If you’ve followed my blog for some time, you probably know that I love Tuna Harbor. It might be my favorite spot in San Diego.
Today, a little before sunset, I had another magical walk down the G Street Pier. Sunlight sprinkled stars upon the water. Slanting light reflected from a jumble of fishing boats; it silvered the downtown skyline.
After taking many photos of interesting stuff on the working pier, I headed around Tuna Harbor into Ruocco Park.
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In the morning I took the trolley down to Chula Vista and walked to the harbor. I’ve blogged on several occasions about Bayside Park and the adjacent Chula Vista Marina, but I had never explored Chula Vista Bayfront Park on the south side of the harbor, near the boat ramp.
I found a peaceful, grassy place with inviting paths, wide views of the South Bay, and a couple fascinating works of public art. And some wildlife, too!
Come with me as we walk from the tall ship Bill of Rights around the south end of the California Yacht Marina and finally to Chula Vista Bayfront Park.
The schooner Bill of Rights, based in Chula Vista, can be chartered for fun adventures. It often participates in San Diego’s annual Festival of Sail.Relaxing by the picturesque marina on a quiet, peaceful morning.Flags fly near the California Yacht Marina, located at the south end of Chula Vista’s pleasant harbor.The California Yacht Marina building appears inviting.Circling around the marina toward the boat ramp and adjacent grassy park, where you can see some trees.A quiet morning walk in San Diego’s South Bay.A person sitting on a bench in Chula Vista Bayfront Park enjoys some shade. Nearby boats float gently on the water.A boater heads into the marina, toward the tall ship Bill of Rights.The fishing pier of nearby Bayside Park lies to the north across Chula Vista Harbor’s entrance. I see the Coronado Bay Bridge and downtown San Diego in the distance!These three abstract sculptures on the grass near the walking path are titled Konoids, by Kenneth Capps, 1984.An osprey in its nest out on San Diego Bay.Sign in Chula Vista Bayfront Park describes the osprey, a large raptor.Ospreys like to dive for fish. They are year-round residents of San Diego Bay.An unusual sculpture. Powering the Arts, by artist Micheal Leaf, 2015. It stands next to the blue water at Chula Vista Bayfront Park.Sign describes how Powering the Arts was once a cylinder atop the now demolished South Bay Power Plant.A cool, unexpected sight in San Diego’s sunny South Bay!
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Viking warriors gather at Embarcadero Marina Park South during 2017 Comic-Con to reenact the funeral ceremony of a fallen hero.
A special event during 2017 Comic-Con was held Friday evening at Embarcadero Marina Park South. Vikings, a popular show on History, staged a ceremonial Viking funeral that climaxed with the burning of a longship on San Diego Bay!
A large crowd gathered in the park and watched as a fallen hero was carried off by other warriors with great solemnity. Then they cheered when the principal actors made a sudden appearance.
The staged burning of the Viking longship was exactly the sort of spectacle one expects at Comic-Con!
Fans at San Diego Comic-Con await a special event that promotes History’s hit show Vikings.A 45 foot Viking longship floats on San Diego Bay. Its burning will be a central attraction of the event.Here come actors portraying a clan of Vikings. We’re almost ready to begin.A fallen warrior is ready to be carried from a small fortress-like Viking building.The body is transported out in a solemn ceremony.I knew the Vikings were great explorers, but I didn’t realize they sailed all the way to San Diego Bay!Act One is complete.After a long wait, the stars of the show arrive to much cheering. Here comes Katheryn Winnick, who portrays Lagertha.And here is Alexander Ludwig, who plays Bjorn Ironside.Alexander Ludwig greets his fans in San Diego during 2017 Comic-Con.A crowd favorite arrives. It’s Alex Hogh Andersen, who plays Ivar the Boneless.Alex Hogh Andersen heads into the fortress, from which the actors address the crowd.Everyone listens to the actors, watches a trailer and answers show trivia for prizes while we wait for twilight.People grow restless after waiting quite a long while.The Viking longship is overtaken by shadow as the sun sets, then finally the nearby boats move safely away.A Viking funeral. The longship burns on San Diego Bay.
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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!
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A desert island can be found directly behind the convention center, floating on San Diego Bay. There you’ll find the Wrecked Pop-Up Island Tour during 2017 Comic-Con!
Perhaps you’ve considered getting Wrecked while walking about during 2017 Comic-Con. Well, here’s what you need to do. Head directly behind the San Diego Convention Center and look for the small, flat, strangely rectangular desert island floating on the bay. You might note some palm trees on this island, and a conveniently wrecked aircraft. And a rather large hashtag. That’s where you need to go.
