It’s now April. The days are getting warmer. The sky has turned a deeper blue. The San Diego Symphony is preparing their outdoor venue The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park for a new season!
The Shell’s red seats were being taken out of storage today in preparation for upcoming concerts. The very first concert, in a couple weeks, will be Lang Lang by the Bay. A couple days later, Peter Frampton will take the stage. And about a week later, Willie Nelson! Yes, lots of musical superstars will be swinging by San Diego in 2024. See the full schedule by clicking here!
I remember the very first concert held in 2021 back when The Shell was brand new. If you want to see photos of the historic opening concert of The Rady Shell, click here!
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A bright green, very sleek ship caught my eye today as I walked along San Diego’s Embarcadero. The ship Armada 78 07 was docked at Broadway Pier.
Armada 78 07 is an innovative, environmentally responsible vessel that utilizes robotic technology. It was built by Ocean Infinity and operates as an offshore supply ship.
According to what I’ve read, it’s part of a small fleet of Armada ships that has entered service in the past year or two. The Ocean Infinity website states: Today we operate a hybrid model of robotics alongside fuel-efficient conventional vessels. But, we’re beginning the transition away from conventional vessels with the development of hybrid and ammonia powered uncrewed and ‘optionally crewed’ robotic ships, ‘Armada’.
Here’s their video about building a fleet of robotic ships.
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
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 (formerly known as Twitter)!
A new tree-filled, park-like space is coming to San Diego’s waterfront!
The Manchester Pacific Gateway project’s 1.9 acre plaza will be located west of the One Broadway Hotel, which is now in the early stages of construction. The sunny outdoor plaza will be open to the public, just across Harbor Drive from Broadway Pier.
A small army of workers was out today planting greenery in the new plaza. When completed, this popular stretch of the North Embarcadero should be even more inviting and beautiful!
The tall building you see in the background of my next photograph is one of five new buildings at the adjacent Research and Development District. I spotted more new public art at RaDD during today’s walk. I’ll be blogging about that shortly!
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
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 (formerly known as Twitter)!
Have you seen the cool new mural next to the Gallagher Square playground? It features half a dozen prominent, fan favorite San Diego Padres baseball players!
From left to right, there are images of Joe Musgrove, Manny Machado, Ha-Seong Kim, Xander Bogaerts, Fernando Tatís Jr., and Yu Darvish!
The mural covers both sides of the wall immediately east of the tall “baseball bat” play tower!
In case you can’t make it out to Petco Park, here are photos that I took today.
GO PADS!
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
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 (formerly known as Twitter)!
A luxurious hotel in downtown San Diego contains two huge rooms that are quite unusual. One used to be a basketball court, and another was an indoor swimming pool!
The Guild Hotel occupies the historic 1924 building that was originally home of the Army-Navy YMCA. For decades, tens of thousands of sailors and military men would head to this location on Broadway, not far from the waterfront, to recreate. They’d play basketball, run around an elevated indoor track, and swim in a basement pool.
The Guild Hotel, when it moved into the iconic building, creatively repurposed two large indoor spaces. The huge basketball court was converted into the grand Grace Ballroom! The swimming pool was turned into the Society Ballroom!
I was shown these spaces several weeks ago during the San Diego Architectural Foundation Open House event.
Just inside the front entrance of the luxurious The Guild Hotel in downtown San Diego.The Guild Bar in the hotel lobby.To the left of the bar, a door opens to the unusual Grace Ballroom.The Grace Ballroom at The Guild Hotel was originally an indoor basketball court. Military men shot hoops here for decades when the building was an Armed Services YMCA.An elevated platform intended for jogging or running continues to surround the hotel ballroom!Beautiful tiles along a stairway that descends from The Guild Hotel lobby to a lower level.An old photograph of the large swimming pool that once occupied the Army-Navy YMCA’s basement.The swimming pool is gone, replaced by the Society Ballroom! The historic space was set up as a meeting room when I toured the hotel.
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
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 (formerly known as Twitter)!
This coming Thursday–March 28, 2024–the Balboa Theatre in downtown San Diego will have been opened for 100 years!
Those walking down the sidewalk past the historic building might notice some intriguing graphics that celebrate the big anniversary.
Look at my first photograph, taken this morning. Beside the stage door on Fourth Avenue you can see promotional material from 1924.
The Opening Night of San Diego’s Newest Motion Picture House Finished at Cost of $800,000 would feature Lilies of the Field. The film’s stars, Conway Tearle and Corinne Griffith, would also make a personal appearance.
Over the course of a century, the Balboa Theatre has undergone many changes, all the while remaining an important part of life in downtown San Diego.
Additional graphics along the sidewalk tell more of the Balboa Theatre’s unique story:
The Balboa Theatre’s Famous Morton Organ
…The organ has more than 1400 keys and is connected to a series of 2,000 pipes that produce the sounds of a range of musical instruments, including drums, trumpets, and a xylophone!
