Tag: cool

More cool street art in South Park!

I seldom walk through some neighborhoods in San Diego. My last walk through South Park was several years ago.

This morning I headed from Golden Hill up 30th Avenue then Fern Street. As I passed through the heart of South Park my camera found a bunch of cool street art I haven’t previously seen!

Some of this colorful artwork, including a few murals, seems new. Some of it I might have missed during that last walk…

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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 colorful walk through nerdy, artsy Leucadia.

Keep Leucadia Nerdy.
Keep Leucadia Nerdy.

Last weekend I walked up Coast Highway 101 through a good slice of Leucadia. The following photos are of various cool sights I spotted. I saw lots of great murals, too, but those I’ll feature in an upcoming blog post.

Come along and join me on a very misty, occasionally drizzly morning! We start a bit south of Marcheta Street in Encinitas and work our way north up the west sidewalk of Coast Highway 101 to a place around Avocado Street.

A cool old door.
A cool old door.
A giant yeti holds some Mobil oil.
A giant yeti holds some Mobil oil.
Stickers at Juanitas Taco Shop.
Stickers at Juanitas Taco Shop.
A smile in a doorway!
A smile in a doorway!
A cool design stamped in the sidewalk. Leucadia established 1875.
A cool design stamped in the sidewalk. Leucadia established 1875.
Butterflies on a blue fence.
Butterflies on a blue fence.
Lou's Records. New releases every Friday.
Lou’s Records. New releases every Friday.
A fish in a hammock stretched between metal trees by a parking lot.
A fish in a hammock stretched between metal trees by a parking lot.
Eating breakfast on a misty morning at Pannikin Coffee and Tea.
Eating breakfast on a misty morning at Pannikin Coffee and Tea.
Pannikin is located in an historic 1888 Santa Fe Railroad Station, which was moved to this site on Coast Highway 101 west of the train tracks.
Pannikin is located in an historic 1888 Santa Fe Railroad Station, which was moved to this site on Coast Highway 101 west of the train tracks.
An El Camino Real bell above the sidewalk along Coast Highway 101 in Leucadia.
An El Camino Real bell above the sidewalk along Coast Highway 101 in Leucadia.
Rotary International plaque near the base of the El Camino Real bell.
Rotary International plaque near the base of the El Camino Real bell.
Joggers heading down the damp sidewalk near some art on electrical boxes.
Joggers heading down the damp sidewalk near some art on electrical boxes.
A cool little mural with a tropical ocean scene.
A cool little mural with a tropical ocean scene.
An anticuados smile on a fence.
An anticuados smile on a fence.
Some outdoor decor at a Mexican restaurant.
Some outdoor decor at a Mexican restaurant.
A large flower on The Cali Life Gallery.
A large flower on The Cali Life Gallery.
Another cool mural above a window with a colorful beach scene.
Another cool mural above a window with a colorful beach scene.
A surfboard in front of Progression Surf.
A surfboard in front of Progression Surf.
Cool art at a small shopping center on Coast Highway 101.
Cool art at a small shopping center on Coast Highway 101.
The small, green Leucadia Roadside Park.
The small, green Leucadia Roadside Park.
A trashcan in the park features fun tile art.
A trashcan in the park features fun tile art.
Colorful sailboats by an outdoor table.
Colorful sailboats by an outdoor table.
Getting ready for another day at Solterra Winery and Kitchen.
Getting ready for another day at Solterra Winery and Kitchen.
Walking along.
Walking along.
Live. Love.
Live. Love.
Fanciful design on a wall.
Fanciful design on a wall.
Bicyclists head south on old Coast Highway 101.
Bicyclists head south on old Coast Highway 101.
Leucadia Coast Hwy 101. The art and soul of Encinitas.
Leucadia Coast Hwy 101. The art and soul of Encinitas.
Signs point to distant cities and to Seaweed and Gravel.
Signs point to distant cities and to Seaweed and Gravel.
A happy mailman by a bike rack at the Leucadia post office.
A happy mailman by a bike rack at the Leucadia post office.
More cool Leucadia street art on an electrical box.
More cool Leucadia street art on an electrical box.
A Kiss for You.
A Kiss for You.
Welcome to Leucadia in a window.
Welcome to Leucadia in a window.
A very tall carved mermaid by the sidewalk.
A very tall carved mermaid by the sidewalk.
This fierce tiki likes to gnaw on rope, it seems.
This fierce tiki likes to gnaw on rope, it seems.
Two dolphins leap by the sidewalk.
Two dolphins leap by the sidewalk.
The beach must be up these stairs at Bamboo 2 U and Beach House Too.
The beach must be up these stairs at Bamboo 2 U and Beach House Too.
There's a huge seahorse just outside that Beach House.
There’s a huge seahorse just outside that Beach House.
Organic tacos and a whale sighting.
Organic tacos and a whale sighting.
Furniture and Curiosities.
Furniture and Curiosities.
An elaborate design on an electrical box by the sidewalk.
An elaborate design on an electrical box by the sidewalk.
There are so many stickers on the Leucadia Donut Shoppe windows, I won't be tempted by what can't be seen inside.
There are so many stickers on the Leucadia Donut Shoppe windows, I won’t be tempted by what can’t be seen inside.

