Please help the Save Our Heritage Organisation gather artifacts and memories to preserve a part of San Diego history. (Click this photo to enlarge the flyer for easy reading.)
I recently tood a photo of a flyer that I spotted in the Senior Lounge in Balboa Park. Please click the above image and read it.
Save Our Heritage Organisation (SOHO) is seeking memorabilia, ephemera, merchandise and memories from Marston’s Department Store, which for nearly a century was the most elegant place to shop in San Diego. The department store was founded by George Marston, who is often referred to as San Diego’s First Citizen. As a civic leader and philanthropist, he was instrumental in creating Balboa Park, Presidio Park and the San Diego Historical Society.
Marston began as a clerk at the Horton House Hotel and eventually built the Marston Company, which ran a department store in San Diego. When earlier locations became outgrown, the large, elegant Marston’s Department Store on C Street, between 5th and 6th Street, built in the Renaissance Revival architectural style, opened in 1912 and became a popular downtown shopping destination. In 1961 it was sold by his family to The Broadway, which has since closed.
Artifacts related to Marston’s Department Store will be used by SOHO in a permanent exhibit inside their Marston House Museum in Balboa Park. Items that you contribute can be sent or delivered to the SOHO offices in Old Town. Recorded memories are also sought. The 2018 exhibit celebrates the 140th anniversary of the store’s founding!
Do you know anyone who shopped at Marston’s Department Store those many years ago? Perhaps they can help the Save Our Heritage Organisation with this very cool project!
George Marston, circa 1907-1908, San Diego businessman, civic leader and philanthropist. Public domain photo from Wikimedia Commons.Photo of San Diego Union newspaper from Monday morning, January 1, 1912. Depicted is a brand new Marston Department Store. The headline reads: Modern Mercantile Emporium One of Best Three on Coast.
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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!
Tours of Petco Park include a behind-the-scenes and on-the-field look at the home of the San Diego Padres.
Today I went on a very cool guided tour of Petco Park, baseball home of the San Diego Padres. The one and a half hour tour, which is offered to the public seven days a week, provided a behind-the-scenes look at parts of the ballpark that fans usually don’t see.
I was blown away!
A super knowledgeable and friendly tour guide showed our small group why Petco Park is regarded by many as the best ballpark in Major League Baseball. People in our group who were visiting San Diego, and who were fans of other teams, seemed to enjoy themselves just as much as me!
We saw several parts of the unique Western Metal Supply Co. Building, ventured into the Press Box, and got to briefly see the exclusive Lexus Home Plate Club. We walked out onto the field, and everyone took photos while sitting in the visiting team’s dugout. Then we entered a tunnel that led to the visiting team’s locker room. After passing through a service corridor used for Petco Park deliveries and maintenance, we emerged into daylight, entered the Padres Team Store, and finally ended up at the Padres Hall of Fame.
The following photos provide just a small taste of this awesome experience. If you find yourself in San Diego, take the tour! If you love baseball, it’s a must!
People wait by a ticket window for a fascinating ballpark tour at Petco Park in San Diego.Paty, our knowledgeable and super friendly tour guide, familiarizes everyone with the history of Petco Park.Personalized bricks in the Palm Court Plaza were purchased by more than 10,000 fans when the ballpark was built. The bricks sold out in 5 minutes!The Breitbard Hall of Fame was recently relocated from Balboa Park’s old Hall of Champions to the main concourse level of Petco Park. San Diego sports legends are honored with plaques.A view of the ball field in January from inside the Western Metal Supply Co. Building. Trucks are getting the field ready for an upcoming Monster Jam event.A Padres fan on the tour checks out the left field foul pole, which is attached to a corner of the Western Metal Supply Co. Building. The tolling of the nearby mission bell during every game reminds fans of San Diego’s history.An amazing view of the ballpark can be enjoyed from The Rail, an exclusive seating area high up in the Western Metal Supply Co. Building.The Loft at Petco Park contains pool tables, a fun vibe and cool elements of the Western Metal Supply Co. Building’s history that have been preserved.As we continue counterclockwise around the upper level of Petco Park, we learn more Padres facts. We hear stories about the players and relive special moments.A series of photo murals along the upper level depict Padres history. This one from March 24, 1951 shows Whitey Wietelmann out at first base.As we walk along, San Diego’s South Bay comes into view.We are about to go behind-the-scenes and check out the Press Box!Inside a lounge area for the press is a glass display case full of memories from Jerry Coleman’s life as baseball player, Marine aviator, and Padres broadcaster. The folded flag was presented to him by the military upon his retirement.We get to sit inside writer’s row, where the press watches each game and composes their stories! The official scorer has a special seat in one corner.Way to the left we can glimpse the control room for the music, lights and video boards, and the spot occupied by the public address announcer.A couple months before the 2018 season begins, some workers are doing a bit of gardening at the ballpark!Here’s another fun part of the Petco Park tour. Walking out onto the field!We head to the area behind home plate. In addition to other features, we are shown how Petco Park was built to provide intimate, direct views of the action from every seat.Hanging out in the visiting team’s dugout! How cool is this?If you find yourself in San Diego, you should take a cool tour of Petco Park!
