Two plaques can be found at an ocean overlook in La Jolla, midway between La Jolla Cove and the Children’s Pool.
After viewing the beautiful surf and rocks below, eyes might read the wise quotes on these plaques, which are embedded in the low stone and abalone shell wall.
Treat Earth well. It was not given to you by your parents. It was lent to you by your children. –AnonymousWe make a living by what we get but we make a life by what we give. –Winston Churchill
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A good sized crowd came out today to Balboa Park’s WorldBeat Cultural Center. The public was invited to take part in the 32nd Annual Multi-Cultural Earth Day!
Visitors to this unique Earth Day festival were not only treated to colorful multi-cultural entertainment, but had the opportunity to learn about two issues in particular: the changing climate and food accessibility. Visitors could also support organizations and local businesses that are trying in their own unique way to improve education, sustainability, and protect the environment. Artists and more ordinary vendors were present, too.
Special activities included a seed swap, a lesson on how to create and maintain a worm farm, and compost workshops. Kids could color fun artwork, too!
For the hungry crowd gathered outside in the San Diego sunshine, ethnic and vegetarian food vendors offered their special menus to choose from.
As you can see from my photos, I watched Azteca dancers perform for the crowd. They followed an impassioned speech by a holy man who once met the Dalai Lama. We need to raise our consciousness was his message.
Inside the WorldBeat Cultural Center I watched and listened to the joyful music of San Diego Taiko. I personally love energetic taiko drumming!
Other performances during the event would include Middle Eastern belly dance, West African drum and dance, Brazilian samba, and Native American drumming.
There were also tours of the center’s lush garden. I’ll have to do that next time.
I loved these Hopi Kachina dolls, made of cottonwood. They were hand carved by Arizona-based artist Elroy Kewanyama…
The following two ladies explained how Green Pocket Forest has partnered with the WorldBeat Cultural Center to create a 320 square meters Children’s Nature Zone, designed with the innovative Miyawaki method to spotlight 1000 native plants, providing habitat for 20+ species of birds and insects. Wow!
The San Diego Audubon Society table had tons of information about their current activities, plus beautiful bird artwork and a mural coloring station. (I learned their Bird Festival this year was a big success!)
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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 (formerly known as Twitter)!
Would you like to help San Diego’s world-famous Balboa Park become even more beautiful? There are many volunteering opportunities for you to explore!
Today I spotted a bunch of volunteers picking up litter in the park. I learned from a friendly lady at the Forever Balboa Park canopy in the Plaza de Panama that a similar cleanup is scheduled for next weekend! Get your coworkers and friends involved!
I also learned an Arbor Day Tree Planting event that you can join is coming up! It will be on April 26th, from 9 am to 11 am.
Would you like to learn more? Check out the Forever Balboa Park volunteer web page here! And to remain informed, join their email list!
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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)!
More public art is rapidly appearing along San Diego’s new Bay to Park Paseo!
The Bay to Park Paseo is a 1.7 mile downtown walking experience that will be filled with outdoor art. The paseo stretches from San Diego Bay up Park Boulevard to Balboa Park. The project celebrates San Diego/Tijuana’s selection as World Design Capital 2024!
This afternoon, I noticed that people were stringing up colorful art in front of the NewSchool of Architecture & Design, which stands at the midpoint of the Bay to Park Paseo. The installation is called Memories at the Midpoint.
According to this page, the design approach looks to stimulate the senses through sound, sight and interaction, challenging us to look at the past, present and future. From above, four canopies will be suspended from street trees using recycled painted plastic bags, suspended wooden wind chimes, and ocean drums to create awareness of the environment. At the pedestrian level, an installation of mystery mailboxes as well as window graphics with digital media information and prints will invite passerbys to interact with both students and designers.
I can’t wait to see how this completed installation appears!
Another installation on the Bay to Park Paseo popped up in the past day or two. The large graphic on the UC San Diego Park and Market building was created by The UC San Diego Design Lab. The installation is called What Does Home Mean to You?
All isn’t completed, however.
Passersby will encounter thought-provoking questions and a collage of visual imagery that represents different notions of housing on the windows of the empty retail space; a second location will invite pedestrians to reflect on their own housing experience.
Visitors will see life-size silhouettes of people who will share their perspectives on housing at the push of a button. Throughout the installation, passersby can use their mobile devices to scan QR codes to dive deeper into other housing experiences from the greater San Diego community or share their own stories through voice or text.
Lastly, I’ve noticed more figures are appearing on that fence just south of the City College trolley station. I blogged about this installation (which began to appear back in late January) 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)!
Why is the towering island of the USS Midway aircraft carrier wrapped up?
To protect San Diego Bay and the environment as the historic aircraft carrier (now a popular tourist destination) receives a new coat of paint! That’s what I was told a couple days ago by a USS Midway Museum employee.
But how strange it appears!
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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 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)!
