This beautiful mural was completed earlier this year in San Diego’s downtown East Village neighborhood. It memorializes three San Diego Zoo animals that passed away in 2025. It was painted by Ground Floor Murals.
I had a nearby errand this afternoon, so I swung by to see it. You can view the mural near the corner of Market Street and 16th Street, behind the Brikho Fuels gas station, on the south side of the Ace Uniforms building.
The zoo animals remembered are Kalluk the polar bear, Nicky the Masai giraffe, and Maka the Western lowland gorilla.
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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 X.
The crowd in Petco Park’s Gallagher Square went nuts when the San Diego Padres recorded the final out in Game 2 of the MLB Wild Card Series against the Cubs in Chicago. When Manny Machado hit his 2 run homer, imagine how excited everyone was!
What awesome fans: waving rally towels, dancing between innings, tossing balls with excited kids, focusing on every pitch and swing on the big Gallagher Square videoboard.
What a great team win! The Padres pitchers in particular were practically unhittable.
There will be another Padres Postseason Watch Party tomorrow. At the time of my writing, the start time is undetermined. Proceeds from the five dollar tickets go to the Padres Foundation. Get your tickets online.
Win or lose, the San Diego Padres organization always provides a really good time.
Enjoy some fun pics taken before and during the big game…
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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.
Hard to believe it’s almost October. Major League Baseball Postseason 2025 begins tomorrow!
The San Diego Padres will be playing in Chicago against the Cubs in their MLB Wild Card Series matchup. Our hometown team ended up with another 90 win season. Let’s go Pads!
I walked around the Gaslamp Quarter, Petco Park and East Village this afternoon, and found indications that small businesses, restaurants and many others in downtown are rooting for the Padres!
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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.
San Diego artist Christopher Konecki was working on painting the new Merrill Madness mural in downtown this morning. The artwork will depict Padres baseball star Jackson Merrill, and will greet fans coming west down Market Street at Eighth Avenue.
The grassroots, fan-funded mural is a collaboration that includes the Merrill Madness Foundation and artist team Christopher Konecki (@konecki_art) and Carly Ealey (@carlyealey). Amazing murals by these artists appear throughout the city. You might recall how they painted two cool Padres murals in North Park. See those photos here and here.
Chris told me this is the fourth day of working on the Merrill Madness mural. It’s huge: four stories high! The mural should be done in a couple of weeks or so.
I’ll provide an update when the artwork is completed.
Looks like it’s gonna be awesome!
UPDATE!
Three days later, much progress has been made!
ANOTHER UPDATE!
And in another three days…
AND FOUR DAYS AFTER THAT…
ONE MORE UPDATE!
It was finally completed!
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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.
The Savannah Bananas have arrived in San Diego. They will be playing their wacky Banana Ball today and tomorrow at Petco Park. I’m told the wildly popular event is sold out!
A crew was setting up a row of canopies north of Petco Park’s Gallagher Square, where there will be fun activities for fans. I see there will be loads of yellow Savannah Banana merchandise for sale.
I happened to walk this morning down J Street. I took these photos. Lots of smiles!
So, what, you wonder is Banana Ball and how is it different than baseball? Check out the website here.
Among a bunch of strange rules are: batters can steal first base, batters are out if a fan catches a foul ball in the stands, no walks are allowed, no bunts are allowed, there’s a two hour time limit . . . and other peculiar, exciting stuff.
I hear players at Savannah Banana games do choreographed dances and engage in trick plays.
The Savannah Bananas are sort of like the Harlem Globetrotters–but baseball.
Get ready to Go Bananas!
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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.
As it turned out, the Comic-Con Interactive Zone at Petco Park has a fair number of cool activities for 2025. When I looked down at the parking lot yesterday, I was wondering what all might appear.
Well, apart from the great food trucks and a first aid station (where you can get free water), there are several activations that will thrill kids (and adults) and those who love collectibles.
I visited the free to the public Interactive Zone in the afternoon, and there was no wait to get in. Lining up in the morning and waiting in my opinion is a waste of time. Once that initial line goes away, it’s a breeze to walk in.
So what did I see?
I had camera, phone, keys, etc. and I passed right through the metal detectors without removing them, no problem…
The various sides of this activation promote video games by ARC System Works…
People at the ARC System Works activation loved playing Hunter × Hunter: Nen × Impact. It appeared one could grab cool swag, too…
I see Marge Simpson at one picnic bench!
(I bought a pulled pork dish but found nowhere to sit, so I took it outside and sat in some shade at nearby quiet Petco Park.)
Check out this awesome Winx Club chalk art!
Pose with cabbages for a fun photo at the Magic: The Gathering x Avatar activation! I believe I saw those who participated getting a swag bag…
Kids will love this Winx Club photo op…
eBay has a large activation with different activities and winnable stuff…
eBay Live podcast concerning collectibles was drawing a lot of attention…
This photo op aimed to get people across the street to The Labu’Tique Pop-Up Shop…
Food, fun and fascination for your family!
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If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!
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.
