A mural titled Cosmic Train of Wisdom, painted in 1989 by local Chicano artist Mario Torero and students from O’Farrell High School of Performing Arts and Roosevelt Junior High School, decorates the back side of a building located on the northwest corner of Park and El Cajon Boulevard.
Today very few people venture around the building to enjoy the faded 100-foot-long, 40-foot-high mural, which depicts a colorful train driven by young people. Optimistic symbolism fills the mural. On the south end of the building, astute passersby will see the historic, animated neon Frank the Trainman sign at the top of a flight of stairs, which form the mural’s triangular cowcatcher.
This was the original location of the Frank the Trainman model railroad store, which Frank Cox opened in the 1940s. He eventually retired and passed his business on to fellow model train buff Jim Cooley, who sold the property to Mission Federal Credit Union in 1987. To honor the history of Frank the Trainman, the architectural firm of Bradshaw and Bundy altered the building’s exterior into the outline of a locomotive, and the Cosmic Train of Wisdom was subsequently painted.
(Jim moved the original train store to today’s location just down Park Boulevard and added to it his own unique collectibles museum, which includes some extremely rare antique automobiles. I blogged about that here.)
I walked behind the building yesterday and took the following photographs of the large, nearly 30 year old mural, to help preserve a little bit of San Diego history…
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An amazing, gigantic mural by the renowned artist Wyland cruised into San Diego this morning! The mural, titled Cruising with the Whales, is painted on the bow of the positively enormous cruise ship Norwegian Bliss, which was diverted into San Diego due to Hurricane Willa off Mexico.
Robert Wyland, who is based in Laguna Beach and Hawaii, has several works of marine art on display around San Diego. I’ve photographed a few of them, which can be spotted here, here and here.
This evening I was walking along Broadway past the new, almost completed InterContinental San Diego when I noticed a couple of guys installing artwork near the waterfront luxury hotel’s entrance.
I spoke briefly to one of the workers and learned they were following a general design that was provided to them. I’m not sure who the artist is, but I like what I see so far!
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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 couple months ago I blogged about the debut of a fascinating dodecahedron sculpture called Unfolding Humanity. The San Diego Geometry Lab had begun building their project by a parking lot at University of San Diego.
Today I finally saw the interactive metal sculpture completed! It was among the many cool inventions on display at 2018 Maker Faire San Diego in Balboa Park!
If you want to learn more about Unfolding Humanity–the mathematics behind it, and how it’s symmetry and complexity is similar to the structure of the universe–please check out my earlier blog post here, or visit the artwork’s extremely interesting website here.
I learned from Diane Hoffoss, Associate Professor of Mathematics at USD, that the San Diego Geometry Lab might be building additional similar projects in the future. Probably every other year. Because it’s quite an undertaking!
I also learned that many people enjoyed stepping inside Unfolding Humanity during Burning Man! Someone even performed magic tricks inside it!
This is what I saw at Maker Faire San Diego today…
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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!
Statue of Hall of Fame relief pitcher Trevor Hoffman at Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres.
“There is no shortcut to true success.” Those are the words of Trevor Hoffman, 2018 inductee into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. He is remembered as one of the greatest players in the history of baseball.
The wise quote adorns the base of his bronze statue, which was unveiled this summer at Petco Park.
Great achievements require hard work and persistence. Achievements that endure the test of time must be built game by game, inning by inning, pitch by pitch.
The San Diego Padres have honored two of their Hall of Fame players with magnificent statues at Petco Park. Both Tony Gwynn and Trevor Hoffman are now immortalized in bronze. Both sculptures were created by artist William Behrends, who has been referred to as the Sculptor of Sporting History.
I posted a few photos of the Tony Gwynn statue five years ago here.
Neither Trevor Hoffman nor Tony Gwynn chose the easy path. Both worked constantly, studied the game, and never stopped honing their skills.
“There is no shortcut to true success.” To those who have high aspirations, important words to remember.
A sculpture of Trevor Hoffman overlooks the Padres bullpen, just beyond left field at Petco Park.There is no shortcut to true success. Trevor Hoffman.The high leg kick of Hall of Fame relief pitcher Trevor Hoffman immortalized in bronze.Two legends of baseball now intersect at Tony Gwynn Drive and Trevor Hoffman Way, just outside Petco Park.The bronze sculpture of legendary pitcher Trevor Hoffman, by artist William Behrends.
A cheerful sun, beach and ocean bench at Liberty Station in Point Loma.
New art installations and other surprises are always popping up around Liberty Station in Point Loma.
The site of the former Naval Training Center San Diego is a historic place where culture now thrives, and inspiration awaits around every corner.
Over the years Liberty Station has become increasingly dynamic. A cool new movie theater, THE LOT, has opened. Liberty Public Market has been open and thriving for a while, too. I’ve read that a new hotel will be coming to the Arts District, and I’ve observed the old Base Exchange might become a fantastic performance venue.
