Tag: events

Early signs that 2017 Comic-Con is almost here!

A pad has been set up near the Convention Center trolley station on MLK Promenade. I'm pretty sure Amazon will set up their animatronic The Tick venue here.
A pad has been set up near the Convention Center Trolley Station on MLK Promenade. Amazon will set up their The Tick venue here.

While no building wraps are being applied quite yet, a few interesting things have popped up near the San Diego Convention Center that indicate 2017 Comic-Con will soon be here! I walked all over the place after work and this is what I saw. A week and a half to go! (I spoke to a guy at the Amazon site, and he said they’re getting started a bit early, before lots of other construction trucks arrive in the coming days.)

Another nearby pad that I also believe will be utilized by Amazon during 2017 San Diego Comic-Con.
Another nearby pad that I also believe will be utilized by Amazon during 2017 San Diego Comic-Con.
Have u seen this person? I noticed these flyers around the Gaslamp and also in Mission Valley today. It appears Nickelodeon is engaging in a guerrilla marketing campaign during 2017 San Diego Comic-Con.
Have u seen this person? I noticed these flyers all around the Gaslamp Quarter and also along Friars Road in Mission Valley today. It appears Nickelodeon is engaging in a guerrilla marketing campaign during 2017 San Diego Comic-Con.
The second of three types of flyers I spotted. It appears we're supposed to search for characters in the popular animated television series Hey Arnold!
The second of three types of flyers I spotted. It seems we’re supposed to search for characters in the popular animated television series Hey Arnold!
The Chuck Jones Gallery in the Gaslamp will be featuring DC and Marvel Comics fine art, and other great stuff.
The Chuck Jones Gallery in the Gaslamp will be featuring DC and Marvel Comics fine art, and other great pop culture stuff, as usual!
A poster promoting Shooter on USA Network near the Tin Fish.
A poster promoting Shooter on USA Network is already up near the Tin Fish and Hard Rock Hotel.
The Omnia Nightclub will have Rave of Thrones during Comic-Con weekend!
The Omnia Nightclub will have Rave of Thrones during Comic-Con weekend!
The San Diego Trading Company in the Gaslamp is stocked up on lots of Comic-Con gear!
The San Diego Trading Company in the Gaslamp is already stocked up with lots of Comic-Con gear!
I spotted Supergirl patrolling the Gaslamp, making sure no supervillains have appeared yet.
Finally, I spotted Supergirl patrolling the Gaslamp, making sure no supervillains have appeared yet!

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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 Twitter!

Bayou Brothers rock the House of France!

Folks dance on the stage at the center of Balboa Park's International Cottages. The lawn program today was hosted by the House of France.
Folks dance on the stage at the center of Balboa Park’s International Cottages. The lawn program today was hosted by the House of France.

For a moment I thought I’d taken a wrong turn. Was this Louisiana? Upon entering the lawn area of Balboa Park’s International Cottages, the energetic, rollicking Zydeco music coming from the stage made me suddenly feel like dancing about! And I don’t dance!

San Diego’s own Bayou Brothers band was the main entertainment this afternoon for the House of France’s lawn program! And they appeared to be an enormous hit!

An accordion starts hands clapping and feet stomping.
An accordion starts hands clapping and feet stomping.
A nice crowd enjoyed some great entertainment on a perfect Sunday afternoon.
A nice crowd enjoyed some great entertainment on a perfect Sunday in the park.
People gathered outside the House of France to listen to the music, talk, and look at some cultural displays.
People gathered outside the House of France to listen to the music, talk, and look at some cultural displays.
A poster says Welcome to the House of France. It depicts Mont St. Michel, Château de Versailles, la Tour Eiffel, and other popular national attractions.
A poster says Welcome to the House of France. It depicts Mont St. Michel, Château de Versailles, la Tour Eiffel, and other popular national attractions.
Some visitors inside the House of France sample treats and enjoy more good conversation.
Some visitors inside the House of France sample treats and enjoy more good conversation.
While outside, the music played. Another wonderful event in Balboa Park.
While outside, the music played. Just another wonderful day in Balboa Park.

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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 Twitter!

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Team of Santas urges kids to eat healthy food!

Real Santas United to End Childhood Obesity pose for the judges in the Uniform Contest at 2017 OTL. Photo courtesy Bill Swank.
Real Santas United to End Childhood Obesity pose for the judges in the Uniform Contest at 2017 OTL. (Photo courtesy Bill Swank.)

People playing Over The Line on Fiesta Island today had to be blinking their eyes. They didn’t just see Santa Claus striding across the sand–they saw a whole team of jolly Santas!

Real Santas United to End Childhood Obesity is competing this year in the OMBAC World Championship Over The Line Tournament in San Diego! And they’re spreading the important message that kids should eat healthy, nutritious food!