Five days to go until the start of Comic-Con 2025 in San Diego!
This mid-afternoon, I walked behind the San Diego Convention Center and up through the Gaslamp Quarter to see how the many different offsite activations and building wraps are shaping up. Lots of activity!
Most of the offsite builds have materialized almost overnight.
During my walk I confirmed there will be nothing at the Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina Terrace this year, where Dragon Ball activations have been erected in the past. I also verified the mysterious activation on the grass by the Hilton San Diego Gaslamp Quarter is indeed for The Fantastic Four!
Here we go, starting along the bayfront boardwalk heading toward the towering Hilton hotel. You can see FX had begun applying their usual wrap. I’m sure this one will promote upcoming show Alien: Earth…
I was told this spot just before the superyacht basin will be for ABC television’s Abbott Elementary. They’ve been here previously. I’ll keep an eye on it…
A tall, long fence on the convention center side mostly conceals what will be the King of the Hill offsite…
The barge docked on the bay that will contain Brawl Star’s floating Starr Park activation is proceeding nicely. Interesting how it’s elevated…
Now I’ve come to the usual Adult Swim area. They hadn’t started setting up in earnest, at least when I passed by. I believe it’s a pirate theme again this year…
Next up, in front of the Hilton San Diego Bayfront, the FX offsite The Wreckage. It will promote upcoming FX series Alien: Earth…
A huge banner now hangs on one side of the Hilton parking garage. It promotes action role-playing game Code Vein II, scheduled for release in 2026…
The Omni hotel’s huge Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle building wrap is finished!
The AMC wraps on the Hilton San Diego Gaslamp Quarter also appear to be about done. (Includes my very first photo.)
The Fantastic Flour offsite activation is going to be impressive. My guess: a walkthrough of the Baxter Building???
Gen V wrap on north side of Hilton Gaslamp building is now finished and looking good…
Several cool Walking Dead Universe window wraps at the Pendry hotel were being completed as I walked past…
(I once worked at a print shop, and applying wraps without trapping air bubbles underneath can be difficult. Great work guys!)
Finally, Super 7 has become Godzilla Station!
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If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!
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.
One week to go in San Diego before the start of Comic-Con 2025! Preview Night is next Wednesday, July 23, 2025.
Not surprisingly, preparation in downtown San Diego–particularly in the Gaslamp Quarter and East Village–is kicking into high gear.
Cherry pickers everywhere! Lots of building wraps going up!
I’m always surprised at how quickly these gigantic advertisements can be applied to the sides of our downtown high-rises. They are essentially large format printed stickers. The workers are highly experienced and do an amazing job every year. Some of the guys are from Arizona; others come down from Los Angeles.
I walked down Fifth Avenue this morning, over the Harbor Drive pedestrian bridge, then turned around, heading back to my nearby downtown home. I took a bunch of photographs!
First, here’s some cool stuff I saw as I headed down Fifth Avenue.
Peacemaker and Eagly have appeared along the sidewalk…
Check out this ultra-cool Hot Wheels vehicle! I assume it’s here for Comic-Con.
A shop window is painted with Batman, R2-D2 and other pop culture characters.
Outside Happy Does, workers were finishing up with the venue’s usual Paramount+ The Lodge wrap.
Workers were getting busy sorting rolls of printed “wrap segments” at the Hilton Gaslamp building.
And this is how the wrap will appear. Scream For Me!
On my return trip, I noticed they had already made a little progress…
Oh wow! What’s this at the Omni San Diego Hotel?
It’s Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle! All Out War Begins!
Coming around Petco Park, look what I spy on the Park 12 building!
This huge building wrap must’ve gone up super fast. It’s Dexter: Resurrection on Paramount+. He’s Alive and Killing It!
Looks like local artist Shirish Villaseñor is painting the windows of Sweet Things Frozen Yogurt with Pokémon characters! Every year she creates fun stuff for Comic-Con!
What’s this on the exterior of the Omni? I can see it’s a Sony movie that’s coming up.
Making my way back across Harbor Drive to the Gaslamp…
Heading back up Fifth Avenue mid-morning…
The two Daryl Dixon wraps on the Pendry San Diego Hotel appear more than halfway done!
Stay tuned!
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If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!
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.
The IDEA Lab on the 4th Floor of San Diego’s Central Library will be open for maker activities before and during Comic-Con 2025!
In addition to providing cosplay repair during Comic-Con, would-be superheroes can make superhero capes in the IDEA Lab on Saturday, July 19, 2025, between 2 pm and 5 pm.
All the materials you need are provided. Yes, there will be fabric, sewing machines, and the ability to create cool designs on your cape, as in the above photograph! It’s the first time they’ve had this cape making activity since before the pandemic.
The IDEA Lab also has 3D printing available for your other cool Comic-Con creations!
I was told today that additional activities might crop up during Comic-Con, but it’s still a month away. The cosplay repair and superhero cape making are definite, however!
Less than a month to go. Is your cosplay ready?
Here are some other fun photos from inside this maker space…
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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.
Cool San Diego Sights! 