A few dead leaves cling to branches that frame a new skyscraper.
The days pass by.
Memories gather . . . slowly fade.
Whenever I walk downtown, I see visions right and left of what is old and what is new. It’s often hard to remember how and when those visions first appeared.
I suppose the passage of time makes every walk a completely new adventure. Always new surprises, new mysteries, new beauty to discover.
Here are a few photos of my walk through downtown San Diego this morning.
Every time I walk near Seaport Village, my eyes pass different buskers and an ever-changing gallery of art.A beautiful windblown feather and I meet for a moment.Removing what is discarded and unwanted.A fountain near the entrance of San Diego’s Old Police Headquarters, now a destination for shopping and dining. I visited this building decades ago. I suppose the fountain is original, but I cannot remember.A colorful bird painted on a utility box near Pantoja Park seems just as alive as when I first saw it years ago.Dying leaves turn to the same color as new paint.A sculpture titled Flame Flower stands in front of the Westin Gaslamp. Years ago an obelisk rose here–5 or 6 or 7 years ago. I can’t remember.These bricks of a Gaslamp building appear to have been patched long ago.A once fashionable car turns to rust.Every so often entrances to the Gaslamp’s subterranean clubs are painted with intriguing new artwork.The building on Broadway that was home to Superfly West Tattoos is being demolished to make room for a new downtown high-rise condo development.The front of the YWCA building on C Street has remained unchanged since its design in 1926. The ornate Spanish Colonial Revival architecture was made popular by the 1915 Panama-California Exposition in Balboa Park.Shoveling weathered stones. Wheeling them about.Another walk through the city as time moves forward.
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The main deck of HMS Surprise is being replaced at the Maritime Museum of San Diego.
The HMS Surprise at the Maritime Museum of San Diego is getting a brand new deck! During my Sunday visit I noticed that replacement of the old deck is well underway!
Volunteers at the museum are applying the same methods and materials that were used so successfully to replace the deck of Star of India. I was told the main deck of HMS Surprise should be finished in about four months, and then the ship’s rigging will undergo an overhaul. Once all of that is complete, this beautiful replica of a 18th century Royal Navy 24-gun frigate should be ready to sail.
It’s hoped all the work will be complete in time for next year’s Festival of Sail!
As you might recall, this amazing ship co-starred with Russell Crowe in the acclaimed movie Master and Commander!
Museum volunteers work aboard HMS Surprise on a pleasant Sunday. Cables from the ship’s rigging are readied, as a section of new deck is caulked.Elsewhere at the Maritime Museum, a volunteer adds paint to a newly acquired Jacob’s ladder. It will be used on the San Salvador replica Spanish galleon.The enormous ship’s wheel has been removed and set to one side as the deck of the HMS Surprise is replaced.
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You can easily explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on my blog’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There are thousands upon thousands of photos for you to enjoy!
Someone walks briskly to work in downtown San Diego.
Morning in downtown San Diego. Another day has begun. More hustle and bustle. More things to do.
But something feels different . . .
It’s Friday!
Working on the sidewalk early Friday morning. Always more to do.Tearing out the interior of the old Gaslamp 15 movie theater.The antique clock on the John D. Spreckels Building seems optimistic. Almost four o’clock on Friday would be good right now.Someone is wide awake and bright-eyed behind this shop window.Don’t interrupt my breakfast! One of the many cats at the William Heath Davis House in the Gaslamp.Smile! It’s Friday!A hearty laugh over breakfast.Friday morning mowing at Petco’s Park at the Park.To a best friend on a morning walk, which day it is doesn’t matter.Carrying the bicycle up many steps, heading toward the bayfront. It should be a fine day for a ride along the water.Waiting for a Friday morning Coaster at Santa Fe Depot. One last weekday commute.Daydreaming while heading to work on the trolley. Almost the weekend.
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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!
A recently improved section of Tweet Street Park on Cortez Hill. Volunteers help make this downtown neighborhood even more beautiful.
Do you love Tweet Street Park on Cortez Hill? I feel very fortunate that I get to walk through the narrow but lush park almost every single day.
Over the past weeks and months, I’ve noticed smiling volunteers busy pruning, planting, removing trash, and adding new beauty to our downtown park. They are the Friends of Tweet Street Park! They welcome new community members!