The unique team of Santas is organized by “Sustainable Santa” Richard Eckfield, and its members were observed this morning parading around the island handing out carrots and talking about the dangers of processed, sugary junk food and the rise of childhood obesity. Supported by several sponsors and the International Brotherhood of Real Bearded Santas, their mission is simply to promote healthy eating habits for children. “Healthy, Happy and Fit for Life!”

Members of Real Santas United to End Childhood Obesity can also be seen from time to time at farmers markets across San Diego County. They encourage children to eat real, honest-to-goodness wholesome food.

Will they win the OTL Camummy Division this year? I don’t know. I do know these Santas have a winning message!

You might like to follow the Santa & Mrs Claus for Healthy Children Facebook page!

Unlike most presents unwrapped at Christmas, good health is a gift that will last a long, merry, magical lifetime!

Kristin Francy, Miss Emerson in 2015, and a team of sporty Santas at the Over The Line World Championship tournament in San Diego. Photo courtesy Bill Swank.
Kristin Francy, Miss Emerson in 2015, and a team of sporty Santas at the Over The Line World Championship tournament in San Diego. (Photo courtesy Bill Swank.)
Photo of Baseball Santa Bill Swank and Richard “Sustainable Santa” Eckfield at the Linda Vista Farmers Market last December. Photo courtesy Bill Swank.
Photo of Baseball Santa Bill Swank and Richard “Sustainable Santa” Eckfield at the Linda Vista Farmers Market last December. (Photo courtesy Bill Swank.)
Front and back of cards that Sustainable Santa hands out at farmers markets throughout San Diego County. (Click to enlarge.) Image courtesy Bill Swank.
Front and back of cards that Sustainable Santa hands out at farmers markets throughout San Diego County. (Image courtesy Bill Swank.)
Baseball Santa Swank holds up carrots which the Real Santas United hand out to kids instead of sugary candy canes. Photo courtesy Bill Swank.
Baseball Santa Swank holds up carrots which the Real Santas United hand out to kids instead of sugary candy canes. (Photo courtesy Bill Swank.)

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A collection of past Comic-Con cosplay photos!

I’m starting to get excited about upcoming 2017 San Diego Comic-Con! It begins in less than two weeks!

Now that I’m beginning to think again about Comic-Con, I’ve been remembering some of the cool cosplay photos I’ve taken the past few years. Just for fun I’ve collected links to old blog posts that contain lots of cosplay photos!

Click the links to see everything!

 

From 2016 San Diego Comic-Con:

Photographs of cosplay at San Diego Comic-Con!

More photos of super creative cosplay at Comic-Con!

Cool cosplay and crazy fun outside Comic-Con!

 

From 2015 San Diego Comic-Con:

Super cool awesome cosplay at San Diego Comic-Con!

More super awesome Comic-Con cosplay photos!

Cool cosplay and fun outside San Diego Comic-Con.

Insane Comic-Con: crowds, hype, fun and firemen!

 

From 2014 San Diego Comic-Con:

Cosplay and Comic-Con craziness in the Gaslamp!

Comic-Con morning near the convention center.

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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera. This year I’m going to photograph lots more Comic-Con stuff! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!

Photos of America’s best Fourth of July parade!

Many say the best Fourth of July parade in America takes place every year in Coronado. Thousands of spectators line Orange Avenue and watch a glorious two hour parade that stretches from one side of the island to the other.

This year I managed to take a bunch of good photos. You can get a flavor of the patriotism and the appreciation our community has for those who serve in the military. Coronado, of course, is home to many Navy SEALs and a Naval Air Station, including two active aircraft carriers. And San Diego is home to most of the Pacific Fleet and a large number of Marines. Over the years, many veterans have also settled down in our fair city.

I saw many smiling families and much love of country on this Independence Day. These photos (except for the one above) are in chronological sequence. First we see a crowd gathering along the parade route…

The Star-Spangled Banner was sung before the parade commenced. Hats came off, and some saluted.

The kids were drawing poop circles. If a horse makes a deposit inside your circle, you win!

Here we go!

These guys, under the direction of a Drill Instructor, periodically reenacted Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima during the parade.

A wounded warrior received a Thank You and loud cheers.

People crossed Orange Avenue during breaks in the parade.

Those guys in the classic cars are Pearl Harbor survivors.

There were some guys engaged in Star Wars cosplay at this point during the parade. Check my previous blog post to see photos of that!

That’s just a taste of what is arguably the best Fourth of July parade in America!

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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 Twitter!

You can easily 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 fun photos for you to share and enjoy!

Comic-Con banners: Get tested for the X-Gene!

