An exhibit about the history of fishing in San Diego opens today at the Maritime Museum of San Diego.
Harvesting the Ocean expands upon pre-existing displays in the museum. The new exhibit follows the rise and fall of our city’s commercial fishing industry, and celebrates contributions by native people, immigrants and resilient fishing families to that rich history.
In addition to informative signs containing historical photographs, the exhibit includes artifacts used by fishermen who’ve harvested the ocean over the years.
I enjoyed an early look at the exhibit. If you’re interested in this very important aspect of San Diego history, you need to experience it, too.
The opening of this exhibit corresponds with the launch of a new seafood cookbook created by over a hundred contributors from the San Diego community. San Diego Seafood: Then & Now is available at the Maritime Museum’s gift shop. It contains over 75 recipes and includes essays, stories and photographs that bring our city’s extensive and diverse fishing history to life.
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A big event is being held this coming Saturday, June 14, 2025 in San Diego!
Celebrated chefs and local fishermen will greet the public at Tuna Harbor Dockside Market as an amazing new cookbook is launched that celebrates seafood and fishing history in San Diego!
San Diego Seafood: Then & Now contains over 75 excellent recipes, and includes the contributions of over a hundred people from the San Diego community, such as historians and fishing boat captains.
The book is curated by California Sea Grant, a unique partnership that unites the resources of the federal government, the State of California and universities across the state to create knowledge, products and services that benefit the economy, the environment and the citizens of California.
In addition to recipes, the cookbook contains many great photographs, stories and essays concerning the rich history of fishing in San Diego. Those who’ve contributed to our fishing history include the Kumeyaay, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, Italians and Mexicans. Many immigrants settled in San Diego because of our long-time status as tuna fishing capital of the world. You’ve heard of Little Italy, right?
As the Amazon page concerning the book explains: San Diego Seafood: Then & Now blends local history and cuisine to celebrate the region’s rich maritime heritage and culinary diversity. More than a cookbook, this volume features colorful stories from past and present, stunning visuals, and helpful tips on buying, storing and preparing seafood, in addition to over 75 recipes that showcase local catch– from widely-known favorites, like tuna and halibut, to lesser-known treasures, like black cod and spiny lobster...
At Tuna Harbor Dockside Market next Saturday, there will be book signings and a meet and greet. The public can rub elbows with book project participants, working fishermen and renowned chefs. And there will be seafood tastings!
If you’ve never been to Tuna Harbor Dockside Market, it’s where fishermen sell freshly caught seafood directly to the public and restaurants. It’s open Saturdays from 8 am to 1 pm or sold out. Look for the many canopies on the pier just north of Seaport Village, next to Tuna Harbor.
Even if you have no interest in buying freshly caught fish, crabs or sea urchins, Tuna Harbor Dockside Market is a bustling and fascinating place to experience. (I’ve blogged about it many times over the years, including the day of its grand opening!) There are usually sea lions playing and barking nearby. You can watch fishermen at work on their boats. And you can also buy and eat fish and chips on the pier!
Some past photos…
Here are some friendly folks from California Sea Grant that I once met…
If you want to be part of the San Diego Seafood: Then & Now book launch celebration next Saturday, and perhaps purchase a signed copy, look for the first canopy on the pier!
Brand new San Diego trolley wraps for Comic-Con 2025 are appearing on almost a daily basis!
Today another design promoting Nintendo’s recently released Switch 2 and its Mario Kart World game can be seen running through the city!
Yesterday a different Mario trolley wrap debuted–see those photographs here. A wrap promoting Donkey Kong Bananza on Switch 2 appeared a few days back–see that here!
And there are already many trolley cars wrapped with a design that promotes the upcoming movie Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle!
And to think Comic-Con is still over a month away.
The excitement builds…
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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.
Mario will be riding the San Diego Trolley during Comic-Con 2025!
The latest San Diego Trolley wrap for Comic-Con promotes the Nintendo Switch 2 and ever popular Mario games, including Mario Kart World, which launched on Switch 2 last week.
For 2025, this is the third Comic-Con trolley wrap design I’ve noticed so far. Considering San Diego’s international pop culture event is still a month and a half away, I reckon there will be many more to come!
Time to Power Up Your Play!
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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.
Gigantic gorillas are ready to bust loose and roam around San Diego! Strangely, the gorillas all resemble Donkey Kong!
As Comic-Con 2025 nears, the rampaging gorillas will be clinging to San Diego trolley cars in the wild riding through the city! And I’m not talking about gorilla cosplay on trolleys!
The latest trolley wrap for Comic-Con 2025 promotes Donkey Kong Bananza, an upcoming platform game for Nintendo Switch. According to Wikipedia, the game is scheduled for release on July 17, 2025, right around the time of Comic-Con, which begins the following week.
I remember playing the original Donkey Kong arcade game when I was a kid. I never did master it. I was better at Galaga. Doesn’t seem that long ago. Time flies.
I had to take these zoom photographs from a distance. If I manage to get better images in the coming days, I’ll post an update!
UPDATE!
A couple days later, I got these pics:
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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.
An unusual fashion show took place today in San Diego. Whimsical dresses made of upcycled materials were a highlight of a Philippines Independence Day celebration. The cultural “lawn program” was held outdoors among Balboa Park’s International Cottages.
Local fashion designer Elsie Clavin used everything from newspapers to plastic straws to playing cards to bubble wrap to create these crazy dresses!
