Tag: cool

NASCAR exhibit arrives in San Diego!

If you’re a NASCAR fan, you probably know that very special races are coming in 2026 to Naval Air Station North Island in Coronado. But did you know an equally special NASCAR exhibit recently opened at the San Diego Automotive Museum in Balboa Park?

The exhibition is titled NASCAR: Design and Innovation. A bunch of incredible vehicles are on display in the museum, just in time for the coming races across San Diego Bay!

I visited the Automotive Museum today and was blown away. Not only can you peer into a variety of different race cars, but you can learn about the evolution of NASCAR racing, including advances in vehicle design and technology.

A large part of the exhibition celebrates old Cajon Speedway, and remembers those who raced stock cars in San Diego’s East County years ago, from the oval track’s opening in 1961 until it closed in 2004.

I personally started paying attention to NASCAR a while back because seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmy Johnson grew up in El Cajon. Perusing the exhibit, I noticed a reference or two to his legendary career.

The coming street races at NAS North Island will celebrate the United States Navy’s 250th anniversary. The event, running from June 19 to 21, 2026, will feature a 3.4-mile, 16-turn circuit with unique features like “Carrier Corner,” where racing occurs between two docked aircraft carriers! The big weekend will include races for the Truck Series, Xfinity Series, and the NASCAR Cup Series.

Should be exciting!

A few photos from my museum visit today…

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San Diego submersible in Star Trek: Enterprise!

The Maritime Museum of San Diego recently acquired DeepFlight I, a unique “flying” underwater submersible developed in the late 1990s. You can read more about this amazing, advanced submersible here.

Visitors to the San Diego museum might be astonished to learn that this one-of-a-kind prototype appears in every episode of Star Trek: Enterprise!

DeepFlight I can be seen momentarily in the Star Trek: Enterprise introductory sequence, which begins every episode. The sequence depicts the evolution of human technology and exploration. DeepFlight I appears at the 34 second mark here!

Super cool!

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

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Explore emerging ocean technology in San Diego!

A special event is coming up next Saturday, November 15, 2025. Visitors to the Maritime Museum of San Diego will have the opportunity to explore how emerging technologies are transforming how we use and protect ocean resources.

The event is free with General Admission and is perfect for families, students and anyone interesting in learning about blue technology. Hours are 10 am to 4 pm.

What is Blue Tech? It’s a category of advanced technologies focused on the sustainable development of the world’s oceans and coasts, also known as the Blue Economy.

According to one sign in the Maritime Museum, there will be hands-on exploration and interactive experiences concerning underwater robots, engineering, data tools and more. Student marine clubs will be there with their own innovations, too!

Super cool!

Some high tech equipment I spotted today near the sign…

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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 X.

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Walking through Shhh Pavilion: The Hopekeeper.

Yesterday I walked through Shhh Pavilion: The Hopekeeper.

What’s that?

Shhh Pavilion: The Hopekeeper is the unusual name of a very cool sculpture that rises in recently opened Progress Park. Progress Park is located in downtown San Diego near the waterfront, at the corner of Broadway and Harbor Drive.

The beautiful new park is part of the Research and Development District (RaDD) complex. The sculpture is part of the RaDD Artwalk. It was commissioned by IQHQ, through the City of San Diego Art in Private Development program.

The creator of this very unique public art is gt2P (Great things to People), a Santiago de Chile based collaborative studio collective.

This unusual sculpture is a geometric structure that utilizes something called Voronoi tessellation. The mathematical concept is nicely described on this webpage.

Until recently, the new park was surrounded by a construction fence. But yesterday I noticed the fence was down. So I had to walk under and through the sculpture with my camera!

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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 X.

Feel free to share!

Two cool murals in a Normal Heights nook!

There’s a tiny parking nook on Adams Avenue in Normal Heights where new murals often appear. The nook lies between Adams Avenue Tattoo and Bosforo, a Turkish restaurant. (Bosforo’s building used to be home of El Zarape Mexican Cantina).

Over many years I’ve photographed these ever-changing murals. Most or all of the art has been painted, I believe, by graffiti artists Hasler (@hasler_88) and Sharky (@bigchill8825).

Last weekend, as I enjoyed the Adams Avenue Street Fair, I noticed two new murals in this nook. It had been about a year since I last peered into it.

I’m fairly sure the same artists created both of these. Check it out!

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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 X.

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FilAm CreatorCon 2025 in Chula Vista!

An amazing free event that attracted creative talent from around our region was held in Chula Vista today. FilAm CreatorCon 2025 brought together lots of Filipino-American artists and their fans!

I was surprised by the huge popularity of this annual convention. It was my first time.

The interior of the Chula Vista Library was filled with artist tables overflowing with fantastic artwork: posters, prints, comic books, graphic novels, stickers, jewelry–you name it!

Several community rooms hosted panels or screenings; a fundraising art auction was open to all; and outside, on the library patio, there was plenty of food and even musical entertainment. Neighborhood families came out to the fun event, kids were active and exploring, and smiling artists were busy showcasing and selling their artwork.

What a great experience!

I loved the positive creative energy! I even recognized some of the artists or their great work!

I started out on the patio…

I saw the following information poster.

Bridge the Gap is a nonprofit organization based in San Diego dedicated to celebrating and preserving Filipino-American representation and heritage.

In the spring they have a Creative Summit which supports the next generation of Filipino creatives.

Now I’m inside the main Chula Vista Library.

Look! It’s super nice artist Mary Jhun!

