Tag: liberty station

A close look at Liberty Station’s Gate One.

Perhaps you’ve driven through Gate One while arriving at or departing from Liberty Station. It’s the old Navy base entrance at the northeast end of Liberty Station, where Lytton Street and Barnett Avenue meet.

You might have noticed plaques on the two old guard buildings.

Curiosity getting the best of me, the last time I was in the neighborhood I walked around both historical buildings for a closer look.

Gate One was the main entrance to Naval Training Center San Diego, and the grassy area with an anchor behind it is Sellers Plaza. As this webpage explains: Named for the base’s first commander, Sellers Plaza serves as the Naval Training Center’s front door.

You can see Gate One in the center of this postcard:

Image courtesy Libery Station.

Here are photographs I recently took in front of Gate One…

Identical plaques are mounted to the front of both buildings near the arch. The steel arch was added in 1932.

I’m now standing by Building 20. There across the road is Building 21.

The plaques summarize the history of the San Diego Naval Training Station, which opened in 1923 and was finally decommissioned in 1997. Over 1.75 million sailor recruits would receive training here.

Now I’ve walked behind Building 20…

A plaque by the door to Building 20 identifies it as Gatehouse #1, constructed 1923.

Dodging a car or two, I’m now behind Building 21…

The rear of both buildings feature these beautiful tile fountains.

A plaque by the door of Building 21 identifies it as the Pass/Decal Office, constructed 1922.

…

If you’d like to see San Diego through my lens, find the “Follow” box in the sidebar to receive new posts in your email, or bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

(If you’re viewing Cool San Diego Sights on a phone, you can open my website’s sidebar by tapping those three parallel lines at the top of the page.)

A butterfly in the Garden of Transformation!

Liberty Station in Point Loma boasts many great works of public art. The Garden of Transformation, with its colorful, luminous butterfly, is one of my favorites! You can find it in the North Promenade near the Stone Brewing patio.

Sunlight shines through the monarch butterfly’s translucent wings producing a rainbow-like effect. It’s magical.

Garden of Transformation was dedicated almost exactly a year ago, in October 2024. The steel and dichroic laminated acrylic sculpture was created by San Diego artist Kaori Fukuyama. (Perhaps you’ve seen her Wave of Change on the front of the Target store in North Park.)

The small garden where this stunning butterfly lives is an official Monarch Waystation. The space contains milkweeds and other nectar plants. According to a sign near the art, between early spring and fall you might observe adult butterflies, young caterpillars, chrysalis, and other pollinators here.

A native seed library stands nearby.

The artist, in her statement, envisions “this installation as a welcoming space where people from diverse backgrounds can come together to observe monarch butterflies and learn about the conservation of this important species…”

…

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.

Feel free to share!

Memories on the 250th birthday of the U.S. Navy.

Today is officially the 250th birthday of the United States Navy. On October 13, 2025, the U.S. Navy was established by the Continental Congress.

Needless to say, the Navy has a very large presence in San Diego, with important bases that include Naval Base San Diego, Naval Base Point Loma, Naval Air Station North Island (where naval aviation was born), and Naval Amphibious Base Coronado. Over the years, countless sailors trained at the old Naval Training Center San Diego, and have deployed from San Diego’s harbor on ships in both wartime and peacetime. Until 1997, Top Gun pilots trained at Naval Air Station Miramar.

I’ve published a wide variety of blogs concerning the U.S. Navy in San Diego. Given today’s 250th anniversary, I thought this would be a good time to revisit some of those past blog posts.

Click the following links to bring back some U.S. Navy memories…

Creating a plaque: Navy history in San Diego revealed!

History of recruits at Naval Training Center San Diego.

The Ship’s Bell mosaic at Liberty Station.

Inside the Navy’s landlocked USS Recruit training ship!

Nautical History Gallery & Museum opens!

The Naked Warrior stands in Coronado park.

Chow: Feeding a Navy in San Diego.

Coronado’s surprising role in submarine history.

Top Gun fans vs. reality on USS Midway!

Monument to tallest structures ever built in San Diego.

Bronze plaque marks birthplace of naval aviation.

Memories of the Greatest Generation at Liberty Station.

…

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.

Feel free to share!

Geocache event locates fun in San Diego!

Today hundreds of geocaching enthusiasts converged on San Diego searching for fun. And they found it!

An event named Signal’s Island drew geocachers from around Southern California and the nation to the grass of NTC Park at Liberty Station.

While rubbing elbows with other members of the broader geocaching community, attendees could enjoy all sorts of challenging family activities. There were nearby hidden geocaches to find, puzzle-like “gadget caches” to figure out (including that one with a toilet in my first photo), interesting displays (including the last remaining item from the world’s first geocache–a can of beans), games like Geo Limbo and Coconut Bowling, photo ops, a mini-pie eating contest, a raffle, a geocaching trackables and pathtag exchange, and more!

