Two elegantly dressed skeletons have been discovered seated inside the front entrance of the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Old Town.
I was stunned to observe that a large number of skeletons have been discovered in an old San Diego hotel. The Cosmopolitan Hotel, to be exact. The elegantly dressed skeletons, wearing frilly dresses or top hats, were seen standing about the hotel’s entrance, in the saloon, even seated on chairs behind a large wedding cake.
Huh?
I’m just having a bit of fun! The Cosmopolitan Hotel is part of Old Town, and dozens of elegantly dressed skeletons appear in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park every year as Día de los Muertos approaches.
Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is actually a celebration of ancestors and loved family members who have passed away. In Mexico, the deceased are remembered and prayed for, and certain joyful traditions are observed. One unusual tradition is derived from La Calavera Catrina, a famous etching by Mexican artist José Guadalupe Posada, which depicts a female skeleton dressed in a fancy hat. Even though the image was originally created as satire, the Catrina has become a familiar sight in many places where Día de los Muertos is observed.
I snapped these photos at the historic Cosmopolitan Hotel in Old Town. The original building dates back to the late 1820s, when the wealthy Californio cattle rancher Juan Bandini built a “mansion” among the simple adobes in Old Town. When Bandini’s fortunes faded, he sold the house to Albert Seeley in 1869, who built a second story and converted the house into a hotel for a new San Diego stagecoach stop, which he also built nearby.
I believe I photographed a couple of the same skeletons a year or two ago, but I simply couldn’t help myself. They’re so much fun!
A covered wagon in front of the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park.In celebration of Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, two lady skeletons wearing frilly dresses greet visitors to the Cosmopolitan Hotel. Here’s one!Here’s the other!Inside the Cosmopolitan Hotel’s saloon, another lavishly elegant but skeletal customer is observed.A shy skeleton in very fancy attire stands silently in the corner of the Old West 1800s saloon.A bony customer at the bar. That must have been a stiff drink.A wedding cake for a skeleton bride and groom! Día de los Muertos is a joyful holiday that celebrates the past lives of loved ones.
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This morning I walked through Chicano Park. It had been a while since I last wandered among the park’s many famous murals. My camera was searching for no one thing in particular. But I couldn’t stop admiring the many expressive faces that have been artfully painted: faces from our Hispanic community that contain a whole range of emotions, including pride, hope and resolve. The expressive faces reflect humanity and inner beauty.
I’ve blogged about this amazing collection of outdoor murals (the largest in the country) on several occasions, providing a little more information. Today, I simply present a few photos of painted human expression.
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The McCoy House Museum, in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, is a reconstruction of a home built in 1869 for Sheriff James McCoy.
While there are many small museums and historical attractions that visitors can enjoy in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, the McCoy House Museum is the best place to see an extensive series of interpretive displays that describe the complete history of early San Diego.
The McCoy House, standing on the north end of Old Town, is a reconstruction of a home built in 1869 for Sheriff James McCoy and his family. James McCoy, who lived from 1821 to 1895, like many early San Diego residents was an ambitious man, working diverse jobs, filling many roles. At the age of 21 he sailed from Ireland to America seeking opportunity. He became a soldier, then a stagehand, then San Diego county assessor, then county sheriff in 1861. He acquired substantial real estate holdings and finally won election to the state senate in 1871.
The interpretive displays in the McCoy House Museum provide a good look back at San Diego’s formative years. They detail the life of the Native American Kumeyaay who’ve lived in the region for thousands of years, the first Spanish explorers, the establishment of the Spanish mission, the Mexican period and the subsequent American period.
If you’d like to read the displays, click my photographs to enlarge them.
This blog post covers the first floor of the museum. I’ll cover the second floor exhibits in a later post. After heading up some stairs, one can find information about the more prominent residents of Old Town, plus the town’s later history as it competed with New Town, which eventually rose to become downtown San Diego as we know it today.
Anyone who is a history buff must visit the McCoy House Museum. You’ll be transported back in time and see how life was exciting, difficult, and altogether different many, many years ago in San Diego.
