Tag: downtown

A very new look for old Horton Plaza!

Horton Plaza, the colorful old shopping mall that once attracted crowds to downtown San Diego, is now being redeveloped into a brand new mixed-use research campus called Horton.

I walked past the north entrance of the original Horton Plaza this morning. And look what I saw!

That’s very different from how things originally appeared! You can see the change in the next photograph that I took in 2014, while a small demonstration house was being built by Habitat For Humanity in nearby Horton Square…

Next is a photo I took in 2020 while Horton Plaza’s redevelopment was getting underway…

And here comes a photo taken later that year after the north entry’s original façade was entirely removed…

And now, here’s how things appears today!

This morning, after taking photos of Horton’s new north entrance, I proceeded south down First Avenue along the project’s west side, until I reached Horton’s southwest corner at G Street…

The Horton website provides an idea of how the interior of the complex will appear when completed. As you can see, some of the fun architectural elements of old Horton Plaza will be retained.

UPDATE!

In July 2023 I was walking down Fourth Avenue when I noticed the Balboa Theatre, at the northeast corner of old Horton Plaza, has been painted mostly white!

The new paint job will make it fit in with the rest of Horton’s white exterior. But is this an improvement?

Here’s how the Balboa Theatre used to appear…

The Balboa Theatre stands adjacent to downtown's equally famous Horton Plaza.

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A game of Telephone with words and visual art!

A brilliant exhibition can now be enjoyed in the 9th Floor Art Gallery at San Diego’s Central Library. The exhibition is called Lost in Translation: A Game of Telephone!

You know the game called Telephone? It’s that verbal game where somebody conveys a message to a second person, who then the conveys the message to a third person, and so forth, on and on, until the message becomes so changed that it bears little resemblance to the original.

Well, imagine Telephone being played with written words and visual art!

The several “messages” in this unusual art exhibition morph strangely and unexpectedly.

Sequential threads can be viewed on the gallery walls. Each thread begins with a poetic passage written by a local writer. Those words are then interpreted by a local artist, whose resultant creation is then interpreted by another writer, whose words are then interpreted by another artist . . .

Cool idea, right?

I found it interesting that some of the threads maintained a certain amount of cohesion when it came to the conveyed message. But other threads mutated wildly, with subjects and themes lurching in completely different directions!

This is one very unique exhibition that you really have to see for yourself!

Check it out before April 15, 2023.

The following is part of one thread…

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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 Twitter!

City life on a wet, very windy morning.

San Diego is experiencing very high winds today. Combined with morning showers, including a sudden bout of hail, the icy wind made walking downtown a bit of an adventure.

I ventured outside after the hail. Nevertheless, my usual San Diego jacket felt far too thin. And crazy wind gusts almost knocked me over several times!

Flags were whipping around, most people were bundled up and my hat flew off twice. As you can see in the next photo, it’s Ash Wednesday.

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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 Twitter!

Flowers planted in downtown San Diego!

Clean and Safe workers were out and about this morning planting fresh flowers and succulents in downtown San Diego!

During my morning walk through the Gaslamp Quarter I noticed planters along Fifth Avenue were bright with new color.

Thank you to the folks at the Downtown San Diego Partnership who strive to make the heart of our city more welcoming and attractive.

Those flowers are a reminder that spring will be here before we know it!

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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 Twitter!

The US Grant hotel’s façade refresh!

The world famous US Grant hotel in downtown San Diego is receiving a façade refresh!

I noticed several workers on scaffolding today as I walked down Broadway.

The hotel opened in 1910–over a century ago. The son of President Ulysses S. Grant oversaw the building of the Grant Hotel, which was designed by architect Harrison Albright. Past guests have included Albert Einstein, Charles Lindbergh and twelve United States Presidents!

Did you know San Diego Comic-Con held their very first convention at the U.S .Grant Hotel back in 1970? Back then the nascent convention was called San Diego’s Golden State Comic-Con.

Here’s a page on the hotel’s website providing a bit of the history, including a period when the elegant building had become sadly neglected.

After the current refresh, the hotel should appear simply glorious!

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 Twitter!

Murals outside 1927 Riviera Apartment Hotel.

Two small murals decorate the original entrance to the 1927 Riviera Apartment Hotel. When I walk up Park Boulevard from downtown to Balboa Park, I often wonder about them.

