Tag: nostalgia

Old postcards from San Diego’s past.

California pioneer M. C. Close and his mermaid Trixie. La Jolla. February 29th, 1910.

Do you love viewing or collecting old postcards?

Postcards are experiences frozen in time. Images and a few words are meant to be shared and remembered.

Postcards that were printed long ago can also be windows into history.

I saw an old postcard of the San Diego Zoo the other day. I then wondered how many cards depicting San Diego and its attractions are in the public domain.

Upon visiting Wikimedia Commons, I discovered quite a few!

Here’s a diverse selection of old postcards that you might enjoy looking at. In several instances the image information wasn’t very detailed, so I did a little extra research. Postcard dates were taken from Wikimedia Commons, or in one case inferred: the Spreckels Organ Pavilion showing a wicker electriquette cart. Read the captions.

Anyone who has memories or additional information, please feel free to leave a comment!

San Diego Zoo. Entrance to the zoo. 1961.

El Toreador Motel, San Ysidro. Date uncertain. El Toreador opened in October 1948.

U. S. Grant Hotel, San Diego. Date uncertain.

Fifth Avenue Auto Wash at Fifth and Kalmia. Circa 1920-1929.

Fred Vinyard Overhead Garage Doors, 3600 block of Pacific Highway, opposite Consolidated Aircraft. Between circa 1930 and circa 1945.

Japanese Tea House, Panama-California Exposition, San Diego, 1915.

Little Chapel of the Roses, Chula Vista. Between circa 1930 and circa 1945.

Pickwick Hotel in downtown San Diego. Between circa 1930 and 1945. Today the 1927 building is home to The Sofia Hotel.

Panoramic view of San Diego, circa 1900-1909. The foreground appears to be Bankers Hill.

Hotel Del Coronado. Circa 1900-1909.

Steaming through San Diego County, California. Between circa 1930 and circa 1945. Santa Fe train passes through orange groves.

Mission San Diego. Founded by Padre Junipero Serra. Circa 1900-1909.

Caves of La Jolla. Circa 1900-1909.

The Barcelona Hotel and Apartments in Bankers Hill. Between circa 1930 and circa 1945.

Tropic Motel, 2611 San Diego Avenue (off U.S. 101), in Old Town San Diego. Between circa 1930 and circa 1945.

Ferry Boat Ramona. San Diego. Circa 1910.

Twin Inns, Carlsbad. Between circa 1930 and circa 1945.

State Normal School, San Diego, 1905. State sponsored teacher training college in University Heights. Demolished in 1955.

Carnegie Library, San Diego, 1905. Opened in 1902 at Eighth and E Streets. It was demolished in 1952.

Amusement Center, Mission Beach, San Diego. Between circa 1930 and circa 1945. Today this is Belmont Park with its Giant Dipper Roller Coaster.

Point Loma Homestead. 1906. Lomaland of the Theosophical Society, established in 1900.

Postcard of The San Diegan at San Diego’s Santa Fe Depot train station in August 1973.

Tugging A Sailing Boat to Sea. San Diego. Circa 1910.

The Open Air Organ, Balboa Park, San Diego. The Spreckels Organ Pavilion. Circa 1915.

Bath House. San Diego. Circa 1910. Los Baños pool and public baths opened downtown in 1897 near the foot of D Street (Broadway).

Portion of Business District, San Diego. Image predates 1920.

…

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 Twitter!

Mario Lopez spotted in Chula Vista!

Celebrity superstar, Mario Lopez, has been spotted on Third Avenue in Chula Vista! His famous smile has been painted on a construction fence in front of the old Vogue theater building!

Mario was born and raised in Chula Vista, in San Diego’s South Bay.

Hey Preppy! Have you watched the Saved by the Bell revival on Peacock? If so, those words might ring a bell!

Mario Lopez first played Slater in the original, very popular Saturday-morning sitcom Saved by the Bell. Since then he’s reprised the role, plus he’s had many other film and television credits.

For over a decade, Mario was host of the television newsmagazine Extra. Now he’s an anchor on the entertainment show Access Hollywood.

