Photograph in lobby of Symphony Towers shows the old downtown Fox Theatre, today’s surprising home of the San Diego Symphony.
Today I enjoyed a behind-the-scenes tour of Copley Symphony Hall, home of the San Diego Symphony. The tour was part of the big OPEN HOUSE 2017 event that is being staged this weekend by the San Diego Architectural Foundation. An amazing 47 buildings featuring diverse architectural styles are being showcased around downtown, from Bankers Hill to Barrio Logan.
Copley Symphony Hall was originally built as the Fox Theatre in 1929, an excellent example of the famous chain of Fox movie palaces. Highly ornate Gothic Revival touches can be seen in the preserved lobby and inside the opulent theatre itself. Should you stand outside on the city street today, all you’d see is a tall skyscraper: Symphony Towers. The modern 34-story skyscraper was built literally over and around the historic Fox Theatre in 1989!
Stepping into Copley Symphony Hall is like being suddenly transported back in time. Take a look at some photos and read the captions for more info!
Visitors check out historical photos of the Fox Theatre movie palace on a wall near the San Diego Symphony box office.Guide from the San Diego Symphony provides some background before a behind-the-scenes tour of Copley Symphony Hall.How the Fox Theatre appeared almost a century ago. A modern 34-story skyscraper, Symphony Towers, was built around it in 1989. The new building’s parking levels were constructed directly above the old theatre!The Fox Theatre was the most elegant place to enjoy culture in San Diego for decades. Countless concerts, shows and movies have been enjoyed here by many generations.Our tour group has entered the theatre’s main lobby. Movie executive William Fox developed a popular chain of theaters in the 1920s. They featured many styles of dazzling ornamentation. At one time this was a working fountain!I learned the central face above the old fountain represents William Fox himself. Fox was born in Hungary and his parents emigrated to America. He eventually created a vast entertainment empire.A look at one amazing corner of the lobby’s dramatic ceiling.The elegant main lobby of Copley Symphony Hall in San Diego.A bust at one end of the main lobby is of the beloved German composer Beethoven.We step through a door to see what few see. We will file down through the empty theatre and through another door that connects to backstage.Heading toward backstage. I believe those stairs lead up to the rear stage door on Eighth Avenue.Behind the scenes! All sorts of interesting equipment could be glimpsed in the darkness behind the stage.I believe I see a xylophone tucked in this closet-like space!Through that rather unimpressive door is the San Diego Symphony’s elegant stage! Beautiful music requires hard work done by those who toil unseen.This is part of a comfortable rest area behind the stage for San Diego Symphony musicians. Visiting entertainers also enjoy an opportunity for relaxation.We’ve left backstage and are heading up some stairs to Copley Symphony Hall’s upper level, whose entrance is on hilly Seventh Avenue.Some rather fancy decorative artwork can be seen above the doorway that leads to Aisle 5.The interior of the theatre was too dark for my old camera to capture many good photos. After listening to a brief organ concert, our tour group prepares to exit Copley Symphony Hall’s upper seating level.One of several smaller chandeliers in the spectacular ceiling.The huge, resplendent central chandelier and those around it can be lowered on cables. This is helpful when a thousand light bulbs need replacement! In the olden days, dancing girls performed for the audience from atop this chandelier!One last glimpse. Some fun detail near the ceiling of the historic Fox Theatre, now home to the world-class San Diego Symphony.
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Member of the Maritime Museum of San Diego points to work being done on the Star of India while passersby watch with interest.
Look what I chanced upon today. As I approached the Embarcadero, I noticed a huge crane next to the Star of India. The restored top third of the foremast had just been installed! (You might recall from an earlier blog post this wooden section had suffered from rot and needed some work.)
While I stood and watched, the crane lifted two shrouds, one after another, to be attached to the foremast. Then came several cables! The activity above and below was fascinating to watch. I wish I had a more thorough understanding of all that I saw. Volunteers and employees of the Maritime Museum of San Diego were using their knowledge and skills to help preserve an important part of San Diego and world history!
