I went on a long walk yesterday between rainstorms. It was St. Patrick’s Day.
Many carefree people were heading into downtown to celebrate all things Irish: to attend the big Shamrock event, drink green beer, listen to music, dance a jig and party. Others were not thinking about St. Patrick’s Day.
There are countless participants in San Diego’s life.
One day in the city is infinitely complex. So many feet–moving forward in time–crossing paths, weaving a mystery.
Here are a few photos I captured this morning as I walked downtown through gusts of rain.
Keeping an eye on the direction of the wind and slanting raindrops, holding my camera at the ready under my umbrella, I headed down from Cortez Hill to the Gaslamp trolley station. I wasn’t the only one trying to cope with San Diego’s first real rainstorm of the winter.
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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!
An exhibit in Petco Park shows the History of the Ballpark Neighborhood, San Diego, California.
There’s a small but very cool exhibit at Petco Park that depicts the early history of East Village and nearby blocks in downtown San Diego. During the baseball stadium’s construction, a number of fascinating artifacts were recovered by archaeologists. Each object was carefully recorded in order to preserve aspects of our city’s diverse history.
Here are some of the old photographs and artifacts that are on public display. You can find this exhibit near the San Diego Padres Hall of Fame, just to the right of the north entrance to the Padres Team Store. I learned this exhibit used to be on the third floor of the Western Metal Supply building, at the top of the escalators. But the area was rather dark and so it was moved to its present location.
Please read the captions to learn more about what was unearthed during the grading of the ballpark, and what everyday life was like in San Diego over a century ago.
Photo taken during construction of Petco Park baseball stadium in East Village. Archaeologists excavate a feature discovered during grading activities at the ballpark.After researching the immediate area’s history, the grading of the future ballpark was environmentally monitored. Artifacts that were recovered reveal everyday life in San Diego’s past.Excavated objects include jars, bottles, glass stoppers and a bone toothbrush handle. Names of medical remedies on bottles include Hamlin’s Wizard Oil and Dr. J.H. McLean’s Volcanic Oil.1906 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map depicting Blocks 136 and 137, part of the footprint of today’s Petco Park, home of the baseball Padres.From the late 1800s to the 1930s, most residents of East Village appear to have been of moderate to lower economic status, employed at blue collar jobs downtown.Other artifacts recovered during Petco Park’s construction include dolls, toys, marbles and keys.Old photograph shows East Village as it was in 1914, looking west from the 10th Street terminal.Looking south down 5th Street (now Fifth Avenue) from the roof of the 1st National Bank, circa 1910. The area is heart of the Gaslamp Quarter.Two historical photos. To the left: Pacific Coast Steamship warehouse, circa 1913. To the right: looking north up 5th Street circa 1910.Old photo of Western Metal Supply building and foundry sometime prior to 1919. The preserved brick building is now a unique part Petco Park’s structure.Fragments of earthenware jars and Chinese and Japanese ceramic tableware show Asian culture thrived in the neighborhood’s past.
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A few dead leaves cling to branches that frame a new skyscraper.
The days pass by.
Memories gather . . . slowly fade.
Whenever I walk downtown, I see visions right and left of what is old and what is new. It’s often hard to remember how and when those visions first appeared.
I suppose the passage of time makes every walk a completely new adventure. Always new surprises, new mysteries, new beauty to discover.
Here are a few photos of my walk through downtown San Diego this morning.
Every time I walk near Seaport Village, my eyes pass different buskers and an ever-changing gallery of art.A beautiful windblown feather and I meet for a moment.Removing what is discarded and unwanted.A fountain near the entrance of San Diego’s Old Police Headquarters, now a destination for shopping and dining. I visited this building decades ago. I suppose the fountain is original, but I cannot remember.A colorful bird painted on a utility box near Pantoja Park seems just as alive as when I first saw it years ago.Dying leaves turn to the same color as new paint.A sculpture titled Flame Flower stands in front of the Westin Gaslamp. Years ago an obelisk rose here–5 or 6 or 7 years ago. I can’t remember.These bricks of a Gaslamp building appear to have been patched long ago.A once fashionable car turns to rust.Every so often entrances to the Gaslamp’s subterranean clubs are painted with intriguing new artwork.The building on Broadway that was home to Superfly West Tattoos is being demolished to make room for a new downtown high-rise condo development.The front of the YWCA building on C Street has remained unchanged since its design in 1926. The ornate Spanish Colonial Revival architecture was made popular by the 1915 Panama-California Exposition in Balboa Park.Shoveling weathered stones. Wheeling them about.Another walk through the city as time moves forward.
