Super fast GC32 catamarans fly through and above San Diego Bay during an Extreme Sailing Series race!
Today I headed over to Harbor Island to check out the Extreme Sailing Series races out on San Diego Bay. The exciting Ultimate Stadium Racing Championship takes place over eight weekends, in eight international cities. Elite teams from countries around the world sail identical, super fast GC32 catamarans, which at their highest speed actually fly above the water!
I was amazed at how close some of the action was. A good crowd of people watched a sequence of relatively short races from the shore of Harbor Island, and from the Race Village, while announcers described exactly what was happening out on the water. When the catamarans flew by, many cheered for their favorite team!
The event continues through Sunday. Except for the VIP section, everything is free and open to the public!
I got a few decent photos!
Boy points toward fleet of high-tech foil-equipped catamarans manned by elite level teams. Another wild race is about to begin.A crowd watches the Ultimate Stadium Racing Championship event from Harbor Island’s temporary Race Village. Viewing is free!Some of the best sailors in the world, many who’ve won Olympic Gold, World Championships, and the America’s Cup, vie for supremacy in San Diego.The Extreme Sailing Series includes stadium racing competition in eight international cities. San Diego is Act 7.The race announcers add spice and sailing knowledge to an already exciting scene.The SAP Extreme Sailing Team out of Denmark seemed ahead of the pack in nearly every race. They’ve already been the winner in 3 cities.Once the catamarans attain sufficient speed, they become airborne, barely maintaining control with foils! Gusts of wind in the sails can really make these racing craft sway!Lots of people were enjoying the VIP section.The Race Village features many vendors and participating organizations. US Sailing has a fun scavenger hunt for kids.Young people compare how different sail arrangements can produce speed.A large diagram provides a guide to the amazing GC32 catamaran. Each team’s vessel is exactly alike. Skill and strategy determine ultimate victory.Legend beneath the diagram explains various key parts of the GC32, including the J-Foils, which create lift. (Click image to enlarge.)Our local Team Extreme San Diego was making a great showing! San Diego has produced many of the world’s top sailors. (Need I mention Dennis Conner?)Beautiful sailboats do battle on San Diego Bay, with the downtown skyline providing a picturesque background.The crew of each vessel includes many highly skilled athletes. The action is wild and fast-paced!A dance upon sparkling water.
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Someone in downtown San Diego’s Horton Plaza Park peers through a spy hole into a tiny Model Home.
The La Jolla Playhouse has invaded Horton Plaza Park! Several red houses have been placed inside the downtown San Diego park, and inside these tiny houses professional actors and actresses perform. A public audience can freely watch through spy holes!
Model Home is the name of this improvisational performance art concept, and anyone can check it out through Sunday. It’s a part of the La Jolla Playhouse’s annual Without Walls Festival which this year takes place in venues around downtown.
The genius behind Model Home is Mimi Lien, and I believe the idea is to inspire thought about what makes a home, and about those things in a home that individuals deem to be important.
A home is like an enclosed stage where humans act out much of their lives. As one nearby sign says, houses aren’t just structures, but contain human identity, memory and experience. Peering through the various spy holes in these Model Homes is like secretly peering into the mind of another person. It’s an inner life that the observer can never truly know.
I spoke to a couple of friendly La Jolla Playhouse folks and learned the actors and actresses inside the houses perform all day long, with periodic breaks. They are aware that eyeballs are staring in at them, but as trained acting professionals they aren’t fazed at all.
I also learned that at certain times the tiny house that is dangling from a crane is swung around through the air in a Crane Ballet! Perhaps I’ll “swing” by again this weekend and “crane” my neck at what must certainly be an unusual sight!
If you’re in downtown this weekend, you really should check it out!
Inside one tiny house I saw an actor in a small kitchen baking bread!Model Home, in downtown San Diego’s Horton Plaza Park, is part of the La Jolla Playhouse Without Walls WOW festival! (Click image to enlarge.)Several tiny red houses stand in Horton Plaza Park–and one is dangling high in the sky from a crane!People pause to read a sign that describes some very unique and thought-provoking performance art that can be enjoyed freely by anyone passing by.Peering through one of the spy holes…Inside this very bare Model Home an actor seemed to be sleeping in poverty. But every small “stage” and improvised performance invites the viewer’s personal interpretation.Inside another Model Home were the abandoned remnants of a birthday party. I didn’t see an actor. (Perhaps the kids ran outside to play…)And inside this Model Home an actress was studying a feather, holding it up and turning it about in the soft light. She seemed to be quietly thinking.