Crane lifts up guys with a shroud, part of the ship’s standing rigging, to be attached to the starboard side of the newly installed, refurbished top third of the foremast.The ladder-like shroud dangles in the air, near the top of the foremast.Volunteers and employees of the Maritime Museum of San Diego watch from the deck below.Working high in the San Diego sky, above the oldest active sailing ship in the world. The beautiful Star of India was built in 1863.That first shroud is done. Those working on the Embarcadero beside the ship prepare the second shroud to be hoisted.Now it’s time to attach the second shroud to the port side.A worker on the foremast grabs hold.Back down again to solid ground!Lots of cables still need to be attached to the foremast, to help it resist the force of the wind, plus gravity and inertia when the tall ship pitches and rolls.One super strong, tarred cable awaiting installation is the starboard royal backstay. It will be attached to the masttop.Guys watch from the historic ship’s rail.Up goes one of the many cables that are part of Star of India’s rigging.A small bit of history in San Diego.Up they go! I bet the view is great!The bottom end of the cable is in place, now back up to the top of the foremast…Up, up…Higher…Intrigued by the operation, people watch from below. A member of the Maritime Museum of San Diego explains the proceedings.Another photo of one shroud being hoisted. I was told this work began early in the morning. As much work will be done today as possible!
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This weekend’s annual flower show in Balboa Park by Ikebana International features beautiful Japanese floral arrangements.
I know almost nothing about ikebana, the ancient art of Japanese flower arrangement. But I do recognize stunning beauty and appreciate human creativity!
Check out these photos of amazing works of art at the annual Ikebana International flower show in Balboa Park’s Casa del Prado. The show continues through the weekend!
Exquisite displays of ikebana–the art of Japanese flower arrangement–can be seen inside the Casa del Prado.One of many stunning works of floral art that one can see this weekend in Balboa Park.Freestyle arrangement by Mitsuko Takeya. Materials include fig branch, protea, palm leaves and leather fern.Arrangement by Noriko McDaniel. The Ohara School of Ikebana. Materials include magnolia, veronica, purple-crest aeonium, wisteria vine and philodendron.Freestyle arrangement by Patricia Fuchs. Sogetsu School of Ikebana. Materials include anthurium, dogwood, pom pom mum, Japanese rope.Landscape style arrangement by Cris Bugarin. Ohara School of Ikebana. Materials include forsythia, camellia, parsley, iris leaves.Freestyle arrangement by Judy Cliffton. Sogetsu School of Ikebana. Materials include red bud, white cherry, ranunculus.Freestyle arrangement by Sue Elsayeh. Ichiyo School of Ikebana. Materials include forsythia and daffodils.Freestyle tropical arrangement by Inge Johansen. Sogetsu School of Ikebana. Materials include heliconia, ginger, gladiolus, white orchid, variegated ti leaf.A beautiful, complex work of art composed entirely of horsetail by Hiroko Szechinski.Exquisitely arranged beauty, made from elements of the natural world.A delight to the eye. Gorgeous symmetry.A bouquet of delicate beauty.A small garden of colorful bursts and delights.Intertwining flowers and leaves like a small, magical arch.Many eyes at the annual ikebana show took delight in the perfect jewel-like creations.A pink arrangement that seems to have materialized from a fairy tale.Stunning colors and contrasts.A fantastic arrangement by Rumi Rice. Human creativity and natural materials combine to bring a dream to life.A spectacular arrangement by ikebana Grandmaster Akiko Bourland. Materials include loquat, rose, rush.Lavish beauty designed by Keiko Schneider, President of Ikebana International #119.A fine vase containing orchids, palm leaves and dry branch.A vertical style arrangement by Barbara Adams. Materials include Mediterranean fan palm and mums.Another work of great beauty, by ikebana instructor Debbie Garofalo.Pat Schneider combined a simple orchid, peacock feather and palm leaf.Tulips, like colorful fireworks!
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I’ve written a very short story about delicate cherry blossoms, and the passage of time. It’s titled A Short Bloom. Click to read it!
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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A pelican painted on an electrical box. Photo taken on Mission Boulevard in Mission Beach.
Enjoy these photos of street art finds in Mission Beach!
I saw lots of cool artwork while walking along Mission Boulevard from Pacific Beach Drive south to the Giant Dipper roller coaster at Belmont Park. Almost every electrical box along the sidewalk had been painted with a lively beach or ocean theme!
