The new San Diego River mural in Mission Valley.

In mid-April, community volunteers and members of the San Diego River Park Foundation celebrated Earth Day by creating another beautiful mural in Mission Valley!

A wall along the San Diego River Bikeway at Cottonwood Grove, a very short walk west of the Sefton Park Baseball Fields, was painted with colorful flowers and butterflies.

The easiest way to visit the mural is to park at the Sefton Baseball Fields (2508 Hotel Circle Place), which are visible from Interstate 8 at the west end of Mission Valley. A trailhead is located at the west end of the Little League ballfields. The long mural can be spied beyond the sign for Cottonwood Grove. It decorates a low wall that parallels the freeway.

Cottonwood Grove is part of Mission Valley Preserve, whose protected riparian environment is surrounded by sprawling urban development. Here one can find wild natural beauty. Sadly, it’s also a place where one encounters trash and graffiti (including some on the new mural that I didn’t photograph). I also observed evidence of drug activity, so use common sense and be alert if you walk this way.

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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 Twitter!

The life and death of a downtown mural.

Perhaps you remember the birth of an amazing mural in downtown San Diego’s East Village. Almost three years ago, a beautiful, smiling face was painted by artist Carly Ealey on the old Farkas Store Fixtures building, at the corner of G Street and Ninth Avenue. You can see photos of the mural’s debut by clicking here.

Well, it’s gone. The old building has been converted into a high-rise, and the street mural was painted over. These colorful bike and scooter murals have been painted over, too.

Street art is no different than you, or me, or a building, or any other element in a bustling city. We come into this world then depart.

Live every moment to the fullest.

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 Twitter!

Cool photo memories from June 2018.

I photographed lots of cool San Diego sights five years ago, in June 2018. Come jump into my monthly time machine!

I visited a big Greek Festival and the San Diego Scottish Highland Games. My jaw dropped upon seeing crazy silvery steampunk vehicles. I enjoyed several very unique art exhibitions, including one concerning UFOs. And, of course, there were early preparations for Comic-Con, including lots of fun trolley wraps!

Are you curious?

Coming up are links to blog posts containing those photos, and more!

CLICK THE LINKS FOR MANY PHOTOS!

A favorite garden, so close to perfection.

A (strange) Method for Reaching Extreme Altitudes!

Dancing with joy at a big Greek Festival!

Steampunk vehicles exhibited in Balboa Park!

The Simpsons trolley wrap for 2018 Comic-Con!

Bob’s Burgers served on a Comic-Con trolley!

Medieval knights mock fight in Balboa Park!

Photos of fun street art at Rio Vista!

Photos of San Diego Scottish Highland Games.

Art exhibit paints colors of Southern California!

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 Twitter!

Beautiful mosaics of Encinitas Up Close: south side.

In Encinitas, incredibly beautiful public art decorates the underpass of Interstate 5 at Santa Fe Drive. The project is called Encinitas Up Close. Fifty three colorful mosaics, created by local students and professional artists, greet those who pass under the freeway.

I photographed these 3′ by 5′ mosaic panels the other day during my walk in Encinitas. The joyful images reflect themes that are popular in this beach community. The ocean, nature, sunsets, people, surfing, pets, skateboarding, sunshine, history, places…

In this blog post I’ll share photos of the 27 mosaics that line the sidewalk and bike lane on the south side of Santa Fe Drive. I’ll share the north side mosaics in a second, upcoming post.

My photographs are raw and unedited–many taken in the dim light of an underpass shadow.

Koi With Lotus, by Lucy Stefanko.

Nautilus, by Joyce Schleiniger.

Woody At The Beach, by Kathryn Weiss.

Unleashed, by KAROB, Katherine and Robert Bender.

Swami’s Sunrise, by Liz and Luke Hoffmann.

Bird Of Paradise, by Gary Timinsky, Debe Hersey.

7 Day Weekend 1, by Tyler Adams Hawkins.

Asintmah, Native American Earth And Nature Goddess, by Silvia Wiedmann.

Face Of Existence, by Joyce Schleiniger.

Spiny Lobster In Tide Pool At Swami’s, by Timothy J Lueker.

Sea Lavender Above The Tracks, by Layla M Gunn, Deana Coveney.

Koi In Shimmering Waters, by Jessica Imaz Horton.

Bullet In The Back Country, by Timothy J Lueker.

Memorial, by Mike Upton, Jerm Wright, Erin Grady, Karl Ensberg.

Ruby The Shark, by Pietro Martinez.

Skateboarding Into The Sunset, by Lynn Adams.

Blooming Encounter, by Macall Deaver, Papa Faj.

Sun, Sea And Lotus, by Bereket Denslow, Isabella Parrales.

Carla The Poinsettia Calavera, by Morgaine McGrath, Julia Miller, Ariella Pacheco, Daniel McGrath.

Seagull And Moonlight Palm, by Todd Anderson.

Daisy The Whale, by Pietro Martinez.

Oceanna, by Cheryl Tall, Anila Saier, Elizabeth Joy Mueller, Mary F McCarthy.

Aquascape, by KAROB, Katherine and Robert Bender.

Golden Hour, by Liz and Luke Hoffmann.