A couple days ago I talked to Joe Ciavarella as he was working on one section of the park. I learned that Cortez Hill residents and anyone interested in beautifying this special corner of downtown San Diego can make a tax deductible contribution that benefits the Friends of Tweet Street Park. Funds obtained go to the purchase of gardening tools, new plants and materials that are used for a variety of landscaping improvements.
If you’d like to make a donation, visit this page.
Positive people doing positive things make each corner of this world a whole lot better!
IMPORTANT UPDATE!
There’s a new web page where you can now make your donation. You can find it here.
In addition to the work of volunteers, improving the park requires the purchase of tools, plants and other material. Anyone can now easily make a donation!
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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!
Replacement of the San Diego Convention Center’s white “sails” is underway. The old fiberglass sails, dating from the time when the beautiful convention center debuted in 1989, have been removed.
Without the Sails Pavilion’s roof, which shelters the enormous 90,000 square foot exhibit space below, the glass walls, the supporting structures and crisscrossing cables combine with levels of scaffolding to form something that resembles an unusual crystal lattice. Which makes for intriguing photographs!
This afternoon I walked across the top of the San Diego Convention Center and took a close look for myself. As you can see, one can discern all sorts of unique patterns. The geometric complexity is a delight for the eye.
If you find yourself in downtown San Diego, check it out for yourself!
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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!
San Diego Habitat for Humanity is looking for volunteers, in neighborhoods all around San Diego.
During my visit to the Imperial Avenue Street Festival, I checked out the San Diego Habitat for Humanity table. And I learned volunteers are needed for a variety of possible activities around San Diego.
One can work at their ReStore home improvement retail warehouses in Escondido, Mission Valley or National City. Or one can help build new homes. Or one can participate in neighborhood revitalization projects.
A flyer that I read explains how Habitat for Humanity provides repair services to homeowners in Logan Heights! I took a photo! (I also see the website address on the flyer pictured above is incorrect. Use my link below.)
No experience necessary! Click here to learn more!
San Diego Habitat for Humanity provides repair services to homeowners in Logan Heights!Volunteers for San Diego Habitat for Humanity are all smiles!
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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!
Gazing up from Union Street at the unique new Superior Court building in downtown San Diego.
Yesterday I walked past our beautiful new downtown courthouse. The opening of the high tech half billion dollar San Diego Central Courthouse has faced several delays, but the very unique exterior has already added more character to San Diego’s gleaming skyline.
Here are some photos. The rooftop canopy is rather unusual, as you can see. The crystal-like lattice of geometric reflections and shadows that it produces delights the eye.
The new San Diego Central Courthouse is nearly completed. It stands north across the C Street trolley tracks from the Hall of Justice. A pedestrian bridge connects both buildings.Flags in a pleasant breeze. The new courthouse, most expensive in California, has faced various construction delays.This new Superior Court of California building is across Union Street from the old, less-functional courthouse, which will be torn down.Fascinating reflections and shadows on glass windows beneath a projecting rooftop canopy.
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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!
A new building is rising at the corner of Ash Street and Kettner Boulevard.
Many new buildings are rising in downtown San Diego.
Yesterday I walked east from the Embarcadero along Ash Street and took photos of three projects: the Savina luxury condo building, the LUMA luxury apartment building, and a new, elegant Carté Hotel.
Savina is a 36-story high-rise building containing luxury condos, coming to downtown San Diego.Photo of Savina construction from intersection of Ash and Kettner.As I walked east up Ash I noticed some bicyclists looking around. Up ahead to the left is more construction.I’m heading up the sidewalk and getting closer.A concrete mixer truck turns the corner at Ash Street and Columbia Street. Under construction is LUMA, an apartment building opening in Fall 2018 according to their website.What LUMA will look like when completed.Construction worker atop the rising luxury apartment building.A third construction site is visible as I walk east on Ash.A prestigious new 240-room Carté Hotel is coming to 401 W. Ash in Little Italy in Fall 2018.The Carté Hotel downtown construction is still in the early stages!
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Colorful graphics are now up at the Midnight, Texas 4D Experience for 2017 San Diego Comic-Con.
Downtown San Diego is a beehive of activity this morning! Everybody is getting ready for 2017 Comic-Con!
Check out these photos and experience a bit of the growing excitement!
