Duality in Coming Together mosaic sculpture.

Coming Together sculpture near Petco Park and convention center.
Coming Together sculpture near convention center and Petco Park.

A very prominent example of public art in San Diego is the large sculpture that stands at the southeast end of the convention center,  just across Harbor Drive from Petco Park. The colorful ceramic and mirror mosaic face, called Coming Together, was created by internationally famous artist Niki de Saint Phalle. Two more of her whimsical artistic works can be seen in front of the Mingei Museum in Balboa Park.

Niki has explained that Coming Together represents the essential duality in human beings. The two sides of the composite face have several notable differences.  One side is black and white, the other has a range of bright colors.  One side is jagged and angular, the other is smooth and curved.  One half of the face has long hair, the other half doesn’t.

The striking image that is created, she has explained, is a Western interpretation of yin and yang.  The duality includes joy and darkness, and the masculine and the feminine.

Created in 2001, Coming Together has definitely become a well known landmark in downtown San Diego!

Public art created by Niki de St. Phalle.
Public art created by Niki de Saint Phalle.
Closer look at light shining from mosaic sculpture.
Closer look at light shining from mosaic sculpture.
Ceramic and mirror artwork reflects nearby Hilton.
Ceramic and mirror artwork reflects nearby Hilton.
Coming Together sculpture stands along Harbor Drive.
Coming Together sculpture stands along Harbor Drive.

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Views of the cool San Diego Convention Center.

View of plaza on southeast end of convention center.
View of plaza on southeast end of convention center.

I recently took a stroll around the San Diego Convention Center and took a number of cool pics. I know, I know…millions of photos have been taken of the place already. Well, anyway, here come a few more…

Interesting arches at San Diego Convention Center.
Interesting arches at San Diego Convention Center.
Looking up at glass awning above main entrance.
Looking up at glass awning above main entrance.
People descend stairs from uppermost level.
People descend stairs from building’s uppermost level.
Cool round glass elevator at top of incline.
Cool round glass elevator at top of incline.
Looking down a wide expanse of outside steps.
Looking down a patterned expanse of outside steps.
Steps on the bay side lead to Marriott Marina.
Steps on the bay side lead up from Marriott Marina.
Convention center from Embarcadero Marina Park South.
Convention center seen from Embarcadero Marina Park South.
A glass elevator nestled among trees.
A glass elevator nestled among trees.
Gazing from an upper level toward Hilton hotel.
Gazing from an upper level toward big Hilton hotel.
Sign on scenic terrace shows Star of India.
Sign on scenic terrace shows San Diego’s own Star of India.
Looking over San Diego Convention Center's sails.
Looking over San Diego Convention Center’s rooftop sails.
People enjoy amazing view of San Diego Bay.
People enjoy amazing view of San Diego Bay and Coronado.

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Exciting start to San Diego Rock ‘n Roll Marathon!

People arrive at dawn to participate in Rock 'n Roll Marathon.
People arrive at dawn to participate in Rock ‘n Roll Marathon.

I woke up very early this morning to check out the start of today’s big San Diego Rock ‘n Roll Marathon. I’d never been to the event in past years, so the magnitude of the race really floored me. The west part of Balboa Park and many blocks of Sixth Avenue were packed with super energetic humanity!

Here are a bunch of pics!

Dozens of UPS trucks served as the gear check.
Dozens of UPS trucks served as the gear check.
Marathon runners warm up in west Balboa Park.
Marathon runners warm up in west Balboa Park.
San Diego Rock 'n Roll Marathon corrals fill up.
San Diego Rock ‘n Roll Marathon corrals begin to fill up.
Just minutes before the big marathon starts!
Just minutes before the big San Diego marathon starts!
Thousands are ready to race at Rock 'n Roll Marathon.
Thousands are ready to race at the Rock ‘n Roll Marathon.
Athletes With disabilities are first to begin the race!
Athletes with disabilities are first to begin the race!
They're off from the start line!
They’re off from the start line!
Full marathon runners get ready to begin big race.
Full marathon runners get ready to begin their race for glory.
Lots of photographers record the race action.
Lots of photographers record the colorful action.
San Diego Rock 'n Roll full marathoners go!
San Diego Rock ‘n Roll full marathoners go!
Runners start up Sixth Avenue with great excitement.
Runners start up Sixth Avenue with great excitement.
Photos were being taken all over the place.
Photos were being taken all over the place.
Racers pass announcer stand and American flag.
Racers pass announcer stand, San Diego mayor and American flag.
Runners wave at Cameron of Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Runners wave at Cameron of Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
KUSI reporter Kerri Lane looks bored.
KUSI television reporter Kerri Lane between live shots.

