Arrows, by Brenda and Flojo, public art near the 24th Street trolley station in National City.
Some very cool public art adds color to a sidewalk near the 24th Street trolley station in National City. You can find it at the east edge of the trolley station’s parking lot, next to Wilson Avenue.
Two small but colorful sculptures have been created by Youth Artists. One, titled Peace, is by Michelle. The other, titled Arrows, is by Brenda and Flojo.
I’ve done some searching on the internet and can find nothing about these public sculptures. I don’t recall seeing them during past visits to the South Bay, so I believe they are relatively new.
All I know for certain is that this artwork is really cool!
Peace, by Michelle, public art near the 24th Street trolley station in National City.Photo of two cool sculptures in National City. A lavender peace sign is framed by two red arrows!
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We pull away from the Embarcadero aboard the Admiral Hornblower, on a special harbor tour provided by the Port of San Diego.
Last Saturday I enjoyed a special boat tour of San Diego’s harbor. The free tour was created by the Port of San Diego for Maritime Month, which was actually May. (The earlier tours were so popular, an additional June date was added.) The main intention of these tours was to educate the public about the importance of San Diego Bay, and the waterfront’s many contribution’s to our local economy.
We set out on the Admiral Hornblower and checked out a number of fascinating facilities that are overseen by the Port of San Diego. The Port of San Diego manages San Diego Bay and a strip of surrounding waterfront land. Its five member cities are San Diego, National City, Chula Vista, Imperial Beach and Coronado.
According to their website “The port oversees two maritime cargo terminals, two cruise ship terminals, 20 public parks, the Harbor Police Department and the leases of hundreds of tenant and sub tenant businesses around San Diego Bay.”
Well, what exactly did we see and what did we learn?
I took a few notes, which I’ve placed in my photo captions. Let’s head out onto the water on an overcast day and see some fascinating sights!
Looking back toward the Port Pavilion on Broadway Pier. This facility can host special events or welcome cruise ships. Every visiting cruise ship adds 2 million dollars to the San Diego economy.Someone enjoys recreating on San Diego Bay as we pass Tuna Harbor. Tourism and commercial fishing rely on San Diego’s versatile harbor.It’s Saturday morning, so the Tuna Harbor Dockside Market is open on Fish Harbor Pier near Seaport Village. It’s the place to go if you like fresh seafood.Now we are approaching the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal. Most people associate it with those big yellow Dole ships that bring in about 185 million bananas and other fruit each month!The Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal is to undergo modernization. Some transit sheds will be removed, to create more flexible laydown space.These are windmill tower components.This part of the facility is used for transferring cement between ship and shore.This 1,800-ton-per-hour bulk loader handles soda ash, bauxite and fertilizer exports.Docked south of the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal, beside the Cesar Chavez Park pier, are the vessels of Pacific Tugboat Service.Near the east end of the San Diego–Coronado Bridge is the first of three big shipyards–Continental Maritime of San Diego.Navy ships are undergoing repairs and modernization. The white plastic wrap prevents paint particles from entering the environment.The next shipyard as we head south is BAE Systems. They also provide repair and modernization services. This huge ship in one of two dry docks is completely concealed!This is a new type of stealth Navy ship–a guided missile Zumwalt-class destroyer. DDG-1000 is the first of its class. Its radar image is similar to that of a fishing boat.Another vessel is being worked on at the BAE Systems San Diego shipyard. You can see floating oil spill containment booms in many of these photos.Finally we are nearing the General Dynamics NASSCO shipyard. New ships are built here. It is the largest full service shipyard on the West Coast.It’s an overcast “June Gloom” late morning on San Diego Bay.As we continue into the South Bay, we see a large ship is being moved away from the shore by tugboat.It’s the Palmetto State, a fuel-efficient ECO Class tanker that was built at the NASSCO shipyard.Now we are beginning to pass Naval Base San Diego–what some refer to as 32nd Street Naval Station. It is the principal homeport of the U. S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet.This is the USS Essex (LHD-2), a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship.San Diego is home to these three Avenger-class mine countermeasures ships.The unusual white vessel is a barracks barge–where a crew lives while their Navy ship is undergoing major repairs.The USS Makin Island (LHD 8) returned from deployment recently. The gold anchors indicate this ship has earned the Navy’s Retention Excellence Award.Now we are past the Naval base and approaching the National City Marine Terminal.I see lots of cars. If you own an automobile imported from Japan or South Korea, there a good chance it arrived here.Vehicles of all type arrive here by huge roll-on/roll-off (RORO) ships, including trucks and tractors.Longshoremen drive hundreds of new vehicles off the ships. Warehouses nearby are used to install accessories. White wraps on cars protect them from dirty stuff like seagull poop! Some ospreys have nests atop those high lampposts.These totaled cars arrived from Hawaii! They’re headed to San Diego salvage yards.Half of the new cars are sent to their final destination by train, the other half by truck. This facility accommodates super long freight trains–120 cars long!We’ve turned about and have headed back to the North Embarcadero. Before we dock, we check out a superyacht temporarily moored in the middle of San Diego Bay.This is the Attessa IV, owned by Dennis R. Washington, 76th wealthiest person in the United States! The Port of San Diego accommodates all sorts of ships!
