It’s New Year’s Eve. This morning and afternoon I walked through the Gaslamp Quarter to see what’s in store for the midnight celebrations.
Up and down Fifth Avenue the restaurants, bars and hotels were getting ready. Workers were sweeping sidewalks, putting up balloons.
I see the Gaslamp Quarter has big plans for the future. According to some information you can read in one photo, Fifth Avenue is to become the Gaslamp Promenade–a sprawling urban plaza. I’m sure it will be opulent and amazing.
Apart from one photo in particular, in the morning I didn’t point my camera at the numerous homeless, who sleep on the sidewalk and in doorways before being ushered along.
The Gaslamp Quarter contains some very stark contrasts. There is material self-indulgence, and there is despair.
Hopefully, in the New Year, there’s more heart.
…
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!
Should you walk down Fifth Avenue through the Gaslamp Quarter, you might notice electrical boxes on street corners that feature photos from San Diego history. I believe these graphics debuted a few months ago.
The San Diego History Center and Gaslamp Quarter Historical Foundation have furnished old photos and bits of fascinating information for curious people passing down the sidewalk.
In 1885 Wyatt Earp came to San Diego, where he operated three gambling halls, organized gambling excursions in Mexico, and prospected copper and gold.
The Louis Bank of Commerce building was the location of Madam Cora’s infamous Golden Poppy Hotel. It was also San Diego’s first downtown ice cream shop.
The Old City Hall building housed police headquarters. The Gaslamp during much of its early history was a red-light district known as the Stingaree.
The Yuma Building was one of downtown San Diego’s first brick structures. The bottom floor contains the only original interior from the 1880’s in the Gaslamp Quarter.
In the 1970’s a redevelopment and preservation program began aimed at establishing the historic Gaslamp Quarter.
…
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 photos for you to enjoy!
The brunt of our latest storm hit yesterday and overnight. This morning a few brief showers were passing through downtown.
I walked from Cortez Hill down into canyons of skyscrapers with my umbrella at the ready.
Today is Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, and it appears few people had to work. This morning downtown felt like an early Saturday or Sunday. Few cars and empty sidewalks. Very quiet.
And a little wet!
…
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!
Every once in a blue moon I post photos of unique doors that I come across during my city walks. Some of these doors can be really unusual. You can check out two of my past door collections here and here.
Well, here’s another fun batch!
All of these photographs were taken around downtown San Diego–East Village, the Gaslamp Quarter and Little Italy–in the past few days.
If you’re familiar with the city, you might recognize a few of these doors!
…
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!
Securely shutter your windows and lock every door! Creepy creatures have materialized throughout downtown San Diego!
As I walked about this morning, I suddenly realized that I was hopelessly surrounded. Closing in around me were witches, spiders, ghosts and an army of skeletons! Not to mention a few terrifying clowns!
The dark forces of Halloween were unstoppable! They had even caused the mighty Zoltar to retreat!
There was no escape from the madness!
…
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!
It’s now late October. We’re experiencing Santa Ana winds in Southern California, so downtown San Diego in the morning was clear, dry, and promised to warm up quickly.
I took a long random walk to enjoy the early sunlight. I started from the top of Cortez Hill and meandered through East Village and the Gaslamp Quarter.
Halloween and Dia de los Muertos are fast approaching, and I noticed signs of the coming festivities.
Not all of these photos are pleasant. They represent a few of the many things that I saw.
…
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!
Krypto the Superdog has entered South Park during 2019 Comic-Con.
It’s Sunday, the final day of 2019 San Diego Comic-Con.
This morning I took a leisurely walk around downtown, the Gaslamp Quarter and the convention center.
No suffocating crowds, and more relaxed…but less cosplay.
I saw lots of families out enjoying a fun day!