I’ll share some photos of my fun visit this afternoon. Then perhaps you might check out the second season of Wrecked on TBS which just started in June…
I feared this guy might film me riding the wild boar, so I avoided making too big a fool of myself.At first I thought this flight attendant was seating passengers on the wrecked aircraft. Looks to me like a nice shady spot–just avoid the sharp edges!Instead, she introduced me to a primitive hut full of friends. You know–the type Tom Hanks had in the movie Castaway.Someone might have finally captured that wild boar running about the island.Does this explain the name Wrecked?I wonder if they use the dials on that ruined aircraft instrument panel to keep score while playing miniature golf?Fortunately, the Watering Hole isn’t very far from the Lotus Air Lavatories!Thank you for a fun tour of the island! Maybe getting Wrecked during Comic-Con ain’t so bad after all!
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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!
The top section of a historically important lighthouse now stands on a sidewalk in Old Town San Diego!
A lighthouse that once guided ships into San Diego Bay now stands on an Old Town sidewalk? How strange is that?
Well, not an entire lighthouse–just the lantern room of the 1890 Ballast Point Light Station!
The other day while walking down Congress Street, a few steps southeast of Harney Street, I paused to more carefully examine this mystery. (I’ve driven past the kiosk-like structure often, without really giving it a second thought.)
First, you should note Ballast Point is about 6 miles southwest of Old Town. The spit of land juts down into San Diego Bay from Point Loma; it’s where tall ships used to load ballast stones for their return trip around Cape Horn to the East Coast. Today it is part of Naval Base Point Loma.
So how did this top section of Ballast Point’s historic lighthouse end up on an Old Town sidewalk?
Some interesting photos behind a glass pane provided me with a few clues. The Ballast Point Light Station was built in 1890 and eventually dismantled in 1960. (Click the images and they will expand so you can read much more.)
After doing a little research, I learned the lantern room was found in 1998 by the owner of an Old Town nautical antiques store–West Sea Company–in a classified ad. At the time the Ballast Point lantern room was located at someone’s Bonita residence! Purchased and transported by flatbed truck to Old Town, it was placed on a cement pad near West Sea Company–and here it “mysteriously” remains today!
The 1890 Ballast Point Light Station was an example of Railroad Gothic. Its sixth order lens can be seen today at Cabrillo National Monument, in a museum beside the Old Point Loma Lighthouse.Historical photo and some words explain the light at Ballast Point. It guided sailors past Middle Ground Shoal and into San Diego’s harbor.A public domain photo of the Ballast Point Light Station, courtesy Wikimedia Commons.This lantern room housed a light that guided ships into San Diego Bay. It can now be seen on Congress Street in Old Town!
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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 fun photos for you to share and enjoy!
This morning I explored the heart of La Mesa. I’ll blog about my adventure shortly.
This afternoon I returned downtown, then strolled for a couple of magical hours along San Diego Bay. I gazed at the whirl of people all around. I glimpsed moments in life.
Near the softly rippling, bright water, life can seem like a dream.
Walking along, touching a tree.A moment on some steps.Ice cream on a sunny Sunday afternoon.Resting on the shady grass.Family and a passing white sail.A kite high in the blue sky.Like dreams on sparkling blue.Looking down into mystery.A busy day and a smile.A story some will not see.Fishing for memories.A wave upon waves.Fishing beyond an old fence.Many choices.The passage of time.Realizing dreams.Youth and fantasy.A bite to eat.
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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 few vessels the public can visit during the San Diego Wooden Boat Festival at the Koehler Kraft boatyard on Shelter Island.
Yesterday I headed over to Shelter Island to check out the annual San Diego Wooden Boat Festival. The event is taking place all Father’s Day weekend at the Koehler Kraft boatyard. Proceeds from the festival help out local charities.
Koehler Kraft is where many wooden boat owners head if their vessel needs a repair or upgrade. The boatyard was founded in 1938. I enjoyed poking around the place, and examining some very cool vintage wooden boats. There were also beautiful newer boats, and a few had unusual, fascinating designs.
Enjoy my photos and read the captions to learn more!
