This big mural in El Cajon might be a bit faded, but it’s still awesome. Today’s Children Rise is the message spray painted on the east-facing exterior of Collision Masters Auto Body Shop!
The distinctive artwork was completed years ago by graffiti artists DyseOne, Hasler, Brave and Shark. I’m not sure exactly when.
I got a glimpse of the mural today for the first time. I was walking down West Main Street. A friendly guy at the body shop guided me through the busy facility so I could get unobstructed photographs. Thanks!
By the way, I found other cool murals during my walk in El Cajon, so stay tuned for more!
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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 X.
Yesterday I walked through Shhh Pavilion: The Hopekeeper.
What’s that?
Shhh Pavilion: The Hopekeeper is the unusual name of a very cool sculpture that rises in recently opened Progress Park. Progress Park is located in downtown San Diego near the waterfront, at the corner of Broadway and Harbor Drive.
The beautiful new park is part of the Research and Development District (RaDD) complex. The sculpture is part of the RaDD Artwalk. It was commissioned by IQHQ, through the City of San Diego Art in Private Development program.
The creator of this very unique public art is gt2P (Great things to People), a Santiago de Chile based collaborative studio collective.
This unusual sculpture is a geometric structure that utilizes something called Voronoi tessellation. The mathematical concept is nicely described on this webpage.
Until recently, the new park was surrounded by a construction fence. But yesterday I noticed the fence was down. So I had to walk under and through the sculpture with my camera!
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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.
Tourists, shoppers and those wandering through Seaport Village need to keep their head on a swivel! The tentacles of a monster octopus might suddenly grab you!
Why is this gigantic octopus assailing unsuspecting people?
Perhaps because it anticipates Halloween!
Inflatable octopi were recently placed all around Seaport Village. The tentacled terror is a central element of the upcoming Halloween celebration Bayside Boo: Spirited Night by the Bay.
The event website explains: Presented by Seaport Fudge Factory, Bayside Boo will feature spooky beats, sweet treats, and plenty of festive fun. Dance under the moonlight, enjoy the vibes by the bay, and let the ghoul times roll.
Would you like to experience Bayside Boo? Come by Seaport Village on Friday, October 31, 2025, from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm, and watch out for slimy tentacles!
Oh, dear! The overgrown octopus has emerged from San Diego Bay!
Is that flimsy fence enough to hold the rampaging sea monster?
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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.
A series of new murals was recently installed in San Diego’s downtown Civic Center Plaza! A security guy told me they were put up several days ago.
The cheerful, colorful murals contain images of landmarks in different parts of San Diego. I recognized Balboa Park, Gaslamp Quarter, East Village, Downtown, Marina, Barrio Logan, and San Diego Bay.
The artistic design and illustration is the work of Maximo Escobedo and Alma Vasquez Escobedo, of Maximo Creative Communications. The new artwork refers to Civic Center Plaza as “Plaza Central.”
Bright bubbly images have also been scattered upon the plaza’s walking surface. The once dullish-grayish space now appears more alive. You can see what I mean in the next photograph…
How many San Diego landmarks can you recognize?
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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.
A great exhibition of art in downtown San Diego is scheduled to close this weekend. A UNIVERSAL MEXICAN: The Surreal World of José Sacal, on view at UCSD Park & Market, continues through October 25, 2025.
I’m glad I experienced José Sacal‘s bronze sculptures today, before they vanish. You can see from my photos how the artist has interpreted famous people and images from photographs and paintings.
As this UCSD Park & Market webpage explains, the exhibit invites audiences to experience emotionally charged, politically resonant sculptures that reimagine cultural and historical figures—from Einstein and Gandhi to Frida Kahlo and Don Quixote—through Sacal’s distinctive abstract lens. Known for his expressive bronze and ceramic works, Sacal challenged traditional forms to explore themes of identity, justice, and the human condition.
If you want to view these sculptures in person, do it soon. Head upstairs to the second floor of UCSD Park & Market.
The sculptures are arranged along the windows of the art gallery. Reflection and shadow from incoming sunlight gives these unique pieces additional character.
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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.
Several historic buildings can be visited at the Escondido History Center in Grape Day Park. One of these buildings was the very first library that opened in Escondido, back in 1895.
The little building was the second public library in San Diego County. In 1971 it was saved from demolition by the Escondido Historical Society and moved to Grape Day Park.
Today visitors step into the little old library (headquarters of the Escondido History Center) on Thursday through Saturday, between 10 am and 4 pm. Inside one can look at historical photographs, conduct research, or view fascinating exhibits. There are also several antique artifacts like an old scale, spinning wheel, and gas pump.
Last Saturday I also found a smile!
I learned the old library and been remodeled and expanded over the years. To me, its present-day use as a museum is the thing of greatest interest.
The exhibits can change a bit over time. During my visit I enjoyed looking at Pioneer Family: Cassou Family, and Planes, Trains and Automobiles.
Here’s an old photo of the Escondido Public Library as it originally appeared. Notice there’s not much else around it!