Why the name Signal’s Island? Signal the Frog is geocaching’s official mascot, and the event was styled after Gilligan’s Island!

Okay, perhaps you’re a geocache novice, like me. Click here to learn about this fun, healthy and stimulating outdoor hobby! According to the Geocaching website, there are 6,602 geocaches to be discovered around San Diego!

…

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.

Feel free to share!

Truck pull in San Diego helps injured service members.

Today Alex “Teddy” Blanco pulled a 7,000 pound truck over 2 miles through Liberty Station in San Diego. His strenuous physical effort would raise money for the EOD Warrior Foundation.

I happened to stumble upon this amazing 12th Annual Truck Pull as it progressed down Cushing Road. Teddy Blanco has been doing this every year!

EOD stands for Explosive Ordnance Disposal. The EOD Warrior Foundation website explains: EOD technicians are highly-trained military members serving in the Army, Marines, Navy, and Air Force who are responsible for disarming, rendering safe, and disposing of explosive hazards.

The EOD Warrior Foundation (EODWF) serves the EOD community by providing financial assistance and support to Active-Duty, Guard, Reserve, Retired, and Veteran EOD technicians and their families.

Additional info importantly explains: This event is to raise awareness and funds for injured service members and their families.

If you’d like to help by making a donation, visit this GoFundMe page.

To learn more about the organization, visit the EOD Warrior Foundation website by clicking here. (You can find a donation button on their website, too.)

…

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.

Feel free to share!

Knotted fiber art is Tied at Liberty Station!

The old Barracks 5 at Liberty Station might seem abandoned and lifeless if it weren’t for beautiful fiber art decorating a row of screened windows.

Tied is the title of this public art.

Fashioned from 550 knotted cords in 2022, the colorful patterns were created by Cat Chiu Phillips of San Diego, spouse of a USMC veteran. You can see a description of Tied and other current works of public art at Liberty Station by clicking here.

Tied blends traditional rigging and knotting techniques with various fiber art techniques as a nod to US Navy’s seamanship training. It pays honor to the Naval Training Center’s historical significance…

Many years ago I documented more artwork created by Cat Chiu Phillips. That art was on display in downtown San Diego at Horton Plaza before the shopping mall was shut down. See those photos here.

…

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.

Feel free to share!

500+ Veterans helped at San Diego Stand Down.

More than 500 heroes were assisted this weekend during the 37th Annual Stand Down event, organized by the Veterans Village of San Diego.

Unhoused and at-risk veterans, their families, and active-duty service members could receive all sorts of free assistance at Stand Down. The event this year was held at Liberty Station in Point Loma.

Free services were offered by a wide variety of organizations, including housing assistance, medical, dental and vision care, legal services, food and clothing, and educational workshops. There was plenty of love and support from San Diego’s military and civilian communities.

I wandered about the event, feeling inspired by all that I saw. Perhaps this blog post provides a little help in its own way.

If you happen to be a Veteran in need, first, thank you for your service. I deeply appreciate the liberty you have helped to defend.

I encourage people to check out the Veterans Village of San Diego website by clicking here. We all need a little help now and then. I know that from my own personal experience.

Veterans Village of San Diego supports America’s Veterans and their families in overcoming homelessness, addiction, unemployment, barriers to health and mental healthcare, and related challenges.

Their vision: A future where no one is left behind.

A smile at the Adjoin Veterans table in the above photograph. Adjoin has a housing-first strategy that secures permanent housing for every Veteran family they proudly serve.

Another smile at the San Diego Rescue Mission table. They provide meals, shelter, clothing, education and job-skills training for men, women, and single parents with children experiencing homelessness.

And here we have three smiles! Reading Legacies, located in San Diego, teaches families the importance of reading with children.

Both the County of San Diego and the Department of Veterans Affairs had a large presence at Stand Down. They offer many important services for Veterans in need.

Check out their websites and see what is available.

…

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.

Feel free to share!

Memories of the Greatest Generation at Liberty Station.

An important exhibition of historical photographs is now on display at Liberty Station in Point Loma.

A new exhibit space, inside Liberty Station’s old Quarters D building, features photographs by famed World War II era photographer Edward Steichen and his colleagues. The free exhibition is titled Memories of the Greatest Generation.

The newly opened exhibit space operates as a satellite for the Maritime Museum of San Diego. The photographs are in the Maritime Museum’s collection.

Learn all about this exhibition by clicking here!

Historical photographs portray military ships, airplanes and personnel operating at sea in the Pacific Theatre during World War II.

