Tag: people

Why I still believe Santa Claus is real.

I don’t recall when I first was told about Santa Claus. That was well over half a century ago. As they say, nobody’s getting any younger.

I seriously believed in Santa. With a shaky pen I carefully wrote letters to the North Pole. I remember the cookies vanishing and the presents magically appearing on Christmas morning. Santa always read my letters and somehow knew my heart’s desire.

Then one day I was told by everyone that Santa Claus doesn’t exist. It’s all make believe.

That was then, this is now. You know what I’ve learned as I’ve grown older? Those disbelieving people were wrong.

I’ve actually met Santa Claus on several occasions. That’s him in the above photo and the photo that follows. Perhaps you recognize him.

The Santa Claus I’ve met is someone who loves people. He’s a bright eyed someone whose love, humor and laughter lighten the world. No, he doesn’t live at the North Pole. He lives right here in San Diego.

He has created treasured moments for young and old and brought joy to countless hearts. He has produced memories that will never, ever, ever be forgotten.

He is the real Santa Claus.

As are all the others in this world who spread laughter, generosity and the gift of love on Christmas, and through every season of life.

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The Giving Machine returns to San Diego!

The Giving Machine has returned to Old Town San Diego in time for the holiday season. Operate this unique donation vending machine and you’ll generously help those less fortunate than you.

The many different charities that can benefit from your donation are mostly local, but you can help those who live in poverty around the world, too. You choose which charity to help, and they receive one hundred percent of your donation!

This is the second year of San Diego’s Giving Machine. It’s a project of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The people I met in the above photo were super nice, even though my personal beliefs are very different. They want to do good in this world.

I learned that last year, this same machine outperformed every other machine out there, in over a hundred international cities! That’s impressive.

The Giving Machine is located on Twiggs Street again, a bit up the street from last year. It stands on the patio in front of the old Cygnet Theatre building. If you visit Old Town during the holidays, you might see it.

Why not spread a little human kindness?

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If you’d like to see San Diego through my lens, find the “Follow” box in the sidebar to receive new posts in your email, or bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

(If you’re viewing Cool San Diego Sights on a phone, you can open my website’s sidebar by tapping those three parallel lines at the top of the page.)

San Diego run helps homeless on Thanksgiving!

The 24th Annual Father Joe’s Villages Thanksgiving Day 5K is being held this morning. It raises funds to help the homeless in San Diego. It’s called the Run For Hope.

Runners (and walkers) converged in Balboa Park for an annual event that draws thousands of participants. I was told there are over 10,000 this year!

The energy was incredible. Families, friends and social groups had come together. Turkey hats and costumes could be seen everywhere in the crowd. I even found Dude Vader wearing feathers, and some smiling Pilgrims!

Before the Thanksgiving 5K began, a huge mass of people streamed over the Cabrillo Bridge from the center of Balboa Park where a festival is being held. They would start the race on the west side of the bridge, then take a course circling the park to the north.

If you couldn’t participate, but you’d like to make a donation to Father Joe’s Villages, click here for their website.

Some fun photos…

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If you’d like to see San Diego through my lens, find the “Follow” box in the sidebar to receive new posts in your email, or bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

(If you’re viewing Cool San Diego Sights on a phone, you can open my website’s sidebar by tapping those three parallel lines at the top of the page.)

Coronado lifeguard tower honors hometown hero.

In Coronado, Lifeguard Tower 1B on the beach of Glorietta Bay Park honors a hometown hero. A plaque on the tower is In Loving Memory of Justin Allen Meek.

I noticed the plaque during a walk. Wanting to learn more about Justin Allen Meek, I found this article.

Justin, who grew up in Coronado, not only became a lifeguard, but he lived a remarkable life. He was a hero in many respects to those in Coronado and beyond. There were numerous accomplishments. He became an Eagle Scout at a young age. Through the years he actively worked to help the community in a wide variety of ways. He wanted to unselfishly serve others.

Tragically, he perished at age 23 while trying to protect others during a mass shooting at Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks.

If you’d like to see this plaque for yourself, walk down toward the water at Glorietta Bay Park in Coronado, then pause on the sand at the lifeguard tower.

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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.

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Exploring genealogy at San Diego History Center!

October is Family History Month, and yesterday was Genealogy Day at the San Diego History Center. I stumbled upon the event and met a bunch of great people!

Various organizations were present that can help anyone investigate their own family tree.

Are you curious about your ancestors?

