A very big, very fun outdoor mural is gradually being painted on the east side of La Bella Cafe & Games in Chula Vista!
Check it out!
I believe several artists are involved in this project.
On the smaller perpendicular wall, more fun imagery was painted a while back by artist Shirish Villaseñor. For a better look at that section of the artwork, click here and view the first two photographs.
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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 (formerly known as Twitter)!
You can learn how to dance the cha-cha-cha on a San Diego street corner.
It’s true!
At the corner of Civita Boulevard and Via Alta in Mission Valley, a step-by-step cha-cha-cha guide is embedded in the sidewalk!
(I gave the dance steps a try and almost tripped over my own two feet. Passing motorists probably had a good laugh.)
I happened to spy this fun public art as I walked through the Civita urban village this afternoon. I was heading toward Civita’s newly opened Creekside Park. Photos are coming up of the beautiful new park!
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
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 (formerly known as Twitter)!
Do you love art that is bold, energetic and unabashedly fun? If so, there’s an art exhibition in Escondido that you should check out. It’s titled Nan Coffey: Positively Animated!
Step into the museum at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido through November 5, 2023 and you’ll discover a gallery splashed with swirling words and images. Guitars, clothing, furniture, canvases and walls are positively covered with pop culture references. You’ll find homages to Rock and Roll and Southern California subcultures in particular.
The San Diego based artist Nan Coffey has a unique style which she calls Art All Over. As you can see from my photos, lively art covers every surface of those objects she decorates. Her work promotes connectivity, inclusivity, and love while drawing inspiration from her childhood obsessions with music, cinema, television, and pop culture. Let your eyes wander up, down, right and left and her animated art seems to have no boundary and no end.
It’s hard to adequately describe her work without actually seeing it. Here’s a small taste…
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
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 (formerly known as Twitter)!
How does one combine short outdoor walks with story time at a San Diego public library? Story Strolls!
During my visit to the San Ysidro Library last month, I observed one of these Story Strolls along walkways near the building entrance. Words and illustrations from children’s books are printed on signs, to be viewed by walkers in sequence, as if pages are being turned. It’s such a cool concept that I took these photos.
According to the City of San Diego website, eight branch libraries have featured such strolls. Most are in English. This one in San Ysidro is in Spanish. By scanning QR codes with your phone, you can also hear the story read aloud.
All of the library Story Strolls have a nature theme and debuted in June.
(If these signs appear a little dirty, we’d recently had some rain.)
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
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 (formerly known as Twitter)!
This morning, before I head out to watch the big stickball tournament in Little Italy, I’m going through hundreds of old, unused photographs stored on my computer. All are from various past walks. A few of the photos are so old I’ve forgotten when and where they were taken!
Here are the fun pictures of street art and signs that I’d like to share. It would be a shame not to post them!
A very colorful East Village mural.He who plants a garden plants happiness.Sunshine on a Little Italy window by @artbysoup.Sunshine, surf and surfboard in Oceanside behind the Regal Cinemas.Voted #1 ice cream in the world by my daughters.Street art by Jorge Mendoza.dreamer @nestmuralsOceanside chalk art on a sidewalk.Long live the rose that grew from concrete -Tupac Shakur
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
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 (formerly known as Twitter)!
WordPress notified me just now that my blog Cool San Diego Sights is celebrating its 10 year anniversary today.
Ten years? Good grief! That means I’m already ten years older!
It’s been fun so far. Hopefully there’s much more to come!
Back when I started Cool San Diego Sights, I didn’t imagine these posts I publish in my spare time, using photographs taken with a rather old camera, could end up on popular news apps like Google News and Newsbreak. Believe me, if you’ve discovered my posts in those places and wonder how they possibly rate as news articles, don’t ask me. As I understand it, it’s all determined by mysterious algorithms. Take my blog for what it is. A curious guy walking around San Diego taking photos!
But what a wonderful opportunity to express my love for my city.
And a great opportunity to meet all sorts of interesting people, too!