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A covered wagon in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park is decorated with autumn colors.
After walking a bit downtown, I took the trolley up to Old Town to enjoy the colorful Fall Festival!
I never tire of the wonderful events that can be found almost every weekend at Old Town San Diego State Historic Park!
Kids at the Old Town Fall Festival learn to make art with colored beans!Later in the day folks at this table would demonstrate how to make applesauce.Making environmentally friendly bird feeders using corn cobs, peanut butter and seeds.Folks young and old were trying their hand at making corn husk dolls.Lady with old-fashioned parasol walks through Old Town San Diego State Historic Park’s central Plaza de las Armas.Colorful leaves and a bountiful harvest frame the Welcome in an Old Town shop window.A smiling señorita walks near some pumpkins.An elaborate Día de los Muertos decoration standing beside the Fiesta de Reyes stage is bright with fall colors.A flower-filled wheelbarrow in front of Seeley Stable.Ceramic pumpkins line shelves at an outdoor Old Town marketplace.Ladies work on a quilt inside the Threads of the Past Living History Activity Center.Kid learns how to plant seeds in front of the Wells Fargo History Museum.A Wells Fargo chest full of golden treasure!
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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 friendly hello at the 2017 San Diego Brazilian Day Festival!
My walking adventure today included a stop at the San Diego Brazilian Day Festival in Mission Beach. Lots of people were arriving late in the morning, and banners were being raised, and parade floats were being prepared for later in the afternoon, and a band had begun playing Latin beats, and dancers were dancing, and people were joining in with smiles and uninhibited energy.
And so I took some photos!
People hang a banner as the San Diego Brazilian Day Festival gets started late Sunday morning.Nearby, on the Mission Beach boardwalk, people are walking, biking and skating by the beautiful blue ocean.Brazilian culture was celebrated today, so naturally some vendors were selling crispy pastel.The music was playing as soon as the festival got started. The Brazilian Institute for Arts and Culture was bringing the spirit of Brazil to San Diego!Lots of Brazilian flags at this t-shirt booth.Later in the afternoon there would be a carnival-like parade around Belmont Park, and some people were decorating a colorful float.A group promoting Latin American and Latino art had a cool truck plastered with word magnets. Visitors were creating poems. There will be a thousand LATIN rainbows…There will also be stacks of cool hats!It didn’t take long before festival visitors were dancing in front of the main stage.More people join in, and now they’re really kicking it up!Smiling ladies commenced an energetic dance routine on the stage to the delight of the growing crowd.A funny photo of two people in the crowd. Can you spot them?Brazilian culture was celebrated today in San Diego’s sunny Mission Beach!
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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!
Anyone could add their own creative touch to this cool Imperial Street Festival spray paint mural!
This afternoon I checked out a cool neighborhood event. I headed into Logan Heights to experience the Third Annual Imperial Avenue Street Festival!
I had never been to this festival before. What did I discover? Lots of culture, live music, tasty food, dance, art . . . and smiles!
Here are some photos!
Live music could be enjoyed at multiple stages.Cool graffiti art at the Logan Heights neighborhood festival by Dehvzer Artworks.The VivaLife Health Hub had energetic dancers and upbeat music!
The VivaLife Health Hub at 2754 Imperial Avenue is a project of BAME Community Development Corporation, a nonprofit organization that strengthens the residents and businesses in Greater Logan Heights.
BAME puts on this awesome festival. And they are looking for neighborhood volunteers! Click the above link to learn more!
Here are two of many smiles that I saw!Guys eating at Dulceria Coty on Imperial Avenue had good seats to watch the event.Now that looks yummy.Calamity!Lots of vendors and some prize wheels.Poster shows student achievers from the local King-Chavez Primary Academy sports and athletics programs!The local Turf Klub had some custom cars out for the public to admire.At the East Stage a San Diego youth band called the Main Stage Maniacs rocked the house!
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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!
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. At the center, I Love Art.A large Artists’ Alley was full of life and energy.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.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.Kids enjoyed a bounce house that featured comic book art.This bubble blower guy is an artist. Right? He creates shimmering joy.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.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.These skateboarders hear it, too.A band pleases the OB crowd.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.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!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 vessels the public can visit during the San Diego Wooden Boat Festival at the Koehler Kraft boatyard on Shelter Island.
Yesterday I headed over to Shelter Island to check out the annual San Diego Wooden Boat Festival. The event is taking place all Father’s Day weekend at the Koehler Kraft boatyard. Proceeds from the festival help out local charities.
