A couple walks along Broadway in downtown San Diego.
This long, lazy weekend I’ve been sifting through my computer, searching for fun photos that I haven’t used yet. I discovered a few that I’d like to share.
These photographs are in no particular order. All were taken in the vicinity of downtown. I snapped them during recent walks down from Cortez Hill, where I live.
You might see why I love San Diego.
Several buildings in East Village are reflected in the glass windows of the headquarters of Sempra Energy.Looking up at the fantastic dome of downtown’s Central Library.People enjoy the grassy hill in the Park at the Park, near the statue of baseball hitting legend Tony Gwynn.A banner hanging on a lamppost near the Gaslamp Quarter landmark sign shows a fun photo from San Diego history.I’m not sure if this is a fluffy llama or alpaca. It stands guard in front of Inka’s Bar and Grill in the Gaslamp.The Art of Dr. Seuss is now showing at The Chuck Jones Gallery in the Gaslamp.People play in the fun, splashing fountain at Horton Plaza Park.Colorful new banners have recently appeared around Cortez Hill. Very cool!Morning photo of the handsome old World Trade Center building, once home to publisher Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.Some guys ride their bikes down Fourth Avenue through Bankers Hill.Bright red bougainvillea on a building’s balcony in Little Italy.Sunlight on the side of the Hilton San Diego Bayfront.A few days ago I spotted a couple in Tuna Harbor having their engagement photos taken by the water.Tourist souvenirs on a vendor’s cart on the Embarcadero.The Admiral Hornblower and another boat pass near the bow of the USS Midway Museum, recently deemed the best attraction in California.Enjoying sunny San Diego Bay from the end of Broadway Pier, watching the Maritime Museum of San Diego’s restored Swift Boat pass on by.
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Piazza Pescatore is a beautiful place where neighbors can relax and mingle at the corner of Kettner Boulevard and Fir Street.
In Little Italy, at the corner of and Kettner Boulevard and Fir Street, you’ll find Piazza Pescatore. The small community gathering place features a bronze sculpture and beautiful fountain, and plaques that remember the history of the many hard-working tuna fishermen that inhabited this San Diego neighborhood decades ago.
The artists who created this cool public artwork are sculptor Gregory Reade and mosaic artist Kim Emerson.
A bronze sculpture of a tuna fishermen holding his catch. Piazza Pescatore was donated by Bumble Bee Seafoods, which is headquartered in San Diego.A plaque honors the men and women of the tuna industry who helped build San Diego’s Little Italy.More plaques at Piazza Pescatore honor those who made San Diego the tuna capital of the world during much of the 20th century.A colorful circle of artwork on the nearby sidewalk shows women with baskets and bountiful fresh fish.
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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 photos for you to enjoy!
People gather around chalk art created on boards for the 2018 Mission Federal ArtWalk in Little Italy.
Here come more cool photos that I promised you!
Half a dozen colorful works of chalk art were displayed at the 2018 Mission Federal ArtWalk in Little Italy. Piazza della Famiglia isn’t the ideal place to create chalk art, so the pieces were rendered on boards.
Every work of art was great! See for yourself!
Gold and Yellow Roses, chalk art by Cecelia Linayao.A colorful chalk art Salvador Dalí, by artist Chris Brake.A chalk art lion representing the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, created by Lorna Prijoles.Young child kisses a happy wrinkled woman. Heartwarming chalk art by Brenda Mora and Jessie Reyes.A striking chalk art face by Meg Canilang.Another superb chalk art piece by young local phenom Lidia Vasquez.Half a dozen beautiful works of chalk art could be seen in Piazza della Famiglia at the 2018 Mission Federal ArtWalk!
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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 photos for you to enjoy!
Hundreds of artists had their work out on the streets of Little Italy at the 2018 Mission Federal ArtWalk.
Early this afternoon I walked down from Cortez Hill to enjoy the 2018 Mission Federal ArtWalk in Little Italy. What fun!