You’ve seen many examples of her distinctive art on Cool San Diego Sights. Click here and here and here and here.

Some of her work:

Here’s another cool artist and illustrator: Robert Rodriguez (@robz_drawings).

Some of his great stuff…

Watch out! Godzilla is energizing his dorsal spines!

This is Raina Ramos (@thrillustrated). She likes to create dog portraits and other cool stuff, like Star Wars art!

Ron Rubio (@rubiobroscartoonstudio), Director, Animator, and producer of smiles!

He has worked on King of the Hill and The Cleveland Show! His brother who has worked on Avatar: The Last Airbender, and for Pixar and others was present, too.

Little Yellow Jeepney author Jocelyn Francisco, Ph.D. was at the con, too! Literacy is more important than ever.

The FilAm CreatorCon panel From Roots to Resonance: Crafting Filipino Stories with Universal Appeal was fully attended.

Look at all the people at FilAm CreatorCon in Chula Vista!

Big respect!

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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 X.

Feel free to share!

Deep Flight submersible arrives at Maritime Museum!

Check out what arrived at the Maritime Museum of San Diego yesterday! This super cool “Deep Flight” submersible!

This electric, one-man submersible was developed about 15 years ago by Hawkes Ocean Technologies. It’s now on display in the museum’s steam ferry Berkeley, in a spot where many model ships can be viewed.

I’m reasonably sure this is DeepFlight I, a submersible that served as a technology testbed for DeepFlight II. You can see a photo and learn more about Hawkes Ocean Technologies on this website.

The exhibit is so brand new, the submersible is still on rollers and there’s no information sign in the museum yet. (I was told that to roll the submersible into the Berkeley, part of the museum’s front desk had to be removed!)

While I don’t know too much right now, I’ll endeavor to learn more tomorrow when the Maritime Museum of San Diego has a special member event. I’ll provide more info here in an update.

But look at how cool this thing is! Imagine lying prone, squeezed inside the narrow craft, down in the mysterious depths of the sea, flying along silently like an underwater aircraft, water and sea life all around!

UPDATE!

A few days later, I noticed two of the historic submersible’s wings had been reinstalled.

A sign also points visitors to a cool YouTube video concerning the DeepFlight I. Watch it here.

UPDATE!

A sign appeared later. I was surprised to learn DeepFlight I briefly appears in the introductory film sequence of Star Trek: Enterprise!

See it 34 seconds into the YouTube video here!

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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 X.

Feel free to share!

Quetzalcoatl tree stump in Barrio Logan!

People heading down National Avenue in Barrio Logan might be stunned to see this amazing work of art in the parking lot of Barrett Engineered Pumps. It’s an old tree stump carved into the likeness of mythical Quetzalcoatl!

The sculpted wooden Quetzalcoatl (an important deity in Aztec culture whose name translates to Feathered Serpent) was created by Cesar Castañeda. You can watch a YouTube video that follows the artist’s five month project back in 2012. The documentary is titled The Rise of Quetzalcoatl. Find it by clicking here!

Quetzalcoatl was carved by hand from an enormous stump that was salvaged from a fallen tree. The tree had fallen in Balboa Park beside State Route 163.

(I once observed a tall eucalyptus tumbling onto the 163 during a violent wind storm years ago. It seemed to descend in slow motion, narrowly missing an oncoming car. I wonder if this was the same tree?)

I learned from a friendly worker at Barrett Engineered Pumps, where Quetzalcoatl now resides on a trailer, that this very cool sculpture is for sale! I didn’t ask the price, but if you’re interested you should probably swing by and check it out!

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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 X.

Feel free to share!

Building a new stage in Balboa Park!

A brand new performance stage is being built in Balboa Park!

The stage, when finished, will occupy a corner of the San Diego Sculptors Guild outdoor courtyard, in Spanish Village Art Center!

Funny how history can repeat. Many years ago an outdoor stage occupied the same courtyard.

During a historical tour of the neighboring artist studios, I learned that today’s Studio 36 Sculptors Guild was an outdoor theatre in the early years of Spanish Village. The front was a lobby and ticket booth. Writers, actors and set designers would act out plays on the inner patio.

Today I was told performances of every type will be welcomed at this newly constructed stage. One member of the San Diego Sculptors Guild, Justin Hammond, is part of a band that will play here! The band’s name is Auva Xuln (@auvaxuln).

What a super cool venue!

Imagine wildly creative sculptures all around, like a fantastic, silent audience!

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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 X.

Feel free to share!

Concert celebrates The Beatles’ visit to San Diego!

Do you love The Beatles? Would you like to go a free concert that celebrates the 60th anniversary of The Beatles making their one and only appearance in San Diego?

On September 1, 2025 (Labor Day) at 7:30 pm, the Spreckels Organ Pavilion’s Classic Rock Band will be playing a huge selection of favorite hits by The Beatles. Have you ever heard classic rock played with drums, guitars and a gigantic outdoor pipe organ? Here’s your chance!

San Diego Civic Organist Raúl Prieto Ramírez will be joined by the Pavilion Rock Band Members to create a very cool and memorable experience. I caught a bit of the band’s rehearsal this afternoon.

The concert is part of the 37th San Diego International Summer Organ Festival. You can see the concert schedule here. (Next Monday evening is Not-So-Silent Movie Night!)

To learn more about the upcoming The Beatles 60th San Diego Anniversary concert, click here!

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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 X.

Feel free to share!