Tag: news

Sheep attacked by wolf in La Jolla!

A pen full of vulnerable sheep was attacked today in La Jolla. A wolf somehow infiltrated the UC San Diego campus and made its way to the small sheep pen at Revelle Plaza, where the terrified, trembling sheep were saved by a shepherd, who chased the wolf away.

Onlookers clapped as the wolf slinked away. That’s because they’d just witnessed a unique, often funny performance of Les moutons by Canadian company CORPUS. The strange act was part of this weekend’s La Jolla Playhouse 2024 WOW Festival!

The sheep might have been sheepish, but they did entertain the crowd with their dull stares, herd mentality, their shearing, milking and feeding sessions, and a couple of natural but unspeakable animal behaviors!

Here comes a ram through the astonished crowd? What does it want?

A howl was heard in the distance. Then…

Panic! Chaos! (My camera wasn’t fast enough.)

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Brave people confront danger in La Jolla!

Yesterday a group of unsuspecting people confronted imminent danger at UC San Diego in La Jolla!

The large group could not know the sort of peril they’d be facing. We had gathered in Revelle Plaza to witness a performance by Cirque Inextremiste, but many didn’t realize that WE would be the performers!

Yann Ecauvre appeared and proceeded to drag long, very heavy wooden beams out to the surrounding audience. He stood the beams on end and then had ordinary hands (some of which were rather small) hold them upright. When unsteady beams began to precariously tip, the danger was safely overcome. Whew!

Then audience members began to build a wooden structure made of more beams. Higher and increasingly impressive the construct grew . . . those vertically held beams were added . . . then a chain of courageous humans holding hands mounted the crazy, tipsy structure!

The performance was called Damoclès. It was part of this weekend’s free La Jolla Playhouse 2024 WOW event!

Would you like to bring out your own courage? Damoclès will be repeated this afternoon. See the 2024 Without Walls Festival schedule by clicking here!

(By the way–were you there? That was me, surprised, given a yellow danger tape necktie, and helping to hold up the second beam. Taking photos during the ordeal was a challenge!)

These kids were fearless!

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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 (formerly known as Twitter)!

Gravity-defying dancers at UC San Diego!

An incredible performance by gravity-defying dancers was enjoyed this afternoon at UC San Diego during the La Jolla Playhouse’s 2024 WOW Festival!

Dangling high in the air, the BANDALOOP vertical dancers wowed a big crowd watching from below, near UCSD’s new Epstein Family Amphitheater. The dancers floated down from the roof of the multi-story Design and Innovation Building to whale song and watery music in a graceful ballet that made everyone ooh and ahh.

The dancers whirled, flew, even crawled like Spider-Man on the building’s side–it was anything but ordinary!

The Without Walls Festival quick guide describes Downstream (tributaries) as a “mix of dance and climbing technology guided by impermanence, wisdom and the memory of shared waterways.”

As you can see from my photos, the BANDALOOP performers were absolutely incredible. Just imagine the physical strength, steadiness and courage that is required for such a high-flying dance!

Personally, I really liked how the dancers’ shadows and reflections in windows danced right along with them!

To see the La Jolla Playhouse WOW Festival programming for tomorrow, Sunday, click here!

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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 (formerly known as Twitter)!

Giant videoboard in Gaslamp activated!

A gigantic videoboard, installed in Gaslamp Square, has been activated! Two huge LED walls are mounted high in the air, attracting the attention of people near the San Diego Convention Center, Petco Park and the Gaslamp Quarter!

When I walked past the videoboard this morning, at least one worker was still up a ladder finishing the installation.

Bright videos that were running included promos for the Padres, MTS, and our beautiful City of San Diego. Mixed in were several advertisements, including one for a popular baseball video game.

Gaslamp Square, located directly next to the Gaslamp trolley station, has become a hub for many downtown activities such as Comic-Con. Now this outdoor space will be even more lively!

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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 (formerly known as Twitter)!

More public art photographed at RaDD!

More works of public art can be approached at San Diego’s waterfront RaDD complex now that additional construction fences have come down!

Back in mid-February I was able to photograph cool murals and a sculpture between new buildings south of here. See those photos and learn a little more about the Research and Development District (RaDD) by clicking here.

As before, I don’t know the artists. If you have any information, please leave a comment!

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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 (formerly known as Twitter)!

The Rady Shell gets ready for a new season!

It’s now April. The days are getting warmer. The sky has turned a deeper blue. The San Diego Symphony is preparing their outdoor venue The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park for a new season!

