Two professional opera singers performing Italian songs outdoors in Balboa Park? That’s what we got today during the House of Italy lawn program at the International Cottages!
We also got meatball sandwiches (which were really, really good) and spumoni!
I was surprised when I recognized one of the smiling singers: Victoria Robertson. She also performs with Opera4Kids! I’ve enjoyed two Opera4Kids productions at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion in the past few years. See my photos here and here!
Today I learned something else. Both of today’s amazing opera singers, Victoria Robertson and Rosario Monetti, have opened a new coffee shop and wine bar in Hillcrest. It’s appropriately called Divo Diva! They’ll be singing together in a dinner show concert later this month. Visit their website here!
A few more fun photos from today’s House of Italy lawn program…
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One might expect beach blankets on the sand and picnics on the grass around San Diego’s sunny Mission Bay. But a vineyard?
Well, yes!
A small working vineyard can be found below the patio of the Mission Bay Beach Club. With its Superbloom vegan coffee shop, yoga classes, artisan market, wine tastings and view of the nearby water, the unique gathering place is a hipster’s paradise.
The other day I walked past the distinctive building that is now home of the Mission Bay Beach Club.
As I walked past the landmark structure, which was built in 1969 by architect Richard Lareau, I recalled how decades ago it housed the Mission Bay Visitors Information Center. Travelers arriving in San Diego on Interstate 5 could exit at Clairemont Drive and learn all about our city’s attractions.
Before it eventually became the Mission Bay Beach Club, the building sat vacant for years.
In the 1980s, I used to shoot hoops at the nearby basketball courts with ordinary guys from the neighborhood. Those courts have been neglected, dismantled.
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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.
As it turned out, the Comic-Con Interactive Zone at Petco Park has a fair number of cool activities for 2025. When I looked down at the parking lot yesterday, I was wondering what all might appear.
Well, apart from the great food trucks and a first aid station (where you can get free water), there are several activations that will thrill kids (and adults) and those who love collectibles.
I visited the free to the public Interactive Zone in the afternoon, and there was no wait to get in. Lining up in the morning and waiting in my opinion is a waste of time. Once that initial line goes away, it’s a breeze to walk in.
So what did I see?
I had camera, phone, keys, etc. and I passed right through the metal detectors without removing them, no problem…
The various sides of this activation promote video games by ARC System Works…
People at the ARC System Works activation loved playing Hunter × Hunter: Nen × Impact. It appeared one could grab cool swag, too…
I see Marge Simpson at one picnic bench!
(I bought a pulled pork dish but found nowhere to sit, so I took it outside and sat in some shade at nearby quiet Petco Park.)
Check out this awesome Winx Club chalk art!
Pose with cabbages for a fun photo at the Magic: The Gathering x Avatar activation! I believe I saw those who participated getting a swag bag…
Kids will love this Winx Club photo op…
eBay has a large activation with different activities and winnable stuff…
eBay Live podcast concerning collectibles was drawing a lot of attention…
This photo op aimed to get people across the street to The Labu’Tique Pop-Up Shop…
Food, fun and fascination for your family!
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If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!
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.
Very special donuts will be available at the Pendry San Diego hotel during Comic-Con!
Swing by Thursday to Sunday after 7 am and you can sink your teeth into Superman, Spider-Man, Stitch, a Labubu and more!
These yummy creations come from San Diego’s world-famous Donut Bar. You’ll be able to purchase them at the Donut Bar’s downtown store, as well.
The Pendry San Diego hotel is located in the Gaslamp Quarter (not far from the convention center) at Fifth Avenue and J Street. Look for the donuts out by the Fifth Avenue sidewalk.
The Donut Bar is located at 401 West A Street. That’s where I took these photographs!
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If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!
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 Pac-Man Cafe Pop-Up opened in San Diego a couple days ago, in time for this year’s Comic-Con!
The kid-friendly cafe, located in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter, features Pac-Man themed food, merch, and lots of arcade games that can be played freely!
What’s on the menu? Everything from Team Ghosts Cake Pops to Waka Waka Rice Krispies to Blinky’s Blast Slushes to Pac-Man 45 Anniversary Shave Ice. Want to eat something more substantial? Why not devour Chomp and Cheese Nachos, Sweet Mazemen Maruchan Noodles, Pac-Ked Chicken Quesadillas…
I saw tons of merchandise for sale for Pac-Man fans, from skateboards to bag clips to Pac-Man nanoblocks. You can get a free fan club button, too, by joining the Pac-Man Discord!
I suspect the lines will be long during Comic-Con, so consider swinging by early. The Pac-Man Cafe Pop-Up is located at 323 Seventh Avenue. Its hours are 11 am to 8 pm. This super fun activation will remain open until August 3, 2025.
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If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!
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 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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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.
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!
A plaque honoring San Diego’s underwater pioneers is embedded in a boulder a short distance west of La Jolla Cove. It was placed above Boomer Beach next to Ellen Browning Scripps Park last year.
People walking beside the ocean on the scenic boardwalk might see the bronze plaque near a bench.
The plaque reads:
Since 1933, offshore from this beach access, the seafloor bears memorial markers to name and honor San Diego’s most heralded underwater pioneers. The San Diego Bottom Scratchers Dive Club.
The Bottom Scratchers dedicated every dive to preventing the waste of sea life and to helping others appreciate the wonders of the sea. All who enter here fall under oath to do the same.
Plaque donated by San Diego Freedivers.
Here’s a great article about the Bottom Scratchers Dive Club, which began almost a century ago. It explains: The name “Scratchers” came from the members’ habit of scouring the ocean bottom for food… The Bottom Scratchers either invented or were the first to use the basic freediving spearfishing gear still employed today… Soon club members became local legends… Everything the explorers experienced was new…
There are some great old photographs in the article, too.
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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.
The big 2025 Santee Street Fair was held today! Thousands of happy people came together at Santee Town Center to celebrate the start of summer! It’s Memorial Day weekend!
From entertainment on the main stage . . . to plenty of food . . . to carnival rides for the kids . . . to community organizations and vendors . . . there was plenty to see and do!
I walked around taking in the atmosphere while meeting some friendly people.
As I arrived, cheerleaders from Santana High School were performing for the gathered crowd…
As the next photograph suggests, this is one of the most popular street festivals in San Diego County!
Some of the cool rides in the fun zone…
I learned about animal sanctuary Lions Tigers and Bears in Alpine. I often see them on the TV news. It’s a place I have yet to visit.
Viola makes yummy cookies and other treats. She once was interviewed on CBS News 8!
The City of Santee was well represented at the street fair.
Santee offers many public activities for residents, including families and seniors. The Santee Summer Concerts are coming up!
The San Diego County Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) trains you to protect yourself, your family, your neighbors and neighborhood in an emergency situation.
I got an emergency kit that includes a Safety Lightstick, which I’ve placed within easy reach in case my power goes out.
These smiling folks were full of information about Santee Lakes Recreation Preserve. If you like freshwater fishing, that would be a great place!
Food galore at the Santee Street Fair!
Mr. Fun smiled for my camera, and probably wondered who the heck I was.
Grama Rose hosts a radio show, which always includes heart, wisdom and a recipe!
American Legion Riders had some wheels near their canopy.
I coaxed a smile out of this VFW gent!
An honest-to-goodness chimney sweep! Did he fly in to Santee from London?
A brilliant karate demonstration receives oohs and aahs from a large audience!
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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! 