Tag: photography

Chargers kicker Nick Novak at Kids Newsday.

chargers kicker nick novak at kids newsday

Our leisurely walk through Balboa Park has been interrupted by a great pic I got this morning!

Outstanding kicker Nick Novak and other Chargers players were out on busy street corners to help with Kids Newsday, which raises money for Rady Children’s Hospital! They were handing out newspapers filled with cool articles written by kids while collecting donations from passing motorists.

In this photo, Nick is being interviewed by a Union Tribune journalist in Mission Valley. You can see other participants holding yellow signs across the intersection.

More photos of amazing chalk art at Festa!

amazing chalk art looks like watercolor

I promised even more photos of the amazing chalk art creations at Little Italy’s 2013 Festa event. Many of these pics show artists at work, applying vibrant color to the drab asphalt of a downtown San Diego street. Enjoy these images!

a fantastic work of chalk art in little italy

andy warhol style mopeds as chalk art

Andy Warhol might’ve painted mopeds in this fashion!

artistic creations using chalk in little italy

artists at work at festa event in san diego

chalk faces at little italy's festa celebration

Expressive faces. This was one of my favorites!

classic figure and italian chalk art

classic italian chalk art at festa in san diego

exotic masks and faces in little italy's festa

I also love these exotic masks and faces!

neptune holds a thunderbolt over a ship

pinocchio appears on a san diego street

What could be more Italian than Pinocchio?

strange long fingers made of chalk

Even though it’s a bit creepy, I like this one. It really appeals to the imagination!

talented young lady is an excellent chalk artist

Among the talented artists were many young people. Impressive!

the minions tip the leaning tower of pisa

It seems the Minions had a sneaky, dastardly scheme. It was to tilt the Leaning Tower of Pisa!

Gesso Italiano artwork on San Diego street.

a fantastic face of chalk at festa festival

Here are more photos of the Italian chalk art, properly called Gesso Italiano, at today’s 2013 Festa event in Little Italy. I’ve got so many great pics, it’s hard to choose which ones to show. Oh, well. I hope you like these! (Make sure you check out my previous post.)

artist creates chalk madonna and child

Three blocks of a city street in San Diego’s Little Italy became the canvas for chalk creations! Lots of classical images, as one might expect from a celebration of Italy . . .

disney chalk art jiminy cricket

I bet Walt Disney himself would’ve been delighted by this colorful chalk art Jiminy Cricket!

dogue italia colorful chalk art at festa

This humorous piece seems to be named Dogue Italia. That’s one elegantly dressed dog!

elegant lady rendered in chalk at festa

More beautiful artistry . . .

italian chalk face at san diego's festa

A striking portrait. You’d think this was an exquisite painting hung in a museum!

lots of people and little italy chalk art

I have even more photos coming . . . so check back soon!

Amazing chalk art at Little Italy’s Festa!

amazing little italy festa chalk art

Wow! I just finished a leisurely walk through Little Italy’s great 2013 Festa event, and by far the most amazing part of it was the chalk art competition! I learned that Italian chalk art is called Gesso Italiano. There were 62 colorful entries, taking up three full city blocks! I got so many great photos I’m going to break it all into several blog posts. Here comes the first batch!

awesome chalk art in little italy

All the artwork was fantastic!

colorful chalk face at little italy's festa

It was fascinating to watch the many artists at work. I wish I had such talent!

crazy colorful chalk art face in little italy

Lots of people converged on San Diego’s unique Italian Festival!

creating a chalk art masterpiece

Recreating a masterpiece with chalk.

girl touches finger of michelangelo chalk art god

I love this cool pic. One of the amazing chalk creations depicted another act of creation: that of God! The Sistine Chapel’s ceiling seemed to be transported to the asphalt street. Bystanders were invited to lie down and become part of Michelangelo’s divine masterpiece!

italian chalk art creation at festa

Stay tuned for more!

Colorful samples of fun Horton Plaza.

Horton Plaza is a feast for the eyes everywhere you turn.
Horton Plaza is a feast for the eyes everywhere you turn.

Horton Plaza, located in downtown San Diego, is a fun and interesting place for shoppers to visit. The unique mall’s crazy, whimsical design makes an interesting contrast to the restored old buildings in the adjacent Gaslamp Quarter. Many bright colors and types of architecture have been cleverly integrated into a visual feast. Horton Plaza was designed so that people intentionally get a bit lost, to provide a feeling of adventure and the unexpected.

Here are some random pics for you to enjoy…

Elegant Jessop's clock in the midst of colorful whimsy.
Elegant Jessop’s clock in the midst of colorful whimsy.
Many bridges and walkways connect different areas.
Many bridges and walkways connect different areas.
Looking north along several shopping mall levels.
Looking north along several shopping mall levels.
Looks like someone yarn bombed this stair railing.
Looks like someone yarn bombed this stair railing.
Downtown buildings can be seen projecting into the sky.
Downtown buildings can be seen projecting into the sky.
Cool places to eat overlook the layered central area.
Cool places to eat overlook the layered central area.
Just another place to explore on an upper level.
Just another place to explore on an upper level.
Lots of great vistas near Horton Plaza's food court.
Lots of great vistas near Horton Plaza’s food court.
A small decorative touch adds fun flavor to the scene.
A small decorative touch adds fun flavor to the scene.
Many arches that shoppers can pass over or through.
Many arches that shoppers can pass over or through.
Go up or down in unexpected places.
Go up or down in unexpected places.
Banner welcomes visitors in many languages.
Banner welcomes San Diego visitors in many languages.
Just walking along and enjoying the many sights.
Just walking along and enjoying the many sights.

