“One’s home is one’s castle” is a literal reality in San Diego’s Serra Mesa neighborhood!
I’d heard this castle-house was under construction earlier this year, so today I took a walk in Serra Mesa to see it. It’s on a residential street among more ordinary looking homes. Can you imagine living here? How cool would that be!
It’s a private residence, so I’ll not provide an address. Just keep your eyes peeled if you happen to be driving in Serra Mesa. Out of the blue you might stumble upon a medieval castle!
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Irving Gill was an American architect who did most of his work in Southern California, especially in San Diego and Los Angeles. He is considered a pioneer of the modern movement in architecture.
When I visited Oceanside a little over a month ago, I photographed Irving Gill’s final project: the 1936 Blade Tribune building. Let me share those photos now!
If you’d like to read a great article concerning the history of the now defunct Oceanside Blade-Tribune newspaper, click here.
The 1936 Irving Gill building you see in these photos, at 401 Seagaze Drive, was built to accommodate a newly created Oceanside Daily Blade Tribune and News. The unique building with an Art Deco façade was restored in 2019 and today is home to the Blade 1936 Italian restaurant!
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We are now in the middle of San Diego City Clerk’s 6th Annual Archives Month!
Through October 18th, 2024, the public can experience a fascinating San Diego City Clerk Archives exhibit concerning the history of Barrio Logan. Extensive displays can be viewed just inside the front entrance of San Diego’s downtown City Administration Building, at 202 C Street.
The exhibit is titled Telling Our Stories–Preserving Our Histories: The Chicano Movement in San Diego. It features photographs, articles and City Clerk documents that pertain to the culturally rich Barrio Logan neighborhood and how it has changed over time. There is an emphasis on the creation of Chicano Park, the work of Chicano activists, the origin and influence of Neighborhood House, and the tuna canning industry that once thrived in Barrio Logan down by the water.
In addition, there’s a video that visitors to the exhibit are invited to watch. It shows how residents were adversely affected by the construction of Interstate 5 and the Coronado Bay Bridge, and how they worked together to help preserve the community’s identity and establish Chicano Park.
The exhibit is curated by the San Diego City Clerk Archives in partnership with the Chicano Park Museum and Cultural Center.
I enjoyed looking at the displays and learning important facets of San Diego history. I encourage anyone who travels downtown to check it out. The City Administration Building is open on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Here are a few photographs that I took…
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
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.
That’s the phrase for the day if you’re a San Diego Padres fan!
A home game . . . National League Division Series tied 1-1 . . . The greatly disliked (I almost used another stronger word) Dodgers in town . . . Petco Park is going to go completely bonkers once the game begins!
Around the time the gates opened, the Beat Los Angeles sentiment was visible on streets and sidewalks in the Gaslamp Quarter and near the ballpark. As were other optimistic messages!
Go Pads!
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
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.
Lately, if you’ve walked along San Diego’s Embarcadero past the USS Midway aircraft carrier museum, you’ve probably noticed heavy machinery and a pile of rubble near Navy Pier!
The old Naval Supply Depot headhouse is being torn down, to make way for the future Freedom Park!
I took these photographs on Sunday after jumping off the Coronado ferry. Having walked past the old headhouse hundreds of times over many, many years, seeing its destruction in progress is a trifle jarring.
Early this summer I shared photos when the demolition had barely begun. If you want to see those previous photos and find more information about the landmark Freedom Park project, click here!
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
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.
A lawn program at Balboa Park’s International Cottages today celebrated Norse history and culture. The House of Norway provided food and entertainment, and a visit from Viking explorer Leif Erikson (an actor)!
What I found most interesting, however, was a living history “encampment” on the International Cottages lawn. Costumed members of Wolves ov Odin were showing what Norse life was like in the 8th century!
Perhaps you’ve seen Wolves ov Odin at the annual Viking Festival in Vista, California. They are a group that portrays Danish Vikings that lived in the Jorvik region of present day York, UK.
As you can see, curious people converged on several tables to see and touch history.
