More than 500 heroes were assisted this weekend during the 37th Annual Stand Down event, organized by the Veterans Village of San Diego.
Unhoused and at-risk veterans, their families, and active-duty service members could receive all sorts of free assistance at Stand Down. The event this year was held at Liberty Station in Point Loma.
Free services were offered by a wide variety of organizations, including housing assistance, medical, dental and vision care, legal services, food and clothing, and educational workshops. There was plenty of love and support from San Diego’s military and civilian communities.
I wandered about the event, feeling inspired by all that I saw. Perhaps this blog post provides a little help in its own way.
If you happen to be a Veteran in need, first, thank you for your service. I deeply appreciate the liberty you have helped to defend.
I encourage people to check out the Veterans Village of San Diego website by clicking here. We all need a little help now and then. I know that from my own personal experience.
Veterans Village of San Diego supports America’s Veterans and their families in overcoming homelessness, addiction, unemployment, barriers to health and mental healthcare, and related challenges.
Their vision: A future where no one is left behind.
A smile at the Adjoin Veterans table in the above photograph. Adjoin has a housing-first strategy that secures permanent housing for every Veteran family they proudly serve.
Another smile at the San Diego Rescue Mission table. They provide meals, shelter, clothing, education and job-skills training for men, women, and single parents with children experiencing homelessness.
And here we have three smiles! Reading Legacies, located in San Diego, teaches families the importance of reading with children.
An important exhibition of historical photographs is now on display at Liberty Station in Point Loma.
A new exhibit space, inside Liberty Station’s old Quarters D building, features photographs by famed World War II era photographer Edward Steichen and his colleagues. The free exhibition is titled Memories of the Greatest Generation.
The newly opened exhibit space operates as a satellite for the Maritime Museum of San Diego. The photographs are in the Maritime Museum’s collection.
Historical photographs portray military ships, airplanes and personnel operating at sea in the Pacific Theatre during World War II.
Renowned artist Edward Steichen and his team of eight photographers were commissioned by the U.S. Navy in 1942 to document the war. They were called the Naval Aviation Photographic Unit. Over the next four years, most of their work would be aboard aircraft carriers. They created about 15,000 photographs.
Many of these excellent photographs are emotionally powerful. In my opinion, the best images include sailors, submariners and aviators, ordinary people doing their best in difficult wartime circumstances.
Should you look for the old Quarters D building (location of the Maritime Museum of San Diego’s new exhibit space)–it’s at the corner of Rosecrans Street and Dewey Road. Watch for Maritime Museum signs. You can find parking down the hill a short distance away.
Also, watch for friendly museum volunteers! They are pleased to tell you all about this great historical exhibit!
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There are several beautiful rose gardens around Liberty Station in Point Loma. One that visitors might miss is located along the path that follows the edge of the nearby boat channel. It’s called the Hugh Story Memorial Rose Garden.
This garden is situated not far from the 52 Boats Memorial, which honors the ultimate sacrifice made by men aboard U.S. Navy submarines that were lost at sea during World War II.
Those who read the Hugh Story Memorial Rose Garden’s marker can understand why.
Hugh Story Memorial Rose Garden
Dedicated To The Memory Of HUGH GOODMAN STORY, SR. 1920 – 2006 Creative Leader – Motivator
Hugh served his country within the submarine service during World War II, making 5 war patrols in the Pacific and earning a Bronze Star and Combat V Unit Citation.
After the war, he remained in the Naval Reserve, attaining the rank of Commander. In civilian life, he spent thirty years building and managing refineries in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
Hugh is revered by this community for his twenty-four years of full-time volunteer service to Point Loma and San Diego. He is especially loved for the hundreds of trees that he and his fellow volunteers planted, and for the streetscape improvements they brought to the sidewalks, streets and boulevards of Point Loma. As past president of the Point Loma Association and its Beautification Committee, he formed the “Mean Green Team” to care for the Committee’s many undertakings. He inspired people of all ages, from Boy and Girl Scouts to retirees, to create, install, and maintain the urban projects that enliven Point Loma.