I don’t pretend to know anything about fashion, but I did enjoy this very colorful, very fun show!
I’m sure many of you will enjoy these photographs, too. I tried to write down some information as I took the pictures, but I fumbled around with camera and pen and fell well short of decent journalism. Again. Sorry.
Photo time…
First up, a dress made with playing cards and poker chips. Perfect for a visit to the casino!
Next, a dress made of old newspapers! Good news, I hope.
Here’s a skirt made of those color match samples you use to select paint! I did say these dresses are colorful!
Here’s a creative use of upcycled plastic straws and bubble wrap…
There are all sorts of upcycled materials in this next dress. I failed to write any of them down.
More playing card casino action with this couple…
Yes, plastic spoons, forks, and coffee filters can make an exquisitely elegant dress…
Burlap works, too…
I believe I heard that batik is an important part of the next incredible outfit! I’m probably wrong. (I welcome corrections in the comments.)
And finally here’s the fashion designer, Elsie Clavin herself, wearing a fun bubble wrap design!
I bet you’ve never seen a fashion show quite like this!
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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.
Hungry during your weekend visit to Balboa Park? Do you love Filipino food, such as pancit and lumpia?
Head over to the San Diego History Center, where they’re serving up authentic Filipino food and culture!
Taste San Diego: Filipino Culinary Journeys is the name of the museum’s free exhibition, where displays tell the story of Filipino-American identity through the rich flavors of cuisine. It’s also where, on Saturdays and Sundays, tasty food is available for purchase at the Bataan Café!
What’s on the menu? Pancit, Shanghai Lumpia, and for dessert, Ube Crinkle Cookies and Dubai Ensaymada. Beverages include Ube Cold Brew, Calamansi Lemonade, Ginger Beer, and alcoholic Ube Wan and Jeepney.
When I swung by for lunch on Saturday, I was met by smiles and a neighborly vibe.
A family was enjoying their meal at a very special table. The table’s surface is actually a large video screen. Its looping video shows a Filipino boodle fight: a communal Filipino meal where food is placed directly on the table and eaten with bare hands. (My own table had me eating delicious lumpia by hand, but the pancit noodles made their way into my mouth by fork.)
I recommend you visit Taste San Diego: Filipino Culinary Journeys at the San Diego History Center. In addition to the great food served on weekends, there are walls full of heartwarming displays. They tell stories of Filipino family life and culture in San Diego.
Service with a smile!
I took the next photograph on a weekday, when the café is closed. My photo shows the scale of this exhibition at the San Diego History Center.
On weekends you’ll find people at the tables enjoying Filipino food!
The museum exhibit includes many displays.
This historical photograph shows how social fiestas help Filipino immigrants and Filipino-Americans stay connected to their roots and share rich traditions…
One display shows ingredients that are often used in the making of Filipino food…
Okay! It’s now the weekend and I’m hungry!
Time to eat!
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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.
If you’ve walked around San Diego’s Balboa Park in the past week, you might have noticed fencing has appeared all around the newly renovated Botanical Building. Phase 2 of the Botanical Building and Gardens revitalization is now underway!
Lush gardens are to be planted all around the Botanical Building! Even behind it!
The new landscaping will be receiving a $10 million makeover, with nine themed garden spaces. You can get an idea of how things might appear when all is said and done by visiting this Forever Balboa Park webpage.
Phase 2 includes installing dozens of historically accurate benches near fountains and around the Lily Pond, and recreating a grand pergola to match the one that disappeared during the federal government’s wartime takeover.
It’s hard to imagine how the Botanical Building in Balboa Park could become even more beautiful. But it’s going to happen!
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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 exhibition details how women in San Diego history, from the 19th century to the present, have excelled in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, leading to important contributions in different fields.
There’s a special emphasis on young women pursuing career paths in STEM today. Various organizations are highlighted that can help those with STEM aspirations.
Young people, upon seeing this exhibition, will understand that pursuits in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics can do more than make a world a better place, but can be personally very rewarding.
Examples of what visitors will find…
ECOLOGIK was launched at Cabrillo National Monument in 2017. The free program engages children and young adults in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics. There is an emphasis on ecology and environmental sciences.Girls Who Code has reached over 760,000 students through virtual and in-person programming. The organization helps to spark an interest in transformative technology.Dr. Charlotte Baker was San Diego’s first practicing female physician. She moved to San Diego in 1888 and ten years later she became the first female president of the San Diego County Medical Society.During World War II, many women helped with military manufacturing in San Diego. In the aircraft industry, women made up to 65% of the workforce in 1943.Dr. Janese Swanson, graduate of SDSU, was a pioneer at the dawn of the digital age. At Broderbund Software, she helped develop the popular game Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?Dr. Ellen Ochoa grew up in La Mesa. An engineer and astronaut, she was the first Latina astronaut in NASA history. She would log nearly 1,000 hours in 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.
According to their website, the San Diego Beamers are a group of family and friends dedicated to uplifting people’s hearts and souls through the power of music.
They were doing exactly that in Balboa Park this afternoon!
Up on the outdoor stage at the International Cottages, the San Diego Beamers were performing cool and classic hits, such as You Are My Sunshine, Tequila Sunrise, and Tin Man. The band members, most playing guitar, are all members of the House of Chamorros.
Their music is like a beam of sunshine. As you listen, you know that life is good. You can’t help smiling.
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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! 