Sign lists important dates concerning the McCoy House. Today it’s a museum containing exhibits that explain the fascinating history of Old Town San Diego.Just inside the front door, this might have resembled the parlor of the original McCoy House, occupied by an upper middle class family in San Diego’s Old Town.Framed photo on one wall from the San Diego Historical Society shows the original McCoy House.Interpretive exhibits inside the McCoy House Museum begin with the Spanish period of San Diego, from 1769 to 1821.Quotes from the journeys of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, Sebastian Vizcaino and Gaspar de Portola.A string of missions was created by Spain in California to secure its claim to new territory. The first mission, in San Diego, was originally established on Presidio Hill near the native Kumeyaay village of Cosoy.An artistic representation of life among the Kumeyaay people. They often visited the nearby coast to hunt and gather food.For thousands of years, the Kumeyaay lived along the coast and interior valleys of what is now San Diego County. They moved with the seasons to take advantage of available resources.The Kumeyaay built dome-shaped houses from oak, willow or sycamore branches. The simple structures were called ee-wahs.The Kumeyaay saw the physical and spiritual world as one and the same.Exhibit in the McCoy House Museum shows artifacts associated with the Kumeyaay, including a bark skirt, arrows, rabbit stick, child’s sandals, gourd rattle and war club.The Kumeyaay revolted against the Spanish missionaries in 1775, a year after the San Diego mission was relocated inland very close to a large Kumeyaay village.Once baptized, converted Kumeyaay followed a strict life. Mission bells signaled the day’s activities, including the singing of hymns, Mass, meals and work assignments.Mexico gained its independence from Spain in 1821 after a decade of bloodshed. Changes included a decline in support for the presidio and freedom from Spain’s trade regulations.After the breakup of the Spanish missions, the era of the great ranchos began. Californios were often racially mixed descendants of soldier-settler families.Vaqueros were the original cowboys. They worked on the extensive ranches and handled the large herds of stock.A fanciful picture of life on a rancho, with vaqueros at work and children at play.The Californios loved to celebrate feast days, weddings and religious festivals.Cattle by the thousands roamed San Diego’s hills. Their dried hides were used in trade and were sometimes referred to as California banknotes.Illustration of loading cow hides onto a carreta. Hides were gathered by ships along the coast to be transported around Cape Horn to the eastern United States.Exhibit inside the McCoy House Museum recreates the small shop of a Boston trader. The brig Pilgrim of Two Years Before the Mast brought people aboard to buy wares and finished goods that weren’t available in San Diego.Illustrations of cow hides being cured. This activity took place at La Playa, a point on San Diego Bay near Ballast Point in Point Loma.Diagram of the brig Pilgrim, made famous in Richard Henry Dana Jr.’s classic Two Years Before the Mast. As an ordinary seaman, Dana collected cattle hides up and down the California coast.Exhibit in the McCoy House Museum details local history during the Mexican–American War from 1846 to 1848.During the war, U.S. occupation of San Diego divided the loyalty of the Californios. The two sides fought briefly at the Battle of San Pasqual.Around the time of the Gold Rush, San Diego saw an influx of emigrants from all over, including New England, the American South, Mexico, South America, Ireland, Great Britain and Germany.Old Town tales include the construction of the first jail in 1850. The walls were so poorly made, the first prisoner, Roy Bean, easily dug himself out, then celebrated at a nearby saloon!Grog shops became popular gathering places. They were a social hub of San Diego life, providing customers with news and provisions.A recreated Old Town grog shop can be found inside the McCoy House Museum.After the California Gold Rush of 1849, San Diego became more developed. A courthouse and newspaper were established. Transportation included clipper ships, stage lines and steamships.Poster advertises a new clipper ship route. A very quick trip may be relied upon!Between 1865 and 1872, Old Town San Diego continued to grow. The first public school opened, and the town welcomed its first theatrical company in the Whaley house.The first overland coach to San Diego began service in 1854. Additional stage lines came into existence, allowing for the delivery of mail, express packages and passengers.Visitors to the McCoy House Museum can step into a replica stage stop and see what life was like in Old Town during San Diego’s rugged early history.