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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 fan at 2017 San Diego Comic-Con grabbed Conan by the tie for a selfie!
Here are more fun photos from today! I was careless this time about recording unfamiliar cosplay, so leave a comment if you can help!
The Iron Patriot is on patrol in the Gaslamp during Comic-Con.A good Star Wars cosplay!The Syfy band was entertaining the crowd on Fifth Avenue in the Gaslamp Quarter for SDCC 2017.Dancing to the music!I saw lots of Wonder Woman cosplay. Not sure about the cowboy guy.An awesome Loki cosplay!Looks like Captain Jack Sparrow found himself a friend.He told me his cool cosplay but I didn’t write it down. Leave a comment if you know!The San Diego USO was having people Flex 4 Forces.This Sentinel Services guy wanted me to get tested for the X-Gene. But he implied if I was positive, I’d be sent away on one of those Mutant Transport trolleys!Some very cool Overwatch cosplay!Broad City had a fan man dancing about.Syfy had a handy Cosplay Repair cart along MLK Promenade!These items can be useful in repairing a costume or makeup during Comic-Con!People peddle the Syfy Trivia Trolley while answering questions for prizes!Lots of fun and cosplay everywhere I turned!A lucha libre mask!Santa Claus is busy taking a photo of something up ahead…Supergirl on stilts!Superman had to settle for a Segway. Some kryptonite de-powered him for the moment. I think Batman might have done it.Now that’s a real, genuine Silver Surfer!Another Wonder Woman and cosplay friend.It’s Lady Thor in the Petco Interactive Zone!Cosplayers at Comic-Con are interviewed by Comedy Central.Joker is on the scene!A super awesome Voltron group cosplay photo!Have you seen her Paladin?Schick Hydro Robot Razor is a superhero to the rescue, but it’s a close shave.Fans of the series Mr. Mercedes get ready for a photo.I found the Holy Grail at 2017 San Diego Comic-Con!
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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 fun photos for you to share and enjoy!
Rabbits have been created to commemorate the history of San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter, which once was nicknamed Rabbitville.
A “hop-up” art gallery can be found in the Gaslamp during 2017 San Diego Comic-Con! This fun Rabbitville exhibition, located at 453 Fifth Avenue, features a roomful of large colorful rabbits created by local artists! Their artwork celebrates the rich, unique history of the Gaslamp Quarter and San Diego.
You might recall we saw the Willabee rabbit at the Jacaranda Spring Thing, when I blogged about it here. Well, now you can enjoy a whole warren of art bunnies!
Swing on by during Comic-Con (through Sunday) and check them out!
People attending 2017 San Diego Comic-Con look at an artfully painted rabbit outside the Rabbitville “Hop-Up” Gallery.Honoring the Disdained: Carp Jumping Dragon Gate, by artist Tasha Hobbs. Art that honors the contributions of Chinese immigrants in early San Diego.Alonzo Horton is the father of modern San Diego. He journeyed to San Diego in 1867, then purchased the area now known as downtown and called it New Town.The Stingaree was a red-light district filled with prostitutes and gamblers, including the famous Wyatt Earp, who would run three gambling halls in San Diego.
Steampunk author Jack Tyler is writing an exciting novel about San Diego’s infamous Stingaree. I blogged about it here!
It’s an exciting read. Check it out!
Mirrored Rabbit, by artist Mario Herbelin-Canelas.Ordinate, by artist Rebecca Nuvoletta. This rabbit celebrates the visions of a distant future in the founding of New Town.Willabee, by artist Matt Forderer. This rabbit has traveled through time to collect historical images of San Diego.Against All Odds, We Thrive! by artist Sarah Soward. Alonzo Horton’s passion and vision for San Diego is celebrated.Diego, by artist Monty Montgomery. The colors and shapes on this rabbit are visual impressions of experiences on the streets of San Diego.
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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 fun photos for you to share and enjoy!
