I spotted a Santa Claus with a beard made of white yarn at 2018 December Nights!
Another year, another wonderful December Nights in Balboa Park!
I headed across the Cabrillo Bridge at noon today, just as the second day of San Diego’s big annual holiday event got underway.
I prefer to wander through December Nights in the early afternoon. The sun is out, the air is warm, and the feeling is unhurried and carefree. I miss the magical Christmas lights after dark, but I also avoid the hectic press of huge crowds.
I’ve blogged December Nights for so many years now, I thought I’d try for a new angle in 2018 and focus on all the holiday art and crafts one can see while walking around. As usual, however, I ended up taking photos of anything fun that happened to catch my eye.
Many fun holiday crafts and decorations can be enjoyed throughout Balboa Park during December Nights.Jeff, the super cool Spanish Village Art Center historian, holds a drum and greets visitors with a huge smile!I was taking a photo of glass Christmas ornaments in Spanish Village when I got photobombed!A happy elf was lurking near one of the Spanish Village artist studios.Some of the carved wooden animals of the historic Balboa Park Carousel were wearing elf and Santa hats.I learned Santa Claus would be hanging out in front of the Starlight Bowl.I noticed The Old Globe Theatre’s gift shop was well stocked with vile, nasty Grinches, and his adorable dog Max, too!People take a break during December Nights by sitting near cheerful red poinsettias in the Botanical Building.A big Santa hangs from the Point Loma Garden Club’s candy and cookie bedecked tree, one of many fantastic Christmas trees inside the Casa del Prado.Another Christmas tree at the annual Festival of Trees was decorated by the Friends of Balboa Park with many happy dreams.The San Diego Womens Chorus sings holiday music at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion during 2018 December Nights.A group of children called Let’s Dance for Fun! performs at the small December Nights stage near the Botanical Building.Santa, a guest of the House of Finland, was checking his list to see if children have been naughty or nice at Balboa Park’s International Cottages.Holiday traditions and music from around the world are celebrated at the International Cottages during December Nights.The House of Sweden always has lots of Christmas crafts and fun holiday stuff on display.I headed over to the Starlight Bowl and spotted a happy snowman atop the outdoor amphitheater’s box office roof.These friendly folks with Save Starlight are looking for people to help support the restoration of a cherished San Diego performance venue, Balboa Park’s Starlight Bowl.
If you love Balboa Park, and would like to help restore the beloved Starlight Bowl, please take a moment to visit the Save Starlight website here!
I poked my nose inside the Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theater and noticed there’s going to be a fun Merry Christmas Show coming up!I discovered lots of holiday art, crafts and fun at another wonderful December Nights!
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Whenever I drive off the San Diego–Coronado Bridge into Barrio Logan, I notice two enormous eyes painted on a building below the curving bridge offramp.
During a recent walk, I directed my feet through Chicano Park to the place on Logan Avenue where I’ve seen those eyes. It turns out some very cool art adorns the front of Alchemy Motorcycles, including the face of legendary musician Prince. I believe the two bright sections on the left were painted recently.
The first four photographs you see, however, are of the Chicano Park Herb Garden and its mural, which are located immediately to the left of Alchemy. The very colorful mural is painted on the Coronado Bay Bridge’s ramp to south Interstate 5. A sign among the native plants describes: a collective community herbal garden for healing, restoring, learning, praying, meditating and grounding.
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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 photos for you to enjoy!
Second grade students from Dailard Elementary School fill Balboa Park with joyous song during 2018 Christmas on the Prado.
If you love Christmas and happen to be in San Diego this Sunday afternoon, head over to Balboa Park! It’s the second day of Christmas on the Prado!
The 5th Annual Children’s Coalition “Christmas on the Prado” will be held at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion and International Cottages from 1 – 4 pm, and will feature a special Christmas Concert by Civic Organist Raúl Prieto Ramírez, lots of holiday treats, inspiring scenes of the Nativity, games and crafts for kids, cultural displays of Christmas Around the World, a reading of The Night Before Christmas by Mrs. Claus, and photos with good old Saint Nick himself!
Christmas on the Prado is a joyful two day holiday event that celebrates the birth of Christ and the generous spirit of Christmas.
Click here to learn more. (Christmas on the Prado continues to grow every year–but they can always use more volunteers and participants! I learned that church groups from all around San Diego are welcomed to come together and join the program! Why not?)
Yesterday I experienced the first day of this year’s event.
Here are some photographs . . .