A look at the Koehler Kraft boatyard from a platform that juts out over the edge of Shelter Cove Marina in Americas Cup Harbor.People walk out to look at some wooden boats during a very cool festival on Shelter Island.Koehler Kraft’s San Diego Wooden Boat Festival is taking place on Father’s Day weekend.Various boats in the boatyard are being worked on. Some displays show the public how wooden boats are made.One can see the exposed framework of this small wooden boat.Inside the Koehler Kraft building are several more wooden boats. The big one being worked on is Siwash, a 1910 yawl that held the round Catalina time record for 27 years.Friendly folks show off lots of cool stuff at Koehler Kraft.I love how wood is everywhere. Working here must be a woodworker’s dream.Another boat is being worked upon. The varnished wood is simply beautiful.Now we’re outside again, looking down at the water where many boats crafted from wood await.Boats can be moved into and out of the water using these old rails and a wheeled platform.The Marjorie is an elegant wooden boat.Visitors to the San Diego Wooden Boat Festival check out a variety of interesting vessels.This small boat is named Tom. It’s a 2015 catboat. Carvel planked Port Oxford cedar on white oak frames.Water reflects rippled light on the smooth stern of Old Glory.Some guys and a dog on the deck of Sally, of the San Diego Yacht Club.Wooden boats have amazing character. Even the weathering adds personality.One’s eyes can take delight in these boats all day long.I believe I’ve seen the Patricia Belle at the yearly Festival of Sail. It’s a schooner cargo type boat built in 1998.Everyone is checking out these great boats!Someone peers down into a beautiful wooden sailboat.
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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 fun photos for you to share and enjoy!
Late this afternoon I walked along the Embarcadero. People were out and about, strolling, lingering by the water. My camera found magic, wonder and warmth.
Doing a bit of work on a boat in Marriott Marina.Strolling along San Diego’s waterfront on a warm late Friday afternoon.A pedicab driver relaxes while awaiting some business.Something interesting must be down in the water.Three friends walk along the Embarcadero.Two friends share a moment.On green grass, under a green tree.Silver light and a dreamlike sailboat.
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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!
We pull away from the Embarcadero aboard the Admiral Hornblower, on a special harbor tour provided by the Port of San Diego.
Last Saturday I enjoyed a special boat tour of San Diego’s harbor. The free tour was created by the Port of San Diego for Maritime Month, which was actually May. (The earlier tours were so popular, an additional June date was added.) The main intention of these tours was to educate the public about the importance of San Diego Bay, and the waterfront’s many contribution’s to our local economy.
We set out on the Admiral Hornblower and checked out a number of fascinating facilities that are overseen by the Port of San Diego. The Port of San Diego manages San Diego Bay and a strip of surrounding waterfront land. Its five member cities are San Diego, National City, Chula Vista, Imperial Beach and Coronado.
According to their website “The port oversees two maritime cargo terminals, two cruise ship terminals, 20 public parks, the Harbor Police Department and the leases of hundreds of tenant and sub tenant businesses around San Diego Bay.”
Well, what exactly did we see and what did we learn?
I took a few notes, which I’ve placed in my photo captions. Let’s head out onto the water on an overcast day and see some fascinating sights!
Looking back toward the Port Pavilion on Broadway Pier. This facility can host special events or welcome cruise ships. Every visiting cruise ship adds 2 million dollars to the San Diego economy.Someone enjoys recreating on San Diego Bay as we pass Tuna Harbor. Tourism and commercial fishing rely on San Diego’s versatile harbor.It’s Saturday morning, so the Tuna Harbor Dockside Market is open on Fish Harbor Pier near Seaport Village. It’s the place to go if you like fresh seafood.Now we are approaching the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal. Most people associate it with those big yellow Dole ships that bring in about 185 million bananas and other fruit each month!The Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal is to undergo modernization. Some transit sheds will be removed, to create more flexible laydown space.These are windmill tower components.This part of the facility is used for transferring cement between ship and shore.This 1,800-ton-per-hour bulk loader handles soda ash, bauxite and fertilizer exports.Docked south of the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal, beside the Cesar Chavez Park pier, are the vessels of Pacific Tugboat Service.Near the east end of the San Diego–Coronado Bridge is the first of three big shipyards–Continental Maritime of San Diego.Navy ships are undergoing repairs and modernization. The white plastic wrap prevents paint particles from entering the environment.The next shipyard as we head south is BAE Systems. They also provide repair and modernization services. This huge ship in one of two dry docks is completely concealed!This is a new type of stealth Navy ship–a guided missile Zumwalt-class destroyer. DDG-1000 is the first of its class. Its radar image is similar to that of a fishing boat.Another vessel is being worked on at the BAE Systems San Diego shipyard. You can see floating oil spill containment booms in many of these photos.Finally we are nearing the General Dynamics NASSCO shipyard. New ships are built here. It is the largest full service shipyard on the West Coast.It’s an overcast “June Gloom” late morning on San Diego Bay.As we continue into the South Bay, we see a large ship is being moved away from the shore by tugboat.It’s the Palmetto State, a fuel-efficient ECO Class tanker that was built at the NASSCO shipyard.Now we are beginning to pass Naval Base San Diego–what some refer to as 32nd Street Naval Station. It is the principal homeport of the U. S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet.This is the USS Essex (LHD-2), a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship.San Diego is home to these three Avenger-class mine countermeasures ships.The unusual white vessel is a barracks barge–where a crew lives while their Navy ship is undergoing major repairs.The USS Makin Island (LHD 8) returned from deployment recently. The gold anchors indicate this ship has earned the Navy’s Retention Excellence Award.Now we are past the Naval base and approaching the National City Marine Terminal.I see lots of cars. If you own an automobile imported from Japan or South Korea, there a good chance it arrived here.Vehicles of all type arrive here by huge roll-on/roll-off (RORO) ships, including trucks and tractors.Longshoremen drive hundreds of new vehicles off the ships. Warehouses nearby are used to install accessories. White wraps on cars protect them from dirty stuff like seagull poop! Some ospreys have nests atop those high lampposts.These totaled cars arrived from Hawaii! They’re headed to San Diego salvage yards.Half of the new cars are sent to their final destination by train, the other half by truck. This facility accommodates super long freight trains–120 cars long!We’ve turned about and have headed back to the North Embarcadero. Before we dock, we check out a superyacht temporarily moored in the middle of San Diego Bay.This is the Attessa IV, owned by Dennis R. Washington, 76th wealthiest person in the United States! The Port of San Diego accommodates all sorts of ships!