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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!
Looking east past the Bow Wave fountain in San Diego’s Civic Center Plaza. The skyscrapers you see are in the heart of downtown’s Financial District.
When I walk through downtown San Diego, sometimes I’ll pass through Civic Center Plaza to see if anything new or interesting is going on at the San Diego Civic Theater, or at Golden Hall in the San Diego Community Concourse.
I personally have a fond memory of Golden Hall. It’s where I attended my first San Diego Comic-Con with a school friend who happened to be a huge comic book fan. I believe that was in 1982, because I remember the artist Mike Grell was there, and penciled a free detailed sketch of his creation the Warlord for my friend. Back then the initial Superman and Star Wars movies were huge sensations. Yes, that was many, many years ago!
Civic Center Plaza today contains several cool sights. So far my blog hasn’t included images of the Memorial to Alonzo E. Horton plaque and the impressive Official City of San Diego Seal in the passage under the City Administration Building. So here they are!
(You might recall that in the past I’ve posted photos of the Bow Wave fountain, the terrazzo image in the plaza of Cabrillo’s galleon sailing into San Diego Bay, and the Sister City signs. Not to mention photos of other incidental stuff encountered during walks.)
Walking west into Civic Center Plaza from Third Avenue. Golden Hall is directly ahead.Lots of people are excited that the smash hit Hamilton is playing right now at the San Diego Civic Theater.Cool photo of Bow Wave, created by artist Malcolm Leland in 1972.A few people stroll through Civic Center Plaza. Windows in the old (and many say outdated) City Administration Building rise over a passage to C Street.Charles C. Dail Concourse conceived by citizens of vision. This Community Concourse is dedicated by the people of San Diego as a tribute to culture, industry and good government, 1965.Memorial to Alonzo E. Horton, 1813-1909, founder of the new city of San Diego, 1867. Placed by the San Diego Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution in the Bicentennial year 1976.People walk toward the San Diego City Information Center past a large terrazzo City of San Diego Seal.Detail contained in the official City of San Diego Seal.
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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!
Should you walk past the intersection of Ninth Avenue and Island Avenue in East Village, be certain to gaze upward. Because your eyes will be dazzled by Indigo Waters shining in the San Diego sky!
Indigo Waters is a 40-foot blue glass panel sculpture mounted near the roof of the Hotel Indigo San Diego Gaslamp Quarter. This very cool public artwork was designed and created for the hotel about ten years ago by local artist Lisa Schirmer. You’ve already seen her work on this blog, in the form of vibrant baseball windglyphs now flying at Lane Field Park!
Lisa Schirmer’s sculpture really takes life in San Diego’s sunshine. As the sunlight changes, Indigo Waters seems to ebb and flow. Light passing through and reflecting from the 33 hand-painted glass panels produces a variety of magical effects.
The photographs you see here were taken on a couple different days. The blue glass panels are most brilliant on cloudless days in the early afternoon, right around two o’clock.
UPDATE!
Here’s another photo that I took on a super sunny day!
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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!
Street art spotted during a walk along North Park Way. This masked face looks a bit like a cosmic ice cream cone.
I really don’t know what the correct definition of street art is. All I can say for certain is that I was walking along a short stretch of North Park Way last weekend when I spotted these creative works. All were in the vicinity of Ray Street and 30th Street.
A cool street art face in North Park.Love More Than Ever stenciled on a wall.Two silvery reindeer sculptures on the sidewalk, near a mailbox that receives Letters to Santa. You’ll find these in December outside Pacific Drapery.Three somewhat sickly smileys on a Have a Nice Day sticker.A colorfully painted You Are Radiant. Yes. You.
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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!
Refugee high school students grow and sell vegetables in North Park. They are Youth FarmWorks interns receiving a helping hand from the International Rescue Committee!
I was walking around North Park yesterday when I stumbled upon a small farm on a dirt lot north of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. I crossed 30th Street to see what was going on, and noticed a bunch of youth working the soil, and sitting at a table selling vegetables!
It turns out these super friendly new San Diego residents are refugees attending local high schools. As Youth FarmWorks interns they are learning job skills and gaining confidence in their new country. This urban farming project was created by the International Rescue Committee, which helps refugees adjust to life in the United States, where they are safe and free from persecution.
I was given a tour of the small farm by a super cool young man–he’s the guy who gave me a thumbs up in that first photo! He showed me the various vegetables they were growing, including different types of lettuce, beets, squash, cherry tomatoes, and much more. My tour was awesome!
Good luck to everyone!
Sign by the large vegetable garden reads Youth Farm Works – Job Training Urban Farm.Many large planters contain all sorts of growing vegetables.Students at work on the urban farm.A very cool smile!
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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 cool sight before the 54th Annual North Park Toyland Parade gets started!
Here are lots of photos from today’s 54th Annual North Park Toyland Parade!
This was my first year watching the Toyland Parade. I headed to North Park and walked about a little before the parade began. Then I found a spot on the sidewalk and got my camera ready!
