The huge Crown Princess cruise ship is docked on San Diego’s Embarcadero.
Everyone has seen photos of cruise ships, but two beauties were docked on San Diego’s waterfront this morning and gleaming in the sunshine, so I had to whip out my camera!
Once in a while, two or three cruise ships visit downtown at the same time. Some of these vessels are so huge that stood on end they’d dwarf many nearby skyscrapers. The two ships I saw in port today are operated by Princess Cruise Line. Both are classified as Grand-class cruise ships and have nearly identical lengths. Even after seeing them in person, it’s hard for me to grasp that these ships are 950 feet long! The Crown Princess can carry 3,080 passengers with a crew of 1,201. The Star Princess accommodates 2,590 passengers and a crew of 1,150. Incredible!
Two luxurious Grand-class cruise ships gleam on either side of the Cruise Ship Terminal.Gull checks out an amazing morning sight. Photo taken from the Broadway Pier.Man gazes at the sunlit bay. The fenced area is where the Bay Cafe used to stand. It soon will be an observation platform.
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The Bay Cafe is making way for an observation platform on San Diego Bay.
The Bay Cafe is almost gone.
Many years ago, I loved to grab some food in the small waterfront cafe and bring it up onto the rooftop. From a table beneath an umbrella, I’d gaze out at the sparkling water. I’d observe passing sailboats, people on the Broadway Pier, and cruise ships docked at the nearby terminal. When two or more huge cruise ships were in port, I’d watch with interest as the departing Coronado ferry and harbor tour boats navigated the narrow space between them. In those days, the Bay Cafe also served as an embarkation hub for San Diego Harbor Excursion, now called Flagship. A ramp from inside the deli plunged down to a floating dock, where a gift shop was housed in a special boat. On this small dock a harbor cruise photographer asked guests to pose by a life preserver.
Up on the roof, if I wanted a change of view, I’d grab another table where I could gaze back toward downtown and watch tourists flow along Harbor Drive. There were almost always several empty tables. Few people seemed to realize the rooftop was open.
The Bay Cafe’s roof was also used for many years by broadcasters covering parades down Harbor Drive. From up there you could see everything.
My walk this morning brought back those memories. And a bit of sadness. The Bay Cafe is being demolished as I type these very words. The structure will be removed, but the concrete pad and pilings will remain, as part of an observation platform jutting over the water. It’s just one small part of the Embarcadero’s recent renovation. I’m sure the change will be great. I believe there are supposed to be benches where folks can just sit and enjoy the views. If there are, I’ll surely enjoy them. But time and progress march on. The Bay Cafe is almost just a memory.
Demolition of the old waterfront cafe and harbor tour embarkation hub is underway.Many years ago dining could be enjoyed on the sunny roof, with views of the water, sailboats and downtown skyscrapers.Improvements on the Embarcadero consign this wonderful place to memory.
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Images around a new pavilion near Broadway Pier show history of the Embarcadero.
San Diego’s Embarcadero has undergone some major renovations. One of the new pavilions still under construction near the Broadway Pier features a large display that provides a timeline of the area’s history. Notable developments along the waterfront through the passing years are documented with historical photographs.
While many of these images concern more recent events, it still makes a fascinating visual time capsule. Here are some pics that I took!
1542: Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo claims San Diego Bay for Spain. He named it San Miguel Bay.1913: San Diego’s Broadway Pier makes its debut. It certainly looks different today!1930s: Baseball played across street. Lane Field was home of Pacific Coast League Padres.1962: San Diego Unified Port District is established.1970: Broadway Pier gets a makeover. A cruise ship terminal is added.1976: North and South Embarcadero Marina Parks are dedicated.1980: Seaport Village becomes the newest San Diego attraction.1985: North Embarcadero’s Crescent area renovated.1985: Princess Cruises bases its “Love Boat” in San Diego.1988: San Diego Yacht Club successfully defends America’s Cup.1989: San Diego Convention Center opens.2003: First of six Urban Trees art exhibits along the Embarcadero.2007: Seward Johnson’s Unconditional Surrender statue goes on display near USS Midway.2009: A record-breaking cruise ship season!2010: Port Pavilion opens on Broadway Pier. It’s been over four years already? Time flies!2011: America’s Cup World Series regatta takes place on San Diego Bay.2011: North Embarcadero Project (Phase 1) passes.2012: North Embarcadero Visionary Plan breaks ground nearby.2012: Ruocco Park immediately north of Seaport Village is dedicated.2012: Port of San Diego is 50 years old.2013: San Diego’s historic Star of India tall ship turns 150 years old.2014: Lots of cool waterfront improvements opened, including this pavilion!
