Tag: photography

Old Town’s Día de los Muertos before the procession!

A crowd of thousands gathered this evening in Old Town San Diego for the annual Día de los Muertos procession.

The candlelight procession would begin around sundown in front of the Immaculate Conception Church and move slowly down San Diego Avenue to the historic El Campo Santo cemetery.

I walked from Old Town San Diego State Historic Park to the cemetery and back again as people were still gathering for this very popular event.

What did my camera find?

Face painting at many stations, as living faces were decorated to look like colorful sugar skulls. And beautiful chalk art in the State Park left over from last weekend’s Day of the Dead event. And many costumes, elegant Catrinas and walking skeletons.

An altar was set up in the El Campo Santo cemetery, and there was the old wall and a special board where people could draw hearts and write messages for deceased loved ones. The graves were joyfully decorated, too.

As I returned toward the State Park, people had already begun to line San Diego Avenue to view the coming procession. But it was rapidly becoming too dark for my camera. So this series of photographs ends with a smile at Fiesta de Reyes in the State Park.

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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 (formerly known as Twitter)!

Cool photo memories from November 2018.

November has arrived. Time to post another five-years-ago blog!

November 2018 was the last time Star of India sailed. I captured photos back then of the historic tall ship heading out into the ocean. (The Star of India is sailing again this November 11th and 12th!)

There were several Veterans Day events, too, including the annual parade. (This year the parade is on the 12th.)

I also enjoyed a variety of adventures, including a visit to the Cabrillo National Monument tide pools and a peek inside a World War II bunker.

Here come links to past blog posts for you to explore!

Click the following links for lots of photos…

Polynesian canoe Hikianalia visits San Diego!

Faces tell stories at Veterans Day parade.

The triumphant return of the Spreckels Organ!

Bells of Peace ring on a special Veterans Day!

Mayflower descendants gather in Balboa Park!

Historical reenactment on Veterans Day in Balboa Park.

Photos of Star of India heading out to sea.

A visit to the Cabrillo National Monument tidepools.

Christmas trees appear in downtown San Diego!

Photos inside a World War II bunker on Point Loma.

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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)!

Calaveras painted for Kalaveras in Chula Vista!

Day of the Dead begins today, the 1st of November. This is the perfect time to share these photographs!

A new restaurant named Kalaveras is coming to 340 Third Avenue in Chula Vista. The building it will occupy has been painted with super colorful skulls, or calaveras!

I happened to notice this bold new artwork while walking to the community Day of the Dead event in Chula Vista last weekend.

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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)!

Cool street art in south Oceanside!

These street art photographs are from a walk I enjoyed a couple days ago. They were taken as I wandered down several blocks in south Oceanside, from 1719 to 1840 South Coast Highway.

Here they are!

A funny cow stands on the sidewalk in front of Estate Sale Warehouse.

Gentlemen’s Den Barber Shop mural features sun, beach and Oceanside Pier.

The Whet Noodle (now Wrench and Rodent Seabasstropub) mural. I believe it’s by Kris Markovich.

Michael Jordan saves a heart balloon on the side of The Frame House. By artist Hung Tran.

Mural at Revolution Roasters. By artist Geoff Gouveia in 2017.

Pelican flies on wall at Matafied Hair Studio. By artist Paul Knebels.

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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)!

Skeleton in window of The Brain Observatory!

The Brain Observatory in downtown San Diego appears to be an intriguing place. It’s been open for a year or so, if memory serves. It’s located in the space that the SDSU Downtown Gallery once called home.

According to their website, The Brain Observatory is not only a research institute with state-of-the-art scientific equipment, but students and visitors can examine a large collection of donated human brains.

There is also an art gallery at The Brain Observatory. Check out a fascinating exhibition featuring six artists here.

As I walked down the sidewalk past The Brain Observatory early this morning, I noticed a skeleton sitting inside one window holding a brain.

Does the skeleton intend to place the brain into its own skull?

Or is this simply a bit of fun for Halloween?

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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)!

Street art shows reasons to Visit Escondido!

A love for Escondido shines brightly from an electrical box that is situated near the corner of Valley Parkway and Broadway. Award-winning local artist Suzanne Nicolaisen (aka Zanniki) painted this street art, infusing it with light, color and life.