The historic Riviera Apartment Hotel exists today as the WorldMark San Diego – Balboa Park, and what originally was the building’s front entrance is now the locked back door. Consequently, these panels are seen by few people.

Here’s a photograph of the building taken circa 1930. It’s hard to determine whether these panels are present inside the original entrance. (The vintage automobiles in the photograph resemble those in the second mural!)

The Riviera Apartment Hotel building has been designated Historical Landmark No. 468 by the City of San Diego.

Do you know anything about these murals? When were they painted? By whom? Leave a comment!

If I happen to learn something more, I’ll post an update 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 Twitter!

Photos of San Diego Chinese New Year Fair!

The 40th Annual San Diego Chinese New Year Fair is being held this weekend in the Gaslamp Quarter. I swung by earlier today to take in all the excitement, culture and color!

It seems every year I go to this event it has grown larger. A big crowd had gathered today, Saturday, as the festivities began mid-morning. (It probably didn’t hurt that many Padres fans were walking through on their way to FanFest.)

I watched the joyful traditional Lion Dancing, then a couple of energetic dance performances by students from Riverview International Academy in Lakeside.

Wishes for health, peace and prosperity abounded. One of the speakers was Camille P. Dawson, the United States Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. How impressive is that?

Enjoy some photos and imagine the atmosphere! This fun Chinese New Year event continues through the weekend!

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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 Twitter!

Youth Speak Truth in San Diego.

This afternoon youth were speaking truths at the San Diego Central Library. An event presented by DREAMS+DUCATS brought together young people for a discussion panel. The subject was Journey To Impact.

Speakers told inspirational stories, sharing their personal dreams and efforts to influence a world that is largely managed by older people. The frustrations of idealistic youth were evident, as they confronted a world that often seems cold and hopelessly unchangeable.

One speaker shared her practical idea of how to make schools safer from potential shooters, and explained how that very simple idea (locking classroom doors on the inside rather than the outside) was resisted and dismissed by the powers that be. Another spoke of her experience of being homeless, and how it was very difficult to have basic needs met.

The young speakers sought to have a greater voice in government and decision-making, but felt they were ignored and not respected. To this I would say, don’t give up. Keep speaking. Hopeful idealism still lurks in the minds of many who are older.

Greet this complex world with a smile. Don’t frown upon all “grown-ups” as hostile adversaries. Life goes by very quickly. Too quickly. You’ll be one of those grown-up humans in the blink of an eye.

I happened to run across the event today as I walked into San Diego’s downtown Central Library. It made me think. Wasn’t that the purpose, really?

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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 Twitter!

Books published in San Diego a century ago.

The 57th Annual Local Author Showcase can now be viewed at San Diego’s downtown Central Library.

One of the display cases features books that were published in San Diego a century ago–in the 1920s and 1930s.

When I think of publishing in San Diego, the name Harcourt Brace Jovanovich immediately comes to mind. One of the world’s most important publishers made downtown San Diego their home for many years.

But have you heard of Torrey Pines Press, Hillcrest Publishing Company and the San Diego Printing Company? They and others were producing books in our city a century ago. Even Arrowhead Spring Water Distributors was part of the action!

The San Diego Library maintains a collection of books published or printed in San Diego. It’s called the Wilmer B. Shields Collection. It’s located inside the Marilyn and Gene Marx Special Collections Center on the Central Library’s 9th floor.

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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 Twitter!

Korean Heritage Celebration at San Diego Library!

A super fun event was held today at San Diego’s downtown Central Library. Lunar New Year was kicked off with the Korean American Heritage Celebration!

The library’s Neil Morgan Auditorium was filled with a large audience as several organizations provided the free cultural entertainment.

It’s the Year of the Rabbit, and energetic, traditional Korean dancing and drumming had everyone hopping with happiness! Loads of kids were in attendance, and they got to come up on the stage and drum, too!

Beautiful, colorful fan dances brought oohs and aahs, and the drumming was like an exuberant heartbeat beating with the joy of living. A crazy cool drum performance that received loud applause was to the tune of Gangnam Style!

Performers included the San Diego Korean American Folk Dance Association and the San Diego Korean Pungmul Institute. The program was organized by the San Diego Library and the Korean Cultural Center Los Angeles.

I just happened to be walking through the library before the program began, and I’m so glad I stumbled upon it!

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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 Twitter!