A huge banner hung on the San Diego Hilton Bayfront parking structure promotes The Gifted for 2017 Comic-Con. The X-Gene can't be seen. Do your part. Get tested.
A huge banner hung on the Hilton San Diego Bayfront parking structure promotes The Gifted for 2017 Comic-Con. The X-Gene can’t be seen. Do your part. Get tested.

Check it out! Three super huge banners have already been hung on a building for 2017 Comic-Con. They cover much of the Hilton San Diego Bayfront parking structure, and promote the upcoming FOX series The Gifted.

Those attending Comic-Con are urged to get tested by Sentinel Services for the X-Gene. (I wonder–if those who are tested are found to be positive, will they be sent away in an armored Mutant Transport trolley?)

In past years, I don’t recall huge banners like this appearing several weeks before the big event. I imagine tons and tons more cool stuff is on the way! Stay tuned!

Marvel's upcoming series about the mutant X-Men is coming to FOX television.
Marvel’s upcoming series about the mutant X-Men will be on FOX television.
Get tested for the X-Gene. Sentinel Services. A promotional banner on the Hilton during San Diego Comic-Con.
Get tested for the X-Gene. Sentinel Services. This promotional banner will be displayed on the Hilton parking garage during San Diego Comic-Con.
A happy family provides a chilling message. It's not a crime to have the X-Gene. But it is a crime to hide it. Get tested.
A happy family provides a chilling message. It’s not a crime to have the X-Gene. But it is a crime to hide it. Get tested.
Here's an example of what you might become if you have the X-Gene and suddenly mutate. I think this sinister-looking character is called the Toothy Composite Oddity. I spotted this sticker along Harbor Drive. I wonder if the Spiderman web-shooting gets tangled in the Wolverine claws?
Here’s an example of what you might become if you have the X-Gene and suddenly mutate. I think this sinister-looking character is called the Toothy Composite Marvel Oddity. I spotted this sticker along Harbor Drive. (I wonder if the Spiderman web-shooting gets tangled in the Wolverine claws?)
Or worse, you might become Sheldon Cooper. That's Sheldon, isn't it? One outcome, I suppose, would be an intellect that almost matches the brain power of Reed Richards. And an over-sized ego nearly the size of Ego.
Or worse, you might mutate and become Sheldon Cooper. This is Sheldon, isn’t it? One super power, I suppose, would be brain power that almost matches that of Reed Richards. And an over-sized ego nearly the size of Ego.
The first huge banners have appeared on a San Diego building for 2017 Comic-Con, several weeks before the international pop culture event!
The first huge banners have appeared on a San Diego building for 2017 Comic-Con, several weeks before the massive international pop culture event!

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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 Twitter!

You can easily 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 fun photos for you to share and enjoy!

Japanese pop culture party during San Diego Comic-Con!

A Japanese pop culture party--Yokai Omatsuri--will be held during San Diego Comic-Con at the Japanese Friendship Garden in Balboa Park.
A Japanese pop culture party–Yokai Omatsuri–will be held during San Diego Comic-Con at the Japanese Friendship Garden in Balboa Park. (Click this image to enlarge it for easy reading.)

I found out something really cool this afternoon! During a quick visit to the Japanese Friendship Garden in Balboa Park, I learned that they’ll be hosting a Japanese pop culture party during San Diego Comic-Con!

Click the flyer’s photo to read it. A supernatural world of anime and manga will take over the garden and its beautiful Inamori Pavilion on Friday, July 21st, from 7:30pm to 11:30pm. There will be cosplay, a costume contest, food, activity booths and lots of yokai running about. Yokai is Japanese for supernatural monsters, demons, phantoms, etc.

Anyone visiting San Diego for Comic-Con should spend some time in Balboa Park anyway. It is truly our city’s crown jewel. And as a member of the Japanese Friendship Garden myself, I assure you the beautiful garden is well worth a visit!

You can learn more about the Japanese pop culture party and find a link to purchase tickets online here. If you purchase tickets before July 10th, you will receive an Early Bird bundle pack with tickets redeemable for food at the event!

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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 Twitter!

I plan to cover Comic-Con like crazy this year! I live a short walk up the street from the Gaslamp Quarter and the San Diego Convention Center!

New 2017 Comic-Con trolley wrap: The Crossing.

A fourth trolley wrap for 2017 San Diego Comic-Con promotes The Crossing, a new television series on ABC.
A fourth trolley wrap for 2017 San Diego Comic-Con promotes The Crossing, a new television series that will debut later this year on ABC.

Look what I spied a short while ago! A fourth trolley wrap for 2017 San Diego Comic-Con!

This one promotes a new television show that’s coming to ABC. The Crossing will be about refugees from a war-torn future in America–refugees who have traveled back in time 250 years. Sounds like an intriguing idea!

