Lifelike bust of Baskets the Clown, from the FX comedy series Baskets.
Outside 2016 San Diego Comic-Con, in the park directly in front of the Bayfront Hilton, the FX television channel has created a uniquely interesting FXhibition! The exhibition includes six cool busts of characters that have appeared on various FX shows. A couple of the sculptured heads are eerily lifelike. Take a look!
Quinlan, a vampire/human hybrid from the FX series The Strain.Frank Reynolds as The Troll, from the episode The Nightman Cometh in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.The White Nun, from American Horror Story: Asylum.Pam Poovey, from Archer, an animated spy comedy series on FX.Gorbachaka the Troll, from the FX sitcom Man Seeking Woman.
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Comic-Con is almost over for 2016, and this will probably be my final blog post concerning it. I hope you enjoyed the ride! Now it’s on to other cool stuff around San Diego. Next up . . . another super special tour at the San Diego Museum of Art! So please stay tuned!
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This is one of the Batmobiles used in the filming of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. It’s on display across Harbor Drive from the convention center at 2016 San Diego Comic-Con.
Here comes yet another batch of cool photos!
2016 San Diego Comic-Con begins tomorrow, and I walked today–Wednesday–all over downtown to see what is rising outside for San Diego’s internationally famous pop culture event!
The answer: tons of cool stuff is popping up!
You might notice in some photos that many fans have arrived in San Diego already. Tonight is Preview Night inside the convention center. And tonight is also the world premiere of Star Trek Beyond, outside beside the water behind the convention center!
(To any of my blog’s readers who aren’t really into Comic-Con, hang on for a few more days! After Sunday, it’s on to other cool sights around San Diego! And as usual, I mostly don’t know what those sights will be! Walking randomly about results in many unexpected adventures!)
Conan O’Brien’s talk show is in San Diego for Comic-Con again. It starts tonight!Hundreds of people were in line early Wednesday morning to watch Conan perform at the Spreckels Theater.Most downtown businesses are now ready for Comic-Con fans. Here’s a window painting of Harley Quinn I spotted at Lolita’s near Petco Park.Various double-decker buses are going around decorated with big flashy wraps. This one promotes Impractical Jokers on the truTV channel.The Interactive Zone at Petco Park was still a work in progress on Wednesday–one day before the official start of 2016 San Diego Comic-Con.These rustic buildings in the Interactive Zone promote Ash vs Evil Dead on STARZ. I was impressed at how detailed and elaborate they appear!Another photo of the Ash vs Evil Dead setting in the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con Interactive Zone at Petco Park.These crane operators were putting up a gruesome banner next to the Suicide Squad movie venue, which remains unseen behind a wall at the Hard Rock Hotel.In the Gaslamp Quarter, Rock The Vote is encouraging people to register. Who would you prefer for president–Snoopy or Charlie Brown?A guy presses Wonder Woman’s feet to the window of a yogurt shop.Perhaps real superheroes will eat this week at Kansas City Barbeque, where scenes from the movie Top Gun were filmed.The Chuck Jones Gallery in the Gaslamp scored some big guests! Stan Lee and William Shatner!Two of the Powerpuff Girls were hovering mid-afternoon above the water at Children’s Park.Looks like a school bus pulled into San Diego from South Park, Colorado. I think I recognize some faces.These smiling ladies were out on the MLK Promenade promoting Hello Kitty!The video screen near the Tin Fish and the center of Comic-Con outdoor action is now operating.Here’s another look at the Batmobile on display near the Omni Hotel. It’s one of several that were used in the filming of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.Okay, I headed over the Harbor Drive pedestrian bridge and now I’m near the Bayfront Hilton.A number of promotional signs are arranged along the walkway where thousands of Comic-Con fans will pass in the next four days.FX is present again in 2016 with their show Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll. This is as close as I could approach the big red electric guitar.A huge stage is being built in the park behind the San Diego Convention Center, right in front of the Bayfront Hilton.Looks like IMDb is hosting a Comic-Con party on this big mega yacht behind the convention center!Not much cosplay spotted today, but I did catch a guy with Captain America’s shield waiting in line for some soft serve ice cream!The huge event today, Wednesday, is the world premiere of Star Trek Beyond. It’s taking place tonight right here in San Diego at Embarcadero Marina Park South.Looks like the red carpet was almost ready this afternoon for the world premiere of Star Trek Beyond!I assume this is just some boat owner having fun. I took this photo walking along the Marriott Marina.Entertainment Weekly will debut their unique Con-X tomorrow at Embarcadero Marina Park North. It’s billed as a place for Comic-Con goers to just chill and relax.Looks like Con-X has some huge comic book artist and animation guests. I see Jim Lee and Paul Dini! (Click to enlarge.)This blue guy made of Legos is sitting on a bench inside Con-X. I also spotted the back of a huge Jabba the Hutt sculpture. Wish I could’ve entered the event area. Looks cool!Is it Fire Lad of the Legion of Substitute Superheroes? No. It’s Murrugan the Mystic performing at Seaport Village. That flame is coming from his mouth! You might remember him on AMC’s Freakshow. He’s working to keep the carnival sideshow–an important part of Americana–alive.