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This old rusty steel skeleton of a ship is actually one of two cool sculptures near the Pier 32 Marina in National City.
Check out these two very cool sculptures! I spotted them as I walked from a National City trolley station to Pepper Park yesterday, on my way to the big International Mariachi Festival.
Both of these sculptures are located at the Pier 32 Marina. And both are a lot of fun!
This huge metal sculpture by the marina flags is called Le Bateau Ivre, by artist Alber De Matteis, 2008.More detailed photo of this work of awesome nautical art! Looks like a ghost ship!The second sculpture, just down a pathway, is School of Blue Bottle Noses, by artist David Boyer, 2008. It was part of an Urban Trees exhibition on San Diego’s Embarcadero.Those blue Bottlenoses are actually bottles! Like a pod of turning dolphins, they shift direction in the wind!
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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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People watch the 5th Annual International Mariachi Festival in National City’s Pepper Park.
I took a bunch of colorful photos today at one of San Diego’s most wonderful festivals! The 5th Annual International Mariachi Festival was held today at Pepper Park in National City. (Actually, as I post this blog, the event still has about an hour to go.)
So what does one see at a Mariachi Festival? Read the captions!
The first performance featured the colorful Azteca Dancers – Danza Mexi’cayotl.The Azteca Dancers file onto the stage to the beat of drums.The audience watches the dancers perform on the Main Stage of the National City International Mariachi Festival.Dancers of all ages participate in several ancient Aztec dances, including a Rain Dance.Energy and joy are expressed as cultural traditions live on.The first of many wonderful performances at the Mariachi Festival!Now here comes Danza Folklorica Las Florecitas!Another amazing dance begins!Smiles and brightly colorful dresses are both big parts of Mexican culture.Dizzily spinning color and pure joy.Life as it should be.The happy, rhythmic music had lots of people in the audience clapping along.Here come some youthful musicians! I believe this is Mariachi Maya de Southwest Middle School. You wouldn’t believe the lung power and vocal range of that gifted young singer!Watching from the side of the Main Stage.Meanwhile lots of other fun stuff was going on at the festival, including this guy creating cool spray paint art.Vendors had all sorts of stuff for sale, including colorful Mexican dresses and fierce lucha libre masks.Speaking of lucha libre, there was some of that as well. (The blindfolded guy somehow won!)Wrestlers entertain a small crowd at the International Mariachi Festival.My favorite photo of the family event!And the event this year was very big! More people kept on arriving right into the afternoon.The excellent entertainment continued non-stop at the Main Stage.Many great mariachi groups would perform from around San Diego, Southern California and Mexico. Many middle school and high school groups participated.At the opposite end of Pepper Park, on the Port Stage, kids of all ages performed.On the grass off to the side of the Port Stage a bunch of young performers awaited their turn in the spotlight.Now I’m back at the Main Stage one last time. The crowd has grown!Rousing, emotional, much-loved mariachi music brought loud applause throughout the event.This young man sang several songs, and finished with an exciting mariachi version of Sinatra’s New York, New York!Here come some young couples dancing! I’m not sure who these performers are.A dance filled with life.Youthful energy at the Mariachi Festival in National City.And now–I believe–Danza Folklorico Nanahuatzin.Colorful skirts whirling like kaleidoscopes.A traditional Mexican folk dance delighting both eyes and ears.Pure joy.Many wonderful performances could be enjoyed at the 5th Annual International Mariachi Festival!
