A crime scene at Solve Who titled Murder at PROstate Farm. A team of detectives gathers clues, watches video interrogations of three suspects, then attempts to determine who the murderer is.
A unique and very cool attraction recently opened in downtown San Diego. It’s called Solve Who!
Neither an escape room, nor murder mystery dinner theatre, Solve Who offers would-be detectives something far more immersive and realistic. Solve Who is the world’s first interactive crime scene simulator!
Enter the front door of Solve Who and you suddenly become a detective investigating a detailed crime scene using your wits, a notepad and pen, and a variety of forensic tools. Groups of up to ten people operate as a team, collecting clues, watching short video interrogations of three suspects, then deliberating to determine the identity of the murderer.
Questions one might ask during the investigation include: Was the crime premeditated? Who had the motive to commit murder? Was there a break-in? Was there a struggle? What was the murder weapon? Are any fingerprints that you find with an ultraviolet light relevant? What is the meaning of a series of emails that periodically appear on one computer? Is any object at the crime scene out of place?
I was given a little bit of a preview this evening and I must say this entertainment concept is absolutely unique and brilliant! The super friendly guys behind Solve Who have worked hard to make the experience very realistic–they have even worked with law enforcement experts to ensure this fully interactive crime scene simulator is very close to authentic. With some crazy humor injected for fun!
It seems to me that Solve Who would be an ideal place for corporate team building, having a night out with friends, or for simply meeting new people. Right now they offer one scenario titled Murder at PROstate Farm, with three new, completely unique crime scenes to appear in the future. Solve Who will also offer beer and wine to participants in the near future.
Check out the Solve Who website here and perhaps make a reservation. You’ll be one of very few people in the entire world to have experienced a realistic interactive crime scene simulator!
A brief video introduction explains how each team of detectives can work together to logically deduce which suspect is guilty of murder.The funny, satirical brochure of PROstate Farm. The insurance agent was murdered, and his three employees are suspects.Inside the mock insurance office. PROstate Farm has policies to protect the insured against icebergs, apocalypse, zombies, talking apes and much more.Tools used by participants at Solve Who include forensic lights, magnifying lenses, string for trajectory pinpointing, evidence markers, and more.The crime scene includes many clues–a few are critically important. Deductive reasoning and acute observation are required to identify the murderer.An overturned chair and a big blood stain on the carpet.Blood splattered on the wall!Detectives at Solve Who will watch as three suspects are interrogated. It is important to listen to words and watch body language.Solve Who is a very cool new attraction in San Diego, located downtown at 1570 Fifth Avenue. It is the world’s first interactive crime scene simulator!
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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 couple months ago I blogged about the debut of a fascinating dodecahedron sculpture called Unfolding Humanity. The San Diego Geometry Lab had begun building their project by a parking lot at University of San Diego.
Today I finally saw the interactive metal sculpture completed! It was among the many cool inventions on display at 2018 Maker Faire San Diego in Balboa Park!
If you want to learn more about Unfolding Humanity–the mathematics behind it, and how it’s symmetry and complexity is similar to the structure of the universe–please check out my earlier blog post here, or visit the artwork’s extremely interesting website here.
I learned from Diane Hoffoss, Associate Professor of Mathematics at USD, that the San Diego Geometry Lab might be building additional similar projects in the future. Probably every other year. Because it’s quite an undertaking!
I also learned that many people enjoyed stepping inside Unfolding Humanity during Burning Man! Someone even performed magic tricks inside it!
This is what I saw at Maker Faire San Diego today…
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Visitors to the San Diego History Center in Balboa Park prepare to enjoy a short virtual reality tour around San Diego.
During my random walk through Balboa Park today, I stumbled upon something that is unique and really fun! I wandered into the San Diego History Center and was immediately drawn to a sign at the entrance to one gallery that read: Experience San Diego, The Virtual Reality Adventure.
I wasn’t looking to blog anything after my walk today, but this short VR tour around San Diego is so cool, I definitely want to share it!
After having my VR headset strapped on, I suddenly found myself transported to a wide variety of places and events around San Diego. I was standing atop the California Tower in Balboa Park, turning my head to gaze in every direction . . .
Then suddenly I was floating over Oceanside in a hot air balloon . . . standing among hockey players during a San Diego Gulls game . . . riding a helicopter along our beautiful coast . . . right up close among the dolphins at SeaWorld . . . riding the Giant Dipper Roller Coaster at Belmont Park in Mission Beach . . . flying above the desert in Anza Borrego State Park . . . floating on a boat among sea lions on San Diego Bay . . . and much more–all in virtual reality!
The whole experience is made possible by 4DSCI. A ticket costs just five dollars and the virtual reality tour lasts for perhaps ten minutes. If you want to experience San Diego in a whole new way, head down to the San Diego History Center in Balboa Park and check it out!
Experience San Diego, The Virtual Reality Adventure. You will see many cool sights as if you were there in person!Around the corner is the VR Theater…The fun, kid-friendly room where the experience is enjoyed. Chairs swivel so visitors can easily turn and experience the virtual reality in every direction.Cabrillo National Monument is one of the beautiful places that will surround you–as if you are there!