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A huge graphic on the Hard Rock Hotel that includes video is nearly ready for 2016 San Diego Comic-Con. It promotes the show Incorporated, coming this fall on Syfy.
Check out these photos! Many cool sights outside the convention center are taking shape for 2016 San Diego Comic-Con! I walked around today to see what’s going on. It looks like everyone is quickly getting ready! See for yourself!
The time machine ride which has been set up near the Tin Fish for Timeless is almost ready to go. The fight for all time begins!The Tin Fish has all sorts of Emerald City graphics on it.Emerald City coming to NBC. A new Oz rises.I was a bit surprised to see this area by the Omni Hotel dedicated to Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.A cool little stage has Batmobile schematics for the backdrop. Not sure if a Batmobile will be displayed here… That would be cool!Poster at the Gaslamp trolley station advertises Blindspot. Trust no one.Another poster at the Gaslamp station advertises Midnight, Texas. Only outsiders fit in.The South Park 20 Interactive Fan Experience is slowly being assembled on Martin Luther King Jr. Promenade. It appears lots of classic scenes and characters will be included.A peek at some South Park characters on the grass.South Park The Fractured But Whole is a Ubisoft video game coming out in December.Cartman and his politically incorrect hand puppet.Stan and Kyle of South Park are hanging out in San Diego for Comic-Con!Graphics now adorn Amazon’s Thunderbirds Are Go pavilion.A photo of the unfinished interior of Thunderbirds Are Go at Comic-Con.Amazon’s other pavilion promotes their original series The Man in the High Castle.Like in years past, a big Vikings wrap has been applied to the west wall of Petco Park. I snapped this photo half in shadow, half in bright sunlight.Another huge wrap being applied to a section of Petco Park promotes Once Upon A Time.And another wrap on Petco Park concerns Designated Survivor, a new series on ABC this fall starring Kiefer Sutherland.Not much has been set up yet in the parking lot just east of Petco Park. They’ve got one day to go! Better hurry up!At least somebody got this Ferris wheel up in time!The park in front of the Hilton will feature The Comic-Con HQ Live Stage, FOX Television, and FX. Not much has been erected here yet, either!The Adult Swim play area is nearly completed. It appears much like it did last year.The entrance to Adult Swim’s outdoor venue will look just like last year, if my memory is to be trusted.As you can see, The Strain building wrap on the Hilton San Diego Bayfront hotel is now finished.Even the Comic-Con hotel buses seem ready! (I got this photo in Mission Valley walking to work.)Finally, some fun comic book art has been painted on the windows of the Hilton’s Starbucks. A giant, menacing Thanos has smashed Captain America! Ouch!Artist puts finishing touches on a sinister Joker. 2016 San Diego Comic-Con is almost here!
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The Statue of Liberty has become a vampire. Either that, or it’s not feeling very well. The Strain building wrap on the Hilton San Diego Bayfront appears more than halfway finished.
What new stuff is being prepared for 2016 San Diego Comic-Con?
Today, like yesterday, I circled all over the downtown and managed to capture a few fun photos that should give Comic-Con fans a little more insight into what’s coming up! Watch out for diseased vampires and aliens! Read the captions!
