Tag: logan heights

Rey Mysterio performs 619 in Logan Heights!

Legendary wrestler and San Diego hometown hero Rey Mysterio is performing his finishing move, the 619, in Logan Heights! I saw him in action today!

Yes, that’s him in a newly completed mural at the corner of Commercial Street and 30th Street, a short distance east of Petco Park where WWE Survivor Series: WarGames (2025) will be held tomorrow!

The mural which pays tribute to lucha libre debuted two days ago and Rey Mysterio himself showed up with his daughter Aalyah to admire it. And sign it! You can read an article about that cool event here.

If you come by to check out the mural, make sure to look at the west side of the same SA Recycling building. There’s a second mural depicting the Rey Mysterio family! I posted photos of that mural here (along with photographs of this newest mural’s early outlines).

Both murals were painted by local graffiti phenom Daniel “Dentlok” Angeles and a team of helping artists.

Will Chula Vista native Rey Mysterio show up at tomorrow’s Survivor Series in San Diego? I’d say that’s highly probable! I see his son Dominik will be wrestling against John Cena, who is retiring after his own legendary career!

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Rest, strength and Lying Fallow in Logan Heights.

One gallery inside Bread and Salt in Logan Heights now contains an art installation titled Lying Fallow. Dried tall grasses rise from soil underfoot in an artificial indoor meadow. One can walk through the small “meadow” and rest on one of the seats, regathering strength.

I love the outdoors and being in nature. That’s where I feel the most healthy, alive. I know many other people feel the same way.

This installation, when I visited it, did remind me that a real meadow, outdoors, with its earthy smell and gentle movement in the wind, calms, restores, inspires, reconnects the mind, body and soul with something larger than ourselves.

But where in the gallery is the sky?

Everything about Lying Fallow is sincere. The artist Helena Westra has assembled something that is an important reminder: Quiet renewal helps us on life’s journey. It helps us to be newly creative.

But what sort of world have we created where we feel compelled to build a realistic natural landscape inside walls?

Are we so hurried and so trapped in artificial environments that “being in nature” is merely an exhibit that we experience for a moment or two?

Real meadows are still out there.

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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.

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Unique art and ideas multiply at Zine event!

Individual free expression took center stage today at the Compressed Zine & Music Fair. The event, organized by Particle FM and Burn All Books, was held at Bread and Salt in Logan Heights.

Writers and artists (and dreamers who are doers) gathered from around the San Diego region to showcase hundreds of their uniquely created zines. (And other printed works of art!)

What is a zine? According to Wikipedia: A zine is a magazine that is a… noncommercial often homemade… publication usually devoted to specialized and often unconventional subject matter.

As you might imagine, individuals printing their own zines can be boundlessly creative. They aren’t limited by the “demands” of societal acceptance or mainstream publication. Anyone with access to a copy machine or modest printer (and perhaps a stapler) can create a zine. It’s a cool way to easily get ideas out there and create something tangible that others can share.

You know those revolutionary pamphlets created by our nation’s Founding Fathers? In essence, they were zines.

Today’s zines can range from philosophically serious or politically satirical, to just plain silly or art for the sake of art. Some zines are love letters to people, places or things by devoted fans. Some are critiques. Many titles include wry humor.

Titles I spied while walking around the Compressed Zine & Music Fair include Copy Machine Manifesto, Shotgun Seamstress, Respawn Archive, Typical Natural Disaster, We Miss Jerry Garcia, This is a Critique of the X-Files, and My Feelings Are Not Wrong.

It appeared to me that the best part about making a zine is the simple joy of creativity.

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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.

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Lucha Fest kicks off Comic-Con Museum exhibit!

The Comic-Con Museum will be opening an exhibit celebrating Mexican lucha libre wrestling on May 22, 2025. The exhibition is titled Sangre, Sudor y Mito and will feature masks and costumes worn by legendary luchadores, collectibles, original art, video and much more.

To kick things off, Lucha Fest is being held in San Diego at the Soap Factory this afternoon.

The free, family-friendly event features food, music, art, lowriders and live lucha libre wrestling! Lucha Fest is supported by the Comic-Con Museum, Museo de Lucha Libre Tijuana Mexicana, and the Office of the Consulate General of Mexico in San Diego.

I arrived as it opened, which turned out to be much too early. The wrestling, I learned wouldn’t begin for a couple hours, so I walked around checking things out for a short while.

A highlight of Lucha Fest is the official unveiling of a huge mural across the street, which features legendary luchadores, including Chula Vista’s own Rey Mysterio. It was created by prolific local artist Dentlok. I had photographed the mural in early April, not knowing anything about it. See those photographs here.

The Soap Factory is a mostly outdoor venue east of downtown San Diego. It has many cool murals. I’ve focused my few photos today on the fun event as it barely got started. (Yes, I neglected to photograph the ring–there was nothing going on at the time.)

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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.

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Street art on four blocks of Imperial Avenue!