And now I’m hungry for breakfast!  Walking back toward home, I snap a couple more photos!

Half marathoners gather into the corrals for their race.
Half marathoners gather into the corrals for their race.
Late arrivers walk up Sixth Avenue from downtown.
Late arrivers walk up Sixth Avenue from downtown.

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Horrible monsters seen in downtown San Diego.

Funny monster faces on utility box by Pokez.
Funny monster faces on a utility box by Pokez.

Yikes! Horrible monsters are on the loose in downtown San Diego, just outside the Pokez eatery! Stay clear! You’ve been warned!

Creature with four eyeballs and crooked teeth.
Creature with four eyeballs and crooked teeth.
Cool purple monsters often have green drool.
Cool purple monsters often have green drool.
Looks scarier than that Alien creature.
Looks scarier than that Alien creature.
Crazy street art on a downtown utility box.
Crazy street art on a downtown utility box.
Pink monster with messed up green eyes.
Pink monster with messed up green eyes.

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Flowers remember somebody’s best buddy.

Flowers remember somebody's best buddy.
Flowers remember somebody’s best buddy.

I snapped this pic today after work, while walking to a trolley station in Mission Valley. The simple memorial was by a busy sidewalk. It’s a sidewalk traveled by many homeless people. I’m almost certain Dago Dog was the best buddy of a homeless person. No more words are necessary.

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Beautiful garden of Balboa Park’s Marston House.

Flowers and bench by historic Marston House.
Flowers and bench by historic Marston House.

The historic Marston House is nestled among some trees in the seldom-visited northwest corner of Balboa Park. The house museum and its beautiful gardens are truly one of San Diego’s hidden gems.

I strolled about the grounds recently and took a few photos. Roaming about the gardens is free; to take a guided tour of the house’s interior one must pay a small entrance fee.

The house, in the Arts and Crafts architectural style, was built in 1905 by George W. Marston, a wealthy philanthropist who owned a prominent department store. He was also founder of the San Diego Historical Society, and was instrumental in preserving the site of the original San Diego Presidio.

The Marston House was designed by the internationally famous architects William Sterling Hebbard and Irving Gill. Its five acres of lawns and formal gardens have become a very popular wedding location.

Marston House Museum and Gardens in a corner of Balboa Park.
Marston House Museum and Gardens in a corner of Balboa Park.
Arts and Crafts style house was built in 1905.
Arts and Crafts style house was built in 1905.
This beautiful garden is a popular wedding location.
This beautiful garden is a popular wedding location.
Looking from hedge pathway toward Marston House.
Looking from hedge pathway toward Marston House.
Small fountain at end of garden.
Small fountain at end of garden.
Outdoor archway and oven are part of the delightful scenery.
Outdoor archway and oven are part of the delightful scenery.
A pic of the lath greenhouse interior.
A pic of the lath greenhouse interior.
The Marston House is a San Diego hidden gem.
The Marston House is a San Diego hidden gem.

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Big mural at St. Vincent de Paul Village.

Big mural at St. Vincent de Paul Village.
Big mural at St. Vincent de Paul Village.

Perhaps you’ve attended a Padres game at Petco Park, gazed eastward along Imperial Avenue and seen a huge, gigantic mural on a building several blocks away. I’ve got the pics!

The amazing work of art, one of the largest glass mosaic murals in the world, adorns the Villa Harvey Mandel affordable housing building, a part of St. Vincent de Paul Village. The mural measures 43 x 72 feet and was created by the artist Italo Botti.

St. Vincent de Paul Village, located in East Village, offers assistance to the homeless population of San Diego. It has been run for decades by the one and only Father Joe Carroll, known and well-loved by many appreciative San Diegans.

Closer look at gigantic mural on Imperial Avenue.
Closer look at gigantic mural on Imperial Avenue.
Beautiful mural is loaded with life and color!
Beautiful mural is loaded with life and color!

Here’s a portion of a nearby plaque…

Volunteers and donors help neighbors.
Volunteers and donors help neighbors.

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War Memorial Building forgets Memorial Day.

Veterans War Memorial in Balboa Park.
Veterans War Memorial in Balboa Park.

I thought of heading up to Mt. Soledad for the Memorial Day ceremony this afternoon, but the thought of crowds and a parking hassle was just too much. Instead, I went for a long walk!

My brilliant plan was to head up Park Boulevard to check out the Veterans War Memorial Building in Balboa Park, just north of the San Diego Zoo. The War Memorial Building was built in 1950 to honor Americans who’d served in the military overseas. Certainly something had to be going on there for Memorial Day!

Boy was I wrong.