Koehler Kraft is where many wooden boat owners head if their vessel needs a repair or upgrade. The boatyard was founded in 1938. I enjoyed poking around the place, and examining some very cool vintage wooden boats. There were also beautiful newer boats, and a few had unusual, fascinating designs.
Enjoy my photos and read the captions to learn more!
A look at the Koehler Kraft boatyard from a platform that juts out over the edge of Shelter Cove Marina in Americas Cup Harbor.People walk out to look at some wooden boats during a very cool festival on Shelter Island.Koehler Kraft’s San Diego Wooden Boat Festival is taking place on Father’s Day weekend.Various boats in the boatyard are being worked on. Some displays show the public how wooden boats are made.One can see the exposed framework of this small wooden boat.Inside the Koehler Kraft building are several more wooden boats. The big one being worked on is Siwash, a 1910 yawl that held the round Catalina time record for 27 years.Friendly folks show off lots of cool stuff at Koehler Kraft.I love how wood is everywhere. Working here must be a woodworker’s dream.Another boat is being worked upon. The varnished wood is simply beautiful.Now we’re outside again, looking down at the water where many boats crafted from wood await.Boats can be moved into and out of the water using these old rails and a wheeled platform.The Marjorie is an elegant wooden boat.Visitors to the San Diego Wooden Boat Festival check out a variety of interesting vessels.This small boat is named Tom. It’s a 2015 catboat. Carvel planked Port Oxford cedar on white oak frames.Water reflects rippled light on the smooth stern of Old Glory.Some guys and a dog on the deck of Sally, of the San Diego Yacht Club.Wooden boats have amazing character. Even the weathering adds personality.One’s eyes can take delight in these boats all day long.I believe I’ve seen the Patricia Belle at the yearly Festival of Sail. It’s a schooner cargo type boat built in 1998.Everyone is checking out these great boats!Someone peers down into a beautiful wooden sailboat.
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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!
Performers walk off the grassy stage at Crown Point during the San Diego Shaka Fest.
Here are some photos of the San Diego Shaka Fest held at Crown Point on Mission Bay yesterday. What a fun event!
There was a whole lot of Hawaiian culture, art and sport to see, including canoe racing and Hula dance.
It was so sunny and warm by the water, it was easy to imagine that everyone in attendance had been magically transported to the Hawaiian islands!
Caution! Your are entering an Aloha Only zone, ya! Please leave your troubles at da door!Lots of stand up paddleboards and canoes down on the water of Mission Bay.People enjoy a perfect San Diego Saturday.Some canoe racing between Crown Point and Fiesta Island.A nice lady told me a bit about Hawaiian dance. One can learn Hula at workshops provided by Halau Ka Lei Kukui Hi’ilani and Hawaiian Hula International.Hawaiian culture is sunny, welcoming and full of smiles.Tim Richards is creating a tiki using a chisel, mallet and palm wood. I believe he said it takes about 6 hours to produce one this size.Lots of fun Hawaii-themed stuff for sale at Shaka Fest.And more colorful stuff!Youth prepare to take the stage. They hold ipu gourds, a traditional musical percussion instrument in Hawaii.Hula dancing on Mission Bay.This couple was watching the entertainment.Lots of paddleboards were near the sandy beach.A pleasant day was enjoyed by many at the San Diego Shaka Fest.
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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!
Cool graphics on the side of a customized lowrider on display at this year’s Chicano Park Day celebration.
I headed down to Barrio Logan this morning to enjoy a bit of the 47th Annual Chicano Park Day celebration!
The big festival celebrating Mexican and Chicano culture drew huge crowds as usual from all around Southern California. There was traditional folklorico dancing, Aztec indigenous dance, and a huge contingent of lowriders and motorcyclists who converged to enjoy the scene and showcase their cool rides. Families enjoyed great food, the park’s playground, and a look at artwork and unique gifts at the many vendor tents. It was fun to just hang around, absorbing San Diego’s warm sunshine and the lively entertainment. The famous murals of Chicano Park infuse the much-loved event with a sense of history and potent meaning. The murals tell of the hard-fought struggle for civil rights.
Chicano Park Day this year was dedicated to Ramón Chunky Sánchez, a very popular musician and a leader of San Diego’s Chicano community who passed away late last year. Speakers also provided emotional tributes to the four who died last year at the annual La Raza Run motorcycle festival in Chicano Park when a car tragically plummeted onto the crowd from a ramp to the Coronado Bay Bridge.