Followers of Cool San Diego Sights know I love walking all over and taking photos of interesting things, including street art. My most recent walk through Logan Heights resulted in lots of great finds!

These photos were taken along Imperial Avenue, as I walked west from 29th Street to 25th Street. (The first two photos are actually a few steps east of the intersection.)

Enjoy!

I love the following artwork on a building at Imperial Avenue and 29th Street. If you know anything about it, please leave a comment!

Now I’ve reached more works of art painted on a fence. They appear to belong to Varrio Guetto Art Gallery. The eyes are similar to work done by renowned muralist Mario Torero…

As I continue my walk west…

The next cosmic mural features a robot with sunglasses. It’s signed Dentlok Tattoo Arts 2022.

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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!

Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson in Logan Heights!

The other day I took photos of a cool mural in Logan Heights that shows legendary boxers Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson. It’s painted at the corner of Imperial Avenue and 27th Street.

Ali’s famous quote “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee” is written above the boxers. Tyson’s quote “I’m a dreamer. I have to dream and reach for the stars…” appears, too, along with an image of one of his tigers.

I didn’t realize it until I did some searching on the internet, but San Diego’s own Archie Moore boxed Muhammad Ali (when he was known as Cassius Clay) back in 1962. You can read a Wikipedia article about the event here.

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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.

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Tribal Shields For Common Ground in Logan Heights.

For the past 25 years, this very unique public art has decorated the exterior of the San Diego Police Department Central Division building in Logan Heights.

During a walk through Logan Heights today, I went around the building to check out the Tribal Shields For Common Ground. I failed to photograph all of the artwork on the building, but these photos provide a good example of what you’d see.

Tribal Shields for Common Ground – Alber de Matteis – January 2000

Commissioned for the citizens of San Diego through the City of San Diego Police Department, Engineering and Capitol Projects, and Commission for Arts and Culture.

About the artwork: Each shield is inspired by traditional cultural designs from around the world. Ancient geometric design used in basket weaving, rock painting, rug weaving and wood carving are used to celebrate the ethnic diversity of our city. The choices made here represent the four corners of the world…

If the artist name is familiar, I’ve covered other Alber de Matteis artwork around San Diego. I’ve spotted his sculptures at Shelter Island, National City and Liberty Station. Click here and here and here and here.

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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.

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Wild animals on a Logan Heights corner!

Ferocious wild animals have gathered in San Diego’s Logan Heights neighborhood!

It appears that a leopard, tiger, snake, wolf and gorilla now hang out at the corner of Imperial Avenue and 32nd Street!

Check out this cool artwork on a wall and building that is presently vacant. It was painted by Matt Spangler.

Love it!

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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!

New murals at SA Recycling in San Diego!

The huge mural you see in my first five photographs is relatively new, I believe. Today was the first time I saw it, while riding the Orange Line of the San Diego Trolley.

The cool artwork has been spray painted on the corner of SA Recycling, at the corner of Commercial Street and 30th Street. It includes images of masked lucha libre wrestlers.

I’ve tried to find out more about the mural, but no success yet, apart from seeing graffiti artist signatures @killadoom422 and @misterhir.

If you know more, please leave a comment!

UPDATE!

I later learned, during an event at the Comic-Con Museum, that the large lucha libre mural depicts Rey Mysterio, his uncle Rey Misterio, son Dominik, and wrestlers Psicosis and Konnan. It was painted by artist Dentlok!

Awesome stuff!

Another mural is being painted on the side of the same building, but facing Commercial Street. No artist was there when I happened by.

Outlined are musicians and more wrestlers.

If I see this cool art completed in the future, I’ll post photos in an update!

Speaking of SA Recycling, the long fence around the opposite (east) end of their facility features lots of superhero spray paint art. I took photographs back in late 2018 when that art was being created. Check it out here!

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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!

San Diego, a famous Logan, and Memorial Day.

The colorful new Barrio Logan gateway sign arches over Cesar Chavez Parkway.

Did you know two communities in San Diego are named after the person who is largely responsible for the Memorial Day holiday?

Logan Heights and Barrio Logan (which was originally part of Logan Heights), along with Logan Avenue, received their names from John A. Logan.

This article explains: In 1871, Congressman John A. Logan wrote legislation to provide federal land grants and subsidies for a transcontinental railroad ending in San Diego. A street laid in 1881 was named Logan Heights after him, and the name came to be applied to the general area.

John Alexander Logan according to Wikipedia was an American soldier and politician. He served in the Mexican–American War and was a general in the Union Army in the American Civil War . . . As the 3rd Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, he is regarded as the most important figure in the movement to recognize Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) as an official holiday.

Read the Wikipedia article and you’ll see how one law he helped pass would today be considered repugnant.

I knew nothing about the connection of Logan to both San Diego and the Memorial Day holiday until yesterday, when it was spoken of during a Memorial Day weekend event in Balboa Park.

Interesting how human history, with its infinite complexity, can entangle so many different places, people, and conflicting ideas. It makes you wonder about our shared future. Can it possibly be known?

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

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.