful canopies with vendors, community organizations and businesses attracted attention up and down the Chula Vista public park’s walkways.The Birch Aquarium, of Scripps Institution of Oceanography up in La Jolla, had lots of marine exhibits for folks to explore.This tiny but proud Burrowing Owl was greeting humans over at the Living Coast Discovery Center tent. I’ve yet to go to the nature refuge, which is nearby. One day soon…A boy helps slice lemons at one food vendor’s tent.And this kid is flying high courtesy of some bungee cords!I walked to the extreme north end of Bayside Park, where nobody else was. I took this photo of a massive travelift which hoists ships out of the water at Marine Group Boat Works.I could glimpse the masts of the San Salvador and HMS Surprise, two ships of the Maritime Museum of San Diego, which are being worked on at this Chula Vista shipyard.Adults were sampling tacos and spirits in one area of the festival.I didn’t know Rockin’ Baja had a mascot!Live music could be heard from several stages scattered along the length of HarborFest.A BMX stunt bike guy with Wheels in Motion went upside down to the delight of many onlookers!A cool car show had a bunch of hot rods and vintage automobiles out on display.Walking happily along, checking out some awesome cars.Kids could practice casting a fishing rod from the pier at the south end of Bayside Park.A little guy lets the line fly!These young fishermen are enjoying the water and a view of the Chula Vista Marina.This great egret sculpture at Bayside Park is titled The Fisherman, by Stephen Fairfield. It was originally part of the Embarcadero’s third Urban Trees art exhibition.Youth, grown-ups, or anybody at all was invited to paint on this canvas!On the Community Stage, a bunch of kids competed in a cooking contest hosted by SeaWorld’s Executive Chef Axel Dirolf.The most fun, in my opinion, was to be had by the water. It’s HarborFest, after all!I really am glad I went down to Chula Vista’s HarborFest and finally explored the very cool Bayside Park.
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Crew of live bait catching fishing boat Cougar works to transfer an immense net onto the G Street Pier at Tuna Harbor.
Late this morning I went down to HarborFest in Chula Vista. I’ve got to sort through a couple hundred photos–so I’ll blog about that cool event later. But first, here are some interesting pics which I took during a walk along San Diego’s Embarcadero this afternoon. As I strolled along Tuna Harbor, between Seaport Village and the USS Midway Museum, I noticed a lot of activity beside one of the live bait boats which docks at the G Street Pier. So I investigated.
Turns out, fishermen were removing a huge seine net from the Cougar, a commercial fishing boat which catches live bait. The bait is then distributed to local sportfishing vessels. I don’t claim to be an expert on these matters or to thoroughly understand what I saw, but I believe the captions I wrote are correct. I hope so! If a correction is required, leave a comment!
A crane is utilized to help transfer the heavy net from the boat’s big cylinder-like winch drum at its stern to the pier.Lots of seagulls were attracted to this picturesque scene on San Diego Bay. Perhaps they expected to spot some fish.Wrestling with the huge live bait encircling seine net, which is lined at the edges with yellow and white floats.Commercial fishing requires a lot of hard physical work on both land and water.Winch and crane operators work in tandem to keep the net moving from boat to pier smoothly and neatly.Working with a smile on a sunny summer Saturday on San Diego’s busy Embarcadero.Just a great photo of nets, gulls and human activity on a working public pier.
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Delivery man with fresh bread awaits morning opening of restaurant in the Gaslamp Quarter.
I woke up earlier than usual today. During the summer it’s pleasantly cool outside at daybreak, so I decided to take a long walk.
The city, at the six o’clock hour, had just begun to blink open its sleepy eyes. But a few signs of life were already evident downtown.
Here are photographs of early morning activity that I snapped while meandering randomly about, before I finally boarded the trolley for work…
Life in the city stirs into action as another weekday begins in downtown San Diego.City employee checks parking meters before the streets become much busier.Brad Perry of KUSI News had finished a segment on Good Morning San Diego when he spied a silly guy with a camera walking by.A dog also noticed that same curious guy, who just sauntered on by down the sidewalk.Early morning commuters wait separately at the Convention Center trolley station.One guy has most of this quiet patio to himself as he enjoys a morning read and coffee. A hungry dog peers into the doorway.A lone jogger heads down Martin Luther King Jr. Promenade while many San Diegans are still lying in bed.
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Workers have begun to install the first paver “bricks” dedicated to people, businesses or organizations at the foot of San Diego’s Broadway Pier.
I was walking along San Diego’s waterfront after work today, enjoying what remained of daylight, when I spied some sort of construction underway at the foot of the Broadway Pier. I moseyed over to check it out.
I discovered that the first of the custom pavers are being installed by the Port of San Diego, in the wide new plaza at the pier’s entrance. Anyone can sponsor a paver “brick” and have a name engraved upon it for posterity. Phrases such as “In memory of,” “In celebration of,” “In honor of,” “Sponsored by,” “Established in,” and “Dedicated to” are allowed. Plaques on furniture such as tables, chairs and benches can also be customized with a name of your choosing. A tall stack of pavers was ready to be installed, so it looks to me like the Port of San Diego is off to a good start!
Interested? Check out sdportwalk.org for further details!
San Diego’s North Embarcadero, often referred to as the city’s front porch, has undergone enormous improvements in recent years. I’ve lived downtown for 15 years, and the waterfront is more beautiful, friendly and functional than ever. But additional phases in its revitalization await completion. According to the Port of San Diego website, money that is raised will help fund future improvements and developments on the Embarcadero.
Anyone can place their name on a permanent paver to help support improvements to the North Embarcadero. Custom plaques on furniture, like public benches and tables, are also available.Some of the first pavers are engraved with the names of VIPs. Included are the current Mayor, several Port of San Diego officials, and City Council President.Smiling Port of San Diego guys explained to me a little about this ongoing project. Ultimately, these legacy “paving blocks” will stretch in a band across the entrance to Broadway Pier.Looking east down Broadway from the foot of the pier, on San Diego’s continually improving, very beautiful Embarcadero.
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Cool San Diego Sights! 