A sailfish swims above the sidewalk.These fish in some kelp appear to be made of a hand and two feet dipped in paint!A transformer box with a small beach scene wrapping around it.Close look at one part of the impressionistic painting of the beach.A typical beach scene with sand, palm tree and surfer.Someone with a pail and someone walking a dog.Three orange garibaldis in the Pacific Ocean.A traffic sign warns of surfers crossing!A red, white and blue fish above a garage door.Some fun surfer street art in Mission Beach.And right next to it is another colorful, psychedelic panel of street art. Find it near Mission Blvd. and San Rafael Pl.A tropical scene on a wall.Perhaps take some gyros out on the boat when you go sport fishing.A goose is loose!One of several cool, nostalgic beach images on one parking lot fence. A surfer girl and a woodie overlooking the ocean.Another cool Southern California image on the parking lot wall.A youth with a surfboard looks out at the beach and sandstone cliffs.There seems to be a large hole in this wall. I see ocean waves through it!We must take care of our land and sea. Live aloha.A wacky Deadhead tiki character at the corner of a Mission Beach shop.Another painted scene shows natural beauty along San Diego’s coastline.Another cool woodie with surfboards on the roof.Whales and seals and fish on one watery wall.And a dolphin, too!The most important things in life . . . aren’t things.Two sailboats painted on an electrical box.Another underwater scene on a utility box, faded by the sun.A ringed planet appears to be surfing! Cosmic, dude!Urban art celebrates the Mission Beach Centennial, 1914-2014. The Giant Dipper roller coaster, the main attraction of Belmont Park, is in both the artwork and the photograph’s background.More garibaldis on a large electrical box near Mission Beach’s famous roller coaster.A migrating gray whale and pod of dolphins are part of the previously shown underwater mural.
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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!
Street mural by artist Amandalynn, painted in 2016 near Mission Boulevard in Pacific Beach.
On Saturday I walked down Mission Boulevard through both Pacific Beach and Mission Beach. I was blown away by some of the really cool street art that I found. As you’ll see, many of the colorful murals that I spied in Pacific Beach were painted just last year.
This batch of photos represents my walk south along Mission Boulevard, which is a block from the beach, from around Emerald Street to Pacific Beach Drive. In a coming blog post, I’ll share the fun and very unusual art I encountered as I continued south through Mission Beach.
A second photo of the eye-catching mural by Amandalynn, which shows beautiful ladies in a colorful underwater scene.The Pacific Beach Mermaid hangs out on a rock painted on a wall. Art by Jared Blake Lazar a.k.a Jared Black Lazer.A humorous sign on the sidewalk. Head into this barber shop and come out a completely different person!
I don’t know if some critics would classify the above as art–but it was undeniably funny!
Street art on a utility box. The curl of this coffee’s steam resembles the surf beyond the sand.Bunny Kitty carries a cigarette butt away as a fierce sea monster emerges from the deep. Pacific Beach art created in 2016 by Dave Persue for PangeaSeed.A cool mural near The Local Pacific Beach restaurant and bar, painted in 2016 by artists Sean Dietrich and Kai Martin. A blonde on roller skates, the PB boardwalk, surfboards, and a rather unusual car.A very funny utility box. This side shows a woman at the beach covering the eyes of a small boy.Another side shows Pacific Beach tourists who have spotted something that is both interesting and alarming.100 years of skating talent between us, but……nobody notices!Another utility box is covered with mermaids. This friendly purple mermaid watches humans driving down Mission Boulevard.Another long-haired mermaid on the same box.And a third happy mermaid!Two ladies walking along the edge of a parking lot toward the nearby beach. They pass someone snoozing in a hammock strung between palm trees.Street art on doors shows a surfer climbing toward a lifeguard tower at sunset.One additional look at the gorgeous art painted in 2016 by muralist Amandalynn in Pacific Beach.
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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!
The Valeiras Sculpture Garden includes several works. It’s located near the front entrance of San Diego Central Library’s Art Gallery on the Ninth floor.
Head up to the Ninth floor of San Diego’s downtown Central Library and you’re likely to see the small Valeiras Sculpture Garden, just outside the Art Gallery. Several lattice-like metal sculptures attract and interest the eye. They were created by local artist Christoper Puzio, who incorporates a variety of geometric patterns into many of his pieces.
