Starbucks at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront will be home to Willy Wonka and his Oompa-Loompa pals during Comic-Con 2026!
Local artist Shirish Villaseñor (@shirishtheartist) is now painting the windows of Starbucks with movie characters adapted from my favorite book when I was a boy: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory!
Willy Wonka, as he slowly materializes, is holding the Golden Ticket! Perhaps you, too, can sample an Everlasting Gobstopper!
I hope no naughty children are nearby!
…
If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!
Attending Comic-Con 2026 in San Diego? Got some extra time? You might want to head up to Balboa Park, where the Comic-Con Museum now features a number of cool exhibits, including a big one all about Doctor Who.
The Comic-Con Museum’s newest exhibit showcases the art of Charles Addams, who is best known for his popular creation The Addams Family. It’s titled Chas Addams: Family and Friends.
You’ll see a huge selection of his artwork. His wry, dark, humorous images might bring back memories of the Addams Family television show or the movie.
A variety of other subjects in his art might give you a chuckle, too!
…
If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!
Take a look at these very colorful fantasy characters! They were spotted roaming about the San Diego County Fair, thrilling children and adults alike!
The San Diego County Fair’s theme in 2026 is Once Upon a Fair.
The Del Mar Fairgrounds in summer is where San Diegans go for boundless fun. This year the magical place has been infused with fantastic characters from human imagination and the pages of beloved books!
…
To follow my blog, find the “Follow” box in this website’s sidebar. Or bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
(If you’re viewing this on a phone, open my website’s sidebar by tapping those three parallel lines at the top of the page.)
Once Upon a Fair is this year’s theme for the San Diego County Fair. Fairy tales, beloved picture books, popular fiction and timeless classics are celebrated in fantastic exhibits throughout the Del Mar Fairgrounds.
The ever-popular Garden Show, not surprisingly, has become a place where gardening clubs from around the San Diego region have “hybridized” beautiful flowers and plants with . . . fantasy!
Walk around the Garden Show and you’re likely to discover scenes from wonderfully imaginative works like Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, Snow White, The Three Little Pigs, The Tortoise and the Hare, The Little Mermaid, and more.
I always delight in the huge model train layout built by the San Diego Garden Railway Society. Their display this year contains fantasy elements from many well known tales.
Check out the following photographs! What stories can you identify?
…
To follow my blog, find the “Follow” box in this website’s sidebar. Or bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
(If you’re viewing this on a phone, open my website’s sidebar by tapping those three parallel lines at the top of the page.)
Once Upon a Fair is this year’s theme at the San Diego County Fair. What exactly does that mean? The fair in 2026 is celebrating reading books–and popular fiction and the classics take center stage!
The fair’s theme exhibit is filled with the wonders that readers find in books. The Wizard of Oz, Winnie the Pooh, Charlotte’s Web, Treasure Island, Harry Potter, Jules Verne, fairy tales we all know, Peter Rabbit, Superman, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Alice in Wonderland, Sherlock Holmes . . . visitors encounter all the great characters and timeless stories generations have come to love!
There is reading aloud story time for the very young ones. There are opportunities for visitors to contribute their own writing. Everywhere you turn you’ll find tributes to famous authors and illustrators. Renowned authors with a San Diego connection are recognized. Visiting libraries is encouraged. The shelves of your local library are like open vaults where endless treasures await.
It was exciting to observe children running from display to display, breathlessly recognizing the books they had come to know. One large, playful section of the theme exhibit is dedicated to La Jolla’s own Dr. Seuss.
It was awesome!
…
To follow my blog, find the “Follow” box in this website’s sidebar. Or bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
(If you’re viewing this on a phone, open my website’s sidebar by tapping those three parallel lines at the top of the page.)
I absolutely love this exhibit at the San Diego Museum of Art!
Local artists have reimagined the Spanish Colonial Revival façade of the museum, an iconic landmark in the heart of Balboa Park.
The exhibition in Gallery 6 is titled Local Visions: Reimagining the Façade. What a perfect way to help celebrate the SDMA Centennial! The art is on view through July 26, 2026.
Perhaps you recognize some of these names. I personally recall photographing street art created by two of the artists. To see art that Hilary Dufour painted in Pacific Beach, click here. To see the distinctive art of Mary Jhun all around San Diego, click here.
Here are a few examples of the San Diego Museum of Art’s reimagined façade…
Sunday in Balboa Park, by artist Annie Holley.SDMA 100, by artist Brandon Palma.Golden Hour at The San Diego Museum of Art, by artist Stefanie Bales.The Spaces Between, by artist Hilary Dufour.Genius Loci: The Spirit of a Place, by artist Mary Jhun.Colors: Reimagining the Façade with Color, by artist Susan Stone.