Hundreds of artists had their colorful work out on display along several Little Italy streets. I enjoyed meandering about and letting my eyes feast on life wherever they happened to turn. I was happy to unexpectedly meet some people that I know. I also grabbed a tasty bratwurst with lots of onions and mustard!
Another perfect day in San Diego! Smiles, warm sunshine, an easy stretch of the legs, plus the treat of fantastic, inspiring art!
A crowd of art aficionados converge on San Diego’s Little Italy neighborhood.The big annual Mission Federal ArtWalk is a time to relax, enjoy life, and feel some creative inspiration.Enjoying art, food and friendship.
Little Italy’s new Piazza della Famiglia featured a stage plus cool chalk art, which I’ll blog about shortly!Some of the artists were kicking back and talking to potential buyers. Others were concentrating at a canvas creating new work.Little Italy, in downtown San Diego, is a lively place where culture thrives.This guy broke a string as I walked up. He smiled for the camera anyway!People were invited to work on this interactive mural sponsored by Artist and Craftsman Supply.They also had a table nearby for anybody who’d like to create their own art!
More musical entertainment in Piazza Basilone.
Joy and creativity abound at the Mission Federal ArtWalk in Little Italy!
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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 photos for you to enjoy!
A clean, beautiful city by San Diego Bay, painted on the side of a building in Little Italy.
Yesterday morning, as I walked through Little Italy to photograph that cool Mona Lisa freeway on-ramp mural (my previous blog post), I discovered some additional artwork in the vicinity of State Street and Fir Street.
The large mural on the side of a residential building is clearly seen by motorists heading down Interstate 5. It contains a positive message. Colorful scenes encourage people to get out of their cars and jump on a bicycle or public transit.
A large, dynamic mural on a building that can be seen from nearby Interstate 5. Images convey an environmental message, encouraging bike riding and public transit.Mural on side of Porto Vista Hotel shows reflections of sailboat masts in blue water.A big eyeball near the entrance of the Landscape Architecture business Environs.Riding a bicycle with a dog in the active city.
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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!
Washington Elementary students create abstract Mona Lisa chalk art during 2014 Festa in Little Italy. As you will see, it would later become the basis for a very cool public mural!
Students at Washington Elementary STEAM Magnet School in Little Italy have helped to produce a very cool public art mural! As motorists depart Little Italy, turning onto southbound Interstate 5 from Grape Street, they are greeted by a colorful Minecraft-style Mona Lisa along with the big word CIAO!
The abstract 20′ x 20′ Mona Lisa mural is based on chalk art that Washington Elementary School kids created for 2014 Festa, an annual Italian-themed festival in their very own Little Italy neighborhood.
I happened to blog about Festa that year, and took the above photo of the kids working on the original Mona Lisa chalk art. With the help of local artist Jayne Barnett, their completed work would eventually become a very large, very creative mural that thousands of delighted drivers pass every day!
Mine-A-Lisa’s Salutation. The Little Italy mural is a much larger recreation of chalk art created by students at 2014 Festa. The Italian art-themed piece was rendered using “bricks” of color in the Minecraft style.Mona Lisa says goodbye to everyone with a large CIAO as drivers head onto southbound I-5 from Grape Street!
If you’d like to see more chalk art created during 2014 Festa, including many amazing pieces produced by students from schools all around San Diego, click here!
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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!
The fountain at the east end of Piazza della Famiglia.
The new Piazza della Famiglia in Little Italy is finally open to the public!
Yesterday morning I took a slow stroll through this amazing community gathering place. As I snapped photos I was awed by the space’s beauty. The European-style piazza is designed for pedestrians; it connects India Street and Columbia Street at Date Street. The delightful setting includes a tile fountain and lots of welcoming tables with umbrellas.