The place was dead. Closed. No people. Nothing. Not even a flag on the flagpole. They couldn’t even raise a flag for Memorial Day?

No flag flies for Memorial Day.
No flag flies for Memorial Day.
San Diego Veterans War Memorial Building plaque.
San Diego Veterans War Memorial Building plaque.

The plaque reads:

SAN DIEGO VETERANS WAR MEMORIAL BUILDING

DEDICATED BY THE CITIZENS OF SAN DIEGO AS A LIVING MEMORIAL TO OUR HONORED DEAD OF ALL WARS AND TO THOSE AMERICANS WHO HAVE FOUGHT FOR THE FOUR FREEDOMS

I

FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND EXPRESSION

II

FREEDOM OF EVERY PERSON TO WORSHIP GOD IN HIS OWN WAY

III

FREEDOM FROM WANT

IV

FREEDOM FROM FEAR

Veterans War Memorial is closed on Memorial Day.
Veterans War Memorial is closed on Memorial Day.

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Villa Montezuma house in Sherman Heights.

Villa Montezuma is a Queen Anne Victorian mansion.
The historical Villa Montezuma is a Queen Anne Victorian mansion.

Here is a cool sight that I walked past yesterday! Check out the absolutely fantastic Villa Montezuma mansion!  You can find it nestled in Sherman Heights, an old, semi-decayed neighborhood just east of downtown San Diego.

Also called the Jesse Shepard house, this architectural marvel was built in 1887. It’s considered by some to be the finest example of Queen Anne architecture on the West Coast, plus it’s rumored to be haunted by two ghosts! In the more recent past it was a museum, but eventually fell into disrepair. It’s currently being renovated. Hopefully it should reopen next year!

Jesse Shepard, born in London in 1848, was a famous, flamboyant European musician. While performing for Alexander II of Russia, Jesse was introduced to the Czar’s medium who taught him how to conduct seances. Shepard became obsessed with spiritualism, and after moving to San Diego at the suggestion of a local spiritualist society, built the Villa Montezuma to his own exact specifications.

Included in the amazing house are highly ornate towers and stained glass windows. It’s interior is just as imaginative, and is said to contain secret passages. Several gargoyles can be spotted should you walk down the sidewalk. Just the sort of place to hold seances! And Shepard held many! He claimed to have spoken with the spirits of Mozart, Beethoven and Shakespeare, just to name a few.

Today it’s rumored that the Villa Montezuma is haunted by a man who hung himself in the observatory tower. And by Jesse Shepard himself! Unexplained piano music is said to be heard coming from the historical mansion late at night!

Fantastic house in Sherman Heights is supposedly haunted.
Fantastic house in Sherman Heights is supposedly haunted.
Musician and writer Jesse Shepherd worked in the high tower.
Musician and writer Jesse Shepard worked in the high tower.
A closer look at detail on house side.
A closer look at detail on Villa Montezuma’s east side.
Gargoyle head on a famous historical mansion.
Gargoyle head on a famous San Diego mansion.
Another gargoyle perches on the roof!
Another gargoyle is perched on the roof!

Here are two sunnier photos I took on a later date…

An excellent example of Queen Anne style architecture in Southern California.
An excellent example of Queen Anne style architecture in Southern California.
Photo of Jesse Shepard's Villa Montezuma in San Diego's Sherman Heights neighborhood.
Photo of Jesse Shepard’s Villa Montezuma in San Diego’s Sherman Heights neighborhood.

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San Diego’s All-American Soap Box Derby!

Boy gets encouragement before racing in Soap Box Derby.
Boy gets encouragement before racing in Soap Box Derby.

San Diego’s annual Local Race put on by the All-American Soap Box Derby was held today! The action could be found on 25th Street in Sherman Heights, a neighborhood just east of downtown!

Local kids, 7 to 18 years old, build their own gravity cars, then race them down a straight, sloped residential street. There are three classes of competition: Stock Division, Super Stock Division, and Masters Division. Each class features a unique type of race car.

The kids were having a blast!

Kids learn workmanship building gravity cars.
Kids learn workmanship building gravity cars.
The very simple interior of a gravity car.
The very simple interior of a gravity car.
Two competitors get some last minute advice.
Two competitors get some last minute advice.
Ready to race!
Ready to race!
Man pushes Ice cream cart up 25th Street hill.
Man pushes Ice cream cart up 25th Street hill.
Here they come! Racers speed past spectators!
Here they come! Racers speed past spectators!
Announcer at finish line watches the action!
Announcer at finish line watches the action!
One race is over and a car is retrieved.
One race is over and a car is retrieved.
Gravity cars are towed back up to the start line!
Gravity cars are towed back up to the start line!

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