Tag: san diego

Photos of a walk through December Nights!

Enjoy these photographs of a walk through December Nights 2023 in Balboa Park!

I started east across the Cabrillo Bridge this afternoon, shortly after San Diego’s big holiday festival opened. I visited the Grinch tree at the Old Globe, then entered the Plaza de Panama where there is a stage and small ice skating rink. I strolled down El Prado, took a side trip to Spanish Village, then eventually found myself at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion, International Cottages and Palisades area. You can see one fun photo near the end where I peeked inside the Comic-Con Museum.

December Nights is very crowded after dark, with families enjoying colorful lights, live entertainment on multiple stages, many Santa photo ops, a huge number of vendors, and lots and LOTS of food! My old camera doesn’t take good photos at night, unfortunately.

December Nights continues tomorrow–Saturday–from 11 am to 11 pm. At 6:30 there will be a free concert by world-famous local rock band Switchfoot at the organ pavilion. That should draw quite a crowd!

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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 (formerly known as Twitter)!

Cool photo memories from December 2018.

Five years ago, during the month of December, San Diego experienced several festive holiday events, including December Nights, a briefly resurgent Christmas on the Prado, and fun activities around the Holiday Bowl.

I took photographs of these events and shared them here on Cool San Diego Sights!

I also took a variety of walks around San Diego. You might recall photos of some surprising artwork, including a 180 ton teddy bear made of boulders! And I captured the beauty of sunrise at the South Bay Salt Works!

Coming up are links to blog posts from December 2018.

Are you curious?

Click the following links for many photographs…

A joyful celebration of Christmas in San Diego!

Beautiful new ocean mural at PB Water Store.

Art, crafts and fun at December Nights!

JOY appears on the Broadway Pier!

Dr. Seuss and Cat in the Hat sculpture at UCSD.

A 180 ton teddy bear made of boulders!

Student art at Mission Trails: Wilderness Views.

La Jolla Library and the Voyage of Discovery.

300 year old Kannon statue in Balboa Park!

Sunrise beauty at South Bay Salt Works!

Photos of Holiday Bowl bands at battle!

Fun photos of 2018 Holiday Bowl Parade!

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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 X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Scandal at December Nights? Community tree ignored.

Do you know San Diego has a Community Christmas Tree in Balboa Park?

Few seem to know.

It appears our city’s Community Christmas Tree will be ignored for a second straight year at December Nights. I walked past the tree this evening, and it’s surrounded by vendor tents, all but forgotten.

Some would say this is a scandal.

The tree replaced an earlier Community Christmas Tree that was planted behind the same iron fence in 1981.

The original tree eventually became overgrown and unsuitable for decoration. The beautiful new tree is thriving and certainly large enough for lights and ornaments.

I’ve spoken to various people about this situation (including people who should care), but no one knows anything. Most people, it seems, have very short memories or simply don’t want to be bothered. How sad.

Read more about San Diego’s Community Christmas Tree by clicking here or 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 X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Christmas tree lights through downtown windows.

The Westgate Hotel

Have you recently walked through downtown San Diego after dark? Brightly lit Christmas trees are now shining through windows!

Most of the large office buildings have put up a Christmas tree in their lobby for the holiday season.

I took a few photographs this morning before sunrise, while it was still good and dark outside. My short walk provides just a sample of what curious eyes might see…

Symphony Towers

1200 Third Avenue

501 West Broadway

America Plaza

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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 X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Nutcracker dances by San Diego Civic Youth Ballet.

The San Diego Civic Youth Ballet has been an institution in Balboa Park since 1945. Their annual performances of holiday favorite The Nutcracker begin in early December. That’s quickly approaching!

A preview of several Nutcracker dances was offered this afternoon at Balboa Park’s Spreckels Organ Pavilion.

Most of the weekly Sunday organ concert was devoted to the youthful dancing. And it was quite good!

Light, graceful movement, as if on a cloud, shined up on the stage. The professionalism and poise of the young ballet dancers was remarkable.

Several times during today’s preview a connection problem with an iPhone caused the music to unexpectedly stop, but the dancers danced on, unfazed. When the music suddenly started again, it was as if the glitch had never happened.

These photos show how wonderful The Nutcracker is bound to be. The upcoming performances will be at the Casa del Prado Theater in Balboa Park. Get your tickets by clicking 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 X (formerly known as Twitter)!

San Diego Museum of Art Artists Guild exhibition.

When I walk through Balboa Park, I usually wander into Spanish Village Art Center, then through the door of Gallery 21. I did exactly that today.

What did I find? A whole lot of great art, of course!

I had stumbled upon the Fall Membership Exhibition of the San Diego Museum of Art Artists Guild.