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Help us Save the Vaquita display at the east gazebo of Seaport Village in San Diego. The band Insect Surfers was providing some music!
The Vaquita is the world’s most endangered marine mammal. It is thought that about 60 of the animals exist in the ocean today. This small species of porpoise (Phocoena sinus) lives in the warm waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean–specifically in the northern Gulf of California, in a small region east of Baja California not too distant from San Diego. According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, the Vaquita is classified as Critically Endangered.
International Save the Vaquita Day was observed today in San Diego and many other cities around the world. I swung by Seaport Village to see what efforts are underway to save Mexico’s “Panda of the Sea” and to learn a little about the Vaquita.
I learned that the Vaquita, thankfully, enjoys clean waters. Their big threat is being entangled in the gillnets of fishermen. A major effort is underway to eliminate these nets from the Vaquita’s natural habitat. But some fishermen, seeking to provide a living for themselves, use them anyway.
I learned there’s also an effort to inform consumers that some shrimp and fish that one finds in the grocery store is caught with gillnets. It is hoped enlightened shoppers will seek out and purchase seafood that isn’t caught with this type of net.
I learned that Vaquitas have never been held in aquariums, and has only been known to science since 1958.
If this species goes extinct, it will be gone forever.
These nice ladies are working hard to save the Vaquita. It is hoped many others will join the effort, in any way possible. Time is very limited–perhaps a year or two–before the species might go extinct.Kids make art and learn about the critically endangered Vaquita, a marine mammal that clings to a tenuous existence not far from San Diego.
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Visitors at the San Diego Zoo Centennial Festival in Balboa Park learn how rare, threatened and endangered native plants are being saved by the zoo.
Many know how the San Diego Zoo is a world leader in working to protect animal species from extinction. One important task is to store critical genetic material. Their world-renowned Frozen Zoo has been storing cryogenically preserved biological samples since 1976.
When I walked through the San Diego Zoo Centennial Festival in Balboa Park last Saturday, I learned something that really impressed me. Not only is the zoo striving to save the world’s most endangered wild animals, but San Diego Zoo Global has developed an important native plant seed bank, in an effort to conserve rare and threatened local plant species.
The zoo is member of the California Plant Rescue Partnership, whose goal is the long term conservation of wild plant species through seed banks and field work. One of the people with whom I briefly spoke has the job of hiking about San Diego County, searching for and monitoring populations of these rare plant species. What a fantastic job that must be!
The zoo has developed an extensive seed collection. Some native plants being protected are the San Diego golden star Bloomeria clevelandii, Dudleya brevifolia, Monardella stoneana, Comarostaphylis diversifolia ssp. diversifolia, and Corethrogyne filaginifolia var. linifolia, which is commonly called the Del Mar sand aster.
The San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research is also working hard to save the Tecate Cypress in Southern California and Baja California, a tree that the rare Thorne’s hairstreak butterfly depends upon. A poster at the zoo’s centennial event helped to explain why this effort is so urgent.
San Diego Zoo Global’s Native Plant Seed Bank and horticulture departments have planted 500 Tecate Cypress trees to establish a field gene bank. (Click to enlarge.)The San Diego Zoo’s conservation efforts extend beyond protecting animal species threatened by extinction. Plants are important, too!
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The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society’s old Coast Guard patrol boat, renamed M/V Farley Mowat, is docked this weekend on San Diego’s Embarcadero.
Yesterday after work, I noticed that an unusually decorated old U.S. Coast Guard patrol boat was docked along the Embarcadero, just north of the Maritime Museum of San Diego. Naturally, I had to investigate!
Turns out the renamed boat, M/V Farley Mowat, is now owned and operated by an organization called the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, whose stated mission is to defend, conserve and protect marine ecosystems and species. They use direct-action tactics to expose and confront the illegal slaughter of marine wildlife at sea. I’d seen their exhibit aboard the steam ferry Berkeley during Earth Day on the Bay, where their representative explained that Sea Shepherd was like Greenpeace on steroids.