Scary cosplay outside in the Gaslamp promoting the TV series Medinah. It’s late Wednesday afternoon. It’s 2017 San Diego Comic-Con Preview Night!
I couldn’t go into the San Diego Convention Center for Preview Night this year. (I was fortunate to do so a couple times in the past.) So instead I walked around outside and took photos of the late afternoon fun.
Not much cosplay, but I did spot a couple instances of it. Mostly it was just people wandering about looking at the many pop culture attractions that are open free to the public. That’s one very cool aspect of San Diego Comic-Con!
I spotted Iron Man outside Atomic in the Gaslamp. He told me they have a cool Comic-Con exhibit upstairs.This cool Darth Vader with hookah was outside the Myst Lounge.A nice lady representing the Gaslamp Quarter told me their Rabbitville exhibit will be open tomorrow.Lego superheroes in the windows of My Yogurt.Outside of the Snoopy & Belle pop-up shop in the Gaslamp.People peer into AMC’s Deadquarters. It opens tomorrow.This guy is secretly peering through the fence, perhaps hoping to see zombies.An amazing feat of super strength at Kong: Skull Island!You can have your photo taken while posing between gigantic teeth!A Syfy bus wrap proclaims–Attention Time Travelers: No Spoilers.Here comes Zatanna walking behind the convention center!The big Turner yacht is all dressed up and ready to go when Comic-Con opens tomorrow.It looks like they were testing the Viking longship out on San Diego Bay. It will be used for the Viking funeral Friday evening!Television reporter Ashlie Rodriguez of KUSI gets ready to interview the person who is first in line for Hall H.Workers are still unloading stuff behind the convention center.I wonder if the Knights Templar had power tools?I wonder how much gas is at the Midnight, Texas attraction?Uh,oh! Here comes a small army of FBI field agents. Perhaps they think I look suspicious.Reporter for the Syfy Wire interviews a kid about the coolness of San Diego Comic-Con!
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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 fun photos for you to share and enjoy!
The line for Hall H had just gotten started Wednesday morning when I walked by. Come tomorrow, it will be hundreds of feet long.
Late this morning, behind the San Diego Convention Center, I was surprised to see that the line for Hall H wasn’t long at all. As I post this blog, I’ll bet that’s no longer the case! Hall H is where the blockbuster panels take place…starting tomorrow. It will be a nice warm night to enjoy camping on concrete!
One more day until Comic-Con officially begins. I saw some cool stuff as I walked about, so naturally I took photos…
Buses entering the Gaslamp advertise the new Guardians of the Galaxy attraction at the Disney California Adventure park.The very cool Marvel Inhumans wrap is finished on Petco Park. It’s my favorite this year.Looks like The Strain will have a creepy exhibit in the FXhibition area behind the convention center.The Orville Space Training Center is being built in the FOX area! Will there be bungee cords?Workers get The Orville Space Training Center ready for tomorrow’s massive crowds.Some final adjustments to banners enclosing the Adult Swim on the Green.A big Rick head balloon, from Rick and Morty.The IMDb superyacht is being prepared behind the convention center.A few fans were arriving early, perhaps to get in the line for Hall H, where the blockbuster panels are during Comic-Con.The Petco Interactive Zone is rapidly being completed. One more day!Lots of event attendees and exhibitors in lots of cool t-shirts. I even saw a few early swag bags.Tonight is Preview Night. Tomorrow is when 2017 San Diego Comic-Con begins in earnest!
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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!
Historical photo of the First and Last Chance Saloon, inside San Diego’s rowdy Stingaree District.
Murder! Gambling halls and brothels! Wyatt Earp! Corrupt police! Scheming businessmen! Secretive gangs! Pirates! A rip-roaring story dripping with suspense and excitement!
Would you like to read the first few chapters of a thrilling novel set in late 19th century San Diego? Jack Tyler, a talented author of adventure and steampunk fiction, is now writing an action-packed novel titled Stingaree, which takes place in San Diego’s old red-light district–an area of town that today is part of the Gaslamp Quarter. He has made many great chapters available to the public–for free! Click here to visit his website, then find the link to Stingaree.
In the late 1800s, the Stingaree was where sailors, ranch hands, and the working class sought their thrills in a depressed and rather desolate city. It was home to dozens of gambling parlors, whorehouses and saloons. Law-abiding citizens stayed away for their own safety. To be seen in the Stingaree might destroy one’s reputation. At night all hell would break loose. Those who prospered running tawdry businesses in the Stingaree had to pay the police bribes and watch their own backs.