Octopus, by Crystal and Evan Sandoval.

A Shard Of Whimsical Music, by Gillian Shaver.

Hummingbird With Hibiscus, by Lucy Stefanko.

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 Twitter!

Sculptures at Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas.

Several notable works of public art welcome visitors to Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas.

During my walk yesterday I noticed five different sculptures near the hospital entrance. One sculpture was unreachable behind a construction fence, so I was able to photograph four of them.

Each had a plaque at its base.

The first reads:

THE MAYPOLE TREE BY FRITZIE URQUHART – DEDICATED BY RALYN & NATE WOLFSTEIN 2008 – IN HONOR OF NATE’S 80TH BIRTHDAY

The second reads:

THE CALDERBERRY TREE BY AMOS ROBINSON – DEDICATED BY RALYN & NATE WOLFSTEIN 2008 WITH THANKS TO GERRIT GREVE, JEFFERY LAUDENSLAGER & COOP COOPRIDER – WITHOUT WHOSE IDEAS & SUPPORT OUR SCRIPPS ARTS FOR HEALING PROGRAM WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED.

The third reads:

MIKOSHI BY JEFFERY LAUDENSLAGER – DEDICATED BY RALYN AND NATE WOLFSTEIN IN HONOR OF THEIR 60TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY 2008

The fourth reads:

FAMILY TREE BY THE SEA BY CAROLYN GUERRA – AS PART OF THE ARTS FOR HEALING PROGRAM AT SCRIPPS MEMORIAL HOSPITAL ENCINITAS

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 Twitter!

Community composting project in Balboa Park!

Territorio autonomo de lombrices. Autonomous territory of worms.

Hey, San Diego! Did you know there’s a community composting project in Balboa Park? The public is invited to participate!

I met the above super nice people today and learned about this environmentally friendly project.

The message is: Everyone, bring your compostable food scraps and grass clippings to the colorful structure you see in these photographs. The composting operation is located behind the Centro Cultural de la Raza at 2004 Park Boulevard. You can’t miss it!

From time to time, a batch of composted material is ready for use, and the organically rich soil is set out for participants to take home for their plants and gardens.

I learned the best time to come by is Saturday around noon. Smiling project volunteers are usually present around then. They can help you out, and perhaps even convince you to volunteer, too!

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 Twitter!

Let’s Get Strainge on a San Diego sidewalk!

Carnivorous plants drooling on a San Diego sidewalk? I suppose that’s what happens when we heed the words: Let’s Get Strainge!

I saw this fun street art today on the side of San Diego Made Factory – Creative Event Space, which is located on Commercial Street east of downtown San Diego.

I was about to enter the building for an Our Walls Speak event (celebrating outdoor murals!) when my attention was grabbed by this spray painted artwork. It’s by Encinitas artist Skye Walker. Apparently the mural, filled with ocean surf and images from nature, promotes Strainge Beast Hard Kombucha. It was painted in 2022.

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 Twitter!

Fun art outside Logan Avenue Galeria de Arte!

I enjoyed a long walk around Barrio Logan this morning and what did I discover? Some super fun artwork!

Both of these were painted outside LOGAN AVE Galeria de Arte.

The first mural, depicting a fierce jaguar, was created in 2022 by Miguel Falcon and Armando Nunez: the gallery owner and the curator.

The second work of art was painted above the gallery’s front entrance by Connie Perez in 2021. Frida Kahlo has seemingly turned into a colorful multi-scoop ice cream cone! Perhaps that’s because the ice cream shop Nevería Los Mochis is located inside the gallery!

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 Twitter!

Nearly 1000 photos of San Diego street art!

San Diego boasts an amazing quantity and variety of street art. Artists have added color to almost every community. Head down any street and there’s a chance you’ll discover a new mural or unexpected bit of art!

I’ve been posting photographs to Cool San Diego Sights for almost ten years now. During my walks around San Diego, my camera has scored numerous such discoveries. So many, in fact, that I created a Pinterest page that now contains almost 1000 street art images!

Links on my Pinterest page allow you to navigate to the associated blog posts on Cool San Diego Sights, where I usually provide a description of the artwork.

This week the big Our Walls Speak event is being held in and around Barrio Logan. Given the renewed interest in our city’s outdoor murals, I figured now would be a good time to share that Pinterest page.

Check out nearly 1000 photographs of San Diego street art by clicking here!

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 Twitter!

Fern Street Circus magic in City Heights!

San Diego’s own Fern Street Circus performed in City Heights today! They set up in Teralta Park and commenced their big show at 2 o’clock.

Many families in the community came out for the fun. City Heights was one stop during Fern Street Circus’s free Neighborhood Tour 2023!

As usual the skits were delightfully silly. A chicken was chased about with a net in order to make soup. Somehow that pollo always got away. Kids encouraged the bird to run, and laughed. Adults laughed, too.

And there was the happy, upbeat music and the audience singing along. Lyrics were all about the value of Cooperation.

And there was the hilarious ringmaster with his wonderfully absurd interjections.

And there were, of course, traditional circus acts galore, many featuring super talented circus students.

The whole experience was one of pure joy.

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 Twitter!