During my recent walk around Liberty Station my eyes searched for stuff that I haven’t photographed before. In the past I did post an image of the “sun, beach and ocean” bench you see above, but I had neglected to provide fun up-close photos.
A happy crab, shells and a sand dollar.A seahorse and jellyfish.More sea life on a very colorful bench!These cool egg-seats await diners outside Breakfast Republic at Liberty Station. (I hope they’re hard-boiled, not soft-boiled.)I spotted this patio chair’s artistic seat while walking around the Arts District.A sculpture by the relatively new THE LOT movie theater. Afoxe, by artist Brad Howe.A music and performance venue is proposed for Liberty Station, site of the old Naval Training Center San Diego.The old Base Exchange, Building 178, of now closed Naval Training Center San Diego, awaits renovation as a possible performance venue.A banner showing a contemporary quilt outside Visions Art Museum at Liberty Station.Paintings inside the Dick Laub NTC Command Center lobby by local artists with studios at Liberty Station.New art is always appearing around Liberty Station, a unique cultural center 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!
A series of columns at Liberty Station have recently been painted with expressive murals by Mexican-born artist Hugo Crosthwaite, who works in both Mexico and the United States. The murals, which are located next to Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens and Liberty Public Market, are titled In Memoriam: Column A and Column B. I took some photographs during a recent walk around Liberty Station.
The murals touch one’s heart. A variety of emotions are depicted in the faces of people who live and move through our border city. There is happiness and pain, sadness and pride. There is fear and hope. These emotions are powerfully familiar, because at one time or another we all experience them.
A series of columns at Liberty Station have been painted by artist Hugo Crosthwaite.Hugo Crosthwaite, Column A and Column B, 2018.
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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!
A new downtown mural reads: SMILE, you’re in San Diego. This happy message was painted by Phoebe Cornog, one of the creative directors of PANDR Design Co.
There’s a brand new, very colorful mural in downtown San Diego! It had me smiling today!
This public art was painted just days ago, on a high parking lot wall next to First Avenue, north of Broadway. It’s the same wall that features another mural concerning humility and nobility that I blogged about two years ago here.
The muralist is Phoebe Cornog, an artist who is also one of the creative directors of PANDR Design Co.
Very cool!
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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!
A large, welcoming Love City Heights mural greets people along University Avenue near Interstate 15.
There’s a surprising, rapidly expanding outdoor art gallery in San Diego that anybody can freely enjoy. The huge canvases of this unique gallery are the walls of buildings in City Heights, on the stretch of University Avenue between I-805 and I-15.
Eye-catching works of art by noted San Diego and Southern California muralists have recently been painted all along this “drive-through” gallery. And many more will be appearing soon!
I recently enjoyed a walking tour of the colorful murals, led by Carlos Quezada and Edwin Lohr, two members of Love City Heights, an association affiliated with the City Heights Town Council. Carlos and Edwin are both visionaries who are working with local residents, community leaders and businesses to bring new life to this extraordinarily diverse San Diego neighborhood.
An important part of their effort is #theavenuemuralproject. The Avenue Mural Project is using the magic of art to transform University Avenue, which contains City Heights’ Business District, into a vibrant place full of culture, creativity and community pride.
I learned that Carlos has a definite goal. He’d like to have one new street mural painted every month. His hope is that eventually three works of public art will be easily seen from any random spot along “The Avenue”.
I also learned that Love City Heights is collaborating with the City Heights Development Corporation and Mid-City CAN (Community Advocacy Network) to create even more murals east of I-15 through their youth program.
In addition to filling the streets with cool art, Love City Heights is working with business and property owners to transform their historic San Diego neighborhood into a dynamic place where people from all over will come to dine, shop and enjoy themselves. City Heights is the most diverse community in all of San Diego, and is centrally located, with many unique ethnic restaurants that can be found nowhere else. City Heights is uniquely qualified to be an authentic cultural attraction in San Diego.
Would you like to learn more about San Diego’s colorful, rapidly growing “drive-through” art gallery?
Are you an artist, resident or local business owner who’d like to participate in the revitalization of City Heights?
Do you live in San Diego and want something fun to do? Hop in your car or put on your walking shoes, then embark on a voyage of discovery along University Avenue between I-805 and I-15, where you will enjoy an ever-growing gallery of murals!
Here are a few . . .