Hugh was equally unflagging in the time and effort he devoted to the Navy League, the Submarine Veterans of WWII, the San Diego Maritime Museum and Friends of the Point Loma Library.
Hugh Story made a difference. He did so in many ways, but always by improving life for those he touched through his selfless service to the community.
Friends and family of High Story provided funds for this garden which was dedicated March 19, 2010.
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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 California Box Thorn might appear scraggly and unremarkable, but it helps protect the bluffs of beautiful Sunset Cliffs from erosion.
Several of these plants are protected at the north end of Sunset Cliffs Natural Park in Point Loma. A nearby sign explains how the California Box Thorn (Lycium californicum) is native to the coasts and islands of Southern California.
If the shrub looks dead, it probably isn’t. It’s simply dry. After a rain, the tiny leaves turn green and you might notice white bell-shaped flowers and red berries. Birds love the berries!
It’s summer. The protected plants that I photographed are green and obviously watered.
If you’d like to become one of the Friends of Sunset Cliffs, check out my final photograph of information in the nearby kiosk. You’ll see an email address.
And yes, Sunset Cliffs with its rugged sandstone bluffs is one of the most beautiful stretches of coastline in San Diego!
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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.
This weekend the 2025 San Diego Ho’olaule’a Hawaiian Cultural Festival was held at Liberty Station in Point Loma.
The free event attracted a good crowd of happy people, who enjoyed Hawaiian traditional hula dance, song and culture, not to mention dozens of vendors, and a tempting variety of island food.
The main stage was a nonstop center of activity. I took photos as the hula dancing began and stayed for a good while. Several dance groups were represented. The dancers wore a variety of colorful costumes depending on the style of hula. There were dancers of all ages.
The event website explains how their goal is to perpetuate Hawaiian culture through music and dance, both kahiko (ancient) and ʻauana (modern), and we welcome hālau (hula dance schools) both near and far.
After watching hula dancing, I walked among the many vendors, visited the Hawaiian Cultural Village, then grabbed something to eat!
Enjoy these photos. Sorry, but I can’t properly identify the dances or groups.
If you go to this event next year, take better notes than me!
Now I’m just wandering around. A sunny summer morning in San Diego…
Here a segment of the long food row to one side of the festival…
Now I’ve arrived at the Hawaiian Cultural Village!
That table on the left by Lei Hulu of California was showcasing the Hawaiian art of feather craft…
A nearby sign explained that the word ipu is Hawaiian for gourd. The ipu is a hula implement that can be played as a drum. It produces two sounds, depending on whether you strike it with the base of your palm or your finger tips.
Kōnane is a two-player strategy board game from Hawaii which was invented by the ancient Hawaiian Polynesians. It’s a game I learned today and rapidly lost.
They came all the way to San Diego to share smiles and information about their museum in Honolulu. Founded in 1889 by Charles Reed Bishop, in honor of his wife Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop—the last descendant of the royal Kamehameha dynasty—Bishop Museum houses the largest collection of Hawaiian and Pacific cultural artifacts and natural history specimens in the world.
The Bishop Museum has lots of cultural information online! Check out the museum here. Watch educational videos on their YouTube channel here!
The Bishop Museum table had this beautiful Hawaiian Honeycreeper, similar to one created by master woodcarver Haruo Uchiyama, on display!
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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 little-seen mosaic greets people walking toward the door of Cocina 35 in Liberty Station. Tiles form the words: THE SHIP’S BELL. The colorful tiles embedded in the walkway form the image of a sailor ringing a bell. Why is it here?
Liberty Station in Point Loma is the site of the old, decommissioned Naval Training Center San Diego. The buildings of the historic training center have been redeveloped, and now house restaurants, museums, artist studios and more. This mosaic can be found at Liberty Station’s Building 193, which used to be the naval base’s Enlisted Men’s Club.
The Enlisted Men’s Club would be called The Crow’s Nest, then later The Ship’s Bell. The mosaic greeted sailor recruits who wanted to get away from officers for a little relaxation and entertainment. The club was open every night and provided a variety of music and drink to anyone over 18 years of age.
