Mission Hills bookstore supports San Diego libraries!

A new independent bookstore opened in Mission Hills two days ago! It’s called the Library Shop Mission Hills.

The bookstore is operated by the Library Foundation SD. It’s located in the old Mission Hills Branch Library building (925 West Washington Street), which had been vacant for about five years. Sales from this beautiful new bookstore support all 37 branches of the San Diego Public Library!

I visited the awesome store today!

As you can see from my photos, it’s spacious inside and a very welcoming place. There are shelves and shelves full of new books for children and adults, plus oodles of gifts for book lovers. There are places where you can sit down and read, a Library Shop Scavenger Hunt, games to play, Storytime and LEGO art on Saturdays, and a whole lot to do and see!

Sign up for the Library Shop Email Newsletter by clicking here!

This week, December 1 to 7, 2025, Library Shop Mission Hills is celebrating its Grand Opening. Learn more here. During Booked For the Holidays: 7 Days of Celebration & Deals there will be author events, games, and exclusive bookstore discounts for library lovers to help with your holiday shopping.

At the front desk, during the Grand Opening, make sure to grab a handout concerning the great discounts you can enjoy!

(By the way, do you recognize this old Branch Library building? I posted photographs of community members lining Washington Street, passing its library books by hand several blocks to the new Mission Hills-Hillcrest/Harley & Bessie Knox Library! See those historical photos here.)

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Mural on National City Public Works building!

This beautiful mural was painted a couple months ago. It decorates the National City Public Works building at 1726 Wilson Avenue, next to the 18th Street underpass of Interstate 5. The vibrant public art is a positive vision of life in this South Bay community.

The mural was the work of the Vision Culture Foundation and their team of inspired artists.

The building and other nearby walls had previously been the target of taggers whose vandalism required repeated removal, at the expense of the city.

National City Vice Mayor Marcus Bush helped drive an effort to paint beautiful murals on the walls, instead, providing graffiti artists with a chance to earn money while creating enduring public art!

This awesome project aims to create murals all around National City!

A young gentleman whom I met during my walk told me the long wall along 18th Street opposite this mural was also painted as part of the same project. The spray painted art appeals to kids with Christmas images from Toy Story, the Grinch and more!

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Holiday Season sights in downtown Chula Vista!

I went on another fun “Holiday Season” walk today–this time in the South Bay through downtown Chula Vista.

Given that Christmas is about three weeks away, it wasn’t surprising that I found lots of holidays related sights!

Most of my photos are of shop windows along Third Avenue.

Can you believe the Grinch, Gingerbread Man, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Charlie Brown were painted all in one window? Those characters together would make a very inventive, peculiar Christmas television special!

Wandering through Chula Vista’s historic downtown, I discovered plenty of great stuff…

Feliz Navidad y Prospero Año!

I know, I know–Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin is more of a Halloween thing, but I liked this anyway…

Downtown Chula Vista will celebrate the holidays on Saturday, December 6, 2025 with the Starlight Festival from 3 – 9 pm, and the Starlight Parade at 6 pm!

Find out more by clicking here.

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Carlsbad Village is ready for the holidays!

The Holiday Season is upon us and the Village of Carlsbad is ready!

I rode the Coaster train north to Carlsbad a few days ago for a pleasant walk, and this is what I found!

Festive decorations everywhere one turns: at storefronts, in windows, on street banners and signs. I saw Christmas trees, Santa, elves at the North Pole, candy canes, wreaths, Frosty, snowflakes, poinsettias, Rudolph, gingerbread houses…

A free Musical Kickoff to the Holidays will take place this Friday, December 5th, from 4 to 7:30 pm. It will be at the Carlsbad fountain parking lot at 2898 State Street.

You can expect middle and high school student musicians, hot cocoa and more!

A smiling Steven Blake was playing Happy Holidays music at the Carlsbad Village fountain! (His Instagram is @deverb.band.)

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Decking the halls for December Nights!

Balboa Park is “decking the halls” in preparation for December Nights! Families visiting the park this coming Friday and Saturday will enjoy cheerful holiday sights and sounds and tastes, and yesterday I saw how preparations are underway!

That’s a big wreath in Spanish Village above. Below, ornaments already hang from the trees around the patio…

Spanish Village Art Center will host Holidays in the Village during December Nights. There will be hot cocoa, crafts, Junior Theatre performances, and jolly Santa, too!

There’s a festive wreath on the rear of the Balboa Park Miniature Railroad train…

The stage inside the Casa del Prado courtyard is being resurfaced in preparation for youth performances during December Nights…

Big candy canes have appeared in the House of Hospitality courtyard…

The San Diego History Center has multiple Christmas trees and many poinsettias. Their “Bataan Café” will be serving AleSmith Brewing Company beer during December Nights.

There will be food galore at the International Cottages during December Nights. Many of the cottages are already decked out for the Holiday Season.