From the network that brought you Lost. The future is coming on ABC.
From the network that brought you Lost. The future is coming on ABC.
The Crossing wrap on a San Diego trolley is spied downtown several weeks before 2017 Comic-Con.
The Crossing wrap on a San Diego trolley is spied downtown several weeks before 2017 Comic-Con.

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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 Twitter!

You can easily 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 photos for you to share and enjoy! Including many photos of past San Diego Comic-Cons!

Artists add life to the Ocean Beach Street Fair!

Peace. Love. Art. OB.
Peace. Love. Art. OB.

Late this morning I went to the annual Ocean Beach Street Fair. As usual there was lots of live music, tons of yummy food, endless smiles, and a whole bunch of friendly artists creating amazing art.

Here is just a little of what I saw…

Someone tries their hand at creating with chalk during the Ocean Beach Street Fair. I Love Art.
Someone tries their hand at creating with chalk during the Ocean Beach Street Fair. At the center, I Love Art.
A large Artists' Alley was full of life and energy.
A large Artists’ Alley was full of life and energy.
One artist was painting while people looked at her colorful canvases.
One artist was painting while people looked at her colorful canvases.
This artist was just getting started. All art begins with an empty space that is full of infinite potential.
This artist was just getting started. All art begins with an empty space that is full of infinite potential.
Many different musical artists entertained the crowd at the OB Street Fair. This band could be heard at the Wonderland Stage.
Many different musical artists entertained the crowd at the OB Street Fair. This rollicking band could be heard at the Wonderland Stage.
Meanwhile, another keg of beer is arriving in an alley by the Kilowatt Ocean Beach mural.
Meanwhile, another keg of beer is arriving in an alley by the Kilowatt Ocean Beach mural.
Kids enjoyed a bounce house that featured comic book art.
Kids enjoyed a bounce house that featured comic book art.
This bubble blower guy is an artist. He creates shimmering joy.
This bubble blower guy is an artist. Right? He creates shimmering joy.
Another artist at the Ocean Beach Street Fair concentrates on her work.
Another artist at the Ocean Beach Street Fair concentrates on her work.
One guy in Artists' Alley had a bunch of cool robot artwork for sale.
One guy in Artists’ Alley had a bunch of cool robot artwork for sale.
Kids were learning how to make music, and were entertaining the crowd like rock 'n roll superstars!
Kids were learning how to make music, and were entertaining the crowd like rock ‘n roll superstars!
Some surfers pass fun public art on Newport Avenue. They hear music coming from the main stage by the beach.
Some surfers pass fun public art on Newport Avenue. They hear music coming from the main stage by the beach.
These skateboarders hear it, too.
These skateboarders hear it, too.
A band pleases the OB crowd.
A band pleases the OB crowd.
Others were happy to just sit by the sand and gaze out at the ocean.
Others were happy to just sit by the sand and gaze out at the beautiful ocean. The sun finally came out.
A local photographer was showing off his art to those passing by.
A local photographer was showing off his art to those passing by.
Members of the Ocean Beach community (or anyone) could paint a square of a new community mural.
Members of the Ocean Beach community (or anyone at all) could paint a square of a new community mural.
A number of colorful squares have already been painted!
A number of colorful squares have already been painted!
Love of life and love of art combine at the Ocean Beach Street Fair!
Love of life and love of art combine at the always wonderful Ocean Beach Street Fair!

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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 Twitter!

You can easily 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 fun photos for you to share and enjoy!

A few cool sights anticipate San Diego Comic-Con!

Fatman on Batman with Kevin Smith and Marc Bernardin will be showing during San Diego Comic-Con at the American Comedy Co. in the Gaslamp.
Fatman on Batman with Kevin Smith and Marc Bernardin will be showing during San Diego Comic-Con at the American Comedy Co. in the Gaslamp.

Later today I’m heading to the OB Street Fair. But, first, this morning I walked through downtown San Diego and caught a few cool sights that anticipate 2017 Comic-Con, which is only a month away! I noted that workers were hanging more Comic-Con banners in the Gaslamp, now that the big Bio conference and the Startup San Diego events are completed.

If you follow Cool San Diego Sights but don’t care all that much about Comic-Con, fear not! I’ll be blogging a lot of other San Diego stuff in the days ahead!

Workers hang San Diego Comic-Con banners along Fifth Avenue in the Gaslamp Quarter.
Workers hang San Diego Comic-Con banners along Fifth Avenue in the Gaslamp Quarter.
Conan O'Brien's funny TBS talk show will be in San Diego during Comic-Con, as the marquee at the Spreckels Theatre on Broadway attests!
Conan O’Brien’s funny TBS talk show will be in San Diego during Comic-Con, as the marquee at the Spreckels Theatre on Broadway attests!

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