Tag: pop culture

Meet pilots, crew of the Top Gun movies!

Do you love the movies Top Gun and Top Gun: Maverick? Here’s an incredible opportunity for fans that will take place this May in San Diego!

Sign up for Top Gun Days San Diego 2023 and you’ll meet a veteran Blue Angel pilot, who flew the F-18 during scenes in Top Gun: Maverick. You’ll meet a TOPGUN graduate and former instructor, who played a vital role in making Top Gun. You’ll rub shoulders with other pilots from the movies, and get the inside scoop on the filming of these two epic blockbusters!

The three day Top Gun Days San Diego event ends at the USS Midway Museum, then Kansas City Barbeque, the nearby restaurant where the “sleazy bar” scene in the original Top Gun was filmed!

How cool is this?

I ran into the group while they toured the USS Midway last year, and it was apparent everyone was having a great time!

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Mario Lopez spotted in Chula Vista!

Celebrity superstar, Mario Lopez, has been spotted on Third Avenue in Chula Vista! His famous smile has been painted on a construction fence in front of the old Vogue theater building!

Mario was born and raised in Chula Vista, in San Diego’s South Bay.

Hey Preppy! Have you watched the Saved by the Bell revival on Peacock? If so, those words might ring a bell!

Mario Lopez first played Slater in the original, very popular Saturday-morning sitcom Saved by the Bell. Since then he’s reprised the role, plus he’s had many other film and television credits.

For over a decade, Mario was host of the television newsmagazine Extra. Now he’s an anchor on the entertainment show Access Hollywood.

And today he’s also hanging out on Third Avenue! With a smile painted by Ground Floor Murals (@groundfloormurals).

Are those his fluffy pink dice and keys? The key art is by Victor “Dogs” Rodriguez (@ThatOne_Dog).

Check out some San Diego Padres art on the same fence 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 Twitter!

Ghostbusters capture Slimer in University Heights!

When there’s something strange in the University Heights neighborhood, who you gonna call? Ghostbusters!

Slimer was observed passing through the walls of Gnarly Girl Pizza at 2302 El Cajon Boulevard, so the original Ghostbusters crew–Egon Spengler, Ray Stantz, Winston Zeddemore and Peter Venkman–were promptly summoned. Using their proton packs, careful to not cross the radially polarized electrostatic beams, they successfully captured the hungry green ectoplasmic imp!

A weird creature that devours its own pizza head was also spotted. The pepperoni freckled monster is still at large.

This very cool art was painted last year by Alex Julian (@alexfizix). His style is unmistakable. You’ve possibly seen his comic-inspired murals elsewhere in San Diego!

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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 Twitter!

Preview of Animation Academy at Comic-Con Museum!

The Animation Academy – from Pencils to Pixels officially opens tomorrow at the Comic-Con Museum in Balboa Park!

Members of the Comic-Con Museum got a preview of the incredible new exhibition today!

Who doesn’t love animated features and cartoons? We all have our favorites, right? Well, chances are some of your best-loved television shows and movies pop up in this delightful exhibition.

The Animation Academy, as its name suggests, is both educational and interactive. Every sort of technology that has produced animation is explored, from early magic lanterns and spinning thaumatropes and phenakistoscopes(!), to state-of-the-art non-photorealistic rendering and 3D printing.

Not only will you learn about the rich history of animation, and the artists and studios who’ve added to the popular culture, but there are several opportunities for visitors to create their own animated masterpieces!

Among the numerous displays are realistic recreations of work stations, puppets and miniature sets that demonstrate what it’s like to be a stop motion animator.

Fans of Gumby and Looney Tunes, in particular, will be excited to find themselves immersed in well done, interactive displays.

Do you love Bugs Bunny and his friends? You’ll have a chance to view all sorts of original sketches, drawings and animation cells. You’ll even see the typewriter used by legendary Chuck Jones. (Did you know Chuck Jones was inspired by Mark Twain? I didn’t!)

The exhibition encourages curiosity and creativity. Kids will surely enjoy it. Adults with imagination and a sense of fun absolutely will, too!

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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 Twitter!

Ron Burgundy surfaces in San Diego!

Famous anchorman Ron Burgundy has surfaced in San Diego! His perfectly coiffed hair has risen from the deep . . . among dolphins!

Why did he jump into the water? Perhaps diving into the ocean seemed more heroic than leaping into a bear pen at the zoo. Fortunately his hair remains intact.

This fun mural can be found in Point Loma. Perhaps you’ve seen it on Midway Drive, south of Rosecrans Street, on the side of Hi Auto Repair. It was painted last September by AQUA ONE ART!

