Greetings to the folks at Mission Valley Resort! Thanks for following my blog! My walk to work takes me down Bachman Place, so today I decided to take a small detour and pass by the resort to check it out! Great location! I took several quick pics and the one above turned out best!
Cheers!
I was surprised to discover this polished bit of street art in a place where few venture in Mission Valley: in the darkness under Highway 163, along Camino de la Reina, among graffiti and windblown litter. Joggers and the homeless pass through here, but not very often. Who was the artist? Why did they paint a stylish image in this location? It’s a mystery!
UPDATE!!!
This morning, February 5th, exactly one day after the first photo was taken, I walked to work again and the street art and graffiti were painted over! I don’t know if this is pure coincidence, or the result of my blog yesterday…
Usually I keep my old camera on Auto mode then just aim and shoot. I take a million pics and hope a few come out okay.
This morning, during my walk to work through Mission Valley, I was fortunate to capture some weirdly artistic photographs. I paused a few times on the south side of the San Diego River as the sun rose. The slanting light illuminated patches of red algae, bright green reeds and tangles of dry branches.
These two pics aren’t very cool. But they are important. They show another world that many often don’t see.
I took these photos where Highway 163 crosses over Camino de la Reina in Mission Valley. I climbed up a hill of dirt under the overpass and emerged between the opposing lanes of traffic.
Numerous homeless people live along the San Diego River in Mission Valley. Some of them hunker down in shelter provided by this makeshift concrete roof.
UPDATE!
I got the following three pics late in the summer. I didn’t see anyone, but obviously numerous people pass through.
While walking through Mission Valley in the early morning, I did a double take when I saw this unusual sight! I assume the motel is undergoing a name change. Or perhaps the driver hauling the Super 8 sign stayed a night at Quality Inn!
Check out these two photos of utility boxes I spotted while walking to work today in Mission Valley. They sit side-by-side a bit north of the San Diego River on a corner of Camino del Este.
The first box is painted in an amusing fashion with all sorts of dog breeds. Looks like the artist was definitely a lover of canines!
This second box is super colorful. I’ve observed that flowers are often central elements in street art. Perhaps people crave a bit of natural beauty in the concrete jungle.
This giant, mischievous Pinocchio dangles a yo-yo and winks while sitting atop a red tile roof. This fun sight can be found at the Geppetto’s toy store in the Fashion Valley shopping mall, in Mission Valley.
Our leisurely walk through Balboa Park has been interrupted by a great pic I got this morning!
Outstanding kicker Nick Novak and other Chargers players were out on busy street corners to help with Kids Newsday, which raises money for Rady Children’s Hospital! They were handing out newspapers filled with cool articles written by kids while collecting donations from passing motorists.
In this photo, Nick is being interviewed by a Union Tribune journalist in Mission Valley. You can see other participants holding yellow signs across the intersection.
This is a part of a very long mural decorating the north side of Interstate 8 in Mission Valley. It’s called Kids being Kids.
I took this photograph from across Camino de la Reina, not far from the Union Tribune building. I got a bunch of pics, but this is the only one that captures the artwork’s color and energy. Perhaps I’ll try again some other day.
UPDATE!
I took some more pics…
This photograph was taken several mornings ago while I walked through Mission Valley. It looks west from Mission Center Road along the San Diego River.
The bright green, I believe, is Yerba Mansa.
People are often surprised that such a beautiful, peaceful scene can be found in a busy city. Had I turned the camera in any other direction, I might’ve captured buildings, shopping centers, cars and several freeways. So much depends on the direction in which we turn…
Here are two more pics which I took in late February 2015…
Cool San Diego Sights! 