It’s a good thing these canopies are being erected today for 2016 San Diego Comic-Con and its long lines, because the weather is supposed to warm up a bit later this week.The Conan Live From Comic-Con wrap on the Marriott Marquis hotel is just about done. I’ve seen no graphics yet on Petco Park, the Hard Rock Hotel, or elsewhere.What I referred to as a stage under construction in yesterday’s blog post is actually a small enclosed structure for Amazon’s Thunderbirds Are Go.Private businesses and gathering spots around downtown are just starting to prepare for Comic-Con. I see Fat Man is going to do some standup comedy about Batman.This merchant in the Gaslamp Quarter is betting lots of Comic-Con fans will be on Team Wonder Woman.Good grief! Even a clear skin concoction vendor in the Horton Plaza shopping mall is ready for Comic-Con customers!Lastly, I spotted a very cool venue going up where the Assassin’s Creed obstacle course was the last couple years. This is going to be South Park 20 Interactive Fan Experience! Looks to me like it’s going to be epic!Spread all over the grass, and stacked in crates, an absolutely huge amount of fun artwork is waiting to be installed at the South Park 20 Interactive Fan Experience. A large backdrop is being assembled by workers this very moment.I’ve spotted an alien among those idyllic Rocky Mountain pine trees in South Park!
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You can 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 unique photos (including many that concern past and present Comic-Cons) for you to enjoy!
A cool Conan O’Brien building wrap is going up on the Marriott Marquis for 2016 San Diego Comic-Con, even as the MLB All-Star Game wrap hasn’t been completely removed!
Preparation in downtown San Diego for 2016 Comic-Con has finally begun in earnest today, now that the MLB All-Star Game has concluded. Late this morning I walked all over the place–through the Gaslamp, behind the convention center, down the MLK Promenade, around Petco Park–just to see what might have popped up so far.
Talking to some people, I learned a little bit about what we’ll see outside 2016 San Diego Comic-Con! I learned that Timeless and Thunderbirds Are Go will be a center of attention. So will virtual reality, sponsored by Amazon. And I could see the huge presence of Conan O’Brien with my own eyes!
Of course, the massive undertaking required to prepare for San Diego Comic-Con has barely gotten started. Many more wraps and outdoor activities should begin popping up in the days ahead. I’ll keep a sharp lookout!
Read the photo captions, where I describe what I learned about a couple of venues being built outside Comic-Con…
Next to the Tin Fish, directly across from the convention center, an attraction is being built for 2016 San Diego Comic-Con. This will promote the upcoming NBC television series Timeless. It appears to be a huge time machine!It appears to me Comic-Con fans will be able to take a wild spin in a time machine in this Timeless amusement ride.Beyond the construction, I spotted this year’s big new Funko Pop! Conan O’Brien building wrap.Several banners along the trolley tracks promote the newest season of Game of Thrones.Banners along Martin Luther King Jr. Promenade promote Outcast on Cinemax and Vice Principals on HBO.I learned this venue along Martin Luther King Jr. Promenade will have something to do with Amazon’s digital exclusive reboot of an old favorite, Thunderbirds Are Go!Workers get the Thunderbirds Are Go stage ready across Harbor Drive from the San Diego Convention Center.I was told this Amazon pavilion will be the scene of a virtual reality activity. I’m guessing lots of Comic-Con fans will be bumping around inside wearing VR headsets.Like last year, the Hilton San Diego Bayfront will feature a huge The Strain building wrap. This one already looks spooky, even through it’s far from completed.Preparations for 2016 San Diego Comic-Con have finally begun in earnest, now that the MLB All-Star Game has wrapped up!
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One of the three large Son of Zorn banners hung on the parking garage of the Hilton San Diego Bayfront for 2016 Comic-Con.
Zorn the friendly warrior has invaded downtown San Diego! This morning I spotted him right next to the convention center! He’s “hanging out” on three enormous banners draping the parking garage of the Hilton San Diego Bayfront!
I’m not sure where his son is… Perhaps the two got separated in the large San Diego Comic-Con crowd depicted in the fun promotional graphic!
I haven’t observed any Comic-Con wraps applied to buildings yet; right now, the only huge building wrap near the San Diego Convention Center is that MLB All-Star Game one on the Marriott Marquis that I posted several days ago…
Hang tight! The fun around here is just getting started!
The Son of Zorn, an imaginative television show combining animation and live action, will premiere on September 25 on FOX.Zorn the friendly warrior seems to be walking through a San Diego Comic-Con crowd. In addition to a sword, he’s got his badge, a soda and smartphone handy!