On a happier note, I must mention that in January Chicano Park was designated a National Historic Landmark! Chicano Park contains our nation’s largest collection of outdoor murals.
Please enjoy some colorful photos from this morning!
A family heads toward Chicano Park, where a big annual celebration of Latino history and culture took place today.The first thing that caught my attention were lots of awesome vehicles. Many were fitted with hydraulics. Southern California lowrider culture is unmatched in the entire world.Cool cars in Barrio Logan’s world-famous park.Motorcycles and their proud owners also rode in from far and wide for the event.One corner of one mural. As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil porque soy Chicano!Vendor has lots of fun gifts ready for the growing crowd.These guys were enjoying the lively scene from one of the public park’s picnic tables.Some old photos at one booth show Chicano Park being claimed and created by activist community members in 1970.A variety of images that tell some of the history of San Diego’s unique Chicano Park.A memorial still remains in Chicano Park, where four were tragically killed last year when a driver veered off the bridge above.A large crowd gathered around the pavilion to hear surviving family members remember the deceased and thank the local community for its undying love.A large crowd, and the festival had barely opened.And then the entertainment began!People enjoy Chicano Park Day among the many expressive murals. A beautiful image of Virgin Mary has a shrine at its base.Another photo of the festival today.The folklorico dancing produces smiles, cheers and applause. The park’s pavilion, also called the Kiosko, was designed to look like a pre-Colombian Mesoamerican temple.Traditional Mexican ballet folklorico is a delightful slice of Latino culture and much loved in San Diego.Some bold artwork on display at the festival. I spotted lots of Aztec and Dia de los Muertos designs.And more cool stuff!Photograph at one table shows the late Chicano musician Ramón Chunky Sánchez.Many dancers who would perform at the Chicano Park Day celebration wore resplendent Aztec-inspired costumes.Another fantastic sight in culturally rich San Diego.The High Class Car Club out of Los Angeles had lots of amazing lowrider vehicles on display at nearby Mercado del Barrio.A cool design on the side of one very cool car!
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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!
Walking through a profusion of pink flowers at the Japanese Friendship Garden during the 2017 Cherry Blossom Festival in Balboa Park.
Wow! Here come photos of the amazing annual Cherry Blossom Festival, which is taking place this weekend at the Japanese Friendship Garden in Balboa Park.
I recommend a visit! You’ll see lots of jaw-dropping beauty, devour lots of yummy food, and enjoy many fun and fascinating aspects of Japanese culture.
If you shy away from crowds, it’s probably best to arrive in the morning just as the festival opens. This event becomes more and more popular every year!
Tomorrow–Sunday–the festival is open from 10am to 6pm.
The annual Cherry Blossom Festival takes place all weekend. If you’re in San Diego and you read this blog in time, make sure to go!Japanese art, gifts and crafts can be found all around the garden during the festival.Many people gravitate toward the covered patio near the koi pond.Colorful koi, symbols of longevity in Japan.Some attending the Cherry Blossom Festival try their hand at the ancient game of Go.The strategic game of Go originated in China over 2500 years ago. Boards for the Japanese version are often prized for their beauty.Some super smiles at this table!Gazing beyond the beautiful Light of Friendship at many vendor tents during the festival of cherry blossoms.Lots of fun Japanese stuff is for sale at the event.Yoshi’s Jams are completely organic! So was that smile!This cool guy had genuine samurai swords for sale.Some ladies at one table were demonstrating Japanese brush painting. A special exhibition in Balboa Park’s Casa del Prado will take place March 25 and 26.Exquisite Japanese artwork created by a careful, inspired hand.People head through the Charles C. Dail Memorial Gate and toward the Lower Garden, where most of the blossoming cherry trees await.We descend into beauty.Walking into heaven.Spring cherry blossoms line the walkways and the gentle stream that runs through the Lower Garden.A purple parasol and pink flowers.Lots of food could be found around the Inamori Pavilion. These guys were preparing Okonomiyaki–yummy Japanese pancakes.Inside the Inamori Pavilion, a variety of marionettes are on display. The Edo Marionettes will perform at the Japanese Friendship Garden on April 30.I was drawn to these tents in the sun-splashed garden, where there was even more food!Preparing Taiyaki–Japanese fish-shaped cakes.I’d never eaten Taiyaki before, and it was really good!But, of course, the Japanese cherry trees are the star of the show. Crowds walk through bursts of pink flowers and rest on the green grass.Visitors to the Japanese Friendship Garden in Balboa Park enjoy the annual Cherry Blossom Festival!
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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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