Tag: san diego

Wildlife street art on electrical boxes.

I spotted this great street art during my recent walk through the new Creekside Park in Mission Valley.

Depicted are wild animals, birds and insects that one can find in San Diego County’s vast backcountry. Mountain and desert habitats appear to be well represented.

I’m not sure who the artist is, but the artwork appears to be fairly new. I didn’t notice a signature.

These electrical boxes are located about halfway along linear Creekside Park, inside the Civita residential development. Look for them where the park’s main path intersects Westside Drive.

If you’d like to see more street art in Civita painted on electrical boxes, click here!

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

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Photos from amazing Pacific Islander Festival!

During this weekend, San Diego’s big annual Pacific Islander Festival was held at Ski Beach in Mission Bay.

Thousands turned out to celebrate the traditional cultures of the indigenous peoples of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. It’s the largest, most attended Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander festival in the United States!

As you can see from my photos, a huge audience sitting on the grass enjoyed San Diego’s warm sunshine and lots of traditional island dances, costumes and music. There was a fantastic selection of food, vendors everywhere, and, most interesting to me, an assortment of booths boosting tourism with fascinating cultural displays.

All those islands–all their culture–all that vibrant life– There was so much to absorb during my visit!

Did you miss this amazing, free, family-friendly event? I hope these photographs inspire you to go next year…

Does the above watercraft appear familiar? It’s a model of the ocean-going outrigger canoe Sakman.

Perhaps you recall seeing Sakman years ago during its stay in San Diego. See a couple of photos here.

I learned a documentary film is being produced titled Sakman: The Legend of The Flying Canoe. It follows the creation of the Sakman Che’lu, a 50ft. vessel built by a group of retirees in San Diego, CA. Despite being first-time builders and sailors, they courageously recreate this magnificent canoe, 6,000 miles away from their island home. Check out the film’s website 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)!

William Heath Davis Monument for downtown!

There are plans to place a monument to William Heath Davis in downtown San Diego. I learned about the project today. Drawings and details from the proposal were on display at the Gaslamp Museum‘s booth at the Pacific Islander Festival!

The connection to this festival? William Heath “Kanaka” Davis, Jr., the original creator of New Town San Diego, was born in Hawaii!

The bust of William Heath Davis will be placed in Pantoja Park, downtown San Diego’s first city park, which he also created. The photo above shows how the sculpture will generally appear.

You can expand my images of the information signs to read details!

…Kanaka Davis grew fond of San Diego’s warm weather and envisioned a thriving seaport, commercial center, and residential community along the waterfront which he dubbed New Town San Diego. With other investors, Kanaka Davis bought 160 acres of waterfront land, laid out streets, created Pantoja Park…

Seventeen years later, Alonzo Horton added his subdivision to the east of New Town, which today is the Gaslamp Quarter. Both Kanaka Davis and Alonzo Horton were the pillars that created downtown San Diego…

Project is a pedestal monument with a plaque and head bust… Pantoja Park…was founded by William Heath Davis in 1850. The proposed monument describes the founding of Pantoja Park…

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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)!

Setting up the colorful Catrinas of Old Town!

Old Town San Diego State Historic Park is already getting ready for Day of the Dead, or Día de los Muertos. Today I noticed that bigger than life Catrinas in beautiful dresses were being set up on barrels outside Fiesta de Reyes and Barra Barra!

I watched as a Catrina’s calavera (sugar skull) was removed from one figure, then attached to a second. Need to match those colors!

I was told that for Día de los Muertos, there will be a total of 51 Catrinas and skeletons set up at Fiesta de Reyes and Barra Barra!

I was also told that the celebration of Día de los Muertos in Old Town this year will be bigger and better than ever! The State of California’s Arts in Parks program is inviting local artists, culture bearers, chalk artists, piñata artists, traditional craftsmen and musicians to play a role!

I can’t wait to go! It’s a little over a month away. Meanwhile, lots of very fancy Catrinas will be greeting visitors to Old Town!

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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 River restoration near Fashion Valley.

Nearly 5 acres of San Diego River habitat in Mission Valley will be undergoing restoration through 2024. I saw this sign while walking down the San Diego River Trail this afternoon.

Invasive plants will be removed in a stretch north of the river, south of Fashion Valley. According to the sign, non-native species that will removed include the Brazilian pepper tree, Canary Island date palm, Mexican fan palm, eucalyptus and pampas grass.

This is a project of the San Diego River Park Foundation, Urban Corps of San Diego County, and the Fashion Valley mall.

Learn more about this and other river projects, and possibly help out as a volunteer, 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)!

Japanese Navy ships arrive in San Diego.

Two ships of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force docked today at San Diego’s Cruise Ship Terminal. I noticed them this afternoon during a walk along the Embarcadero.

Every couple years, it seems, I notice Japanese naval ships in San Diego harbor, paying a friendly visit. The vessels this year are training ship JS Kashima and the guided-missile destroyer JS Hatakaze.

According to this article, the ships are visiting many ports in the Americas. For those who are curious, the Kashima will be open to the public on Saturday, Sept. 23, from 10 a.m. to noon and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. It’s the ship on the right (near the pier) in my photographs.

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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)!

Nautical rope, sea bags, and a sailor’s life.

For much of the 20th century, Naval Training Center San Diego was the place where Navy recruits learned what their new life at sea would be like.

Today, NTC Liberty Station occupies those old Navy buildings and barracks. The popular San Diego destination contains museums, artist studios, shops, offices, restaurants . . . and thought-provoking installations of public art.

A Dime to Call Home is sculptural art that I photographed during my last visit. The unusual art, made of cement, soft clothing and nautical rope, is located near some archways along Liberty Station’s North Promenade. It was created by artist Michele Montjoy of Oceanside, California, and installed in 2019.

A nearby sign explains:

Using sculptural forms reminiscent of sea bags and nautical rope, A Dime to Call Home is a conversation about the shifts of identity, location and routine that recruits encounter when they enter the military, as well as the connection they have to their family, home and previous life.

I took several photographs.

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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)!

House of Germany gets Balboa Park dancing!

Today’s lawn program at Balboa Park’s International Cottages was high energy!

The House of Germany began their annual cultural program with instrumental music and an adult and children’s choir. The two choirs ended their part of the program by singing Edelweiss together. As you might expect, many in the audience sang along.

The audience grew and grew, and by the time the German American Societies Children’s Dance Group came on stage to dance, many on the lawn were ready to join them!

Oh, and the authentic German bratwurst with sauerkraut (and lots of ketchup and mustard) was delicious!

The German Theater Group San Diego, a sub group of the German American Societies, is based in El Cajon. Check out their website 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)!

The Sound of Music comes to Balboa Park!

Those in San Diego who love The Sound of Music, rejoice! The timeless musical will be playing in Balboa Park next Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theater!

I was sitting on a bench at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion reading a book this afternoon when the full cast unexpectedly assembled on the stage for a photograph!

My camera got busy, too!

This uplifting Sound of Music production involves members of the Santa Sophia Catholic Church in Spring Valley. Everyone up on the stage wore a big smile!

If you want to enjoy next weekend’s performance, check out their website 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)!

Mexican Independence Day celebrated in Little Italy!

This evening, Mexican Independence Day is being celebrated in Little Italy. Cultural performances, including lots of colorful folklorico dancing, can be enjoyed in front of San Diego’s Mexican Consulate. A good crowd had gathered for the event shortly after it began, as you can see in my photographs!

If you read this in time, the Mexican Independence Day celebration will continue on the 1500 block of India Street until 9 pm tonight!

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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)!