Tag: fun

All sorts of fun photos from a Comic-Con walk!

I took jillions of photographs today while walking near the San Diego Convention Center and Gaslamp Quarter. It’s the first day of Comic-Con 2023!

I’ve already posted blogs about two different Comic-Con offsite activations. More of that is coming. However, my little camera captured so many miscellaneous images today I thought I’d present some of them now. Most of these were taken while walking along Harbor Drive. I started near the Interactive Zone at Petco Park.

There are smiles, creativity, cosplay, and plenty of people seeking attention. Comic-Con is not only a fun pop culture convention, but it’s a humongous marketing opportunity for those who are shrewd. (Feel free to follow my blog. Wink-wink. Oh wait, I gain nothing but an inflated ego!)

Ready? Here we go. No captions. Just absorb all the wonderful craziness!

Incidentally, this morning I also enjoyed a very special two-hour tour at the San Diego Museum of Art in Balboa Park. Busy day!

I’ll blog about some truly famous and amazing art at the museum right after Comic-Con concludes.

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I’m covering Comic-Con again this year. To see all my current and past blog posts concerning Comic-Con, click here and scroll down!

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 stuff inside the Comic-Con Interactive Zone!

The Comic-Con Interactive Zone is worth checking out this year!

The lines this morning weren’t too horribly long to get into what is officially called the Interactive Zone at Petco Park. It’s called that because a variety of activations are set up in one of the ballpark’s nearby parking lots. I waited maybe 15 minutes to get in.

Once inside the Interactive Zone, fans will be met with three huge, completely awesome sculptures based on characters in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. On the other side of the entrance is another super cool sculpture, called Attack of the Metallic Menace, that was created to raise awareness about the harm of vaping.

That guy vying with Captain America for weightlifting prowess was posing inside a GNC activation, where I got a sample of a scrumptious muscle-building milk shake. (Watch out Captain America! I’m feeling stronger already!)

What else did I find? A fun activation that celebrates the 30th Anniversary of the coming-of-age movie Dazed and Confused. There’s pinball game and a pool table where you can play. Of course, there’s a photo opportunity, with the expected reference to rockers KISS!

And, as you might hope and expect, there’s plenty to eat from several food trucks and stands, and shady picnic benches galore. It’s a fine place to rest and get a bite while exploring all the cool stuff outside Comic-Con!

You might spot some cosplay, too!

The Interactive Zone at Petco Park, located near the Harbor Drive pedestrian bridge, will be open right through Sunday.

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I’m covering Comic-Con again this year. To see all my current and past blog posts concerning Comic-Con, click here and scroll down!

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!

Prizes, smiles and Roseanne at Comic-Con!

There’s a super fun offsite activation at Comic-Con 2023 that pop culture fans streaming through the Gaslamp might miss. But you shouldn’t! It’s called Roseanne Lanford Days!

Whether or not you’re a fan of the Roseanne TV show, you’ll find lots to do and lots of cool swag to win!

The activation is loosely based on the town where Roseanne and her sister Jackie worked as waitresses. Once you walk through the activation’s archway, it looks like you’ve stepped into an old-time carnival. Shoot a hoop, knock over pins, toss a ring on a bottle and you can score DVDs, Roseanne bags and shirts, magnets, stickers, and other cool stuff. There’s free popcorn, photo opportunities and live entertainment. And there a big screen TV sweepstakes you can enter, too!

Roseanne Lanford Days is located on Sixth Avenue at E Street. Look for the signs on Fifth Avenue. It’s will be open Thursday and Friday from 10am to 6pm.

Check it out!

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I’m covering Comic-Con again this year. To see all my current and past blog posts concerning Comic-Con, click here and scroll down!

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!

Thursday morning fun outside Comic-Con!

Enjoy some fun photos!

Early this morning, I took a long walk through downtown San Diego this first day of Comic-Con 2023. As the minutes passed, I noticed more and more Comic-Con attendees arriving by bus and by foot. Most were lining up outside the San Diego Convention Center.

I spotted some cosplay and captured other fun pics!

Putting up barriers in the Gaslamp Quarter in anticipation of huge crowds later on.

Ed Lenderman of KUSI News gives a silly blogger a smile!

Lines forming outside the San Diego Convention Center early Thursday morning.

Dedicated fans make their way down MLK Promenade toward Comic-Con.

The standby line for the Interview With the Vampire offsite was beginning to grow.

Almost ready!

Many wait for the opening of the Dragon Ball offsite.

Obi-Wan Kenobi is ready to take me down!