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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!

Cool photos of Portside Pier construction.

The construction of the new Portside Pier on the Embarcadero is well advanced, and the new structure is beginning to look really cool!

This morning I walked along the Embarcadero near the Cruise Ship Terminal and Star of India. As I approached the Portside Pier’s over-the-water construction site, I was so intrigued by what I saw I decided to take these photos. I was particularly fascinated by the work being done from a floating platform beneath the building!

This project of the Brigantine Restaurant will eventually replace the demolished Anthony’s Fish Grotto, a San Diego landmark that produced many fond memories in the minds of locals and tourists alike. I’m hopeful the new two-story Portside Pier, with its multiple eateries and public observation deck, will produce many more such great memories in the not-too-distant future.

Check out my super cool last photo! I took it through a convenient hole in the surrounding fence!

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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!

Cool murals at Priority Public House!

During my walk through Leucadia on Saturday I stumbled upon a whole bunch of cool murals in one place. They were painted around the parking lot of Priority Public House on North Coast Highway 101.

Check it out!

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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!

Cool public art in Middletown that nobody sees.

There’s some very cool public art in Middletown that almost nobody sees. You can find it at the intersection of Kettner Boulevard and West Palm Street, just east of the San Diego Trolley’s Middletown Station. A mosaic welcomes people to the ramp that ascends to the pedestrian bridge that crosses over Interstate 5.

Very few people use this pedestrian bridge. They are the only ones who are likely to see this public art. Drivers coming down Kettner might glimpse something, but it requires a good turn of the head at exactly the right moment. The artwork is on a wall tucked in a corner.

I don’t know who created this colorful mosaic. Some names are written on it. The mosaic is composed of tiles, stones, sculpted clay, beads, bits of glass. There are images of surfers, skateboarders, butterflies, flowers… There are wise sayings. It appears to be a community project. I’ve searched the internet but find nothing.

If you know more about this fantastic but mysterious public artwork, please leave a comment!

Thinking is more interesting than knowing but less interesting than looking...
Thinking is more interesting than knowing but less interesting than looking…
You cannot stop the waves but you can learn to surf.
You cannot stop the waves but you can learn to surf.

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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!

A cool exhibition of photographs on Cortez Hill.

I’m an amateur photographer. When I see an exhibition of photography by experts who actually know what they’re doing, I’m filled with wonder and a little bit of jealousy.

This evening I was walking through downtown, heading for my home atop Cortez Hill, when I saw a cool collection of photographs inside the front room gallery of Safelight Labs. About every month the exhibition in Safelight Labs changes, giving local photographers who use film a chance to showcase their work and perhaps sell a few pieces.

If you’re into photography, make sure to check out Safelight Labs, which is described as a community darkroom space.

Rob Cowan, the owner, is super knowledgeable and friendly. By offering workshops, classes, and an onsite studio and darkroom, he helps others to pursue their passion for photography!

The current gallery exhibition “One by Three: A Wide View of San Diego” is by photographer Carlos Lopez Medrano. He has taken many fantastic photos all around our beautiful city!

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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!

The Art of Shag at the Comic-Con Museum!

Today I enjoyed a really great exhibition at the future home of the Comic-Con Museum. The popular artist Josh Agle, who goes by the name Shag, has a big gallery of super cool artwork on display free to the public through this weekend!

I must admit I was unfamiliar with the name Shag, but once I saw the artwork I recognized his distinctive style. And now I’m a big fan! His snappy colorful images have a 1960’s commercial art feel, and many of the pieces celebrate popular entertainment and scenes from that era. His sly, often subversive “Mid-Century Modern aesthetic” is all in good fun.

Shag’s art often depicts Hollywood stars raising glasses at decadent cocktail parties. Many of his images include exotic Tikis. He creates vivid, snazzy scenes that invoke a sense of what is referred to as retro decadence.

Some of his pieces pay tribute to classic cartoons and Disney. As you can see in my photos, he also re-imagines popular movies like Planet of the Apes, Star Wars and Guardians of the Galaxy, comic books like Spider-Man, and television shows like the Twilight Zone and Batman.

If you’d like to see some really cool art, definitely head over to Balboa Park tomorrow and check out the Art of Shag! The free exhibition will be open 10 am to 4 pm in the Federal Building, which used to house the Hall of Champions, and which is destined to become the Comic-Con Museum in 2021.

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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!