And today he’s also hanging out on Third Avenue! With a smile painted by Ground Floor Murals (@groundfloormurals).

Are those his fluffy pink dice and keys? The key art is by Victor “Dogs” Rodriguez (@ThatOne_Dog).

Check out some San Diego Padres art on the same fence here!

…

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 Twitter!

Remains of ostrich farm in University Heights.

In 2022, the University Heights Historical Society placed a historical marker at the intersection of Park Boulevard and Adams Avenue. The sign stands near the remains of the entrance to the long-vanished Harvey Bentley’s Ostrich Farm!

The City of San Diego describes Historical Landmark No. 346 as: Mission Cliff Gardens Cobblestone Wall and Related Features.

One can see similar stone posts a couple blocks to the east at Trolley Barn Park. Cobblestones structures (and images of ostriches) are frequently seen throughout University Heights!

The sign explains:

This was once the entrance to Harvey Bentley’s Ostrich Farm, established in 1904. Nearby are the remains of a waiting station and drinking fountain for the #11 streetcar that brought scores of visitors from downtown to University Heights to see the ostriches as well as Mission Cliff Gardens and William Hilton’s Silk Mill. The streetcar was part of the 165-mile San Diego Electric Railway network, established in 1892 by visionary entrepreneur John D. Spreckels.

Here are two public domain images of the ostrich farm…

Just for fun, I photographed an ostrich painted at Yipao Coffee, a short distance south on Park Boulevard…

…

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 Twitter!

Cool cars of the Vista Rod Run mural!

This very cool mural in downtown Vista can be found at the parking lot near the intersection of Main Street and Michigan Avenue. It depicts classic cars and hot rods along Historic U.S. Route 395, and pays tribute to the Vista Rod Run!

The Vista Rod Run is a popular car show that has over 3 decades of history.

The nostalgic artwork was designed by Kait Matthews in 2014, and painted by Raziah Roushan, Phyllis Swanson and Cynthia Kostylo.

The mural might be slowly fading and peeling away, but it still is pretty awesome!

…

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 Twitter!

Mysterious mural shows Oceanside history.

Does anyone out there know anything about this faded mural in Oceanside? It’s a mystery to me.

The long mural was painted in an alley off Mission Avenue, between Freeman Street and Ditmar Street. The Murals in Oceanside web page merely calls it the 608 mural, presumably after a restaurant that used to be on the other side of the wall. The location is now Rosewood Kitchen.

I can find no signature or date on the mural. I do see scenes from Oceanside’s history.

The Hayes Land Co., Oceanside’s first pier, and Mission San Luis Rey are recognizable.

The artwork is rather faint, so I had to greatly increase the contrast of my photos.

Leave a comment if you have any information!

…

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 Twitter!

Holiday magic at the Model Railroad Museum!

Need some holiday magic?

It can be found in abundance at the San Diego Model Railroad Museum in Balboa Park!

The huge, detailed train layouts are amazing by themselves, but during the Holiday Season, additional surprises await around the museum!

There are beautiful Christmas trees, a talking, animatronic Santa to excite kids, and tiny holiday scenes placed in several of the scale train layouts.

But by far the most magic can be experienced in the Toy Train Gallery!

In the Toy Train Gallery, young and old gaze wide-eyed at a lively city filled with holiday figures and bright decorations. Trains illuminated with colored Christmas lights pass through happy winter scenes. Snowmen and Christmas trees perch on rooftops. It like a dream world one might see in a snow globe–filled with life and activity!

In addition, the Toy Train Gallery’s walls are filled with holiday artwork that will make old-timers nostalgic for years gone by.

A few photos provide a small taste…

…

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!

It’s easy to explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on this website’s sidebar. Or click a tag. There’s a lot of stuff to share and enjoy!

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!

Firefighter street art at Point Loma fire station.

I absolutely love this firefighter street art in front of Point Loma Fire Station 22!

Whenever I drive down Catalina Boulevard past San Diego Fire-Rescue Department Station 22, I catch a glimpse of this artwork. I finally stopped to take some photographs.