What might the future look like? Can science and technology, guided by human compassion, intelligence and imagination, bring forth a better world?
These questions might enter your mind as you peer at works of art created by UC San Diego professor Dr. Pinar Yoldas, now on display in Balboa Park at the Institute of Contemporary Art San Diego.
Pinar Yoldas: Synaptic Sculpture is an exhibition that challenges the world that we presently know. It offers a window to a future that is possible. And some of the ideas are a little weird!
I visited the exhibition last weekend and loved the boundless creativity. Biology, artificial intelligence, psychology, environmental science and more–even mythology–are combined in unique ways by the speculative mind of Dr. Yoldas.
Imagine works of art in your home that grow environmentally beneficial algae! Imagine sitting on enormous molecules while having your mind calmed by an aroma-wafting sensory pendulum! Imagine having your life ruled by a cute kitten AI overlord! (Oh, wait. Would we really want that future?)
The free exhibition definitely stimulates a sense if wonder. It encourages open minds to speculate where all us human types might be headed.
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)!
Old Town San Diego became even more beautiful today because of the work of about 60 volunteers during the 2024 Community Clean Up!
As I walked today, I noticed dozens of orange trash bags near a parking lot in Old Town. The bags were filled with litter, weeds and trimmed tree branches. I had stumbled upon an annual clean up organized by the Old Town San Diego Chamber of Commerce. Volunteers from Caltrans District 11 and the Mormon Battalion were pitching in, too!
A huge area was beautified–the entire Old Town community–from the entrance of Presidio Park, through the State Park, and all through the business district.
Thank you to everyone!
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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)!
Reclaiming wood from demolished structures or trees whose life had ended, then transforming the once-living wood into furniture, art and other uniquely beautiful products, is inspired. That’s what Old Fashioned Lumber in Barrio Logan does!
I visited Old Fashioned Lumber a couple weekends ago during the San Diego Architectural Foundation Open House event. The public was allowed to peek into the inner workings of the place. These photographs represent much of what I saw.
Old Fashioned Lumber sells their handcrafted furniture and other artistic objects directly to the public. They also work with hotels, restaurants, and businesses of all types, producing conference tables, benches, bars–you name it!
They even created a set of furniture out of reclaimed avocado wood for the studio of San Diego music legend Jason Mraz!
During my visit I was shown a big heap of wood salvaged during the Hotel del Coronado renovation. If you’d like to have them design something with this historic Hotel Del wood, make a request! I also noted they have wood reclaimed from the 1887 Grand Pacific Hotel in the Gaslamp Quarter!
Converting used wood that might have been tossed into a landfill into something completely new is also environmentally friendly. Brilliant!
Learn more about Old Fashioned Lumber and its founders by clicking here.
The following stack of wood is from the Hotel del Coronado…
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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)!
Kellogg Park at La Jolla Shores features environmental displays in an outdoor plaza by the busy beach boardwalk. A three dimensional model of underwater canyons in the Pacific Ocean is one part of The Map of the Grand Canyons of La Jolla Educational Plaza.
I blogged about this amazing plaza a couple years ago. See those images (which include stunning mosaic art) and read descriptions by clicking here.
During that previous walk, the three-dimensional, topographic model that you see in the above photo was under construction. Well, it was finished when I and some friends walked by recently!
The fascinating model depicts canyons running down from Mount Soledad into the ocean. On the sides of the model, plaques present information concerning the geology of the canyons, ocean wave dynamics, and other related environmental issues.
Should you ever walk past Kellogg Park in La Jolla Shores, pause for a few moments and learn a good deal about oceanographic history, our local environment, and this planet we live on.
From the HEIGHTS OF Mt. Soledad to the DEPTHS of the Grand Canyons of La Jolla – Walter Munk Foundation for the Oceans – Honoring Walter Munk’s legacy of daring exploration and discovery through scientific research, education, and ocean conservation… A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO WALTER & MARY MUNKChecking out information about the La Jolla Sea Caves, and Native American Kumeyaay Cosmology.Walter Munk, “Einstein of the Oceans” – Austrian born Walter Munk arrived at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in 1939 as a summer intern, beginning a career of pioneering ocean exploration and discovery spanning eight decades…How Bathymetry Affects Wave Refraction at Scripps Pier from a paper published by Walter H. Munk & Melvin A. Traylor (1947) – Wave refraction (bending) is affected by the shape of the ocean bottom. Wave energy can focus or dissipate, affecting coastal erosion patterns and surf conditions.Geologic Block Diagram From Torrey Pines State Beach To Mt. SoledadGeologic Columnar Section of Mapped Formations La Jolla Area (from Late Cretaceous to Holocene)Graph shows how Atmospheric CO2 (carbon dioxide) Affects Sea Level.
“People should treat the oceans like we do anything else that we care about–with consideration, with care, and affection.” –Walter Munk
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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! 