…
To follow my blog, find the “Follow” box in this website’s sidebar. Or bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
(If you’re viewing this on a phone, open my website’s sidebar by tapping those three parallel lines at the top of the page.)
Ish Galvan is a cool dude I met during the Vista Strawberry Festival. He and Vince Vargas are the creators behind Triple OG Comics. He was showing everybody the Tamale Guy comic book they’ve published.
As I understood it, Ish is a writer who loves to mash up different concepts in his work, from mythology to metaphysics to science fiction to neo-noir. The story of the multi-issue Tamale Guy is described as: A tamale vendor escapes his violent past to begin a peaceful life. However, an ex-cartel killer with Aztec powers seeks revenge.
Ish explained that he’s bridging both nerd and Chicano lowrider culture. At first glance the two cultures might seem very different, but in fact they have things in common. Consider the graphics painted on many lowrider cars. It’s the sort of art you’d find in a comic, graphic novel, or at Comic-Con for that matter. Some deep in the lowrider culture have confided to Ish they secretly collect comic books, too!
That these two artists are cultural trailblazers is pretty awesome!
Good luck guys!
…
To follow my blog, find the “Follow” box in this website’s sidebar. Or bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
(If you’re viewing this on a phone, open my website’s sidebar by tapping those three parallel lines at the top of the page.)
Art and creativity were busting out everywhere at today’s big, very colorful Goldenpalooza festival at the Golden Hill Recreation Center! Check it out!
The festival offered families creative opportunities at every turn. There were multiple art-making stations and workshops for every age. You could learn how to make a cyanotype, a monster and a zine!
Friendly artists were painting, printmaking, demonstrating their technique and showcasing fantastic creations. There was even a cool, highly original video game created by San Diego locals that kids (or adults) could play!
All this while listening to live music from the stage!
Literacy also had a big presence at the festival. Kids were encouraged to read. Reading is fun and expands your mind!
Okay, can you tell I really loved Goldenpalooza? It was my first ever visit to the festival, and will likely not be my last.
Words Alive San Diego encourages children to read. It’s done with art and adult participation.A lot of activities for Makers!Sun Art! Golden Hill is the perfect place for this!The Joey, Jeremy & Camille Trio wave from the Goldenpalooza stage.INSIDE:ART (@insideart_sd) supports the fostering of identity for adults with developmental disabilities through dignified access to the creative arts community of San Diego.The Wall of Questions & Colors by Compagnia Creativa (@compagniacreativa) asks festival goers “What makes you smile?”Made me smile!Testing out the cool, locally developed Behemoth video game (find it on STEAM). A bit like the classic arcade game Joust.
…
To follow my blog, find the “Follow” box in this website’s sidebar. Or bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
(If you’re viewing this on a phone, open my website’s sidebar by tapping those three parallel lines at the top of the page.)
Voice Out 2026 is a youth media art exhibition that officially opens today inside San Diego’s downtown Central Library.
Young creators from across the San Diego region were invited by Outside The Lens to explore the idea of Wonder through photography, digital illustration and mixed media. Nearly 200 pieces are now on display on the first floor of the Central Library.
I checked the art out yesterday after the displays were set up!
Wonder stretches our curious minds, leading us to places beyond our accustomed horizons. Places that can be fantastic and strange. I saw images full of dreams, discovery and possibility.
The art of Voice Out 2026 will be on display at both the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego and the San Diego Central Library throughout June 2026.
…
To follow my blog, find the “Follow” box in this website’s sidebar. Or bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
(If you’re viewing this on a phone, open my website’s sidebar by tapping those three parallel lines at the top of the page.)
Wanted posters picturing One Piece pirates and other scoundrels have been hung inside the IB Kitchen at the end of the Imperial Beach Pier! I looked right and left for pirates inside the restaurant today, hoping to receive a reward. No luck!
Imperial Beach Kitchen has operated at the end of the IB Pier for about 8 months now. They serve Korean food, seafood tacos, and good old American staples like hamburgers. Fish and chips, too! The friendly owner with whom I briefly spoke loves Asian anime and manga, including the very popular One Piece from Japan.
Arranged along the ceiling is a Who’s Who of pirates and other rascally characters in that fantasy world!
I’ll be blogging about San Diego Comic-Con trolley wraps in a couple weeks, most likely, so a post concerning pop culture is timely now. (If you’re interesting in seeing my past Comic-Con related coverage, click here!)
…
To follow my blog, find the “Follow” box in this website’s sidebar. Or bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
(If you’re viewing this on a phone, open my website’s sidebar by tapping those three parallel lines at the top of the page.)