I spoke to a friendly crewmember near the Farley Mowat and learned they would be offering the public free tours on Saturday. The vessel has just returned from its second mission in the Sea of Cortez off Baja California–the wildlife defense campaign was titled Operation Milagro II. For a number of months, Sea Shepherd worked with the Mexican government in a marine refuge near San Felipe to identify and intercept illegal gillnet fishing which has reduced the population of the rare Vaquita Porpoise over the decades to just about 100 animals. This is commendable work! Sea Shepherd not only has permission from the Mexican government to patrol for poachers and pull up illegal fishing nets when encountered, but they are making observations concerning this endangered marine species. They are doing similar work to protect another rare fish in the region: the Totoaba Bass.
Working within the law in a positive way to protect these species is commendable and extraordinary! After doing some research at home, however, I learned that the organization is quite controversial. Some say they go too far. Some, including other environmental activists and organizations, have called them eco-terrorists. I don’t know enough to comment, but I do know that sometimes people with enthusiastic agendas and a sense of urgent purpose can lose their sense of humanity. The people I met yesterday and this morning when I walked again along the Embarcadero seemed like very nice people. I will say no more.
A very friendly, informative crewmember of Farley Mowat explained their recently completed mission, which was to defend the Vaquita Porpoise in Mexico’s Sea of Cortez.Photograph of M/V Farley Mowat the following cloudy morning. Visitors were being given tours aboard the vessel.Interested people and crew mingle before boarding the Sea Shepherd’s cool boat. Public tours of M/V Farley Mowat are being offered this weekend in San Diego.Looks like kids made some Thank You signs for Sea Shepherd!A tent near the boat featured gifts and information in support of Sea Shepherd. Defending Ocean Wildlife Worldwide.A detailed poster explains why sea turtles should be defended. Click to enlarge. San Diego’s South Bay has its own small group of migratory green sea turtles.Sea Shepherd stops in San Diego. They were featured in Animal Planet’s television show Whale Wars. M/V Farley Mowat will soon be on its way to another location on the high seas.
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A painting of a market full of Mexican crafts and charm. It makes anyone walking down the sidewalk feel that life is good, just gazing at this colorful artwork.
Some new, very cool urban art has recently appeared on Adams Avenue in Normal Heights! Here are a few photos!
The street mural, titled Un dia de Mercado, is painted on the side of one small building. It depicts a Mexican marketplace, and many of the goods a shopper is likely to find there. The colors are vivid and happy. The artwork inspires joy.
Un dia de Mercado. A fantastic new street mural on Adams Avenue in San Diego’s Normal Heights neighborhood.Un dia de Mercado was completed on April 2, 2016. It was painted by several talented artists. Their signatures are evident in this photo. New colorful urban art in Normal Heights!A smiling face, a funny parrot, an umbrella, guitar, flowers, fruit and a sleeping dog. One day at the market!Beautiful artistry on the side of a building on Adams Avenue in Normal Heights!This street mural adds sunshine and happiness to an already very cool neighborhood in San Diego!
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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
Do you like to read short pieces of thought-provoking fiction? You might enjoy checking out Short Stories by Richard.
Making fresh tortillas for people walking down the sidewalk. Eat these hot with melted butter and you’re in heaven.
I enjoyed an exhilarating walk through Old Town today.
Here are some colorful photos of what you might discover while strolling down San Diego Avenue, just south of Old Town San Diego State Historic Park.
You’ll find all sorts of shops, Mexican restaurants and cantinas, a few historical sights, and sidewalks full of smiling tourists and locals enjoying one of San Diego’s favorite destinations.
A guitarist walks down a sidewalk in Old Town. You’ll find plenty of music and energy up and down San Diego Avenue.There are tantalizing sights everywhere you turn. The commercial part of Old Town is a popular destination for tourists visiting San Diego.Many colorful items for sale at shops up and down San Diego Avenue are from Mexico, or have a Mexican theme.I love rocks and minerals, so of course I had to poke my nose in here.Just a riot of color in one window! Mexican culture adds a great deal of life to San Diego and this region.I blogged about this public art a while back. Beyond the crazy cowboy shootout is the entrance to the Old Town Chamber of Commerce.