Unfortunately, exhibitions in Gallery 21 typically last two weeks, and tomorrow is the final day of this one. But I figured I’d post a few photos anyway, to bring attention to a group of local professional artists who actively support the San Diego Museum of Art.

I moved in a circle through the gallery, peering at various types and styles of art, wowed by the talent of these great artists.

Friendly artist Ed Whitmore, who was manning the information desk, answered my questions about his own pieces–very unique, strangely organic works. He uses the controlled oxidation of iron, copper, and bronze metal effects paints, a process that quickly creates patina.

Check out one of his pieces…

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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 X (formerly known as Twitter)!

San Diego’s community Christmas tree . . . forgotten again?

San Diego’s incredibly popular December Nights event is less than a week away.

Holiday decorations are being set up throughout Balboa Park. Hundreds of thousands of visitors are anticipated next Friday and Saturday.

Will San Diego’s new Community Christmas Tree be forgotten again? Regrettably, it was forgotten last year. Read that sad news by clicking here.

The tree, encircled by a fence opposite the Spreckels Organ Pavilion, was planted about four years ago. It replaced an overgrown, spindly, misshapen Community Christmas Tree that could no longer safely support lights and ornaments.

The new tree has grown to be very beautiful. But, as I explained, it was forgotten last holiday season. Will that happen again this year? I hope not.

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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 X (formerly known as Twitter)!

San Diego artist’s experience during the New Deal.

Several weeks ago a new exhibit opened at the San Diego History Center in Balboa Park. San Diego’s New Deal Renaissance: An Artist’s Experience concerns the life and work of notable local artists during the Great Depression, with a focus on Belle Goldschlager Baranceanu.

Belle Baranceanu was painter, muralist, lithographer, engraver and illustrator who moved from Chicago to San Diego in 1933 looking for opportunity. She found employment with the Works Progress Administration curriculum project.

Her work included two monumental murals at Roosevelt Junior High School (not far from Balboa Park): Building Mission Dam and Portola’s Northern Expedition. Those two amazing murals were moved to the San Diego History Center where they have been preserved and can be viewed. The exhibit includes studies that she produced before painting the murals.

By the way, you might have seen more of her work in Balboa Park. The Progress of Man can be found in the grand foyer of the Balboa Park Club building. The mural was created for the 1935 California Pacific International Exposition. The History Center exhibit includes a reproduction of the large mural.

San Diego’s New Deal Renaissance: An Artist’s Experience provides information concerning other local artists during this era, as well, including sculptor Donal Hord and painter Charles Reiffel. (Yes, the same Charles Reiffel whose pieces include two huge murals at the History Center and two canvases on a wall inside the Casa de Balboa, the building that houses the History Center.)

There’s far too much to describe here, so it would best to visit the San Diego History Center yourself! It’s always super interesting and free!

During your visit, check out the History Center’s seasonal poinsettia Christmas tree. Perhaps swing on by during Balboa Park’s big December Nights event next week!

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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 X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Sculptures installed at new City Heights cultural center!

San Diego has a new cultural center in City Heights. Columbus Hall, located at 4425 Home Avenue, has recently become a destination where artists and lovers of art can gather.

A sculpture installation around the Columbus Club of San Diego‘s building opened last week. It’s titled Beyond the Anthropocene.

Beyond the Anthropocene is a three-dimensional, sculptural collection that asks each artist to project their idea about “what is next.” Three of the pieces are new. Others were previously located in the sculpture garden that used to be along University Avenue just east of Interstate 15. (You can see blog posts about that past sculpture garden here and here.)

Local artist Jim Bliesner is the curator of Beyond the Anthropocene. The other contributing artists are Karl Gindelberger, Tarrah Aroonsakool, Spenser Little, Marcus Montes, Lionel Delevingne, Dianne Brunner, Randy Lane and Iain Gunn.

Drive down Home Avenue just east of Fairmount and you’ll notice several of the pieces beside Columbus Hall. The extraordinary wire art hanging against the building will undoubtedly catch your eye!

During my visit yesterday, I noted that there was a food truck and picnic table nearby for hungry visitors.

If you’re ever in the area, you definitely want to stop on by!

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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 X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Jefferson students paint kindness in North Park!

Kindness is action, not just words.

Students from Jefferson Elementary School in North Park have painted several outdoor murals that concern human kindness. They decorate a boarded-up vacant building at the corner of University Avenue and 30th Street.

The colorful artwork was created by kids attending kindergarten through fifth grade.

I spied these murals yesterday as I returned from City Heights, where I visited a new cultural center, which I will blog about shortly.

The Jefferson Action Club loves North Park.

Beautiful mural painted by Jefferson kindergarten students.

Respect the World.

Everyone has a voice!

Hand prints and hearts.

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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 X (formerly known as Twitter)!