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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 fun photos for you to share and enjoy!
Construction of a new fire station at Pacific Highway and Cedar Street. When finished this station will serve the North Embarcadero and Little Italy.
Many cranes now fill the sky in downtown San Diego. They seem to be concentrated in East Village and along the waterfront. I’ve lived in downtown for a long time, and I don’t recall seeing this amount of construction activity in many, many years.
As you might have noticed, I like to walk along the Embarcadero. During the past few months I’ve been watching the progress of several construction projects not far from the water. Every time I go for a stroll it seems that I have to tilt my head farther and farther back…
It’s fascinating to watch new buildings slowly rise into the sky–and to watch as old buildings are swept away. It seems that human ambition is like an ocean that crashes wave after wave, unceasingly changing the cityscape. The things we see today will in time be replaced, and, like ourselves, become a small bit of history.
Here are some photos. Most I took late this afternoon. (The first four photos, which show the new fire station construction, were taken very recently.)
Read the captions!
The new fire station is west of the railroad and trolley tracks, in order to avoid potential delays when fire engines are dispatched to emergencies near San Diego’s harbor.I took this photo (and the next) about a week after those first two photos. Huge steel beams have appeared!A new bayside firehouse is being built in San Diego!Graphic on the fence surrounding the now closed Anthony’s Fish Grotto. A new waterside dining experience is coming called Portside Pier.Portside Pier will be just south of the Star of India and include a dock for visiting boats. (Interesting that this graphic doesn’t show Point Loma, North Island or any land across San Diego Bay!)Portside Pier will include Brigantine, Miguel’s, Ketch Grill and Taps, and Portside Coffee and Gelato.Demolition of the Navy Broadway Complex has been underway for several weeks. I believe a remotely-controlled robot is being used to destroy the old building floor by floor, starting at the top level.Another look at the old Navy Broadway Complex being slowly removed. Heaps of debris are growing.Photo taken from Ruocco Park shows the Navy Broadway Complex demolition, plus the construction of the new InterContinental Hotel (left crane) and Pacific Gate by Bosa (right crane).The Navy Broadway Complex is being demolished to make way for Manchester Pacific Gateway, which will include four office buildings, a retail promenade, tourist attractions, a park and two hotels.A look at the demolition so far from Pacific Highway. The Navy Broadway Complex has evolved since the early 1900’s and has served the Pacific Fleet in various capacities.The tall Pacific Gate by Bosa appears to be nearing completion. Photo taken near intersection of Broadway and Pacific Highway.Construction continues near the base of Pacific Gate, a high-rise luxury condo.Pacific Gate rises in the distance, behind the construction of a new InterContinental Hotel, located at the site of old Lane Field. Photo taken from across Harbor Drive.When finished, this InterContinental Hotel will provide 400 luxury waterfront rooms for visitors to San Diego.I took some photos of ground floor construction as I walked along Pacific Highway north of Broadway.Another photo of construction of San Diego’s new InterContinental Hotel.Looking upward.Lots of cranes are in San Diego’s blue sky! A dynamic city grows and continues to evolve.
Here are a couple of later pics!
The new InterContinental Hotel rises.The old Navy Broadway Complex falls.
And one more photo of the fire station after months of progress…
In this photo the City of San Diego Bayside Fire Station No. 2 is approaching completion.
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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!
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