Mrs. Claus greeted me in the early afternoon as Christmas on the Prado got underway.Looking at eight beautiful scenes of the Nativity created by the Community Christmas Center, which was established in 1953 in Balboa Park.Child sees a visiting angel.Elsewhere in the rear of the Spreckels Organ Pavilion, Santa confers with an elf before a photo is taken.Dozens of happy, energetic elves would be first to perform on the Spreckels Organ Pavilion stage.Young singers from Dailard Elementary School treat the crowd to fun holiday music.The nearby International Cottages were celebrating Christmas Around the World. This beautiful creche in the Hall of Nations is from Peru.These fun Christmas crafts were on display in the House of Sweden’s cottage.Christmas baskets made of paper by many hands inside the House of Norway’s cottage.The House of Hungary had their very beautiful Christmas sparkling for all to enjoy.The House of England was hoping that Father Christmas would Please Stop Here.Members of the House of Ireland prepare to sing among the International Cottages during Christmas on the Prado in Balboa Park.A bit later, Santa and Mrs. Claus read The Night Before Christmas to gathered children and the young-at-heart.Back at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion, the super talented group Chamber Bravura performs. They’ve sung several times at Carnegie Hall!Chamber Bravura lifts hearts with Christmas song, combining popular carols with unexpected bits of silly humor.Jumping for treats at the Gingerbread House.The Kearny Mesa Concert Band is almost ready to perform as the magical Spreckels Organ Pavilion lights come on.Lights also come on in the Nativity scenes. A beautiful depiction of Mary and Joseph with the Christ child, escaping to Egypt.Jesus with the little children. For the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.More happy elves take the stage for a Christmas sing-along.The Sun Harbor Chorus Elves had many in the audience singing, clapping and ringing bells.The nose of an elf named Faith was getting cold, so Santa took a mini-Santa hat off the tree and put it on her nose. Photo courtesy Bill Swank. (Thank you!)
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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 photos for you to enjoy!
Lots of fun holiday wreaths have appeared throughout Old Town!
A period of rainy weather is coming to San Diego, so I left home this morning earlier than usual, to enjoy a nice, long walk before the first storm arrives.
After I got off the trolley at the Old Town station, crossed Congress Street, and entered Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, my eyes began searching for holiday decorations.
My eyes were not disappointed!
More wreaths, made colorful with bits of Mexican culture, at the entrance to Fiesta de Reyes.A simple but delightful little Christmas tree near the entrance of Seeley Stable.I discovered traditional green and red wreaths at every turn as I walked about Old Town.Looks like three Christmas carolers up on the balcony of La Paloma!Old Town Trolley Tours wishes everyone Joy with their bright banners.Looks like Frosty the Snowman is hanging out with a happy friend at the Specialty Shops of Old Town Market.Poinsettias on an old-fashioned cart, and a window decorated with a wreath. A beautiful holiday display at Toby’s Candle and Soap Shop.The annual Christmas tree has appeared near the flagpole at the center of Old Town’s historic plaza.Celebrating the holiday season with a little Mexican flavor in Old Town!
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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!
Visitors to Cabrillo National Monument enter the restored Base End Station and Battery Commander’s bunker, north of the Old Point Loma Lighthouse. Battery Ashburn can be seen in the distance.
The surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 caused many to fear that the Imperial Japanese Navy might attack the mainland United States.
Coastal defenses were rapidly built up at strategic points along the West Coast, including Point Loma, the peninsula that overlooks the narrow entrance to San Diego Bay. Many of the United States Navy’s remaining ships were homeported in San Diego and had to be protected at all costs.
During World War II, Point Loma’s Fort Rosecrans was the home of the U. S. Army 19th Coast Artillery Regiment. Soldiers manned steel-reinforced concrete bunkers containing Base End Stations, and scanned the horizon for enemy vessels. Should the enemy be sighted, they relayed their information to a Battery Commander, who precisely calculated the enemy’s position, then issued orders to various gun batteries that guarded the approach to San Diego.
Today, almost a century later, the general public can enter one of those old bunkers overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
During my recent Saturday visit to Cabrillo National Monument, I was excited to see that the park’s restored bunker, designated Battery E Control Station, was open. I descended the steep steps into a small underground world, and experienced what life was like for those who stood watch over the wide ocean day and night during the war.
I then checked out a small museum near the bunker to learn a little more about San Diego’s coastal defenses during World War II.
Here are photographs that I took. Read the captions for more fascinating information. Click the signs and they will enlarge.