In the novel Stingaree, the reader will recognize a variety of historical persons and locations. From the construction of the Hotel del Coronado, to George Marston’s department store, to the Horton House Hotel–the story is an exciting journey back in time. Jack Tyler successfully presents a city full of danger, uncertainty and great promise. From his imagination emerges an assortment of wonderfully inventive characters.
I must say I really enjoyed reading the completed chapters. This is the sort of smart, well-constructed story that would make for a really entertaining movie or television series. Cliffhangers and plot twists abound. Enjoy a fun read by clicking here and look for the link to Stingaree!
Colorful graphics are now up at the Midnight, Texas 4D Experience for 2017 San Diego Comic-Con.
Downtown San Diego is a beehive of activity this morning! Everybody is getting ready for 2017 Comic-Con!
Check out these photos and experience a bit of the growing excitement!
A wrap is going up on Petco Park promoting History’s new series Knightfall, concerning the Knights Templar.Local businesses in the Gaslamp are also getting ready for Comic-Con, which officially begins in less than three days!It looks like a cool Archangel wrap is now going up on the Hard Rock Hotel. Skydance Interactive’s first virtual reality offering should be popular at Comic-Con.Parking will be very difficult in downtown San Diego during Comic-Con. Take the trolley!Nearby businesses are looking forward to the crowds!This will be AMC’s Deadquarters. I expect there will be zombies.Some stuff in a pile that will probably be used as props at Deadquarters.At The Tick Takeover, the superhero and Arthur are accompanied by a worker. I’m told smoke will come out of this blasted hole once everything is completed!Two huge Tick antennae will also move about!Arthur seems to be in a bad situation at The Tick Takeover site at Comic-Con.A cool convergence near Harbor Drive. Dozens of trolley cars are now wrapped and ready.The People of Earth wrap on the Marriott Marquis is approaching completion.The front of the Blade Runner 2049 Experience hasn’t changed much in the past couple days. I’m sure lots of cool stuff is jammed inside the gigantic pavilion.Workers carry stuff into the Hilton Gaslamp, where Netflix is headquartered.Everybody is getting ready, including the police. Homeless are removed from the area before Comic-Con. A tragic, extremely sad truth that many visitors won’t see.The Midnight, Texas site promoting the new NBC show is starting to look interesting.The area near the Tin Fish has a Midnight, Texas theme this year.Banners now hang along the Tin Fish.There seems to be a room with video walls inside the Midnight, Texas 4D Experience.Lots of equipment to move, and work to be done!Some more graphics are up for Kong: Skull Island near the Omni Hotel.A closeup photo of one Skull Island graphic.Guys are putting up these long banners promoting HBO’s Game of Thrones.No wraps up yet on this corner of Petco Park.Construction has just commenced in the Petco Interactive Zone, now that the Padres have left for a road trip.Lots of canopies for long lines are up at the San Diego Convention Center. Looks to me like 2017 Comic-Con is almost here!The FXhibition outdoor site near the Hilton Bayfront is still under construction.I see there will be an X-Gene Screening Station in Fox Television’s outdoor area.A reminder that Syfy will provide live coverage of Comic-Con.Exhibitors large and small are unloading behind the convention center. I bet there’s a mad scramble inside as booths are prepared. (Check out all the comic book boxes! That’s a lot of reading material!)A cool Legion wrap is going up on the Hilton for 2017 San Diego Comic-Con!
UPDATE!
Here are more photos taken in the mid-afternoon…
The Knightfall wrap is now complete at Petco.More graphics have appeared at Kong: Skull Island.And so has a skull!And more huge bones!One of various Midnight, Texas posters up now at the Gaslamp trolley station.A wrap is going up on this section of Petco Park. I believe this will promote Once Upon a Time.I now see Archer graphics in the FX area near the Hilton.And more X-Gene Screening Station stuff in the FOX area.I see Adult Swim will give away free shirts again this year.The big Legion wrap is making progress as you can see beyond the Adult Swim site.The Legion wrap not quite complete on the Hilton, as seen from Embarcadero Marina Park South.
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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 fun photos for you to share and enjoy!
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