Renowned artist Edward Steichen and his team of eight photographers were commissioned by the U.S. Navy in 1942 to document the war. They were called the Naval Aviation Photographic Unit. Over the next four years, most of their work would be aboard aircraft carriers. They created about 15,000 photographs.

Many of these excellent photographs are emotionally powerful. In my opinion, the best images include sailors, submariners and aviators, ordinary people doing their best in difficult wartime circumstances.

Should you look for the old Quarters D building (location of the Maritime Museum of San Diego’s new exhibit space)–it’s at the corner of Rosecrans Street and Dewey Road. Watch for Maritime Museum signs. You can find parking down the hill a short distance away.

Also, watch for friendly museum volunteers! They are pleased to tell you all about this great historical exhibit!

…

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.

Feel free to share!

Liberty Station’s Hugh Story Memorial Rose Garden.

There are several beautiful rose gardens around Liberty Station in Point Loma. One that visitors might miss is located along the path that follows the edge of the nearby boat channel. It’s called the Hugh Story Memorial Rose Garden.

This garden is situated not far from the 52 Boats Memorial, which honors the ultimate sacrifice made by men aboard U.S. Navy submarines that were lost at sea during World War II.

Those who read the Hugh Story Memorial Rose Garden’s marker can understand why.

Hugh Story Memorial Rose Garden

Dedicated To The Memory Of HUGH GOODMAN STORY, SR. 1920 – 2006 Creative Leader – Motivator

Hugh served his country within the submarine service during World War II, making 5 war patrols in the Pacific and earning a Bronze Star and Combat V Unit Citation.

After the war, he remained in the Naval Reserve, attaining the rank of Commander. In civilian life, he spent thirty years building and managing refineries in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

Hugh is revered by this community for his twenty-four years of full-time volunteer service to Point Loma and San Diego. He is especially loved for the hundreds of trees that he and his fellow volunteers planted, and for the streetscape improvements they brought to the sidewalks, streets and boulevards of Point Loma. As past president of the Point Loma Association and its Beautification Committee, he formed the “Mean Green Team” to care for the Committee’s many undertakings. He inspired people of all ages, from Boy and Girl Scouts to retirees, to create, install, and maintain the urban projects that enliven Point Loma.

Hugh was equally unflagging in the time and effort he devoted to the Navy League, the Submarine Veterans of WWII, the San Diego Maritime Museum and Friends of the Point Loma Library.

Hugh Story made a difference. He did so in many ways, but always by improving life for those he touched through his selfless service to the community.

Friends and family of High Story provided funds for this garden which was dedicated March 19, 2010.

…

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.

Feel free to share!

Photos at Hawaiian Cultural Festival in San Diego!

This weekend the 2025 San Diego Ho’olaule’a Hawaiian Cultural Festival was held at Liberty Station in Point Loma.

The free event attracted a good crowd of happy people, who enjoyed Hawaiian traditional hula dance, song and culture, not to mention dozens of vendors, and a tempting variety of island food.

The main stage was a nonstop center of activity. I took photos as the hula dancing began and stayed for a good while. Several dance groups were represented. The dancers wore a variety of colorful costumes depending on the style of hula. There were dancers of all ages.

The event website explains how their goal is to perpetuate Hawaiian culture through music and dance, both kahiko (ancient) and ʻauana (modern), and we welcome hālau (hula dance schools) both near and far.

After watching hula dancing, I walked among the many vendors, visited the Hawaiian Cultural Village, then grabbed something to eat!

Enjoy these photos. Sorry, but I can’t properly identify the dances or groups.

If you go to this event next year, take better notes than me!

Now I’m just wandering around. A sunny summer morning in San Diego…

Here a segment of the long food row to one side of the festival…

Now I’ve arrived at the Hawaiian Cultural Village!

That table on the left by Lei Hulu of California was showcasing the Hawaiian art of feather craft…

A nearby sign explained that the word ipu is Hawaiian for gourd. The ipu is a hula implement that can be played as a drum. It produces two sounds, depending on whether you strike it with the base of your palm or your finger tips.

Kōnane is a two-player strategy board game from Hawaii which was invented by the ancient Hawaiian Polynesians. It’s a game I learned today and rapidly lost.

Lastly, I learned about the Bishop Museum.

They came all the way to San Diego to share smiles and information about their museum in Honolulu. Founded in 1889 by Charles Reed Bishop, in honor of his wife Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop—the last descendant of the royal Kamehameha dynasty—Bishop Museum houses the largest collection of Hawaiian and Pacific cultural artifacts and natural history specimens in the world.

The Bishop Museum has lots of cultural information online! Check out the museum here. Watch educational videos on their YouTube channel here!

The Bishop Museum table had this beautiful Hawaiian Honeycreeper, similar to one created by master woodcarver Haruo Uchiyama, on display!

…

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.

Feel free to share!