The Battery E Control Station can be entered on many weekend days. Tours are provided by volunteer docents who are members of the San Diego Military History Association.Walking down steps into the two-level, steel-reinforced concrete bunker is like stepping back in time. The 19th Coast Artillery Regiment manned multiple Point Loma bunkers during World War II.A docent in a World War II era uniform demonstrates the use of an azimuth scope. These spotting scopes gave accurate readings of target positions.A photograph inside the top level of the bunker, which served as the Battery Commander Station for nearby Battery Ashburn.Objects displayed include a map, helmet, canteen and pin-up girl on the wall. A WWII veteran who served at Fort Rosecrans helped to make the bunker’s interior appear historically accurate.Diagram on a wall identified Japanese Naval Vessels during World War II.Marks show the direction and distance to South and North Coronado Islands, which lie in the Pacific Ocean off Mexico.Phones on the wall beside a small Duty Roster chalkboard. The Battery Commander would calculate and communicate accurate information to nearby Battery Ashburn.Metal rungs descend into the lower level of the bunker, where visitors can see the small bunkroom and a typical Base End Station.A friendly docent shows me the bunkroom, where those who manned the bunker took turns sleeping.Objects in the bunkroom include toiletries, U. S. Army rations, cigarettes, magazines and pin-ups on the wall.Next to the bunkroom is a Base End Station, where soldiers continuously scanned the ocean horizon. It is one of five Base End Stations that were assigned to the Battery Commander Station directly above.Old photos above two phones show the operation of azimuth scopes in a Base End Station.A sign describes Fire Control Rooms. A pair of Base End Stations would track an enemy ship’s position, course and speed. Distance to an enemy vessel was determined through triangulation.Sign shows the different battery positions on Point Loma during World War II. Battery Ashburn’s two 16 inch naval guns had a range of 26 miles.Old photos include Battery Ashburn in 1943 and Battery Point Loma in 1941.A sign in the nearby museum shows the ranges of Point Loma’s many defensive gun batteries.During World War II, Fort Rosecrans on Point Loma was garrisoned by the 19th Coast Artillery Regiment. Troops assigned to Fort Rosecrans in San Diego thought it a good duty station, with pleasant weather.Binoculars at the ready. Enter a coastal defense bunker at Cabrillo National Monument to experience a bit of what it was like during World War II in San Diego.
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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 photos for you to enjoy!
People walk through Balboa Park. There is much living to do.
Another fine Sunday afternoon in Balboa Park.
More beauty.
More sunshine.
More smiles.
More heart.
I could take a million photographs during walks through Balboa Park, because there is always something new.
Dancers perform at the International Cottages during the House of Lebanon lawn program.Yummy authentic Lebanese food is devoured on a sunny San Diego day.Exquisite artwork displayed inside the Casa del Prado for the 43rd Annual Sumi-e Ten Japanese Brush Painting Exhibition.Young people take up a brush, learning to transform ink into elegant beauty.The seasonal display in the Botanical Building features pumpkins arranged among plants and flowers.Raúl Prieto Ramírez, San Diego’s Civic Organist, talks to the audience during the free Sunday concert at two o’clock.Peering down into the Lower Garden of the Japanese Friendship Garden from the deck of the Tea Pavilion.Light filters through bamboo at the Japanese Friendship Garden.A painting of Mt. Fuji by Yutaka Murakami. His fantastic artwork is now on display in the Exhibit Hall at the Japanese Friendship Garden.Steel drums add flavor to the Plaza de Balboa near the Bea Evenson Fountain.People eat, talk, find comfort at tables in the Plaza de Panama.Browsing photographs by a local artist at the outdoor Art in the Park.People filter through the dreamy Alcazar Garden.Feeling the holiday spirit by The Old Globe Christmas Tree in Copley Plaza.Enjoying peace and warm sunlight on the grassy West Mesa of Balboa Park.Shining blooms in a tree.A noisy flock of crows was perched in the eucalyptus trees near the San Diego Chess Club and Balboa Park Horseshoe Club.A drum circle in Marston Point. Like the joyful, beating heart of Balboa Park.
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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 bright, happy Christmas tree has appeared inside the Donut Bar.
Many colorful Christmas trees have suddenly popped up all around downtown San Diego!
Step into the lobby of any elegant hotel or large office tower and you’re sure to be dazzled!
This morning and evening I walked through downtown searching for Christmas trees to photograph. A couple of my photos turned out a bit grainy due to dim lighting, but hopefully you get the sense of how amazingly beautiful many of these trees are!
I also got pics of some fun ornaments in shop windows!
One of the slender Christmas trees adding holiday cheer to the north entrance to the 701 B Street office building.A large Christmas tree has appeared in the lobby of the Wells Fargo building. When I dropped by in the morning it hadn’t been decorated yet.A beautiful, shining Christmas tree in the grand lobby of One America Plaza.One of several creative, very elegant Christmas trees in the lobby of The Sofia Hotel.San Diego sand dollar and disco ball ornaments inside the window of Best of Gaslamp.One of the dazzling Christmas trees in the posh lobby of the historic US Grant Hotel.A simply magnificent Christmas tree in the lobby of Symphony Towers.A gorgeous Christmas tree inside the luxurious Westgate Hotel.A snowy Christmas tree inside the west entrance of the 101 W. Broadway office building.A funny surfing Santa ornament in the window of San Diego Trading Company!
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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!
Another bright day in November. A day for sailing.
I sat at a picnic table at Embarcadero Marina Park North, quietly gazing at the sparkling water.
As the tide flowed, a sailboat drifted across San Diego Bay. It turned in the wind. The unmanned vessel must have become accidentally unmoored. A small Coast Guard boat slowly followed it.
Beside the water people moved forward through life.
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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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