I stepped inside the Old Town Chamber of Commerce Information Center and checked out a few cool exhibits. In the event you ever visit Old Town, make sure to stop here to grab a map, brochures, and a bunch of valuable coupons for nearby restaurants and businesses!
A cool model of a Spanish galleon (I believe) and some useful free literature inside the Visitor Information center.Several interesting historical photographs can be found inside the Old Town Chamber of Commerce. This one from 1898 shows tiny Old Town San Diego at the base of Presidio Hill.Vintage photo of the famous Whaley House, the oldest brick house in California, built in 1854. (That’s what it reads. Every source I’ve seen says the house was actually built in 1857.)The Whaley House as it appears today on San Diego Avenue. It’s reputed to be the most haunted place in America! (Just to be careful, I stayed across the street. Those spooks didn’t have a ghost of a chance!)The Sheriff’s Museum on San Diego Avenue. I’ve yet to visit this place! So much still to do!The El Campo Santo Cemetery in Old Town is where many of San Diego’s earliest residents are buried.Many curios and crafts for sale in Old Town shops are related to Mexico’s traditional Día de Muertos, or Day of the Dead.A festive banner in a perfect San Diego sky.Rounding a corner, searching for more unique discoveries!This shop contains all sorts of Old West-themed stuff for sale. There’s so much on display, it boggled my mind!A walk down San Diego Avenue in Old Town San Diego is never dull!
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A friendly Mariachi band smiles as photos are taken!
Today I rode the trolley down to the South Bay to enjoy the big 2016 National City International Mariachi Festival and Competition.
The annual cultural event takes place in Pepper Park, which is located close to where the Sweetwater River empties into San Diego Bay.
I was absolutely amazed by the color, the energy, the sheer happiness of those participating and watching. Hopefully my photos provide a taste…
A colorful arch welcomes visitors to Pepper Park and the 2016 National City International Mariachi Festival!The Mariachi Scholarship Foundation has benefited many music-loving students in San Diego County.Fantastic sombreros attracted my camera at the festival’s Mariachi Scholarship Foundation table.The grand stage drew the largest crowd. Many excellent Mariachi groups and baile folklorico dancers wowed the audience.A smiling senorita at the International Mariachi Festival and Competition in National City.Members of Danza Folklorico Las Florecitas perform Mexican folk dances in Pepper Park.Mariachi musicians perform on the main stage at the 2016 National City International Mariachi Festival and Competition. They received loud cheers.A cheerful dress on a beautiful day in San Diego’s South Bay. A nearby boat ramp leads into the channel of the Sweetwater River.Colorful, energetic folklorico dancing on a smaller, non-competitive stage.A diverse audience from San Diego, Tijuana and the surrounding region. Many of the participants also enjoyed the non-stop entertainment.Taking a break to stretch my legs, I walked out onto the short pier in National City’s Pepper Park. Visible is a huge car carrier ship docked in San Diego Bay. It transported imported vehicles from Asia.Looking back at the rear of the smaller stage. Some dancers wearing bright yellow are getting ready for their turn to perform.Young dancers on stage whirled, stepped smartly, then whirled again.Mexican culture is warm, happy and lots of fun.These ladies in traditional costume were taking their turns at one of the festival’s many prize wheels!Dancing with joy.A typical scene from the annual Mariachi festival in National City.
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Members of the Helping Hand Club at Mt. Carmel High School are raising funds for Build a Miracle.
Students belonging to Mt. Carmel High School’s very cool Helping Hand Club would like you to help Build a Miracle!
Today I came across a bake sale in Balboa Park. Two very generous MCHS students had a table full of brownies and other treats; they were raising donations for Build a Miracle, a charity that constructs and furnishes homes for needy families in Mexico. Between 1999 and 2014, Build a Miracle has built 185 homes and 3 community centers. They have touched literally thousands of lives, offering hope and a pathway to a brighter future.
Should you wander through Balboa Park and see smiling members of the Helping Hand Club, perhaps you could offer your own hand! Or check out the Build a Miracle website and see if you’d like to help!
Two awesome students are working to make our world a better place.Donations welcome. Help us reach our goal to build and furnish a house in Mexico.
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