Ocean Beach has a wonderful public art tradition that started in 1999. If you’ve visited this colorful seaside neighborhood, perhaps you’ve noticed.
The Murals of OB was the brainchild of local artist and activist Rich James. The idea was for the community to come together and create beautiful murals that would be mounted on walls and buildings around town. Over the years, many of these murals have been painted during the annual OB Street Fair and Chili Cook-Off.
This webpage describes the many murals and includes a walking tour map.
During my own walks, I’ve noticed that some of these community murals celebrate important Ocean Beach anniversaries. I’ll now share four that I’ve found.
The first mural (my previous and following photo) celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Ocean Beach Farmers Market.
The popular farmers market got started back in 1992. (Here’s a timeline of certain OB events.) The mural was painted in 2017.
Today, in 2025, people swing by the market every Wednesday, from 4 pm to 8 pm, on the 4900 block of Newport Avenue.
The next two photos show a mural that celebrates 100 years of the Ocean Beach Woman’s Club. It was painted in 2024.
Learn about the club’s fun events and philanthropy at their website here.
The next three photos are of a mural painted in 2012. It celebrates 125 years since Ocean Beach was founded in 1887.
Curious about the image of Wonderland on the right side of the mural? You can read about the short-lived amusement park and the very unique history of Ocean Beach by clicking here.
Finally, the fourth mural I’ve photographed celebrates the 50th anniversary of the OB Pier. The artwork was painted by many hands in 2016.
I happened to take photos back in 2016 during the pier’s big anniversary event. See that blog post by clicking here!
So, you might ask, what does it look like when people in the Ocean Beach community come together to paint one of these amazing murals?
In 2015, it looked like this…
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It’s sad that the Ocean Beach Pier has become so storm damaged that it is now permanently closed and must be rebuilt. If there’s a tiny silver lining to this very dark cloud, it’s that the locked gate at the pier’s foot has become the home of OB LOVE.
Ladies at the Ocean Beach Main Street Association informed me this mosaic art was created by members of the OB community a year ago. A San Diego lifeguard who was watching the pier agreed that it’s really cool!
Each small tile in the mosaic contains a photograph of Ocean Beach. I had to take a closer look…
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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.
The band u3zubmusic will be opening for legendary Ukrainian band SKRYABIN tomorrow, August 15, in Ocean Beach at Winstons Beach Club. What is the band u3zubmusic? A rockin’ group of musicians representing the House of Ukraine in Balboa Park!
I was walking near Balboa Park’s International Cottages this evening when I heard the band rehearsing out on the lawn. I listened for a bit and got some smiles for my camera.
If you want to hear music that is filled with Ukrainian spirit, you might check out the concert. Read more about it and purchase tickets here!
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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!
Beautiful murals depicting sea life surround the base of the Ocean Beach Hotel and its parking lot. Painted this year by local artists Carly Ealey and Christopher Konecki, the artwork stretches along Newport Avenue and Abbott Street.
The other day I walked beside long, low walls and the hotel building itself taking these photographs. You might enjoy them!
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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 Twitter!
Should you ever walk down Newport Avenue in Ocean Beach, keep a sharp lookout for the Ocean Beach Arcade. It’s the brick building you see in the next photograph. Inside you’ll discover a number of small businesses, including a coffee shop, vintage store and art supply store. And you’ll find yourself surrounded by all sorts of fun artwork!
The mural of a boy peering into a window with his dog immediately brought out my camera. As I looked around, I snapped more photos!
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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 Twitter!
Did Charles Lindbergh, first aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, devour sandwiches in Ocean Beach? Historical information posted on the Kraft Building at Newport Avenue and Bacon Street suggests that!
A sign explains that the 1927 Kraft Building had a drug store and soda fountain downstairs, and that “local legend states Charles Lindbergh ate sandwiches at Kraft while waiting for his plane the Spirit of St. Louis to be finished at nearby Ryan Aviation (near the site later dedicated as Lindbergh Field).”
On May 10, 1927, after a series of test flights, Lindbergh took off from San Diego in the The Spirit of St. Louis.
On May 20, 1927, Lindbergh took off from Roosevelt Field on Long Island and began the daring solo transatlantic flight that would make world history.
Public domain image courtesy Wikimedia Commons.
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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 Twitter!
Enjoy photos of three cool murals I spotted during a recent Ocean Beach walk.
The above mural must be relatively new. It’s by Cong Nguyen (@KINGNCONG). You can find it on the side of the OB Noodle House and Sake Bar on Cable Street. This mural replaced a long-time OB girl mural that I photographed here. (It’s the first photo you’ll see in that old blog post.)
The next mural with a big colorful parrot was painted last year on the Ocean Beach Hotel by the amazing local artist team of Carly Ealey and Christopher Konecki.
Finally, check out this cool alley mural I must’ve missed back when I photographed the “Hippie Dog” here. It’s on another side of the same building!
This awesome bee lady artwork was painted by Celeste Byers back in 2017.
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A memorial to a beloved Ocean Beach man now appears on the small building where he repaired and polished shoes for decades. William L. Washington “Shoeshine Willie” passed away early this year. The memorial contains two short poems written by Aaron Bryant.
Years ago I remember seeing Shoeshine Willie working in his modest shed next a parking lot and Ocean Beach bus stop. At the time I thought it was unusual for a shoeshiner to be active in a day and age when the profession has all but disappeared. I now wish I had spoken to him.
If you’d like to see this touching memorial, head over to the corner of Newport Avenue and Cable Street. I noticed it during my last walk in OB.
Here’s an article concerning William Washington and what he meant to the community.
…He was Ocean Beach’s bright Shining light…He’s still here in spirit…
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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!
This Labor Day weekend we’re experiencing a big heat wave in San Diego.
Many are taking refuge indoors, relying on air-conditioning or fans. Others, who’d rather be outside, are heading to the beaches.
But there’s one outdoor place that’s even cooler than a beach. A pier! Particularly the always very “cool” Ocean Beach Pier!
Walk along the OB Pier’s nearly 2000 foot length and feel the refreshing sea breeze. Perhaps stop halfway out at the Walking On Water Cafe to grab a lemonade or ice cream.
Look at the banners flutter in the wind as gulls wheel overhead!
At the Ocean Beach pier’s end you are well out over the water. The ocean-cooled air is inviting, invigorating. The one cooler spot would be straight down, surfing or swimming.
And to think those people on the beach are practically frying on the sand!
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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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