Just in case you can’t see them in person, here are a few photos.
Jacob’s Staff, by artist Christopher Puzio, 2015.Morocco, by artist Christopher Puzio, 2015. This piece hangs on a wall just inside the Art Gallery’s front door.Bishop, by artist Christopher Puzio, 2015.The small Valeiras Sculpture Garden at San Diego’s Central Library is located on the Ninth floor, adjacent to the Art Gallery.
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Do you like to read? You might enjoy a short story that I’ve written. Final Real Magic is its title.
An amazing drawing of a human eye. Window to the soul.
A professional henna tattoo artist was set up near Seaport Village, and as I walked by I was struck by a drawing that she was patiently working on. You can see it in my second photograph.
Jaya Tulasi is a super nice person who let me see some of her artwork. Her drawings are so elegant and precise that they truly are stunning. It’s like looking at small pieces of perfection. She likes to draw while waiting for henna customers. All I can say is, keep on drawing! Wow!
Jaya is based out of San Diego and Los Angeles. Please check out her website!
This elegant drawing of a sunflower stopped me in my tracks. Patience combined with great talent.
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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!
A shiny PT-22 military trainer aircraft from the World War II era is about to be towed from the San Diego Air and Space Museum to their annex at Gillespie Field!
Another unexpected cool sight! I was walking around the San Diego Air and Space Museum in Balboa Park this morning when I spied a mysterious airplane wing being carried into the rear of the museum’s historic Ford Building! What was it?
I spoke to a nice guy overseeing the movement of two museum aircraft and found out!
The museum’s Boeing P-26 “Peashooter” had just returned from a year-long stint in Seattle, where it was featured in the Boeing Centennial. And to make room, a vintage PT-22 military trainer was being sent to Gillespie Field. The San Diego Air and Space Museum has an annex at Gillespie Field, which I suppose I’ll have to visit someday. (Yes, it was a PT-22 that Harrison Ford was flying when he crashed a couple years ago at a golf course!)
As I walked through Balboa Park, I spied a wing vanishing into the San Diego Air and Space Museum. It belongs to a Boeing P-26 “Peashooter”, which was on loan for a year in Seattle for the Boeing Centennial.These yellow wings in the San Diego Air and Space Museum truck are heading to Gillespie Field in East County. In preparation for land transport, they have been detached from a PT-22 airplane.The PT-22 is almost ready to be towed. The plane was gleaming in the sunlight and I had to take a closer look.Photo of the cockpit of the San Diego Air and Space Museum’s PT-22.A cool, unexpected sight in the parking lot behind the San Diego Air and Space Museum!
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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!
A self-guided tour of the USS Midway Museum often includes aircraft that are undergoing maintenance or restoration. Three helicopter rotors are being reconstructed here.
I love visiting the USS Midway Museum because there’s always something new to see. During my visit today I was intrigued by some of the aircraft restoration work that I observed.
The many different airplane and helicopter exhibits, representing different eras of naval aviation history, are already in pretty good condition when they are lifted aboard the aircraft carrier museum, but there’s always work to do. Time and the elements take their toll.
The USS Midway Museum is fortunate to have a small army (or should I say fleet) of skilled and knowledgeable volunteers. Many are retired Navy, with first-hand experience of the history and technical aspects of these aircraft. All are very friendly and welcome questions from museum visitors!
Sign on hangar deck of USS Midway describes the HO3S-1 Dragonfly’s original rotor blade restoration, which is in progress.A closer look at the spruce plywood ribs, which are spaced on the tubular steel spar.This rotor is a bit further along. It appears part of the rotor’s new surface is being cemented in place.Here’s the HO3S-1 Dragonfly helicopter up on the flight deck of USS Midway. Notice three of four rotors are missing.The aptly named Dragonfly began service in 1946. You might recognize the design if you’ve seen the film The Bridges at Toko-Ri.Part of the Dragonfly’s engine is exposed beneath the rotors.This USS Midway volunteer is grinding away rust from the museum’s A-6 Intruder bomber. He said it’s the type of work that is done between larger projects.The tail of the A-6 Intruder is being restored to look like new, too.Many skilled volunteers at the USS Midway Museum work continuously to keep the many aircraft exhibits in great condition!
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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 interesting photos for you to enjoy!
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