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Some happy street art in National City. A high five, pink rabbit and heart.
I found even more cool street art while walking around National City! Check out these photos! Colorful utility boxes and transformers seemed to pop up wherever I turned!
Transinfinite Gems. Love Your Soul. Blessings and Love.A creatively painted utility box near a National City street corner. Is that a can of soda?Someone just let loose with many strokes of color on this transformer box!This cool street art definitely attracts the attention of people walking down the sidewalk!An abstract human figure that drips ink into a river. This fantastic image appears to be full of symbolism.More cool designs on a series of electrical boxes. National City, in San Diego’s South Bay, has lots of great street art!A contrast of real leaves and painted leaves.Barren trees in a purple-blue sky.Another side of the same box.Branches from sky and ground, like grasping, skeletal fingers.
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These arches in National City’s Morgan Square Plaza delight the eye with their colorful tiles and designs.
Check out this cool public art in San Diego’s South Bay! These colorfully tiled arches can be found in Morgan Square Plaza right next to the National City Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center. As you can see in one photo, the plaza isn’t far from Heritage Square and historic Brick Row, which I recently covered on this blog.
It appears these mosaic arches debuted along with the plaza itself in October 2007. I searched the small pocket park for a plaque, and later for information on the internet, but can find almost nothing about this unique public art. I did see that the bust of former National City mayor Kile Morgan was created by the talented San Diego sculptor Richard Becker. According to Becker’s website, he created the POW Monument at the US National Cemetery, busts for The Emmys in Hollywood, and a bronze sculpture of Homer Simpson for Fox Studios.
Cool art in the public square next to the National City Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center.Visible beyond the brick arch is one end of Brick Row, one of several historic buildings in Heritage Square.Across Morgan Square Plaza is a monument to a former National City mayor.The bust of Honorable Kile Morgan, mayor of National City from 1966 to 1986. He established the Mile of Cars and Plaza Bonita. Sculpture created by San Diego artist Richard Becker.Another photo through the arches. The Southwestern College Higher Education Center stands across National City Boulevard.The beautiful patterns on this wall-like artwork are composed of many brightly colored tiles.The National City Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center is located near the public art arches.Fun photo of one arch within another.Cool public artwork in National City at Morgan Square Plaza!
UPDATE!
During a walk in 2019 I discovered a plaque describing this Streetscape Project, titled Portals in Time. The different arches are called Brick Row, Hispanic Portal, Filipino Water Wall, Kumeyaay Water Wall, Agriculture and Ship Building, and The Bay.
Click the following two photos and they will enlarge for easier reading:
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Brick Row at National City’s Heritage Square. The long brick two-story structure was built by Frank Kimball in 1887.
To those traveling through gritty National City, Heritage Square can be a surprising discovery. Venture into the picturesque block, just south of the intersection of East 9th Street and A Avenue, and you feel like you’ve stepped back 150 years.
National City has a fascinating history. Originally used by the Spanish to graze horses, the land in the early 1800s, after Mexican independence, was called Rancho de la Nación. In 1868, a San Francisco builder named Frank Kimball bought the rancho with an ambitious dream. He intended to turn National City into the western terminus of the Santa Fe Railway.
You might remember my photographic tour of the National City depot, built in 1882 by the Santa Fe Railroad. It became the first terminus of transcontinental rail travel in the San Diego area. You can see that fascinating blog post here.
To accommodate executives of the Santa Fe Railroad and booming times caused by the arrival of rail, in 1887 Frank Kimball built Brick Row, a structure in the style of Philadelphia row house. It was designed by San Diego architect R. C. Ball. Over 240,000 bricks were used for the ten units.
Kimball’s full ambitions weren’t realized, however, when the Santa Fe Railroad soon turned their sights on Los Angeles, making that city their major center of operations in Southern California.
An early resident of the “Kimball Block” was legendary marshal Wyatt Earp, who came to Southern California after being indicted in Arizona for shooting the men who’d killed his brother. He is best known locally for opening three gambling halls in San Diego. In 1889, Wyatt Earp stayed in Brick Row when he traveled down to Tijuana, Mexico. There he famously refereed a prize fight during a fiesta that also featured cockfights, bullfights and a lassoing contest.