A big glass display case against one wall is packed full of history.
One exhibit traces the history of Escondido’s influential Cassou family, whose mid-19th century roots were in France.
Transportation in Escondido over the years is highlighted in the second exhibit.
Cruisin’ Grand photographs show how the beloved summer event has previously appeared.
I love that big model train! It was created by Hollis Watrous in his garage workshop starting in 1960. He ran it on tracks in his backyard!
Here’s a cool old photograph of downtown Escondido in 1911.
It is believed, by the large number of automobiles, that the photo was taken on bustling Grape Day.
Among the shelves behind the front counter I spied this old image of Escondido’s first librarian, Mina Ward.
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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.
Did you know the House of Taiwan is one of the newest members of the International Cottages in Balboa Park? I learned today that they joined the House of Pacific Relations International Cottages in August!
Today they hosted an exhibit in the Hall of Nations for their very first time, and wow, what great displays! The history and culture of Taiwan was celebrated with all sorts of information, traditional crafts and art objects, a film, and even treats! (I sampled an imported pastry-like buttery fènglí sū (鳳梨酥), or pineapple cake, for which Taiwan is famous. Yum!)
I met some super nice people and took a few photographs of the event.
I see the House of Taiwan has a website and they are already very active in the community. Check out their site 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.
The House of England in Balboa Park celebrated the 250th birthday of Jane Austen today!
Dressed in Regency attire, members of the Jane Austen Society of North America San Diego Region assembled outside the House of England cottage and listened to beautiful music performed by Amanda Fagan. Many of the ladies were wearing bonnets!
Jane Austen was a major literary figure who wrote such famous novels as Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, and Emma. Songwriter and prolific creator Amanda Fagan (@amandafaganofficial) entertained everyone with original compositions inspired by Jane Austen novels!
I learned that Amanda Fagan is writing a screenplay for a musical based on Austen’s satirical novel Northanger Abbey. I suspect it will include a good deal of humor! See her YouTube page here.
Inside the House of England cottage they were serving Victoria sponge cupcakes and scones with proper British jam and cream, and, of course, a cup of tea. I noticed that a few displays in the cottage pay tribute to Jane Austen and her importance to world literature.
Heading into the cottage…
Back outside. (Did they have smartphones at the turn of the 19th century?)
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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.
As you step through the front door of the old Santa Fe Depot in Escondido, take a look left and right. You’ll see two large paintings which show how Escondido appeared about a century ago.
The old Santa Fe Depot is part of the Escondido History Center in Grape Day Park. Inside the depot building you can view many great displays concerning every aspect of Escondido’s history–from its early beginnings, its agriculture, gold mining, and more as the city developed over the decades.
The two paintings I photographed yesterday stand out among the displays. They were created by artist Henry Thees and were commissioned in 1928 for the First National Bank of Escondido, which was built in 1886. The artist never saw Escondido–they were painted from postcards!
Henry W. D. Thees (1882 – 1942) was born in Hamburg, Germany. He settled in Los Angeles in 1927 where he was active as an artist. I can’t find much more that is definite about him.
The two paintings, eventually given to the Escondido Historical Society in 1973, have moved around over time. They arrived at the old Santa Fe Depot in 1988.
The painting in my first two photos is on the south wall. It is a 1927 view looking east toward the first and second Escondido High Schools. The huge building with a tower that looks a bit like a church with steeple was actually the first high school!
The second painting on the north wall is a 1905 view looking west from Curve Street, which today is Ivy. I was told the artist might have included some embellishment in his paintings.
It would be interesting to compare these paintings to the original postcards that inspired them!
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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 free community event was hosted by the Native Youth Foundation and featured Native American culture, education, crafts, food, music and fun for the entire family.
The festival brought together tribes from around the Southern California region to honor Indigenous Peoples’ Day. It was a celebration of Native voices shaping the future.
I came by in the late afternoon as the festival was kicking off. When I departed about an hour later, a good crowd had gathered for this inaugural event.
I enjoyed listening to the Campo Bird Singers, visiting various booths and eating crispy tacos.
What are some of the things I learned?
I learned the people in the next photo represent Volunteer Escondido. They’re neighbors who come together to help build a stronger community and enhance the quality of life for all!
You can visit their website here! Check out their event calendar and perhaps you can participate as a volunteer in their good work!
I was interested to learn from the next group of smiling people that there is a National Native American Hall of Fame!
The organization, with its headquarters in Oklahoma City, honors Native American achievements in contemporary society, from the 1860s to present day!
Visit their website here! There are various ways that you can support them!
Look! More friendly people at the next booth!
They represent the La Jolla Generations Program, a tribal youth program of the La Jolla Band of Luiseño Indians.
They would be demonstrating basketmaking later during the festival!
In the late morning, the Campo Bird Singers were on stage performing traditional, sacred Bird Songs.
Lots of tasty food, including carne asada and Kumeyaay frybread!
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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.
Cool San Diego Sights! 