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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 cheerful sun, beach and ocean bench at Liberty Station in Point Loma.
New art installations and other surprises are always popping up around Liberty Station in Point Loma.
The site of the former Naval Training Center San Diego is a historic place where culture now thrives, and inspiration awaits around every corner.
Over the years Liberty Station has become increasingly dynamic. A cool new movie theater, THE LOT, has opened. Liberty Public Market has been open and thriving for a while, too. I’ve read that a new hotel will be coming to the Arts District, and I’ve observed the old Base Exchange might become a fantastic performance venue.
During my recent walk around Liberty Station my eyes searched for stuff that I haven’t photographed before. In the past I did post an image of the “sun, beach and ocean” bench you see above, but I had neglected to provide fun up-close photos.
A happy crab, shells and a sand dollar.A seahorse and jellyfish.More sea life on a very colorful bench!These cool egg-seats await diners outside Breakfast Republic at Liberty Station. (I hope they’re hard-boiled, not soft-boiled.)I spotted this patio chair’s artistic seat while walking around the Arts District.A sculpture by the relatively new THE LOT movie theater. Afoxe, by artist Brad Howe.A music and performance venue is proposed for Liberty Station, site of the old Naval Training Center San Diego.The old Base Exchange, Building 178, of now closed Naval Training Center San Diego, awaits renovation as a possible performance venue.A banner showing a contemporary quilt outside Visions Art Museum at Liberty Station.Paintings inside the Dick Laub NTC Command Center lobby by local artists with studios at Liberty Station.New art is always appearing around Liberty Station, a unique cultural center in San Diego!
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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!
Brise Birdsong poses for a photo by a utility box in downtown San Diego. She had just finished putting on a base coat of paint.
I was walking through downtown San Diego this morning when I spied someone painting a utility box at the corner of Seventh Avenue and B Street. It turns out the artist is Brise Birdsong, whose often humorous street art has appeared in a few of my past blog posts! For example here and here!
Brise, also known as @breezy_bird, is a muralist and illustrator, whose work gives life to the children’s book The Lonely Little Bumbershoot.
She also creates pet portraits in her own unique style, and donates 10% of what she makes to animal shelters! For more info, check out her website here!
Very cool!
The same box in the afternoon, when I walked past again. Cool new street art is materializing in downtown San Diego!And here’s the other side of Brise Birdsong’s cool new street art! I can’t wait to see it finished!
UPDATE!
Here it is finished!
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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 photos for you to enjoy!
Someone watching the Swoop Freestyle FAI World Championship on San Diego Bay points to a competitor skimming across the water!
This afternoon I headed down to Embarcadero Marina Park South to watch the 2018 Swoop Freestyle FAI World Championship! What an exciting sport! Even with my little camera, I managed to get these fun photos!
Swoop Freestyle is a relatively new extreme sport. Competitors skydive, parachute toward the ground with increasing speed, then swoop right above the ground–in this case the blue water–while performing a variety of poses and tricks. The daring athletes swoop at speeds up to 90 mph! Successfully landing on the floating (and slippery) platform is one of the keys to a high score.
I was told this is only the second World Championship event–the first was in Copenhagen–and that this thrilling professional sport is still in its infancy. I can definitely see how it could blow up and become something really big!
I lingered for perhaps an hour and watched much of the First Round action. I’m no expert when it comes to Swoop Freestyle so you’ll have to please forgive my obvious lack of knowledge. I did see dramatic crashes, wild, careening maneuvers, Superman swoops, and some amazing, absolutely miraculous landings atop the floating platform!
Technically brilliant swoops and perfect landings raised a loud cheer from the enthusiastic crowd!