Because of its unusually ornate “wedding cake” console carvings and unique details, the Balboa ‘s is believe to be the first of only five Wonder Morton Organs ever built and one of only four that survive today…
Balboa Theatre organist Edward Swan, who provides organ accompaniment for up to 12 hours every day, claimed that the Morton organ was the finest he had ever played.
In 1929, the original Balboa Theatre organ was relocated to the Fox Theatre, now Copley Symphony Hall.
The 4-manual, 23-rank Wonder Morton Organ currently installed at the Balboa was constructed in 1929 for the Loew’s Valencia Theatre on Jamaica Avenue in Queens…
There will be a special showing at the Balboa Theatre this Friday to celebrate the big 100 year anniversary. The Flying Fleet, a 1929 silent movie that features scenes in San Diego, will be accompanied by the current Wonder Morton theatre pipe organ.
You can learn more about the event by clicking here!
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
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 (formerly known as Twitter)!
Look what I spied this afternoon during my walk around San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter. I believe this structure will be a huge electronic videoboard. It’s now being installed in Gaslamp Square!
I spoke to some people who’ve been observing the construction of this steel framework. They believe this will be an LED video display. One side faces the San Diego Convention Center; the opposite side is pointed toward the iconic Gaslamp Quarter landmark sign on Fifth Avenue.
I’ve seen no news concerning this apparent videoboard. If that is indeed what it is–how perfect for Comic-Con and other big events that are centered near the Gaslamp! If I discover more in the days ahead, I’ll post an update.
Feel free to leave a comment!
UPDATE!
Several days later a worker confirmed this will be a LED messaging board–or I should say boards! There are two of them…
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
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 (formerly known as Twitter)!
A gigantic baseball bat tower has been installed inside Gallagher Square at Petco Park!
Check it out! That huge bat is actually part of a new, super cool playground, which, as I understand it, will feature a slide and bridge that connect to those other elevated structures!
Whoaa! To be a kid again! Families living in downtown San Diego and those attending Padres games are in for a treat!
While walking through East Village around Petco Park late this afternoon, I also noticed some Padres players street lamp banners are up for the new 2024 season!
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
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 (formerly known as Twitter)!
The Balboa Theatre in downtown San Diego is celebrating its centennial. The old vaudeville/movie theatre opened in 1924, survived a threatened demolition, and has experienced a beautiful restoration. Today the Balboa Theatre is a popular concert and event venue whose splendid interior and pipe organ recalls what entertainment was like in San Diego a century ago.
I’ve learned a special event is coming on Friday, March 29, that honors both the historic theater’s centennial and San Diego’s military. The Flying Fleet, a silent movie released in 1929, will be returning to life, accompanied by the Wonder Morton theatre pipe organ played by Ken Double.
Much of The Flying Fleet was filmed in San Diego. Scenes depict two love smitten pilots training at Naval Air Station North Island. The romantic drama includes action from the United States Navy’s first aircraft carrier USS Langley! You might consider The Flying Fleet a melodramatic prequel to Top Gun!
Is your budget feeling stressed? Tickets are a whopping $3.50!
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 (formerly known as Twitter)!
San Diego area artist James Hubbell is beloved by many. He has achieved international renown. His beautiful, uniquely organic sculptures can be found all around the city. I’ve photographed much of his public art over the years.
Starting today, his visually stunning artwork can be enjoyed inside four different San Diego Public Libraries!
The exhibition James Hubbell: Architecture of Jubilation can now be viewed at the Central Library Art Gallery, the Scripps Miramar Ranch Library, the Mission Valley Library, and the Otay Mesa-Nestor Library. The citywide event will continue through August 4, 2024. To discover what you might find at each of the four libraries, click here!
I was granted a quick sneak peek inside the Central Library’s Ninth Floor Art Gallery this afternoon. The following photographs provide a taste of what you will experience…
Several special programs at the Central Library coincide with this exhibition.
On Tuesday, March 19, there is a film screening of James Hubbell: Between Heaven & Earth.
On Monday, April 22, there is a Dave Hampton lecture titled “James Hubbell at Midcentury: His Early Years in the San Diego Art Community.”
On Tuesday, May 21, there is a Keith York lecture titled “James Hubbell & Sim Bruce Richards: Collaborations.”
On Friday, May 17, there’s a stained glass workshop taught by ArtReach San Diego.
For more information about these programs, and to register, click here!
Finally, enjoy a photograph I took near the Central Library’s front desk. The beautiful sculpture is by James Hubbell. Opus, made of bronze, was created in 1970. It belongs to the City of San Diego Civic Art Collection:
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
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 (formerly known as Twitter)!
Cool San Diego Sights! 