Those who say Ron Burgundy is all wet are proven correct.

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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 Twitter!

North Park, a yellow submarine, and bees!

Check out these three cool murals in North Park! They’re painted on the parking lot side of the Queen Bee’s Art and Cultural Center building, north of University Avenue off Ohio Street.

The three murals, from left to right, depict a graffiti-style North Park, The Beatles’ yellow submarine, and cosmic mandalas with music-loving bees!

Around the corner, at the entrance to Queen Bee’s, you’ll find more fun artwork…

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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 Twitter!

Super creative piñatas fill the Mingei!

Would you like to see a jaw-dropping exhibition of super creative piñatas?

Would you like to see fantastic works of art that have been inspired by the traditional Mexican piñata?

Piñatas: The High Art of Celebration is now on display at the Mingei International Museum in Balboa Park!

I’ve never seen so many unique piñatas all in one place. And so many unusual ones!

In addition to more familiar traditional piñatas, visitors to the exhibition will see unusual piñata costumes, creative piñata wall art, piñatas with political messages, humorous piñatas, pop culture piñatas . . . even a life-size car piñata! (That car piñata would hold a lot of candy!)

According to the Mingei’s website, this is one of the first-ever exhibitions to spotlight piñatas as a traditional craft and vibrant contemporary art form.

I was excited to see so many unexpected creations. It never occurred to me that piñatas might be crafted as small hummingbirds or butterflies, or a bag of Cheetos, or a bottle of COVID-19 vaccine!

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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 Twitter!

Tin Man recalls history in North Park!

Visitors to the San Diego History Center in Balboa Park might notice a large tin man standing atop stairs in the museum’s atrium. A sign at the bottom of the stairs explains how the nearly 11 feet tall metal sculpture was once a well known landmark in North Park.

Created in 1941, “Tin Man” was originally unpainted and held an oil can instead of a wrench. Representing the Tin Woodsman character from the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, Tin Man was to be a feature of the North Park Toyland Parade. But the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor five days before the parade cancelled the event.

Tin Man subsequently was acquired by Sabol Service at University Avenue and Bancroft Street and for several decades, now holding a wrench, he towered above the automobile repair business. In 1976 he was moved to 35th Street and University Avenue, where, painted as he appears today, he greeted the customers of Vinal’s Auto Repair on the service station island.

As you can see, I took these photographs during the holiday season. Tin Man silently stood overlooking a large, very beautiful poinsettia Christmas tree–the first such tree to decorate the San Diego History Center.

And so our city’s history continues right along, the past meeting the present.

Perhaps you’re old enough to remember seeing Tin Man in North Park. After moving through the San Diego History Center, you will carry both old and new memories into your future.

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San Diego ready to welcome Elton John!

This evening a historic concert will be held at Petco Park in San Diego. Sir Elton John will be appearing for his long sold-out Farewell Yellow Brick Road – The Final Tour!

As I walked around Petco Park and the Gaslamp this afternoon, I saw colorful street banners, displays in shop windows and at the Hard Rock Hotel, people readying a tour merchandise truck, and even some very cool super fans of Elton John just hanging out, and smiling for the above photo! Is that dress awesome, or what?

I’ve loved the music of Elton John ever since I was a young man. It has been an important part of my life’s soundtrack. If by sheer chance you happen to read this, Sir Elton, thank you.

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Thank you for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often, so you might want to bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and check back from time to time.

You can explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on this website’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There’s a lot of stuff to share and enjoy!

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!

Marvin the Martian rockets through Pacific Beach!

Aliens and extraterrestrials are commonly seen in San Diego.

Take for example, Marvin the Martian. People walking through Pacific Beach often encounter Marvin rocketing through a wall off Mission Boulevard.

Marvin the Martian (or one of his #SpaceClones) has also been spotted in other San Diego neighborhoods, including Little Italy and Normal Heights.

Marvin must have a devious plan to conquer planet Earth–or at least San Diego. Hopefully Bugs Bunny shows up soon.

But I implied many aliens. Well, a house that looks remarkably like a UFO appears to have landed in La Jolla. See it here.

And there are the flying saucers I noticed recently in North Park.

And that space monkey in Mira Mesa!

In El Cajon, highly advanced aliens from distant planets, the Space Brothers, are going to be welcomed with open arms by this interesting group.

Have I ever encountered extraterrestrials? Well, I’m not sure. I definitely saw an Unidentified Flying Something nine years ago, which I photographed here!

It’s almost Friday! Let the fun begin!

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Thank you for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often, so you might want to bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and check back from time to time.

You can explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on this website’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There’s a lot of stuff to share and enjoy!

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!