Today, Liberty Station’s Building 193 is home to Cocina 35 and a variety of other restaurants and businesses.
Do you have any memories of The Ship’s Bell? Leave a comment below!
UPDATE!
I noticed this plaque near Building 193 during a later walk…
Building 193 was completed in 1941. The enlisted men’s club was a place to relax away from the officers, although the recruits were watched by the shore patrol to encourage appropriate behavior. Officers had the Chief Petty Nightclub and the Admiral Kit Club for their entertainment.
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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.
Some fine art can be enjoyed by those visiting Liberty Station in Point Loma. Eight artists who work out of studios at Liberty Station are exhibiting canvases that celebrate San Diego and our local fishing industry.
Most of the displayed pieces can be purchased. They’re all quite good, too.
The Summer Solstice Exhibit can be found in the lobby of the Dick Laub NTC Command Center building and runs May to July 2025.
While you’re at Liberty Station, just roam around. There’s so much to see and do!
(While wandering about today, I discovered a little-seen mosaic from Liberty Station’s history as Naval Training Center San Diego. I’ll blog about that next!)
A few more pieces in the Summer Solstice Exhibit…
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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 Sportfishing Legacy monument can be found steps from the docks at Fisherman’s Landing in Point Loma. If you’ve ever gone on an ocean fishing charter in San Diego, you might have departed from here and seen the remarkable bronze sculpture of a man.
I saw the monument for the first time last month during the Day at the Docks event. I’m finally getting around to sharing these photographs.
A plaque states:
SPORTFISHING LEGACY
DEDICATED TO CAPTAIN BILL POOLE AND ALL THE DEVOTED CAPTAINS WHO HAVE MADE SAN DIEGO HOME PORT TO THE WORLD’S FINEST SPORTFISHING FLEET.
THE PIONEER OF LONG RANGE SPORTFISHING, CAPTAIN POOLE EXPLORED THE OCEAN FOR THE FISHING GROUNDS AND ESTABLISHED INNOVATIVE FISHING TECHNIQUES. AS AN ENTREPRENEUR, HE INSPIRED NUMEROUS SUPPORT BUSINESSES INCLUDING LANDINGS, FUEL DOCKS, AND A BOAT YARD, WHERE HE BUILT MANY OF THE NEWEST HIGH TECH SPORTFISHING BOATS.
THIS MONUMENT SERVES AS A TRIBUTE TO ALL WHO HAVE ENJOYED THE MAGICAL MOMENTS THAT HAVE OCCURRED ON THESE DOCKS AND AT SEA. THE FLEET CONTINUES TO ENSURE THAT SAN DIEGO IS THE PREMIER DESTINATION FOR SPORT FISHERMEN THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.
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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.
Ingram Plaza is a special place at Liberty Station in Point Loma. It can be found very easily by looking for the large American flag. Like all of Liberty Station, Ingram Plaza used to be part of Naval Training San Diego, which closed in 1997.
Words that wandering visitors can read describe the history and significance of the place.
A plaque can be found beside an anchor, steps away from the plaza. It reads:
INGRAM PLAZA
THIS PLAZA IS DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF OSMOND K. INGRAM, GUNNER’S MATE FIRST CLASS UNITED STATES NAVY, WHO SACRIFICED HIS LIFE IN AN EFFORT TO SAVE HIS SHIP AND SHIPMATES DURING AN ENGAGEMENT BETWEEN THE U.S.S. CASSIN AND A GERMAN SUBMARINE ON OCTOBER 15, 1917. “GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS, THAT A MAN LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS.”
After pausing at the anchor to read its plaque, I walked into the plaza’s center near the flagpole, where there are beds of roses. (I took these photos in spring.)
A nearby sign…
This plaza served as a “detention camp” when the base first opened to isolate new recruits…to make sure any contagious disease…did not circulate among the entire base. During this time, they were transformed into trainees with new haircuts, clothing and initial instruction…
Among the roses is a time capsule with a plaque…
To commemorate the Centennial of Liberty Station and the former Naval Training Center, a time capsule was buried here on October 29, 2023, to be opened in 25 years.
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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! 