Playing with giant chess pieces at Horton Plaza.

Chess and checkers games can include a small workout!
Chess and checkers games can include a small workout!

Here are three fun photos! I stood for a moment on an upper level at Horton Plaza, watching two guys play a game with giant chess pieces.

San Diego’s downtown Horton Plaza shopping mall is more than just typical retail stores and a food court. It’s a wonderland of colorful, whimsical, unexpected architecture, with cool discoveries around almost every corner, including this shady nook where you’ll find giant-sized chessboards and checker boards.

The Horton Plaza shopping mall contains fun surprises around almost every corner.
The Horton Plaza shopping mall contains fun surprises around almost every corner.
People enjoy a leisurely game of chess with gigantic chessboard and pieces at Horton Plaza.
People enjoy a leisurely game of chess with gigantic chessboard and pieces at Horton Plaza.

Here are a couple more photos I took during another visit…

Horton Plaza visitor watches two people playing chess on an ordinary-size chessboard.
Horton Plaza visitor watches two people playing chess on an ordinary-size chessboard.
People congregate in a Horton Plaza nook where giant chess pieces beckon.
People congregate in a Horton Plaza nook where giant chess pieces beckon.

…

Join me on Facebook or Twitter!

San Diego Trolley and Santa Fe Depot.

red san diego trolley and santa fe depot

This red trolley belongs to the blue line. Makes sense, right? It’s waiting for passengers at the America Plaza station, across the street from the Santa Fe Depot. The blue line stretches from downtown San Diego all the way down to the Mexican border.

In this photo you can see both domes of the historic train station.

Old black-and-white photos of the Santa Fe Depot pretty much show nothing around it. It just sits there in the middle of nowhere, seemingly. Today the city rises and surges all about it, and it can almost seem lost among the many bright tall buildings.

San Diego Trolley pulls into Santa Fe Depot from the south.
San Diego Trolley pulls into Santa Fe Depot from the south.

Domes of San Diego’s Santa Fe Depot.

dome of san diego's santa fe depot

The Santa Fe Depot is downtown San Diego’s train station. Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner, the Coaster, and the San Diego Trolley’s orange and green lines all stop at the historic building.

The Santa Fe Depot, built in the Spanish Colonial Revival style, was opened in 1915 to serve thousands of visitors to Balboa Park’s Panama-California Exposition.

This photo shows one of the Santa Fe Depot’s two colorful domes and some palm trees against a backdrop of high-rise condos. The architects a hundred years ago probably didn’t imagine that glassy skyscrapers would tower nearby!

Birds fly over one of the distinctive domes.
Birds fly over one of the distinctive tiled domes.
Looking up through palm trees toward the dome.
Looking up through palm trees toward one dome.

Here are some more photos taken at a later time. Black material now covers up part of the two domes. I learned that the terracotta columns are cracking.

The Santa Fe Depot in downtown San Diego.
The east side of the Santa Fe Depot in downtown San Diego.
Buildings rise behind the domes of the Santa Fe Depot.
Buildings rise behind the domes of the Santa Fe Depot.
The two domes of San Diego's Santa Fe Depot.
The two domes of San Diego’s Santa Fe Depot.
Amtrak train parked by historic Santa Fe Depot.
Amtrak train parked by historic Santa Fe Depot.

Seaport Village portrait artist draws faces.

seaport village portrait artist at work

A whole variety of street performers, entertainers, psychics and artists can be found along the path that separates Seaport Village from Embarcadero Marina Park North. It’s a lively scene, especially during the summer. I snapped a great photo of a portrait artist sketching the faces of a couple who were seated together. Some of the artists seem more skilled than others; some paint, some draw, some do cartoons and caricatures.

The following pic is from another sunny summer day…

Street artist by Seaport Village paints kids sitting on wall near the bay.
Street artist by Seaport Village paints kids sitting on wall near the bay.

…

Join me on Facebook or Twitter!

Sailboats pass Manchester Grand Hyatt.

sailboats in front of the manchester grand hyatt

This photo shows sailboats on San Diego Bay passing the Manchester Grand Hyatt hotel, those two tall, sandy tan buildings.

Tour guides and pedicab drivers often joke that the downtown skyline resembles a set of tools. The Hyatt buildings resemble straight-edge screwdrivers; America Plaza, which you can see, resembles a phillips screwdriver; and another skyscraper, Emerald Plaza (not visible in this pic) resembles a set of socket wrenches!

Here’s a pic of a non-sailboat taken on a later occasion…

Lord Hornblower passes Hyatt hotel buildings on San Diego Bay.
Lord Hornblower passes Hyatt hotel buildings on San Diego Bay.