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American flags lead a Fourth of July parade in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park.
Here come oodles of fun photos! I took them during the first two hours of Old Town San Diego’s Fourth of July celebration! (Sorry, but I missed the pie eating contest!)
I’ve captioned the photos with descriptions. If you’ve never enjoyed Independence Day at Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, you’re missing out on a very colorful and patriotic event! And there’s a lot of fascinating history that you can absorb, as well!
During the Independence Day celebration in Old Town San Diego, there were all sorts of fun and educational activities. Musical entertainment could be heard at the main stage.The Armory Band played music popular in America long ago–patriotic tunes that citizens in San Diego would have enjoyed during the mid 1800s.Los Bailadores, performers in period costume, sing vintage patriotic songs like The Battle Hymn of the Republic inside Old Town’s historic La Casa de Estudillo.Los Bailadores then lived up to their name and began a few social dances that folks would have enjoyed in the 1850s and 1860s. Their first dance was the Virginia reel.During the Fourth of July, there were many historical demonstrations in Old Town’s central square, which was originally called La Plaza de Las Armas.A lady in a bonnet at a spinning wheel was making wool yarn.Quilters were getting their tent displays ready as Old Town San Diego’s Fourth of July events got underway.These guys were playing the old Victorian Game of Graces. A small hoop is shot into the air by pushing apart two rods. The hoop is then caught by one’s partner. Winner catches the hoop ten times first.The San Pasqual Battlefield Volunteer Association had an interesting display, including ammunition that was used in old cannons.A poster has photos of reenactments of the Battle of San Pasqual, which took place northeast of San Diego during the Mexican-American War.Of course, you need some tasty watermelon during a traditional Fourth of July!The middle of the plaza became a center of attention as various tug of wars were contested by young and old alike.These ladies vied for tug of war glory!Later games would include wheelbarrow races.A cakewalk. Stop on the winning number and you receive a cake! This simple game was common in mid 19th century San Diego.Several speeches included one by Connie Gunther, a descendant of early San Diego. The legacy of those early Californios, townspeople, settlers and immigrants live on.
Are you a descendant of early San Diego? Do you think you might be? There’s a website I learned about that you ought to visit. Here it is. Those with family trees that reach back into early San Diego history can relate their knowledge for posterity and the benefit of others; those who think they might be related to an early resident of San Diego can perform searches and do extensive research. Check it out!
Kids listening to the speeches wave American flags.The keynote speech was by Tom Vilicich, portraying a first sergeant, Company K, 1st U.S. Dragoons, who fought in the Battle of San Pasqual.After the speeches, there was a Flag Raising Ceremony. People removed their hats as Old Glory was hoisted up Old Town’s high flagpole.Salutes as the Star and Stripes ascends into the San Diego sky.A billowing American flag rises on Independence Day!The musicians left the stage to make way for a special public reading of the Declaration of Independence.Diverse folk representing San Diego in the mid 19th century take turns reading the Declaration of Independence. Ordinary citizens in the crowd also took part!An ordinary American young person reads a few lines from the Declaration of Independence, on the Fourth of July in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park.And then the parade began! It wound around the plaza twice. Ordinary Americans were invited to join in!Represented in the small patriotic parade were Old Town volunteers, boosters, and descendants of early San Diego.Here comes the old-fashioned marching band!People in the parade wore every sort of period costume–even red, white and blue attire from our own modern period!That’s because ordinary American citizens joined in the fun!This photo shows the good crowd that converged on Old Town San Diego for the Fourth of July!A scene from the colorful American Independence Day parade in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park.
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A new 2016 San Diego Comic-Con trolley wrap promotes Dead of Summer on the Freeform cable channel, from the Executive Producers of Once Upon a Time and Lost.
I was wrong! There’s a fourth San Diego Comic-Con trolley wrap for 2016, and I got photos of it this morning!
This brand new San Diego trolley wrap advertises the television show Dead of Summer, which premiered today on the Freeform cable channel! The images are a bit creepy and suggest death in the hot, languid summer. It seems this new horror show, created by the Executive Producers of Once Upon a Time and Lost, concerns a Midwestern summer camp called Camp Stillwater, and is set in the 1980s. Has anyone seen the first episode yet?