The first mural painted by The Avenue Mural Project in City Heights contains joyful swirls of many colors! Endless Summer was designed by artist Erin Bowman.The warm San Diego sun shines above stylized waves.The Endless Summer mural was painted by local school children, whose names appear in one corner, along with many positive messages.Earlier this year I posted a photo of this mural on my blog. I hadn’t realized it’s part of a cool outdoor drive-through art gallery in City Heights!Compassion in a City Heights alley. I was told this Amor mural, by @inkpaint and @fabianafoca, is a work in progress.The beautiful tile mosaic “A” is not quite completed.VISUAL painted the wall of a MetroPCS store with a cool image of kids communicating with tin cans and a string.One business along University Avenue had their building painted with a pleasing mural containing elements of nature.Another local store now has happy, inviting murals painted on a side of their building.This fun image depicts kids breaking open a piñata.A mural titled The Garden Party by artists Althea Rose Neff, Gilbert Cota and Alex Malone.A closer photo of The Garden Party mural, on the wall of popular Mexican restaurant Super Cocina.Los Angeles muralist Ruben Rojas, co-founder of Beautify Earth, painted LOVE on the side of 7-Eleven in City Heights.
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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!
He Left From Here, an angelic sand sculpture by World Master Dmitry Klimenko from St. Petersburg, Russia.
The following photos feature twelve of the most amazing sand sculptures you’re likely to ever see.
Each work of art was created by an internationally famous World Master sand sculptor. And right now, throughout this Labor Day weekend, the public can experience these fantastic works of sand art up close and in person at the 2018 U.S. Sand Sculpting Challenge!
The U.S. Sand Sculpting Challenge in San Diego, California is considered to be one of the premier Labor Day events in all the United States. At this unique competition, which is held on downtown’s Broadway Pier, visitors can also view incredible sand sculptures carved by super-talented local teams (this year three award-winning teams from Imperial Beach), and all sorts of additional three dimensional artwork along the pier.
But the most extraordinary sand sculptures are inside the pier’s Port Pavilion. And that is what I photographed today.
Prepare to have your breath taken away!
Fantastic art is created by one of the world’s top sand sculptors inside San Diego’s Port Pavilion at the 2018 U. S. Sand Sculpting Challenge.Dmitry Klimenko puts the finishing touches on a truly breathtaking work of sand art.Eulogy, a sand sculpture of a rhinoceros by World Master Brian Turnbough from Chicago, Illinois.The artistry seen in this sand sculpture is extraordinary.Brian Turnbough finishes a tribute to the endangered rhinoceros.Who Are You?, a fantastic sand sculpture by World Master Agnese Rudzite-Kirillova from Latvia.Closer photo of a remarkable sand sculpture.Agnese Rudzite-Kirillova puts the final touches on a sand cat.A visitor to the 2018 U. S. Sand Sculpting Challenge in San Diego admires a small work of art.At Last, Atlas’ Last Atlas!, a humorous sand sculpture by World Master Morgan Rudluff from Santa Cruz, California.Morgan Rudluff works to finish her sculpture by early afternoon, to meet the competition’s deadline.A unique work of art produced by skilled hands and human imagination.The base of Liberation, a sand sculpture about freedom by World Master Dan Belcher from St. Louis, Missouri.An eagle is liberated from a cell-like cage. Dynamic sand art with great emotional impact.Existential Paradox, a mysterious sand sculpture by World Master Rusty Croft from Carmel, California.Peering through the existential paradox at an inner human face.A part of one face.Rusty Croft works on humanity’s mysterious inner essence.Another amazing sand sculpture inside the Port Pavilion!Let’s Dance, a fanciful sand sculpture by World Master Meg Murray from Australia.A closer photo of the graceful, organic sand sculpture.Meg Murray concentrates on her poetic sand art.Rear of the abstract Let’s Dance, with some simple sand sculpting tools on a table in the foreground.Victory, a classic sand sculpture by World Master Thomas Koet from Melbourne, Florida.Another fine work of art. It seems a miracle that such a detailed sculpture can be made out of sand.Thomas Koet at work on the back side of his triumphant sand sculpture.A world-class sand artist at work.To Have and To Hold, an amazing sand sculpture by World Master Abram Waterman from Prince Edward Island, Canada.An eye-catching photograph of an eye-popping sand sculpture!This photo makes it appear as though huge hands are clasping the artist Abram Waterman.Tender love depicted on the rear of the sculpture.A beautiful woman is held in the sculpted sand hands–in the eye of the beholder.Inspire, a beautiful sand sculpture by World Master Marielle Heessels from Netherlands.Flowing beauty magically rises from a block of sand.An inspirational sand sculpture in San Diego.Small Victories, a happy sand sculpture by World Master Lucinda “Sandy Feet” Wierenga from South Padre Island, Texas.Lucinda Wierenga creates amazing detail with very simple tools.A butterfly emerges from a flowery bottle full of small victories.Celebration, or Cerebration, a cool sand sculpture by World Master Leonardo Ugolini from Italy. Small figures gaze up at a gigantic brain!Astonishing art awaits visitors on Labor Day weekend in San Diego at the 2018 U. S. Sand Sculpting Challenge!
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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!
Cool San Diego Sights! 