Tag: downtown

Dogs of Downtown gather in San Diego!

Another fun Dogs of Downtown event was held today in San Diego! Canines were the furry superstars on the outdoor WeWork Terrace at 600 B Street!

Downtown residents and four-footed best friends enjoyed free live music, a pup fashion show, dog-centered art, crafts and goods, and the opportunity for dog adoption. There were even VIP tickets available if you wanted your pet to be drawn by a caricature artist, have its tag engraved and more!

It was a great way for people and dogs who live at the center of San Diego to make new friends. And take a pic or two!

The tail-wagging annual event is courtesy of various supporters and the Downtown San Diego Partnership.

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Clean and Safe program beautifies San Diego!

This morning I noticed somebody freshening one of the hanging planters in downtown San Diego’s Cortez Hill neighborhood. On a ladder above the sidewalk, he was adding geraniums and other flowering plants!

It was a friendly worker from Downtown San Diego Partnership’s Clean & Safe program!

Thank you!

San Diego youth explore Wonder through art.

Voice Out 2026 is a youth media art exhibition that officially opens today inside San Diego’s downtown Central Library.

Young creators from across the San Diego region were invited by Outside The Lens to explore the idea of Wonder through photography, digital illustration and mixed media. Nearly 200 pieces are now on display on the first floor of the Central Library.

I checked the art out yesterday after the displays were set up!

Wonder stretches our curious minds, leading us to places beyond our accustomed horizons. Places that can be fantastic and strange. I saw images full of dreams, discovery and possibility.

The art of Voice Out 2026 will be on display at both the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego and the San Diego Central Library throughout June 2026.

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Amazing burger and fries at Santa Fe Depot!

Where can you find one of the best burger and fries combinations in San Diego? At the downtown Santa Fe Depot!

You don’t need to be an Amtrak or Coaster passenger to enjoy this tasty, restaurant quality meal. Simply walk into the train station and place your order at the Silver Streak Cafe.

What you’re seeing is today’s cheeseburger and French fries lunch, which I enjoyed inside the beautiful old train station. The historic Santa Fe Depot was built to accomodate people arriving in San Diego for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition.

And here’s a smile at the Silver Streak Cafe kiosk that will greet you!

Home of The Golden Era in San Diego.

The Golden Era was a literary newspaper that originated in San Francisco in 1852. It was notable for publishing pieces by renowned Western authors like Mark Twain and Bret Harte.

In 1887 the periodical, then a monthly magazine, was brought by James Harrison Wagner to downtown San Diego. It occupied the first floor of a building that stands at 919 Fourth Avenue in today’s Gaslamp Quarter. Much of its focus then would concern the development of San Diego and the West in the late 19th century.

A historical plaque describes the Lawyer’s Block Building, 1889.

Before its completion, 20 spaces of this building’s second floor were rented to some of early San Diego’s best known lawyers, making this an unofficial headquarters for litigators. The first floor had a more literary history. In 1889 it housed the West Coast’s pioneer illustrated literary periodical, Golden Era. The San Diego Union also had its offices here, with printing presses in the basement.

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Preserving a world treasure in San Diego.

San Diego is home of a world treasure. Star of India is one of the most important historic ships in the entire world.

The Maritime Museum of San Diego maintains 1863 tall ship Star of India, which is not only the oldest active ship in the world, but a United States National Historic Landmark. The beautiful sailing ship, an iconic sight on the Embarcadero, is one of our city’s brightest crown jewels.

Local museums are facing a future of difficult funding. Now imagine a maritime museum that must care for and preserve historic ships that are outdoors in the weather and on the water, including Star of India. Ships are expensive to maintain. To preserve a world treasure like Star of India takes a lot of funds, volunteer work, and love.

A few days ago I noticed one volunteer working on the wood deck, repairing the inevitable cracks that come from exposure to sun, rain and changing temperatures. He explained that he was sealing cracks with a special marine sealant and adhesive. I also learned the expansive main deck of the Star will have to be replaced in the future. No small or inexpensive task!

If you take pride in Star of India, why not help her by becoming a member of the Maritime Museum of San Diego like myself? Or you can become a volunteer, or make a donation!

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Kumeyaay exhibit at the Gaslamp Museum.

A great exhibition opened earlier this month at the Gaslamp Museum in the historic Davis-Horton House. San Diego’s First People is the name of the exhibition. It’s presented by the Sycuan Cultural Resource Center and Museum.

Artifacts and a series of displays detail the history, life and culture of the Kumeyaay people, who inhabited the San Diego and surrounding region thousands of years before the arrival of Europeans.

Visitors also learn how the resilient Kumeyaay people thrive today, while maintaining their cultural identity through oral traditions, songs and ceremonies.

This special exhibition continues through May 30, 2026. Click here for more information!

Wile E. Coyote chases Road Runner in Seaport Village!

Wile E. Coyote was spotted today chasing Road Runner through Seaport Village!

I noticed the crazy pursuit directly in front of the Chuck Jones Gallery. After stepping into the cartoon art gallery I learned these two fun sculptures were placed outside today!

I also learned the Chuck Jones Gallery will host a variety of artist events during Comic-Con, which is in a little over two months. Those activities are listed here.

If you love Looney Tunes, Dr. Seuss, Peanuts and other popular art, cartoons and animation, you need to pay a visit!

Star Wars Day(s) at the San Diego library!

Star Wars fans will soon be gathering at the San Diego Central Library. Fun, creative activities will be available in the IDEA Maker Lab on May the Fourth (be with you) and (revenge of the) Fifth!

You’ll have the opportunity to paint mini lightsabers, 3D print droids, make Star Wars buttons, participate in a scavenger hunt (and win prizes), and more. All ages welcome.

Registration is encouraged but not required.

To learn more about this cool event, click here and here!

Exhibit recalls Pacific Coast League San Diego Padres.

An exhibit inside downtown’s Central Library remembers the Pacific Coast League San Diego Padres. Photographs and memorabilia fill a display case on the Eighth Floor, in a corner of the San Diego Ted Williams SABR Chapter Research Center.

Before the San Diego Padres became an expansion team of Major League Baseball back in 1969, the minor league Padres competed in the Pacific Coast League. Between 1936 and 1957 they played at Lane Field near downtown’s waterfront; they would later play at Westgate Park in Mission Valley from 1958 to 1967, and San Diego Stadium in 1968.

The display case might bring back fond memories for old-timers. In addition to many fun, historical photos, there’s a Padres home jersey and cap (1954-1968), old game tickets and other ephemera.

The display items are courtesy of Bill Swank, Tom Larwin, and the San Diego Padres.

The Sullivan Family Baseball Research Center at the San Diego Central Library is a mecca for baseball fans. It’s the largest baseball research collection outside of the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York!

Padres fans should go check it out!

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