This body in the tire swing has no top half visible! Which effectively produces a double-take and horrified reaction!A dead bee lying on the tongue of an open drooling mouth. Not sure about the meaning, but the image is memorable and disturbing!
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Heads up! Lots of Comic-Con related photos should appear on my blog this year! It’s going to be a load of fun!
The 2016 International Summer Organ Festival in Balboa Park’s Spreckels Organ Pavilion will feature some of the world’s great organists! If you’ve never been to these concerts, time to go check it out!
It starts tomorrow evening! It’s time again for that annual world-famous cultural event in Balboa Park: the International Summer Organ Festival! I promised to say something about these amazing weekly concerts on my blog, so I better do it today before it’s too late!
Anyone who has attended the International Summer Organ Festival in past years knows that many of the world’s greatest concert organists perform during the 10 week blockbuster event. The free concerts are held on Monday evenings in Balboa Park’s Spreckels Organ Pavilion. Concerts begin at 7:30 and last about 2 hours, with a brief intermission to eat, drink, talk, visit the gift shop and stretch legs. Thousands of music buffs and ordinary folk (like myself) come out to listen to the Spreckels Organ’s awesome and versatile voice.
As many of you might know, the Spreckels Organ recently regained the title of World’s Largest Outdoor Organ. And when an organist “pulls out all the stops”, you can hear this King of Instruments clear across Balboa Park!
One more thing–I learned that gourmet sandwiches will be available at the concession area this year–they’re large enough to feed two. So why not make an evening of it? Perhaps walk around beautifully lit Balboa Park before the evening concert or afterward!
Oh–and I should mention that on the Fourth of July, a special concert will feature a spectacular tribute to musical Americana, including favorite rags, marches, Gershwin and more. All played by Dave Wickerham, who is a top-notch theatre organist. (I’ve heard him before, and the way he plays is just unbelievable.)
Click the photo above that contains information about the performances. The image will enlarge and you can mark your calendars. If you’re not in San Diego, I believe the concerts will be streamed on the internet. To learn more about that possibility, and more about the Spreckels Organ Society and their concerts and educational programs, click here!
Ross Porter, Executive Administrator of the Spreckels Organ Society, shows us the newly printed program which visitors will receive at every free summer Monday night performance.I needed some photos for today’s blog post, so I captured a smile in the outdoor gift shop. I missed this afternoon’s free Sunday concert because I was on a secret mission and had to go elsewhere.About an hour to go before the free Sunday afternoon concert at 2 o’clock. Volunteers and curious folk are Just hanging out. The Spreckels Organ Pavilion is home to the world’s largest outdoor organ and brilliant Civic Organist, Dr. Carol Williams!
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A new FOX television show, Son of Zorn, advertised on a San Diego trolley. Comic-Con graphics are slowly beginning to appear in San Diego.
Today I spotted the first cool trolley wrap for the fast-approaching 2016 San Diego Comic-Con!
Check out these photos. I had to time my shots strategically, because the trolleys don’t wait at a station for very long!
Each side of this San Diego trolley car advertises a separate television show; both will debut this coming Fall season on FOX. First up you see graphics for Son of Zorn, which involves an animated warrior character among live-action family members. It’s a unique comedy idea that sounds weird but fun! The second side of the trolley wrap advertises The Exorcist, which is already a cultural phenomenon.
I’m positive more 2016 San Diego Comic-Con trolley wraps are on the way, so stay tuned!
Animated warrior Zorn will be coping with live-action family members (including his son) in an unusual hybrid television comedy on FOX this Fall. Taking a stab at the real world.The first 2016 San Diego Comic-Con trolley wrap has debuted in June! Both sides of this trolley advertise upcoming television shows on FOX.And here comes the other side of the exact same trolley car. Another brand new FOX television offering, The Exorcist, is being promoted with eerie blood red graphics.The Exorcist appears on one side of a San Diego trolley. This enormous moving ad for the new FOX show will be seen by thousands of pop culture fans attending Comic-Con next month. Today it’s operating on the Green Line, which goes right past the convention center!Starting July 20, which is Preview Night, San Diego Comic-Con will become the international center of entertainment and popular culture. I expect to see more trolley wraps in the weeks ahead!
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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk! In addition to other San Diego places and events (like the MLB All-Star Game–also in July), I’ll be checking out Comic-Con and taking tons of photos this year!
You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
Cool San Diego Sights! 