A wrap is going up on Petco Park promoting History’s new series Knightfall, concerning the Knights Templar.Local businesses in the Gaslamp are also getting ready for Comic-Con, which officially begins in less than three days!It looks like a cool Archangel wrap is now going up on the Hard Rock Hotel. Skydance Interactive’s first virtual reality offering should be popular at Comic-Con.Parking will be very difficult in downtown San Diego during Comic-Con. Take the trolley!Nearby businesses are looking forward to the crowds!This will be AMC’s Deadquarters. I expect there will be zombies.Some stuff in a pile that will probably be used as props at Deadquarters.At The Tick Takeover, the superhero and Arthur are accompanied by a worker. I’m told smoke will come out of this blasted hole once everything is completed!Two huge Tick antennae will also move about!Arthur seems to be in a bad situation at The Tick Takeover site at Comic-Con.A cool convergence near Harbor Drive. Dozens of trolley cars are now wrapped and ready.The People of Earth wrap on the Marriott Marquis is approaching completion.The front of the Blade Runner 2049 Experience hasn’t changed much in the past couple days. I’m sure lots of cool stuff is jammed inside the gigantic pavilion.Workers carry stuff into the Hilton Gaslamp, where Netflix is headquartered.Everybody is getting ready, including the police. Homeless are removed from the area before Comic-Con. A tragic, extremely sad truth that many visitors won’t see.The Midnight, Texas site promoting the new NBC show is starting to look interesting.The area near the Tin Fish has a Midnight, Texas theme this year.Banners now hang along the Tin Fish.There seems to be a room with video walls inside the Midnight, Texas 4D Experience.Lots of equipment to move, and work to be done!Some more graphics are up for Kong: Skull Island near the Omni Hotel.A closeup photo of one Skull Island graphic.Guys are putting up these long banners promoting HBO’s Game of Thrones.No wraps up yet on this corner of Petco Park.Construction has just commenced in the Petco Interactive Zone, now that the Padres have left for a road trip.Lots of canopies for long lines are up at the San Diego Convention Center. Looks to me like 2017 Comic-Con is almost here!The FXhibition outdoor site near the Hilton Bayfront is still under construction.I see there will be an X-Gene Screening Station in Fox Television’s outdoor area.A reminder that Syfy will provide live coverage of Comic-Con.Exhibitors large and small are unloading behind the convention center. I bet there’s a mad scramble inside as booths are prepared. (Check out all the comic book boxes! That’s a lot of reading material!)A cool Legion wrap is going up on the Hilton for 2017 San Diego Comic-Con!
UPDATE!
Here are more photos taken in the mid-afternoon…
The Knightfall wrap is now complete at Petco.More graphics have appeared at Kong: Skull Island.And so has a skull!And more huge bones!One of various Midnight, Texas posters up now at the Gaslamp trolley station.A wrap is going up on this section of Petco Park. I believe this will promote Once Upon a Time.I now see Archer graphics in the FX area near the Hilton.And more X-Gene Screening Station stuff in the FOX area.I see Adult Swim will give away free shirts again this year.The big Legion wrap is making progress as you can see beyond the Adult Swim site.The Legion wrap not quite complete on the Hilton, as seen from Embarcadero Marina Park South.
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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!
You can easily explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on my blog’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There are thousands upon thousands of fun photos for you to share and enjoy!
A corner of San Diego is being taken over by The Tick. The Amazon original series streams on Prime starting August 25.
Here are some photos of The Tick Takeover being built today for 2017 San Diego Comic-Con. I realize it might be difficult for a good-natured but rather dimwitted superhero to take over an entire city, but it seems The Tick will at least watch over a stretch of Martin Luther King Jr. Promenade, near the corner of Harbor Drive and First Avenue!
Graphic on rear of The Tick Takeover building shows Arthur Everest and The Tick.Superian says: Not everything that glows gives you superpowers!The Tick Takeover is under construction at the corner of First Avenue and Harbor Drive. This is the first of three sections.No graffiti, but lots of plastered advertisements.The inside of the building appears to be a small store.An upside down car and some rubble beside the building.Another look.The second section, I learned, is where the 20 foot animatronic Tick will be located. That blue thing is part of his huge (empty) head.Workers are getting The Tick Takeover ready for 2017 San Diego Comic-Con.Two halves of The Tick’s animatronic head lie on the ground.Some of The Tick’s characters depicted on one wall include Ramses IV, Superian and Overkill.
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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!
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