It’s Sunday morning at Comic-Con, and pop culture fans are heading toward the San Diego Convention Center.As I walked up MLK Promenade, these nice Amazon Prime Video ladies handed me literature concerning upcoming shows.I got into the Amazon activation with ease, but then discovered the attractions within had waits of up to two hours!I watched a mock fight up on the colorful central structure.People could don fairy wings and take flight for a Carnival Row photo.This structure contains the Carnival Row attraction. In an earlier blog post I surmised it was for The Boys.A cool area at the Amazon offsite where people can relax. I enjoyed my free water and churros.As I walked back down MLK Promenade, however, I politely turned down these peculiar jelly-filled donuts.I saw Dumbledore last year, too. I guess rumors of his demise are exaggerated.Wonder Woman cosplayer strikes a heroic pose.Everyone was photographing Batgirl up on the Harbor Drive pedestrian bridge!What we do in the shadows…or on our phones.Sunday morning 2019 Comic-Con. Walking behind the San Diego Convention Center.The Hot Wheels truck!Awesome Wonder Woman and Hawkman cosplay!Taking photos in the Dragon Ball Z activation.I observed examples of cosplay on Sunday, but not nearly as much as Saturday.Joker gives me an evil look.Here come some snacks.They were doing some sort of filming in the FX Fearless Forum.A banana posed for a photo.A fanatic demonstrates their unquestioned FAITH IN GODZILLA.Jack Skellington cosplay, from The Nightmare Before Christmas.Does this mean I’m NOT supposed to believe The Twilight Zone?These guys at the 91X radio table in the Interactive Zone smiled for some strange guy taking pictures.I spied Popeye nearby.This guy was singing his heart out doing Carpool Karaoke.Is this knight from Game of Thrones?An artist had spray paint art creations on the grass by a walkway.Lots of criminals are lining up at Brooklyn Nine-Nine.This fellow collects dolls it would seem.New employees of the Superstore get photographed.This particular Darth Maul doesn’t look so tough. Just saying.A relatively tranquil Sunday morning outside Comic-Con. Another beautiful San Diego day!Basketballs were flying madly at the FOX Fan Fair.As I headed up Fifth Avenue for home, I was lucky to get this cool cosplay shot.And some Ghostbusters, too.And this Angry Bird!
Tomorrow it’s back to normal, everyday, ordinary life.
Now it’s time for a nap!
…
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 photos for you to enjoy!
Comic book artist Rob Prior paints an awesome mural inside the Theatre Box in San Diego.
I stepped into the Theatre Box in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter this morning and made a cool discovery! During 2019 Comic-Con, an absolutely awesome mural is being painted on the wall behind the Theatre Box’s grand staircase!
The artist is Rob Prior, a popular comic book artist who has worked for Marvel, DC, Todd McFarlane and Image Comics, as well as video game companies and major advertisers.
Check out this cool artwork! I didn’t go right up and disturb Rob Prior as he worked, but I did manage to photograph some of the characters. I captured Darth Vader and a stormtrooper from Star Wars, Thanos and Black Panther from Marvel Comics, and Wonder Woman from DC Comics. It appears that Marvel’s Deadpool might be part of the mural, too! All of these characters have appeared in recent movies.
I was told that this mural, when completed, will be a permanent decoration at the Theatre Box. Look for it in the lobby at the top of that first flight of stairs!
Rob Prior works on a mural that includes several well-known pop culture characters.
…
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!
Amazing, fantastic, super creative cosplay everywhere!
The explanation? It must be another Saturday afternoon around San Diego Comic-Con!
Late this afternoon and into the evening, a few blocks of the Gaslamp Quarter were so jammed with cosplayers posing in their elaborate costumes and onlookers turning every which way with phones and cameras, a person could barely move!
I’m not even going to attempt to identify every one of these great cosplays. It’s just too much. (But I must confess I really like both Ron Burgundy and the Sand-witch.)
As you can tell by these photos, 2019 Comic-Con is just as crazy and as wonderful as ever!
One more day of Comic-Con to come!
…
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! 