Kids head toward the parade route, which begins along University Avenue in San Diego’s North Park neighborhood.These kids were selling fresh mistletoe before the parade got started.Folks chat in the staging area before the hometown holiday parade begins in the late afternoon.And here we go! Boy Scouts lead the parade carrying flags.After a bunch of local San Diego politicians go by, here comes the Grinch!It’s the Gift of Dance! Some very lively Mexican folklorico dancing adds zest to the parade!Whirling color.A fun truck with a Christmas tree in back.Looks like Santa-clown.This fun parade entry sported a miniature North Park landmark sign.I believe this is a student attending Saint Didacus Parish School.Lots of candy was being handed out to thrilled kids along the parade route.Kimberly Wong was the 2017 Miss Toyland Parade Queen!Friendly folks from the Cambodian Nazarene Church.This silly guy with the John P. Squibob group posed for my camera.Happy people go by.San Diego’s Al Bahr Shriners seems to be in every parade around the city.More goofy clowns.Here come those fun little parade vehicles the Shriners always drive.Here come some North Park Little Leaguers.A Mexican and Canadian flag, and a really good time. I believe these are kids at Jefferson Elementary Steam Magnet.Everyone loves a parade. Including the participants!Here comes the Madison High School marching band!Marching cheerfully down University Avenue wearing Santa hats. Many familiar holiday tunes were performed during the parade.Yikes! It’s Bumble, the Abominable Snowmonster of the North! Watch out Rudolph!And here comes another fierce Grinch! Is nobody safe?Here comes a bunch of super cool vehicles. Check this out…Check out the hydraulics action of this awesome lowrider! These guys were bouncing their cars like mad all along the parade route!The parade crowd loved these crazy cars.It’s the Sweetwater High School Red Devil Corps!Here comes Charlie Brown, Snoopy and Woodstock on an elf-driven motorcycle!These are members of the Realm of Andor, part of the Belegarth Medieval Combat Society. They meet Sundays in Balboa Park at Morley Field.Everyone is in the North Park holiday parade. Even the Junk King!This guy’s cool Star Trike appears to be modeled after the Starship Enterprise. I wonder if it’s difficult to obtain dilithium crystals?And at the end of the North Park Toyland Parade, good old Santa Claus waves to everyone from atop a fire engine! Merry Christmas!
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This blog now features thousands of photos around San Diego! Are you curious? There’s lots of cool stuff to check out!
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A street musician on San Diego’s always dynamic Embarcadero plays bagpipes that shoot flames!
How crazy is this?
During my afternoon walk near the USS Midway Museum I spotted a street musician playing some bagpipes. But these weren’t ordinary bagpipes. These shot flames!
I meant to ask the performer how his unique flamethrower bagpipes work, but he kept playing and playing, and receiving a steady stream of donations, and I didn’t want to interrupt his performance. I’ll have to ask him a few questions should I see him again!
Very cool!
These flamethrower bagpipes drew a lot of attention at the foot of Navy Pier!An unexpected cool sight during another walk in San Diego!
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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!
I’ve made a couple of cool changes to my website! Now it’s easy to enjoy Cool San Diego Sights (plus my other blog Beautiful Balboa Park) in dozens of languages!
If you’re viewing this page on a computer screen or large tablet, you will see a Google Translate button near the top of the sidebar, on the left side of your screen. Select your preferred language and everything on the website will be instantly translated!
If you’re using a smaller device, like a smartphone, click those three parallel lines up at the top of this page and the sidebar will open up. Google Translate should be the first thing you see.
What else is new?
I’ve added buttons to my sidebar which make it easy to follow Cool San Diego Sights on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Tumblr! I only update my Pinterest and Tumblr pages every few months, but if you’re on those social media platforms, you might want to check it out!
As always, please feel free to share anything you happen to find on any of my blogs. It’s all for fun!
By the way, I just finished writing a new short story for my Short Stories by Richard blog. It’s called The Silver of Ice. It’s based a bit on my own personal experience, when I lived on the high plains many years ago.
I’m going to Balboa Park in a few minutes to check out something that should be really cool. I’ll post photos when I get home!
Follow this path of many colors and you will enter a magical place!
This morning during my walk I stumbled upon inexplicable wonder. A rainbow had mysteriously fallen to the ground. The shattered rainbow formed a twisting path.
I followed that path of many colors to a magical place.
Spanish Village Art Center in Balboa Park is a place of many wonders. Today there were exhibitors from the San Diego Mineral and Gem Society outside selling their beautiful lapidary work.I learned the yellow in this labyrinth was recently painted. Now the once elusive design really stands out. You’ll find it in front of Studio 13. Many curious kids (and some adults) like to journey down this curving path!If this is a Road to Nowhere, I’ll follow it happily!Cool bits of art in front of funky Studio 13 in Spanish Village. The artist with whom I spoke was super nice. She once painted hopscotch patterns from different cultures around the world on the nearby patio.Today there was also a big San Diego Potters’ Guild sale on Spanish Village’s main patio. My eyes were overwhelmed with so much to see. The potential for beauty is infinite.Should you find yourself in Balboa Park, do not hesitate to follow this magical path of many colors! It was painted only a couple weeks ago by an artist who works in Studio 10!
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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 San Diego Sights! 