Following are organizations might be able to help you research the history of your family going back generations. To investigate the possibilities, click these links:

Chula Vista Genealogical Society

San Diego Genealogical Society

San Diego African American Genealogy Research Group

FamilySearch

San Diego Jewish Genealogical Society

Daughters of the American Revolution

Sons of the American Revolution

Descendants of Early San Diego

The San Diego History Center also maintains historical archives that can be accessed by the public for research purposes. Diverse materials cover hundreds of years of San Diego history. You can learn more by clicking 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 X.

Feel free to share!

Day of the Dead and early San Diego residents.

Another year is passing by. In a couple of weeks, Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) will be observed. Loved ones who’ve passed on from this life will be remembered.

The gravesites at El Campo Santo in Old Town are decorated already. Every early resident of San Diego buried here is remembered with flowers, papel picado, Day of the Dead skulls… Every person here was loved by someone.

This small cemetery is the final resting place of so many different people: the Kumeyaay, Spanish, Mexican, American. Newborn babies, the elderly. The rich, the poor. Public figures, unknown people. The lucky, the unlucky. Victims of old age, disease, accident, violence, injustice.

Mortals all.

Every one was loved by someone.

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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.

Feel free to share!

Walk to End Alzheimer’s at Liberty Station.

Hundreds of people came together at NTC Park in Liberty Station today to fight Alzheimer’s disease. The event was organized by the Alzheimer’s Association.

I arrived as the 2025 Walk to End Alzheimer’s was coming to an end, but I’m going to share a few photos and hope you feel inspired to make a donation to this important cause. If through medical research we could finally put an end to Alzheimer’s, that would benefit literally millions of lives.

Click here to make a donation. (If that special event webpage goes away, you can also click here for the Walk to End Alzheimer’s main page. Look for the donation button.)

Consider forming your own team and walking next time!

A lot of love in these photos…

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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.

Feel free to share!

Words of San Diego Poet Laureate at Civic Center.

In San Diego’s Civic Center Plaza, near the Civic Theatre Ticket Office, you’ll find these words:

Blooming is the wild body unmarred by the limits of this world

Its petals temporary but you’d never know it

The two lines were written by Paola Capó-García, San Diego Poet Laureate 2025-2027. A special City of San Diego webpage provides her biography.

Paola Capó-García lives in North Park. Her accomplishments and accolades as educator, author and journalist are numerous.

The thought-provoking words in Civic Center Plaza are actually the conclusion of her poem Wild, which you can read here. Her poem explains the difference between blooming and blossoming.

Are you blooming?

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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.

Feel free to share!

Parade of Flags celebrates 90 years in Balboa Park!

Balboa Park’s International Cottages are celebrating their 90th anniversary this weekend! They were established in 1935 for the California Pacific International Exposition.

The festivities kicked off today with the House of Pacific Relations International Cottage Parade of Flags!

Members of all the different Houses paraded through Balboa Park, to finally assemble at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion. Many participants wore traditional dress, representative of their nation.

Shame on me. I didn’t realize the parade was today. I was fortunate to catch the tail end of the colorful parade, as some of the nations filed proudly into the organ pavilion.

If you’re curious, that’s the House of Scotland Pipe Band with their drums and bagpipes under the huge United States flag. They were joined by young members of the Helix High School Highlanders band!

After the parade, there would be the National Anthem, speeches and cultural entertainment on the organ pavilion stage, then on the lawn at the International Cottages. (I’ll share those photos in my next blog post.)

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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.

Feel free to share!

Restoring native habitat by Paradise Creek.

I met a cool guy today!

As I walked along the Paradise Creek Trail in National City, I noticed someone in an orange vest moving about near the San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge, in a shrubby area at the edge of Paradise Marsh. He was working just off the roadside trail, a little north of the Pier 32 Marina. I had to ask what he was up to.

I had met Rob of Tierra Data. His company is working with the Port of San Diego to restore habitat by removing Acacia cyclops, also called coastal wattle. He was using super precise GPS to mark where he found living stumps. The stumps need to be effectively removed.

Acacia cyclops is native to Australia. Like eucalyptus trees, it thrives in San Diego’s similar climate. The plant has invaded parts of California, growing in fragile wetland habitats and among riparian communities.

I asked Rob how he recognizes which stumps belong to Acacia cyclops. He explained how seed pods lying in the soil around the stump allow for identification.

I’m so glad I paused to talk for a moment or two. Rob was pleased to explain his activity. (And he described birds he has seen and studied, too!)

There’s always more to learn!

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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.

Feel free to share!