In the early 1970s, National City’s planning director, Malcolm C. Greschler, interested in preserving the deteriorating Brick Row, came up with the idea of creating Heritage Square, which would be a historical tourist attraction similar to San Diego’s Old Town. In 1973 Frank Kimball’s house was moved to Heritage Square.
The 1869 Kimball House has its own unique history. It was the first house built in National City. Not only did it have a bathtub, but it had hot running water, which made it the first modern house in the entire county. President Benjamin Harrison visited it in 1891 during his tour of the western United States. At the time, it was the longest journey ever made by a President while in office. President Harrison’s 9,232 mile trip by railroad took one month and three days!
In 1976 two more historical houses were moved to Heritage Square: the 1887 Stick-style Rice-Proctor House and the 1879 Steele-Blossom House, which is depicted on National City’s official logo.
A plaque that reads Heritage Square – Marked in honor of the National City Centennial by San Miguel Chapter NSDAR, 1987.Heritage Square in National City contains several historic structures from the mid to late 19th century.The Steele-Blossom House, built in 1879, is used by the city of National City in its official logo. Elizur Steele was real estate agent for Frank Kimball and his enterprising brothers.The 1869 Kimball house was moved to Heritage Square in 1975. It is now the Kimball Museum operated by the National City Historical Society.The 1887 Stick-style Rice-Proctor House in National City’s Heritage Square.The two-story Brick Row is composed of ten units with common walls.Sign reads National City Historic Site – Kimball Block – Also known as Brick Row, this block of Eastern-style flats was completed in 1887 at the then considerable cost of $22,000.Photo of a section of the handsome Brick Row. The building now houses several specialty shops and the National City Historical Archive Room.Walking through the historic block of Heritage Square in National City is like a wonderful voyage back in time.
UPDATE!
I took the following three photographs in 2021 during another walk through National City.
The first photo is of a sign providing information concerning Brick Row. I cropped the top of the photo off because the outdoor sign was plastered with unsightly bird poop!
The second photo is of a sign concerning the Kimball House. I see its dates are different than what I previously wrote. I got that info from some other source. Do your own research!
The third photo is of the Steele-Blossom House, which appears to have been repainted with different colors.
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This blog now features thousands of photos around San Diego! Are you curious? There’s lots of cool stuff to check out!
Here’s the Cool San Diego Sights main page, where you can read the most current blog posts. If you’re using a small mobile device, click those three parallel lines up at the top–that opens up my website’s sidebar, where you’ll see the most popular posts, a search box, and more!
To enjoy future posts, you can also “like” Cool San Diego Sights on Facebook or follow me on Twitter.
Join me, says Darth Vader. Never, replies Luke Skywalker. An epic lightsaber battle commences.
Here’s more super cool street art! A classic battle between the dark and the light, and iconic movie characters recognized around the world are painted on two utility boxes in National City! You can spot them near the intersection of 8th Street and National City Boulevard.
This bold street art is an homage to the original Star Wars trilogy. The final four images might make you laugh!
Like a comic book or graphic novel, the right side of this utility box is painted with two more panels of Star Wars street art. I see good old R2-D2 and the white helmet of an Imperial Stormtrooper.Bounty hunter Boba Fett, a popular Star Wars character, makes for some super cool street art! I photographed this image on the left side of the same utility box.Pop culture icon C-3PO from Star Wars movies, television and other media has also been painted on the side of this utility box.Wannabe Stormtrooper on a second National City utility box seems to idolize Darth Vader and his mastery of the Dark Force.Live Set Stormtrooper likes listening to tunes while battling the Rebel Alliance. Perhaps that’s why those lasers never seem to hit anything.Poker Face Stormtrooper has beer hoses entering his helmet and a hand of cards.Selfie Stormtrooper thinks he looks good. Some funny Star Wars street art in National 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!
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Blanka of Capcom’s Street Fighter video games. Fun street art in National City.
A bunch of fun, colorful Japanese video game characters have been painted on several utility boxes near the center of National City. I spotted them while walking near the intersection of National City Boulevard and East 8th Street.
A whole universe of video game characters created over the years in Japan have contributed in a very big way to our popular culture. From Sonic the Hedgehog to Mario to the magical creatures of Pokémon, they populate video games, television shows, movies, comic books, toys . . and, as you can see, even some really fun street art!