A line has formed for the FX offsite.

One Piece cosplay on the Harbor Drive pedestrian bridge.

More fans heading to Comic-Con early Thursday morning.

Shuttle buses are arriving from San Diego hotels.

Getting a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles activation ready.

Seems I’ve arrived at Grand Central-42 Street Station!

It’s the 25th Anniversary of That 70s Show.

We had a station wagon similar to this when I was a kid.

A street artist was displaying his cool artwork on the Fifth Avenue sidewalk.

Not sure what this is, but looks like fun!

Lots of Comic-Con related donuts can be found at the Donut Bar Pop-Up Shop inside the Pendry hotel.

Witcher cosplay in the Gaslamp Quarter!

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I’m covering Comic-Con again this year. To see all my current and past blog posts concerning Comic-Con, click here and scroll down!

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!

A big, crazy San Diego party begins!

Here we go! One of the biggest parties in San Diego has begun! It’s Preview Night for Comic-Con 2023. For the next four days massive crowds will descend upon downtown San Diego to celebrate popular culture!

Late this afternoon vendors and fans were converging on the San Diego Convention Center. The exhibit floor opens at 6 pm. Those with Preview Night tickets will be able to get an idea of the cool stuff they will see when Comic-Con begins in earnest tomorrow.

Meanwhile, areas around the convention center and the Gaslamp Quarter were nearly ready for the big crazy party. A few pop-ups and offsite activations are being readied at the last minute. A huge line of people was waiting to enter the Dragon Ball offsite near the Marriott Marina. The Lodge offsite by Paramount was already open, too.

Many members of the media have arrived on the scene, too, as Comic-Con 2023 will receive international coverage.

Enjoy some fun photographs from a mid-afternoon walk!

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I’m covering Comic-Con again this year. To see all my current and past blog posts concerning Comic-Con, click here and scroll down!

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!

Photos outside Comic-Con with 3 days to go!

Enjoy lots of photographs taken today around the San Diego Convention Center and Gaslamp Quarter. It’s Monday, three days before the official start of Comic-Con 2023!

Offsite activations are rising all over the place, new building wraps continue to appear, and there’s a definite sense of excitement and anticipation in the air!

Read the photo captions!

The Jurassic Park offsite is now setting up in East Village. I wasn’t allowed to take a photo through the front door, but it looks like this might be epic!

Abbott Elementary wraps are going up on the exterior of Petco Park.

Some shade is ready for fans waiting in line outside the San Diego Convention Center. It should be quite warm this week!

The FX offsite is now fenced with graphics promoting many shows.

Is this guy screaming in anticipation of huge crowds?

Outside the FX site during my midday Monday walk.

Peeking into the FX offsite.

The huge building wrap on the Hilton San Diego Bayfront promotes FX mini-series Shōgun.

Now walking down the bayside boardwalk toward Adult Swim on the Green.

Another Comic-Con, another ride on the Adult Swim hotdog!

The way I felt after a vigorous summer walk in the San Diego sunshine.

Now I’ve reached the Hulu Animayhem offsite. Looks like a lot of hot air.

Who are all these people just standing around?

You can get your selfie with a favorite character.

Workers are setting up the Dragon Ball offsite behind the Marriott. Looks like the layout is much like last year.

They’ve got a couple days to get ready!

The Wheel of Time building wrap on a Marriott Marquis tower looks pretty cool!

I believe Hero House will sell pop culture collectibles and cool stuff. They were setting up beside Martin Luther King Jr. Promenade.

Walking along MLK Promenade.

Looks like Camp Snoopy is getting ready! The Peanuts offsites are always fun.

Spooky black waiting area for the recently announced Interview With the Vampire activation at the Hilton Gaslamp.

A recreation of a New Orleans street will await fans of Interview With the Vampire.

Check this out! It’s the Quantum Leap activation under construction. I’ll bet fans walk in through that circular entrance…

When visitors walk through here, will they travel through spacetime?

NBC show banners at Baja Rick’s Cantina, which used to be the Tin Fish.

Watch out! Here’s Chucky!

The huge Yellowjackets wraps on the Hard Rock Hotel are finished.

Yellowjackets video wall inside the Hard Rock Hotel.

Putting up Yellowjackets banners along Fifth Avenue sidewalk.

Paramount’s offsite The Lodge is looking great.

A sneaky peek into The Lodge.

Hasbro boxes in the windows of Sparks Gallery at 530 Sixth Avenue. This will be The VAULT: A Hasbro Pulse Store!