What small scenes on the four sides of this box do you recognize?

I believe I see the Escondido gateway arch on Grand Avenue, Maple Street Plaza, the old train depot at Grape Day Park, City Hall, not to mention sunshine, palm trees, flowers, grapes, avocados, and above all an airplane towing a banner that reads: Visit Escondido!

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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)!

What Is Love mural painted in Escondido.

Sebastian Stehr (@indian_t2b), a graffiti artist from Frankfurt Germany, finished painting a beautiful mural in Escondido about a week ago. His inspirational 15′ by 15′ mural titled What Is Love debuted last Wednesday.

Sebastian is working to complete 100 murals for his project Philosophical Graffiti, What is Love. His murals feature paintings of indigenous children accompanied by poetry. The mural in Escondido is his 86th so far. When all 100 are completed, Sebastian plans to publish a book concerning the project.

I missed the mural’s official debut, unfortunately, but I headed up to Escondido today to see it for myself.

I’ve learned that this mural, located in the alley behind Royal Traveler (125 North Kalmia), is the beginning of Esco Alley Art‘s extension to this same alley on the north side of Grand Avenue.

Several blocks of another alley to the south of Grand Avenue are already filled with amazing artwork!

Children imitate so they learn…then we better do righteous and good…

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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)!

Chula Vista’s colorful Día de los Muertos!

A big, colorful Día de los Muertos Celebration was held today in downtown Chula Vista!

The event stretched along Third Avenue, with a variety of activations set up along several blocks, but the center of activity was Memorial Park, where I took these photographs.

In addition to many traditional Day of the Dead altars, there were quite a few people dressed for the occasion. Catrinas moved through the crowd, wearing elegant dresses, their faces painted elaborately like sugar skulls.

A large audience gathered for entertainment on the Papel Picado Stage. A group of mariachis smiled for my camera. Between towering skeletons, baile folklórico dancers swirled!

It was very cool how students of Chula Vista Learning Community Charter School helped to create their own special display. They paid tribute to people who’ve worked to make this world a better place.

What a wonderful family event for the Chula Vista community.

I hope you enjoy these photographs…

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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)!

Altars for Day of the Dead in City Heights.

Many beautiful altars for Day of the Dead were set up today in Officer Jeremy Henwood Memorial Park for the 26th Annual City Heights Día de los Muertos.

The altars (ofrendas) were the centerpiece of the community event, which also included entertainment on a main stage, tasty food, and crafts and play activities for kids. Lots of smiling families were out enjoying the sunny San Diego day!

Neighbors circulated through the park, viewing the altars, reliving precious memories. Departed loved ones looked out from photographs. There was the traditional pan de muerto, papel picado, favorite objects of those who’ve passed, candles and crosses.

Even cool lowriders parked along the nearby sidewalk contained altars!

You can learn more about the ofrenda and its traditions here.

According to cultural descriptions of the celebration, the smell from the Marigolds helps guide the dead to the ofrenda, and the petals are often picked and spread in a pathway to lead the way.

The thought occurred to me that perhaps it’s the other way around. The altars with their many marigolds lead us who are alive to the dead.

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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)!

Amazing cactus and succulent garden in El Cajon!

There’s a special garden filled with rare and beautiful plants in downtown El Cajon. The Southwest Cactus and Succulent Garden is open free to the public at the Olaf Wieghorst Museum.

This very fine garden stretches between the museum’s main building and the old, relocated house of Olaf Wieghorst, a renowned artist who lived in El Cajon. (His paintings depicting the Old West are celebrated inside the museum.)

Over 200 species of desert plants–some of them quite rare–can be enjoyed by those who wander about the garden. The amazing garden is curated by Mike Bostwick, former horticultural director of the San Diego Zoo.

There are shady places in the garden where you can relax or perhaps have a picnic. There are sculptures, too, including an exceptional one by James Hubbell. A plant sale containing rare specimens is also open to the public. Proceeds support the museum.

What’s more, the garden space can be rented for special events such as private parties or weddings.

The Southwest Cactus and Succulent Garden is accessible to visitors when the Olaf Wieghorst Museum is open. See the location, days and hours 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)!