Perhaps I’m most thankful that Cool San Diego Sights has allowed many people to discover my Short Stories by Richard website. As a consequence, my short story One Thousand Likes is now included in a 12th Grade textbook, and part of at least one English Literature course at a major international university.
Ten years ago I had no conception such a thing might happen. If there’s a lesson here, it’s that persistence can pay off. Never lose hope!
Once again, thanks to those of you who swing by Cool San Diego Sights from time to time for a few moments of enjoyment. I keep learning new things. I hope you make a few fun discoveries, too!
Onward!
Richard
P.S. I spied a mysterious garden today in a very unexpected place. That’s coming up!
Big news! After several years’ absence, the big Labor Day weekend stickball tournament is returning to the streets of Little Italy!
This will be the 25th Annual Labor Day Stickball Tournament, and will run all this long weekend, September 2 – 4. It appears there will be 17 or 18 teams competing, according to the San Diego Stickball Facebook page.
Come on down to Little Italy and look for the action! These tournaments are very entertaining to watch! And the players mean business!
The event has a fundraiser here to pay for the necessary permits, and to help a special family. This year’s theme is called “Fallen Heroes Stickball Tournament.” A few family members of a hero lost in battle will Honor him by participating in this year’s event.
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
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 Twitter!
San Diego has a very large Filipino community. So it’s no surprise that many in the community came out today for the big, colorful 36th Annual Philippine Cultural Arts Festival!
This always popular festival, which takes place in Balboa Park, attracts an enthusiastic crowd, as you can see in my photos. (As I type this, the event is still going on for another hour or so.) There’s every sort of entertainment on the main stage, including music, singing, and a whole lot of folk dancing in costume. Those wandering about the grass can find Filipino food, cultural displays and art at every turn. Smiling authors and artists greet people, too!
The event is presented by the SAMAHAN Filipino American Performing Arts and Education Center, and I joined the audience cheering on many students performing traditional dances.
I learned Filipino Folk Dance Classes are offered for children, teens and adults. Click here for more information!
That smile in my next photo belongs to author Jocelyn Francisco, Ph.D. She wrote the Little Yellow Jeepney series of children’s books!
Perhaps you recall that the film Lumpia With A Vengeance had a very well attended panel this year at San Diego Comic-Con. That cool guy smiling on the left–Patricio Ginelsa–is the Director! The movie will be available on demand and digitally on October 3.
Here’s a young guy with truly fine art. I wonder how soon until his work is included in museum collections. His name is Sean Arce.
I enjoyed perusing a few cultural exhibits…
Another great performance!
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
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 Twitter!
Last week I enjoyed a fine walk through downtown Vista, in San Diego’s North County.
As I moseyed about, I was pleased to discover a bunch of fun sculptures that were new to me! I found these works of public art in spots where past sculptures stood several years ago.
(I noticed these pieces are available for purchase. Contact the City of Vista if you’re interested.)
The streets of downtown Vista are so alive with public art that it’s a joy to wander about and stumble upon fresh surprises!
This is what I found…
Faces in All Sorts of Places by Isabella Bowman.Cactus Love by Noe Estrada.Deep Roots by Alex Gall.Colorful Season by Norberto Estrada.Octo by Sergey Gornushkin.
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
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 Twitter!
The annual Lemon Festival in Chula Vista is one of the most popular street festivals in San Diego County. A huge crowd turned out today in Chula Vista’s historic downtown for lots of sweet family fun!
I walked down Third Avenue taking in the sights. Yes, there were lemons everywhere I turned: lemonade, lemon treats, lemony gifts, lemon-themed chalk art, and lots of people wearing yellow–some dancing to live music! Shame on me. I missed a lemon costume contest, a lemon cook-off, and a lemon squeezing contest!
Why is there a Lemon Festival each summer? As various displays at the South Bay Historical Society’s table explained, Chula Vista was once considered the Lemon Capital of the World!
Enjoy these photos!
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
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 Twitter!
Cool San Diego Sights! 