National Geographic joins the Comic-Con fun with a big wrap on the Margaritaville Hotel. It promotes Arctic Ascent.

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I’m covering Comic-Con again this year. To see all my current and past blog posts concerning Comic-Con, click here and scroll down!

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!

Sonic the Hedgehog serves fun “fast” food!

The pop-up Sonic the Hedgehog Speed Cafe has been open several days in San Diego’s East Village! You can find it at 910 J Street.

The soft opening of the Speed Cafe is already attracting many local families and lovers of the Sonic video games, cartoons and movies. The one-of-a-kind fast food restaurant will have its official Grand Opening at the start of Comic-Con 2023 next week. I suspect the lines will be very long, so if you’re hungry speed your way into downtown San Diego in the next few days! My wait today was perhaps 5 minutes. The restaurant will remain open until mid-August.

What fun! I saw lots of kids enjoying the cool atmosphere and playing several free video games that were scattered about.

The menu includes fast food with names such as Sonic’s Classic Chilidog, The Perfect Eggdog, Knuckles Sandwich, Piko Piko Tenders and The Evil Genius. Drinks include Sonic Heroes Slush, Blue Blur, Flying Fox, Sweet Amy and Team Dark.

I learned the Sonic the Hedgehog Speed Cafe is a project of video game maker SEGA. A new restaurant concept is being tested!

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I’m covering Comic-Con again this year. To see all my current and past blog posts concerning Comic-Con, click here and scroll down!

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!

Planet Express Building appears in San Diego!

There must’ve been a bizarre mix-up in the space-time continuum because the Planet Express Building has been mysteriously transported to San Diego from Futurama–I mean, the future.

I’m not sure if this strange Planet Express Building features a downstairs walrus tank, but I suppose visitors to Comic-Con 2023 will be able to find out! That’s because the time-displaced building, as well as the Planet Express spaceship itself, are now sitting in the parking lot behind the San Diego Convention Center!

It’s all part of the Hulu Animayhem offsite activation, which will be open to the public this coming week during Comic-Con!

Will you glimpse a strange alien during your visit? Look at these photos taken today…

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I’m covering Comic-Con again this year. To see all my current and past blog posts concerning Comic-Con, click here and scroll down!

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!

Vampire theatre and early Comic-Con omens!

Will Comic-Con 2023 goers be able to enjoy the entertainment provided by Vampire Theatre? If the early appearance of graphics applied to the Hilton San Diego Gaslamp Quarter hotel are any indication, perhaps!

I walked around this evening and captured more photographs of pre-Comic-Con activity. Perhaps you saw my previous blog post where I shared photos of building wraps that are materializing all over!

Here come a few more photos from my latest walk.

Interview With The Vampire is being applied to one window of the Hilton Gaslamp.

That Amazon Prime Video building wrap at Fifth Avenue and K Street has expanded during the afternoon. Friendly workers putting up the graphics told me the entire Hilton Gaslamp and this building adjoining it on Fifth Avenue will be completely wrapped on every side.

That wrap above when competed will advertise Good Omens 2. I got the following picture of a sample showing how it will appear. You can see where building windows will be in relation to the graphics…

And on the San Diego Convention Center side of the Hard Rock Hotel, a wrap is going up that promotes Yellowjackets on Paramount+ . . .

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I’m covering Comic-Con again this year. To see all my current and past blog posts concerning Comic-Con, click here and scroll down!

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!

Super Mario art appears outside Comic-Con!

Comic-Con 2023 is almost here! Fun art has begun to appear in the windows of Sweet Things Frozen Yogurt at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront, near the San Diego Convention Center!

Shirish Villaseñor (@shirishtheartist) started sketching Super Mario characters on the Sweet Things Frozen Yogurt shop windows today. She’ll be adding color and detail in the days ahead. I’ll post updates as I capture new photos!

The Super Mario Bros. Movie was a blockbuster earlier this year, so this artwork outside the world’s most amazing pop culture event is timely! Is that Bowser playing the piano? How many characters do you recognize?

Because Comic-Con is ten days away, my blog will now switch into 100% “Comic-Con mode.” I’ll post photos as I discover new Comic-Con stuff while walking around downtown San Diego.

If Comic-Con isn’t your cup of tea, fear not. More typical Cool San Diego Sights blog posts will resume when the big international event concludes!

UPDATE!

A couple days later, I found Shirish at work!

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I’m covering Comic-Con again this year. To see all my current and past blog posts concerning Comic-Con, click here and scroll down!

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!