The Shell’s red seats were being taken out of storage today in preparation for upcoming concerts. The very first concert, in a couple weeks, will be Lang Lang by the Bay. A couple days later, Peter Frampton will take the stage. And about a week later, Willie Nelson! Yes, lots of musical superstars will be swinging by San Diego in 2024. See the full schedule by clicking here!

I remember the very first concert held in 2021 back when The Shell was brand new. If you want to see photos of the historic opening concert of The Rady Shell, click here!

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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 (formerly known as Twitter)!

New plantings at Manchester Pacific Gateway plaza!

A new tree-filled, park-like space is coming to San Diego’s waterfront!

The Manchester Pacific Gateway project’s 1.9 acre plaza will be located west of the One Broadway Hotel, which is now in the early stages of construction. The sunny outdoor plaza will be open to the public, just across Harbor Drive from Broadway Pier.

A small army of workers was out today planting greenery in the new plaza. When completed, this popular stretch of the North Embarcadero should be even more inviting and beautiful!

The tall building you see in the background of my next photograph is one of five new buildings at the adjacent Research and Development District. I spotted more new public art at RaDD during today’s walk. I’ll be blogging about that shortly!

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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 (formerly known as Twitter)!

An invasion of dragons in Balboa Park!

Numerous dragons invaded Balboa Park this weekend! As did tigers and elephants and hummingbirds and panda bears, and almost every sort of creature, great or small.

All were the subjects of amazing works of art, displayed in the Casa del Prado during the Friends of Sumi-E 21st Annual Art Exhibition!

According to the Chinese lunar calendar, we’re now in the Year of the Dragon. So it’s not surprising that many of the brush paintings I saw today depict dragons.

Friends of Sumi-E is a group of San Diego artists who practice traditional Japanese brush painting, which is called sumi-e or suiboku-ga. They also provided classes for those interested in learning the art.

One cool aspect of sumi-e exhibitions in Balboa Park is the public can watch skilled artists at work. And anyone can try their own hand at creating a beautiful, one-of-a-kind piece of art!

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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 (formerly known as Twitter)!

San Diego’s historic Balboa Theatre turns 100!

This coming Thursday–March 28, 2024–the Balboa Theatre in downtown San Diego will have been opened for 100 years!

Those walking down the sidewalk past the historic building might notice some intriguing graphics that celebrate the big anniversary.

Look at my first photograph, taken this morning. Beside the stage door on Fourth Avenue you can see promotional material from 1924.

The Opening Night of San Diego’s Newest Motion Picture House Finished at Cost of $800,000 would feature Lilies of the Field. The film’s stars, Conway Tearle and Corinne Griffith, would also make a personal appearance.

Over the course of a century, the Balboa Theatre has undergone many changes, all the while remaining an important part of life in downtown San Diego.

Read the fascinating history here.

Additional graphics along the sidewalk tell more of the Balboa Theatre’s unique story:

The Balboa Theatre’s Famous Morton Organ

…The organ has more than 1400 keys and is connected to a series of 2,000 pipes that produce the sounds of a range of musical instruments, including drums, trumpets, and a xylophone!

Because of its unusually ornate “wedding cake” console carvings and unique details, the Balboa ‘s is believe to be the first of only five Wonder Morton Organs ever built and one of only four that survive today…

Balboa Theatre organist Edward Swan, who provides organ accompaniment for up to 12 hours every day, claimed that the Morton organ was the finest he had ever played.

In 1929, the original Balboa Theatre organ was relocated to the Fox Theatre, now Copley Symphony Hall.

The 4-manual, 23-rank Wonder Morton Organ currently installed at the Balboa was constructed in 1929 for the Loew’s Valencia Theatre on Jamaica Avenue in Queens…

There will be a special showing at the Balboa Theatre this Friday to celebrate the big 100 year anniversary. The Flying Fleet, a 1929 silent movie that features scenes in San Diego, will be accompanied by the current Wonder Morton theatre pipe organ.

You can learn more about the event by clicking here!

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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 (formerly known as Twitter)!

Community clean up in Old Town San Diego!

Old Town San Diego became even more beautiful today because of the work of about 60 volunteers during the 2024 Community Clean Up!

As I walked today, I noticed dozens of orange trash bags near a parking lot in Old Town. The bags were filled with litter, weeds and trimmed tree branches. I had stumbled upon an annual clean up organized by the Old Town San Diego Chamber of Commerce. Volunteers from Caltrans District 11 and the Mormon Battalion were pitching in, too!

A huge area was beautified–the entire Old Town community–from the entrance of Presidio Park, through the State Park, and all through the business district.

Thank you to everyone!

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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 (formerly known as Twitter)!