There are nostalgic old images of a fire engine, a fireman, and an image of the Point Loma peninsula with the Old Point Loma Lighthouse, with the words: The Community We Serve.

The front of this fire station building is also decorated with beautiful public art. I’ll post those photos coming up!

…

Thank you for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often, so you might want to bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and check back from time to time.

You can explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on this website’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There’s a lot of stuff to share and enjoy!

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!

The Vintage Trolley: A Labor of Love.

Last weekend I rode the San Diego Trolley’s old PCC streetcar 530. I traveled a few stops on the Vintage Trolley’s downtown Silver Line loop.

As I looked about the interior of the restored 1940’s streetcar, I noticed a sign that I’d never seen before. Several paragraphs pay tribute to Ed Lindstrom, who was instrumental in restoring the Vintage Trolley vehicles operated by MTS.

Ed worked as a Light Rail Vehicle Project Coordinator and Electromechanic. Restoring the two streetcars that now run on the Silver Line–cars 529 and 530–required parts that are extremely difficult to find. According to the sign, Ed relentlessly sought the necessary parts from other transit agencies, collectors and museums. With some harder-to-find components, Ed got creative. He reverse-engineered and produced them specifically for the project!

To learn more about the PCC streetcar restoration, and see photos of how the old cars once looked, click here!

If you ever ride one of these nostalgic streetcars on a weekend, you can thank Ed and many others who’ve worked countless hours making a beautiful dream come true.

A LABOR OF LOVE.

Operation of the vintage streetcars in San Diego…began as a dream of Harry Mathis… A cadre of volunteers, led by our restoration manager, Dave Slater, has contributed more than 11,000 man hours of work on our fleet of PCC’s…

As a resident of downtown San Diego who loves riding the Vintage Trolley cars, thank you!

…

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!

World record longest: the Vista Historical Mural!

Did you know the world’s longest mural was painted in Vista, California?

That’s according to Guinness World Records. The amazing “Vista Historical Mural” is 564 feet long!

Originally painted in 2005 by artist Clayton Parker, the colorful mural covers the rear of eight businesses. It’s located along the alley-like Vistacado Lane between Indiana Avenue and Michigan Avenue. The history of Vista is depicted as a very long parade.

I took photos at one end of this mural back in May. I captured much of the recently restored part near the corner of Main Street and Indiana Avenue, with its scenes from the Vistacado Festival Parade. You can see those particular photos and learn a bit more here. At the time I regretted not photographing the entire long, world record mural.

So I returned later. I’ve now documented the whole length! As you can see, some parked vehicles, trash containers and other objects prevented my camera from capturing absolutely everything.

Walk east down Vistacado Lane, as I did, and the painted representation of Vista’s history moves back in time.

Enjoy!

…

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 photos for you to enjoy!

Vistacado Festival Parade mural celebrates Vista history!

A nostalgic mural in downtown Vista, California depicts an annual community parade held in the 1930’s to 1950’s.

One recently restored end of the Vistacado Festival Parade mural, originally painted in 2005 by artist Clayton Parker, decorates the exterior of Barrel & Stave Pour House, near the corner of Main Street and Indiana Avenue.

The parade seems to proceed around the building. There are cool old cars, a marching band, cheerleaders, young baseball players, dignitaries, and even walking avocado mascots!

I smiled when I saw the mural includes an image of Pepper Tree Frosty, which I blogged about yesterday here!

This parade artwork is actually one small part of a much, much longer historical mural that runs 564 feet along Vistacado Lane between North Indiana and Michigan Avenue. The entire stretch of artwork has been recognized as Guinness World Record longest continuous mural!

I glimpsed the very long, somewhat faded artwork down Vistacado Lane during my walk yesterday, and in retrospect I should have photographed all of it. I’ll hopefully remember to do that on my next visit to Vista.

I learned about the longer mural when I read this article. It explains how the original artist, Clayton Parker, restored the portion you see in these photographs back in 2020.

UPDATE!

I later returned to Vista to photograph the entire length of the world record historical mural. You can see those photos here!

…

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 photos for you to enjoy!