Here’s a Christmas tree among piñatas in the House of Mexico cottage…

An angel in the House of Mexico cottage…

Christmas tree in House of Panama cottage…

A small Christmas tree in House of USA cottage…

A tiny winter scene inside the House of Germany cottage…

In the House of Finland cottage, a member was creating Sydänkori heart baskets, perfect for hanging on Christmas trees…

Most Balboa Park museums will be open free to the public in the evening during December Nights.

I found this beautiful Christmas tree inside the San Diego Automotive Museum…

Fill up the Toys For Tots box at the San Diego Automotive Museum!

Jewels of the Season has again filled the Timken Museum of Art with hand made jewel-like ornaments and bright, twinkling splendor!

The Whoville General Store featuring oodles of green Grinch merch is now open at the Old Globe!

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San Diego Civic Youth Ballet performs The Nutcracker!

The San Diego Civic Youth Ballet will be performing The Nutcracker on December 10 to 21, 2025. The public was able to experience a free preview of the show this afternoon at the Sunday organ concert in Balboa Park!

The audience was amazed at the poise and grace exhibited by the young ballet dancers as they glided across the hard concrete stage. The dancers earned a huge ovation! If the selected dances in this preview are any indication, The Nutcracker will be sensational!

It was great hearing San Diego Civic Organist Raúl Prieto Ramírez providing much of the accompanying music. A world-class musician brought Tchaikovsky’s beloved holiday classic to life.

As always, the San Diego Civic Youth Ballet’s holiday performances will take place in the Casa del Prado Theater in Balboa Park. Find out more and purchase tickets by clicking here.

We also learned that 2025 is the 80th Anniversary Season of the San Diego Civic Youth Ballet!

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Fans excited at WWE Survivor Series in San Diego!

Super excited WWE wrestling fans gathered in downtown San Diego this morning before the start of 2025 Survivor Series: WarGames!

It seemed everyone I saw was either holding a sign, sporting a championship belt, or wearing a shirt that roots for their favorite WWE superstar! Most of the shirts commemorated John Cena’s farewell tour. He’ll be facing Dominik Mysterio in a highly anticipated match.

Savvy fans waited at the entrance to the Omni Hotel to see wrestlers jumping into cars or vans, to be transported to Petco Park.

I lingered for a while and briefly glimpsed CM Punk, and Jimmy and Jey Uso. Drew McIntyre was the one wrestler who didn’t dash into a vehicle. He greeted all the fans, took selfies with everyone, and was one very cool dude!

I then walked around Petco Park and through the Gaslamp Quarter again to take in the all the excitement.

Enjoy some photos!

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Rey Mysterio performs 619 in Logan Heights!

Legendary wrestler and San Diego hometown hero Rey Mysterio is performing his finishing move, the 619, in Logan Heights! I saw him in action today!

Yes, that’s him in a newly completed mural at the corner of Commercial Street and 30th Street, a short distance east of Petco Park where WWE Survivor Series: WarGames (2025) will be held tomorrow!

The mural which pays tribute to lucha libre debuted two days ago and Rey Mysterio himself showed up with his daughter Aalyah to admire it. And sign it! You can read an article about that cool event here.

If you come by to check out the mural, make sure to look at the west side of the same SA Recycling building. There’s a second mural depicting the Rey Mysterio family! I posted photos of that mural here (along with photographs of this newest mural’s early outlines).

Both murals were painted by local graffiti phenom Daniel “Dentlok” Angeles and a team of helping artists.

Will Chula Vista native Rey Mysterio show up at tomorrow’s Survivor Series in San Diego? I’d say that’s highly probable! I see his son Dominik will be wrestling against John Cena, who is retiring after his own legendary career!

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Sunrise photos from Marston Point.

I captured these sunrise photos early yesterday, while walking through Balboa Park’s Marston Point. I was on my way to watch the start of the Thanksgiving 5K charity “Run For Hope.”

Marston Point lies at the southwest corner of Balboa Park, at the south end of the West Mesa. When there are low broken clouds to the east, the sun rising beyond the trees and distant mountains can be very dramatic.

As you can see, airplanes descending at sunrise toward San Diego International Airport are an additional cool sight!

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San Diego run helps homeless on Thanksgiving!

The 24th Annual Father Joe’s Villages Thanksgiving Day 5K is being held this morning. It raises funds to help the homeless in San Diego. It’s called the Run For Hope.

Runners (and walkers) converged in Balboa Park for an annual event that draws thousands of participants. I was told there are over 10,000 this year!

The energy was incredible. Families, friends and social groups had come together. Turkey hats and costumes could be seen everywhere in the crowd. I even found Dude Vader wearing feathers, and some smiling Pilgrims!

Before the Thanksgiving 5K began, a huge mass of people streamed over the Cabrillo Bridge from the center of Balboa Park where a festival is being held. They would start the race on the west side of the bridge, then take a course circling the park to the north.

If you couldn’t participate, but you’d like to make a donation to Father Joe’s Villages, click here for their website.

Some fun photos…

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