Take a look at these photos and you’ll get an idea of what the event was like…
Here comes another competitor. Helicopters took parachutists high above the water, and the crowd shielded their eyes from the sun to see them descending.Vying for the World Championship of Swoop Freestyle, this competitor approaches the floating platform, just off Embarcadero Marina Park South.One of the athletes is cheered by the crowd after making their dramatic swoop!A banner at the event shows the weekend schedule. The amazing Masters of the Sky wowed lots of excited Swoop Freestyle fans.I was told Swoop Freestyle athletes came from 13 separate countries to vie for the World Championship.Testing a parachute in a section of the park where Swoop Freestyle contestants prepared and boarded a helicopter.Lots of fans in attendance had a special interest in skydiving. They came to watch this unique sporting event from far and wide.Some people were enjoying a VIP section.Here comes another canopy. In mere seconds there will be another daring swoop!Members of a Rescue Team were out on the water, but during the time I watched, they weren’t needed.Crash! This competitor let everyone know he was okay right away.Here comes another swooper!Flying with feet skimming the water’s surface, approaching the floating platform. I don’t recall the result of this swoop.Will this swooper make it to the platform? Some contestants, unfortunately, miscalculated and came up short.More great Swoop Freestyle action out on San Diego Bay.Sometimes two swoopers would come in simultaneously. There was a lot of exciting, intense drama!After sitting on a hard rock for a long time, I wandered around to stretch my legs. Here’s the entrance to the VIP section.Several sponsors and vendors had booths around the park, including Skydive San Diego.Here come a couple of paragliders doing a demonstration during a break in the Swoop Freestyle competition.Paragliding slowly toward the platform. I always enjoy watching paragliders soar along the cliffs above the beach at the Torrey Pines Gliderport.The live music guys were taking a break when I walked by, but did a rocker pose for my camera!There was a fun demonstration by two daredevil water jetpack guys.Entertaining the crowd!Flying through the air without a parachute!Now that really looks like Superman! Where’s the cape?Three guys demonstrated zooming through the San Diego sky in wingsuits. They looked to me like flying squirrels. Unfortunately, I got my photo after their chutes deployed.Here they come. Splash.A couple helicopters were flying back and forth across the bay during much of the event. The Swoop Freestyle competition is about to resume.Here comes one swooper. This competitor angled in really close to the crowd.Flying inches from the water.Here comes another. As you can see, it was a typically perfect San Diego day for the event.Swooping on in. I think this contestant was too far from the platform and came up short.Here comes another Swoop Freestyler. Nice form!A perfect landing! This guy received a high score and with his performance became a contender for world champion.Excitement at a great athletic achievement!Some fans were waving a national flag for one of the Swoop Freestyle international athletes.As the crowd watched the action, behind the scenes the athletes were preparing parachutes and getting ready for their competitive jump.A huge tent contained lots of parachutes. I’m not sure if these were drying out, awaiting use, or what.Will this be the next World Champion of Swoop Freestyle?Heading off in a helicopter to take another flying swoop.Here’s a distant action photo into the sun from a spot near the Hilton, behind the San Diego Convention Center.Didn’t quite make it onto the platform! Close but no cigar!But he still gave me a smile and thumbs up!Excitement is nonstop at the 2018 Swoop Freestyle World Championship!
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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 large, welcoming Love City Heights mural greets people along University Avenue near Interstate 15.
There’s a surprising, rapidly expanding outdoor art gallery in San Diego that anybody can freely enjoy. The huge canvases of this unique gallery are the walls of buildings in City Heights, on the stretch of University Avenue between I-805 and I-15.
Eye-catching works of art by noted San Diego and Southern California muralists have recently been painted all along this “drive-through” gallery. And many more will be appearing soon!
I recently enjoyed a walking tour of the colorful murals, led by Carlos Quezada and Edwin Lohr, two members of Love City Heights, an association affiliated with the City Heights Town Council. Carlos and Edwin are both visionaries who are working with local residents, community leaders and businesses to bring new life to this extraordinarily diverse San Diego neighborhood.
An important part of their effort is #theavenuemuralproject. The Avenue Mural Project is using the magic of art to transform University Avenue, which contains City Heights’ Business District, into a vibrant place full of culture, creativity and community pride.
I learned that Carlos has a definite goal. He’d like to have one new street mural painted every month. His hope is that eventually three works of public art will be easily seen from any random spot along “The Avenue”.
I also learned that Love City Heights is collaborating with the City Heights Development Corporation and Mid-City CAN (Community Advocacy Network) to create even more murals east of I-15 through their youth program.
In addition to filling the streets with cool art, Love City Heights is working with business and property owners to transform their historic San Diego neighborhood into a dynamic place where people from all over will come to dine, shop and enjoy themselves. City Heights is the most diverse community in all of San Diego, and is centrally located, with many unique ethnic restaurants that can be found nowhere else. City Heights is uniquely qualified to be an authentic cultural attraction in San Diego.
Would you like to learn more about San Diego’s colorful, rapidly growing “drive-through” art gallery?
Are you an artist, resident or local business owner who’d like to participate in the revitalization of City Heights?
Do you live in San Diego and want something fun to do? Hop in your car or put on your walking shoes, then embark on a voyage of discovery along University Avenue between I-805 and I-15, where you will enjoy an ever-growing gallery of murals!
Here are a few . . .
The first mural painted by The Avenue Mural Project in City Heights contains joyful swirls of many colors! Endless Summer was designed by artist Erin Bowman.The warm San Diego sun shines above stylized waves.The Endless Summer mural was painted by local school children, whose names appear in one corner, along with many positive messages.Earlier this year I posted a photo of this mural on my blog. I hadn’t realized it’s part of a cool outdoor drive-through art gallery in City Heights!Compassion in a City Heights alley. I was told this Amor mural, by @inkpaint and @fabianafoca, is a work in progress.The beautiful tile mosaic “A” is not quite completed.VISUAL painted the wall of a MetroPCS store with a cool image of kids communicating with tin cans and a string.One business along University Avenue had their building painted with a pleasing mural containing elements of nature.Another local store now has happy, inviting murals painted on a side of their building.This fun image depicts kids breaking open a piñata.A mural titled The Garden Party by artists Althea Rose Neff, Gilbert Cota and Alex Malone.A closer photo of The Garden Party mural, on the wall of popular Mexican restaurant Super Cocina.Los Angeles muralist Ruben Rojas, co-founder of Beautify Earth, painted LOVE on the side of 7-Eleven in City Heights.
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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 photos for you to enjoy!