I noticed the apartment homes on either side of the Piazza della Famiglia aren’t quite completed. Construction workers were busy applying the final touches. I’ve also learned that eateries and other businesses along the piazza will be opening later in the year. Once the entire project is finished, the Piazza della Famiglia is sure to become one of the most popular destinations in downtown San Diego!
The illuminated fountain and nearby planters add touches of beauty to the European-style piazza in Little Italy.Construction workers were busy as I passed by with my camera.Someone walks through the piazza on a late March morning. There’s still construction fencing for one of the new buildings.One of many seats at the tables in Piazza della Famiglia.Flowers, warmth and beauty await one and all in Little Italy.Someone else enjoys the peaceful, sunlit piazza.Another very cool sight has debuted in downtown 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 photos for you to enjoy!
Public artwork is being installed outside the new City of San Diego Bayside Fire Station No. 2, at the corner of Cedar Street and Pacific Highway
Some cool public artwork is rising at the corner of Cedar Street and Pacific Highway, right next to the new Bayside Fire Station No. 2 in Little Italy!
For the past couple weeks I’ve been watching the unusual sculpture slowly grow, like flowers and vines sprouting from a base of urban concrete. And, according to what I’ve read, that’s exactly the effect that’s intended. The artists Ingram Ober, Marisól Rendón-Ober and Chuck Moffit are known for their unusual, thought-provoking creations, which are often sublime or humorous. The old Victrola horn-like brass elements of the sculpture will broadcast gentle music, which will contrast with the noise of the nearby streets and sudden fire engine sirens.
I can’t wait to see (and listen to) this artwork when it is completed!
Construction of the new Bayside Fire Station No. 2 appears to be almost complete.Twisting metal structures rise up like whipping fire hoses.Gentle music will play out of the brass trumpet-like forms.A red vine seems to be growing around those two horns! This might make a nice place to sit when finished.When completed, this new public art should to be pretty interesting!Cool art seems to be growing out the sidewalk in front of the new Bayside Fire Station in 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 photos for you to enjoy!
Bright new LimeBike smart bicycles have suddenly appeared in downtown San Diego!
Look what I discovered as I walked down Cedar Street to the Little Italy trolley station this morning. A bunch of identical lime green bicycles were waiting in a row on the sidewalk!
Upon closer inspection, I saw these bikes can be rented simply by unlocking them with a smartphone. And riders pay only one dollar per half hour! Very affordable!
LimeBike has just announced the introduction of their smart pedal bikes into downtown San Diego. That must explain why I’ve never them before.
In the future, I’ve learned they intend to introduce a fleet of Lime-E electric assist bikes and Lime-S scooters. Sounds like a great idea to me!
The 1st ride of a LimeBike is free! Renting one of these smart bikes costs only $1 per half hour.Instructions on a LimeBike show how to scan the QR code to unlock the bicycle.I found more LimeBikes parked on the sidewalk at the Little Italy trolley station!
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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 early 1900’s Italian fishing boat looking for tuna off the coast of San Diego.
Some new murals have appeared in Little Italy on a construction site fence along Kettner Boulevard, between Beech Street and Cedar Street. The artwork, created by Elisabeth Sullivan, depicts the history of tuna fishing in San Diego.
The series of images tell the story of an industry that once prospered in our city, and that shaped the colorful downtown neighborhood of Little Italy.
Italian and Portuguese fishermen bamboo pole fishing at the peak of the industry in the late 1920’s.After a lengthy fishing expedition these tuna clippers head home with their catch.Fishing boats docked for the night in San Diego Harbor after unloading their catch.Women of Little Italy fishing families work to remove hooks, stretch dry and mend the nets.The tuna is unloaded at the wharf and delivered to San Diego fish markets and canneries.During World War II many tuna clippers were converted to Yacht Patrols by the U.S. Navy.In the late 1950’s the efficient modern purse seiner began replacing most of the bait boats.The history of tuna fishing in San Diego can now be observed on a series of beautiful murals in Little Italy!
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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!
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