Painted utility and transformer boxes near the corner of National CIty Boulevard and East 8th Street feature a variety of colorful Japanese video game characters.Sonic the Hedgehog of Sega Games has been painted on a utility box in National City.Bub and Bob originally from the 1980s Taito video game Bubble Bobble.Street art depicts Link of The Legend of Zelda video game series.A cute street art rendition of Princess Peach from the Mario video games.Pikachu sits atop a Pokémon Poké Ball. Fun street art in National City.The character beneath the Poké Ball looks somehow familiar, but I can’t figure this one out… Okay, a coworker identified him! It’s Finn the Human from the animated television show Adventure Time. Not of Japanese origin, apparently, but he has appeared in video games!Chocobo from the Final Fantasy video games. Happy street art painted on a utility box.Luna from the popular Japanese manga series Sailor Moon. I’m not sure if Luna appeared in any video games.Nintendo’s pop culture icon Mario fights Gooper Blooper in this fun, nostalgic street art.A green Super Mario Koopa Paratroopa flies over a castle while our leaping hero steps on a Goomba!A villainous Rocky Wrench pops out of a hole to attack Mario in this video game street art!I believe these are various images of enemies from the Mario video game franchise on top of the transformer.Super Mario Galaxy has our hero capturing Power Stars in Outer Space! More street art in National 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!
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 fun photos for you to share and enjoy!
You can go kayaking on a cool Eco Tour and try to spot green sea turtles in San Diego’s South Bay! Image courtesy of Ocean Connectors. Photograph by Harry Orgovan.
At last weekend’s Earth Day on the Bay, I learned about some awesome Eco Tours on San Diego Bay and the Pacific Ocean. Experienced guides take you by kayak around the Sweetwater Marsh National Wildlife Refuge to search for green sea turtles, or by bicycle around San Diego Bay to view all sorts of migratory birds, or by boat off our coast to spot gray whales and other marine life! These tours are provided by Ocean Connectors.
Why am I blogging about this? What makes these tours so amazingly cool? Ocean Connectors uses the money they make from their San Diego Eco Tours to directly benefit local students! Every year, Ocean Connectors introduces hundreds of kids in the National City School District to the beautiful natural world along San Diego’s coast, educating them about migratory wildlife and stewardship of the environment–all at no cost!
That’s right! Thousands of students in Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Grades have had an experience of a lifetime thanks to Ocean Connectors. In their formative years, these young people, many from low-income situations, have ventured out from the city and have experienced profound wonders they otherwise might have missed. They are taken on fun and inspiring educational field trips that are sometimes described as the best day of their lives!
Thanks to Ocean Connectors, local school students can learn about marine wildlife during a whale watching tour off the San Diego coast. Image courtesy of Ocean Connectors. Photograph by Ralph Pace.
Seeing green sea turtles, wild birds taking flight, and majestic gray whales out on the wide blue water deeply affects a young person’s view of the world, teaches one about the web of life, helps one to grow into a thoughtful, responsible adult. I know this is true. Because I had a similar experience when I was growing up.
Back in junior high school, I went on a sea adventure with some classmates along Alaska’s Inland Passage. I saw breaching humpback whales, bald eagles, even an orca. That memory is still vivid in my mind. That unforgettable experience broadened my horizons, made me appreciate the wonders of nature, gave me a sense of belonging to a larger world, a world that should be carefully preserved. I’ve been an avid hiker and lover of the outdoors during my adult life, and I have no doubt my own personal adventure those many years ago is one big reason why.
So . . . have you been considering having your own unforgettable adventure in ecotourism? Would you like to possibly spot one of the 60 green sea turtles that spend part of their lives feeding on eel grass in San Diego’s South Bay? Would you like to bike around the Bayshore Bikeway and see hundreds, even thousands of wild birds? (And some are quite rare!) Would you like to head out onto the ocean with trained, knowledgeable naturalists, and see gray whales, dolphins, and a huge variety of other sea mammals and coastal wildlife?
Ocean Connectors’ mission is to educate, inspire and connect people to the outdoors. And one of those people could be YOU!
Click here to have your own unique Eco Tour in San Diego. Book a tour, and you’ll benefit kids in San Diego’s South Bay! It’s a win-win!
Someone learns about the amazing Eco Tours and the educational programs provided by Ocean Connectors during Earth Bay on the Bay at the Maritime Museum of 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!
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