Tag: fun

Night photos of Oktoberfest in La Mesa!

It’s early October. It must be time for La Mesa Oktoberfest!

In previous years I visited the big festival during the daytime. This year I walked through downtown La Mesa and enjoyed the lights and sights of Oktoberfest after dark!

As usual, big crowds. Endless food with lots of sausage and plenty of beer. Rows of vendors, live music stages, carnival rides including a bright Ferris wheel, kids trying out hula hoops, and, of course, the annual wiener dog racing. I saw people in traditional Oktoberfest attire, diners at tables on the sidewalk, happy families and plain good fun.

Walking through it all, I took these nighttime photographs.

You can enjoy Oktoberfest in La Mesa all weekend long!

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Roll a marble from North Park to Hillcrest?

This mural was painted in 2021 by San Diego artist Regan Russell. Located at the southeast corner of Park Boulevard and University Avenue, it’s technically at the west edge of the North Park neighborhood.

Whenever I see this colorful mural, I’m reminded of that old Atari arcade game Marble Madness. If you’re old enough and remember once-popular video game arcades, you might also remember this groundbreaking game.

Using a trackball, players would try to roll a marble along a three-dimensional course around corners, down ramps, along precarious edges and through various obstacles. The isometric playing field appeared a bit like this mural!

Murals with similar geometric designs have lately become more common in San Diego. I usually don’t photograph them. This particular mural, however, allows my imagination to roll a marble along University Avenue down a colorful North Park slope into neighboring Hillcrest!

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San Diego police car smashes pumpkins!

Yikes! What happened here? Looks like a vintage San Diego police car has smashed into a bunch of pumpkins!

Not surprisingly, the incident took place in the courtyard of the old historical police headquarters in downtown San Diego.

Looks like The Headquarters at Seaport Village is getting ready for autumn and Halloween with this and other fun displays!

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Pigs, duck and hamburger at old Navy base!

At old Naval Training Center San Diego, you might not expect to see pigs, a duck and a hamburger placed on a fountain. Well, that’s what you’ll find at Liberty Station in Point Loma!

The old Navy base is now home to many artist studios and tons of public art. I found this rather unusual public art while walking around the other day!

The fountain is titled Fuente Fantasma. It was created last year by Ensenada artist Beliz Iristay.

According to a nearby sign, the fantastic fountain showcases the complex layering of the region that is Tijuana and San Diego with the juxtaposition of the traditional border craft industry in rich layering along with an architectural element, the fountain, a fitting symbol for San Diego’s Spanish heritage.

Well, that may be, but I simply like the fun, whimsical quality of the thing!

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Anime San Diego debuts at convention center!

The popularity of anime has absolutely exploded in recent years. Series like One Piece, Cowboy Bebop, My Hero Academia, Dragon Ball, Pokémon, Naruto, Attack on Titan, Chainsaw Man, Demon Slayer and many others have become pop culture mainstays in America and around the world.

This growing popularity has spawned a variety of events that attract anime fans. One completely new event, debuting in 2026, is Anime San Diego. It’s being held this weekend at the San Diego Convention Center, the famous home of Comic-Con.

I was able to visit Anime San Diego on Saturday morning!

In addition to hundreds of vendors, artists and celebrity guests (many voice actors), the convention features an arcade zone, gaming tournaments, karaoke, live music, industry and fan panels, cosplay meetups, itasha cars, cool merch, giveaways, and just a whole lot of fun!

I was surprised at how many fans showed up and how awesome it all is! Not bad for their first year!

Check out some photos of the action!

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Pirates take San Diego waterfront Labor Day weekend!

Unsuspecting landlubbers: BEWARE!

Pirates will take San Diego’s waterfront this Labor Day weekend . . . and on September 19–20, 2026, too!

The scurvy friends of Captain Jack might be spotted among other pirates on the Embarcadero, in the vicinity of the Maritime Museum of San Diego!

Pirates Take the Waterfront will be a fun activity for families. Anyone who dresses like a pirate will get a huge discount on museum admission!

Captain Jack will be roaming among the Maritime Museum of San Diego’s historic ships in case you’d like a photo with the legendary rascal. On the second event weekend, there will be a Rum Bar, too!

I wouldn’t be surprised to hear a bit of yo-ho-hoing!

To learn more, click here.

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Stickball in San Diego this Labor Day weekend!

Stickball is returning to San Diego this coming Labor Day weekend!

The unique San Diego tradition will return to the streets of Little Italy in 2026, on Saturday, September 5 through Labor Day on Monday. Come down to Little Italy any weekend day. You can’t miss the action!

Three different blocks on the streets of Little Italy will become fields of play. Thirteen teams from New York, New Jersey, Florida, and California will be competing for the prestigious Jillie Championship Trophy!

In the world of stickball, this tournament is a big deal!

I remember first taking photos of stickball in Little Italy back in 2013, when my blog was new. Over the years I’ve captured moments from many tournaments. Here are some photographs from the past, just to whet your appetite…

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Dinosaurs, clowns and a dragon in East Village!

I frequently walk down Ninth Avenue past Modern Times Coffee in San Diego’s East Village. Whenever I do, I have to turn my head and glance inside.

Why?

Because the unusual coffee shop contains dinosaurs, clowns, a dragon and other wild, crazy sights!

The Modern Times Coffee website describes what patrons encounter as retro-future decor. Whatever you might call the outlandish assemblage, it’s a lot of fun!

Where else can you find Ronald McDonald sitting happily under a flying pterodactyl and disco ball?

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Healthcare workers as superheroes street art!

I saw this today and thought you might enjoy it, too!

Healthcare workers as superheroes has been painted on an electrical box in San Diego’s Grantville neighborhood. You can find the fun street art at an intersection near Kaiser Zion Medical Center.

Spider-Man is swinging along holding Boba Fett, apparently taking him to the hospital emergency room!

Did the web-slinging Marvel superhero rescue Boba Fett from the sarlacc? Does that explain the Star Wars bounty hunter’s survival?

We rise by helping others…

Thank you healthcare workers!

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Sense of Wonder: creative fun in Oceanside!

This might be the most fun interactive art exhibition you’ll experience all year! It’s showing for one more week at the Oceanside Museum of Art, and it’s titled Aaron Kramer: Sense of Wonder.

Do you love crazy, clever, fun-loving inventions? Upstairs at the museum you’ll find loads of them! Playful artist Aaron Kramer likes to tinker and make mechanical wonders using found objects.

Visitors to the Oceanside Museum of Art can turn cranks and press buttons that activate wacky kinetic creations. Wires, old springs, bottles and tin cans, cardboard, odd pieces of wood, broken things–magically become spinning whirligigs, dipping hummingbirds, dancing figures . . . even contraptions that trace images on paper!

I’ve always loved these sort of whimsical creations. Remember that scene near the beginning of the movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang–that crazy, elaborate Rube Goldberg-style contraption that automatically made breakfast? These small works of art are just as fun!

If you’re young at heart, you’ll be pressing every button and turning every crank! Through August 23, 2026, that is, when this super cool exhibition wraps up.

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