Read the photo captions for a bit of what I learned…
Viking chain mail armor on display. I lifted one end and it was heavy! Those steel helmets in the background were heavy, too! Better a sore neck than a hole in the head!Creating chain mail by interlocking iron rings was a long process undertaken by Viking smiths. Iron was rare and chain mail shirts were relatively rare.A beautifully engraved but deadly Viking axe. I wish I had learned more about it.A simple sundial made of wood, which could double as a compass to aid in Viking ocean navigation. An X marks noon–I took this photo a few minutes before the shadow lined up with it!Making a replica Viking coin, using a length of modern steel tubing for hammering safety.I got my own, freshly minted pewter Viking Raven Penny of Anlaf Guthfrithson!Demonstrating a replica Oseberg Sprang Weaving Loom, a loom from the Oseberg ship, a well-preserved Viking ship discovered in 1904 in Norway.Combing and spinning wool with a hand spindle preceded tablet weaving and making Viking clothing and ship sails!The spindles were very simple.It never occurred to me that Viking sails were made by weaving!Beads were a sign of wealth among Vikings.A smile and sample of Viking life.
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
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.
About a thousand years ago, Viking explorer Leif Erikson was the first European to set foot on continental America. He established a Norse settlement in a place he called Vinland. Today he arrived in San Diego, California!
Leif greeted an enthusiastic crowd in Balboa Park. He extended a greeting and read an ancient Norse poem. Then he adjusted his beard, pocketed his phone and smiled for photographs!
Yes, this particular Leif Erikson was an impersonation. Jordan Jacobo, a personality on KPBS, did the honors!
As you might have guessed, the House of Norway hosted their cultural lawn program today in Balboa Park. In addition to meeting Leif, families could gobble authentic Norwegian waffles and Polse i lompe (hot dog in a lompe–I had mine with shrimp, sour cream, mayo, dill and lemon juice) and wash it down with Saft (blueberry juice).
Kids were running wild, enjoying axe throwing, fish toss and other lively competitions. They posed with a Viking longship and could have their names written in runes. At several tables adults could learn about Norse crafts, including rosemaling (decorative folk painting), smøyg (pattern darning), wood carving, Hardanger embroidery and knitting. There was accordion music, too!
A living history encampment showed how life might have been in Norway during the age of the Vikings. I will be blogging about that coming up!
Enjoy some photographs!
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
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.
A special exhibition is wrapping up tomorrow in Gallery 21, at Balboa Park’s Spanish Village Art Center. I caught it just in time!
The Friends of the Chinese Brush Annual Art Exhibition features paintings by artist Lucy Wang and a group of her students. Lucy Wang works out of Spanish Village’s Studio 4.
I admired the work of Lucy’s students on the gallery walls. Two students at a table were busy creating beautiful sunflowers!
If you’d like to take Chinese brush painting classes in San Diego, check out this web page. Classes are held on Sundays.
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
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.
Before today’s free Sunday afternoon concert, I spotted a very young man sitting at the Spreckels Organ in Balboa Park. San Diego Civic Organist Raúl Prieto Ramírez, one of the world’s finest organists, was teaching young Aaron how to play!
Aaron is a frequent concert goer, I learned, who also likes sketching while sitting in the audience. You can see a pic of him posing with Raúl on the Spreckels Organ Society website here!
Will Aaron grow up to be a future San Diego Civic Organist? It wouldn’t surprise me!
I just want to say how fortunate San Diego is to have Raúl in our midst. Energetic, always smiling, enhancing our city’s culture, bringing beautiful music every week to one and all.
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
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.
San Diego British Car Day was held today at Tidelands Park in Coronado. A whole bunch of amazing cars showed up, and the public was invited to stroll among them.
The San Diego British Car Club Council puts on this big annual event. It welcomes participants from each British Car Club in San Diego. It isn’t your typical car show with an assortment of special prizes, but people were invited to vote for their favorite car.
As I strolled about gazing at all the sporty and elegant beauties, I half expected to see a tuxedo-wearing James Bond in a driver’s seat. Every sort of British make was on display, from Lotuses to Aston Martins to Bentleys to Minis to Triumphs to MGBs to Jaguars to . . . you name it!
If you’re an auto enthusiast, San Diego British Car Day is one day you definitely don’t want to miss! Watch for its return next year.
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
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.
Cool San Diego Sights! 