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Roving lady stilt walker with parasol welcomes people to Broadway Pier celebration.
I really enjoyed checking out a special event around the Broadway Pier today. San Diego’s bayfront is in the middle of a very large-scale multi-year renovation, and the completion of the North Embarcadero Visionary Plan Phase I was marked this afternoon with a public celebration!
The big Port Pavilion on the pier itself and various improvements and new structures around the foot of the pier have added color, new life and functionality to an area popular with both tourists and locals. A once narrow sidewalk is now a broad promenade, with lots of fun and exciting new features. There are new benches, shady pavilions, beautiful landscaping and other welcome amenities.
I’ll post some of my better photos, and you can enjoy a bit of what I saw…
San Diegans check out the newly revamped section of the North Embarcadero.New benches along Harbor Drive are festive today for the celebrationMusicians near entrance to Broadway Pier entertain folks for the Port of San Diego.A crazy magician wowed young and old on the action-packed pier today.Exactly who are you pointing at?New tables and chairs provide great view of the bay at end of Broadway Pier.Brave souls soar down a zip-line with a docked cruise ship in background.A kids fun zone near the pier featured a very cool Seal Tours amphibious vehicle.Chalk art created on the pier beneath the zip-line celebrates San Diego sights and tourism.Artist of Mexikota Art works on a canvas south of the pier near Harbor Drive.Folks check out a new sign which features nearby places on the Embarcadero.The unique design on this restroom was created by renowned artist Pae White. This artwork is titled Birds’ Words.Art for the North Embarcadero improvement was created by Pae White. The pavilion buildings’ glass colors were selected based on how sunlight affects the bay.Mariachis take a break between performances near one new colorful pavilion.Mural around walls of a pavilion shows timeline of this bustling stretch of San Diego Bay.Both North and South Embarcadero have seen dramatic changes over the decades.More colorful glass artwork incorporated into a new pavilion along Harbor Drive.San Diego’s waterfront has become more beautiful, user-friendly and interesting!
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Volunteers help clean up our San Diego Bay near the Star of India.
The annual San Diego Bay Downtown Cleanup was held this morning! Local scuba divers cleaned up underwater garbage at the edge of our beautiful waterfront, while other volunteers assisted gathering trash above water.
I walked along the Embarcadero from the San Diego Maritime Museum down to Tuna Harbor and took a bunch of cool photographs. Hopefully these pics provide a little inspiration! Let’s make the world more clean and beautiful!
This guy was assisting divers removing trash along the Embarcadero.Power Scuba and Control Group teamed up for downtown waterfront cleanup event.Looking out at dive boat from inside Anthony’s Fishette.Many San Diegans assisted in various ways, or just watched with curiosity.Bags of garbage were gathered throughout the morning to be hauled away later.A participant checks out what’s going on in the water below.The boardwalk near the USS Midway was full of activity.New trash compacting and recycling cans along the Embarcadero are solar powered.Old and young were helping out the environment, making our fine city even better.Scuba divers checked in here before beginning their underwater mission.Piles of garbage found in the bay include construction cones and a shopping cart.Bags of trash are collected as the morning progresses.Pool skimming nets were handy for removing floating litter and debris.Port of San Diego’s boat Tsunami II is used to help clean the bay.Scuba diver gets hosed off on Tuna Harbor dock after gathering trash.
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Check out the Lyra Leader, a massive box-like car-carrying ship as it heads down San Diego Bay toward the National City Marine Terminal. These cool, very unusual type of roll-on/roll-off (RORO) ships are often seen passing close to downtown. They’re bringing in thousands of new cars from Asia–Japan and South Korea–which are driven off a ramp into a massive parking lot. Many of the vehicles are then loaded into car-carrying freight trains and sent off toward their final destinations.
In this photograph, note the active aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson docked at the North Island naval base on the left.
UPDATE–I finally got a couple more pics of another ship while I was crossing San Diego Bay on the ferry. All the passengers were excited to be so close to the massive thing!
Sailboats, skyscrapers and one super enormous ship!Swift Ace car transport ship leaves San Diego Bay.
ANOTHER UPDATE–Here are more photos that I took at later times…
This plaque, a memorial to our nation’s merchant seamen, is located in San Diego’s Embarcadero Marina Park North between a popular walking path and the edge of the big bay. You’ll find it just steps from Seaport Village.
It reads:
Dedicated To the Merchant Seamen
Who Lost Their Lives At Sea
Donated by the Propeller Club of the United States
Port of San Diego
The Women’s Propeller Club of San Diego
Port of San Diego
Cool San Diego Sights! 