Tag: san diego

27th Annual Exhibition of 7 Printmakers opens!

The 27th Annual Exhibition of 7 Printmakers has opened in San Diego. The public is invited to enjoy the work of seven master printmakers inside Gallery 21 at Balboa Park’s Spanish Village Art Center. The free exhibition will be short-lived, however. Make sure to see it by September 25, 2023.

The art on display is extraordinary. You’ll observe pieces created using several different processes of printmaking. There’s the woodcut, wood-engraving, collograph, etching, engraving, drypoint, aquatint, lithograph and serigraph.

All of these many, often complicated printing techniques boggled my mind, even as friendly artist Angelika Villagrana provided a detailed explanation of various processes.

The seven artists with fine work on display are: Raymond Brownfield, Jacqueline Dotson, Igor Koutsenko, Kathleen McCord, Sfona Pelah, Julianne Ricksecker and Angelika Villagrana. They’ve been exhibiting together for many years now!

If you’re looking to purchase some very fine art, swing on by. There’s much that you can choose from.

An opening reception will be held in Gallery 21 this coming Sunday, September 17, from 4 – 7 pm.

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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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A cracker factory, bakery, and den of immorality!

This old two-story brick building in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter has a fascinating history.

The property has been home to a factory that made crackers for ships, several other bakeries including the Royal Pie Bakery, and in the early 20th century, an upstairs hotel that was described as a den of rampant immorality!

Standing at 554 Fourth Avenue, the building was most recently home to Dublin Square Irish Pub.

The property’s history is so complex and interesting that one should read this detailed article by the Gaslamp Quarter Historical Foundation.

An aging plaque on front of the building reads:

Royal Pie Bakery 1884

Originally known as the San Diego Steam Cracker Factory, this brick structure has remained a bakery since its construction in 1884. During the first part of the 20th century, when the Gaslamp was deteriorating into a red-light district, the upper floor housed the notorious Empire Hotel, and later the Anchor Hotel. In 1920, Alois Kuhnel and F. A. Smith purchased the bakery. They were partners until 1939. The building was sold to Alois Kuhnel in 1950.

The Royal Pie Bakery finally closed in 1998.

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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)!

Racing Thoughts painted in a North Park alley!

This cool mural was painted several months ago in a North Park alley during the North Park Music Fest. The large mural, titled Racing Thoughts, was created by Carly Ealey and Christoper Konecki. Their awesome street art is all over San Diego.

Racing Thoughts can be viewed from the sidewalk on the north side of University Avenue, just west of 30th Street. It’s directly opposite that fierce panda mural which I observed in the same alley a couple weeks ago.

Capturing a single image of the long mural was impractical, given the narrow alley, so you’ll have to visualize the mural’s entirety from multiple 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)!

The new Creekside Park in Mission Valley.

A beautiful new park has opened in Mission Valley. The linear Creekside Park, located inside Civita, is centered around an elevated walkway that stretches between Civita Park and Friars Road.

I walked the length of the park this afternoon, my camera at the ready. It’s a green, tranquil place that is inviting to those who love the sunny outdoors.

The north end of Creekside Park at Civita Boulevard.

Sign shows the San Diego River watershed. Runoff from the large Civita community passes from Civita Creek through Creekside Park, part of an extensive natural filtration system.

Heading south with a kids play structure ahead.

Colorful mosaics with a river theme can be enjoyed around and near this large planter. Created by La Jolla artist Jane Wheeler.

IMAGINE

PAUSE

Continuing south, approaching Westside Drive.

About to pass shady picnic benches and a fenced dog run.

Friars Road in the distance.

Looking to the west as I descend toward Friars Road.

Another park map at the south end of Creekside Park. The park’s walkway connects with a sidewalk on the north side of Friars Road.

Looking north at Creekside Park from Friars Road.

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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)!

Learn to cha-cha-cha on a San Diego street!

You can learn how to dance the cha-cha-cha on a San Diego street corner.

It’s true!

At the corner of Civita Boulevard and Via Alta in Mission Valley, a step-by-step cha-cha-cha guide is embedded in the sidewalk!

(I gave the dance steps a try and almost tripped over my own two feet. Passing motorists probably had a good laugh.)

I happened to spy this fun public art as I walked through the Civita urban village this afternoon. I was heading toward Civita’s newly opened Creekside Park. Photos are coming up of the beautiful new 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)!

Veterans receive help at North County Stand Down.

Do you know any military veterans who could use some help? Perhaps they are struggling financially. Perhaps they need a little boost. Perhaps they are homeless.

There’s a four day event next month in Vista, in San Diego’s North County, that wants to help. The North County Veterans Stand Down welcomes all veterans and their families to free meals, accommodations, hot showers and haircuts. Veterans are given new or gently used clothing and shoes, prescription glasses, dental services, medical services, legal services, and simple rest, support and friendship.

Do you know someone who might benefit? Even you, perhaps?

I learned about the North County Veterans Stand Down during my visit to the Escondido Grape Day Festival last Saturday. Good people who know how life can be difficult want to help. I thought I’d pass this information along.

To go to the North County Veterans Stand Down website to learn more and perhaps register, click 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)!

Beautiful sunrise above San Diego River.

I walked in Mission Valley early this morning.

As I passed down Mission Center Road above the San Diego River, the rising sun illuminated low clouds to the east, and beautiful colors reflected from calm water.

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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)!

Story Strolls outside San Diego public libraries!

How does one combine short outdoor walks with story time at a San Diego public library? Story Strolls!

During my visit to the San Ysidro Library last month, I observed one of these Story Strolls along walkways near the building entrance. Words and illustrations from children’s books are printed on signs, to be viewed by walkers in sequence, as if pages are being turned. It’s such a cool concept that I took these photos.

According to the City of San Diego website, eight branch libraries have featured such strolls. Most are in English. This one in San Ysidro is in Spanish. By scanning QR codes with your phone, you can also hear the story read aloud.

All of the library Story Strolls have a nature theme and debuted in June.

(If these signs appear a little dirty, we’d recently had some rain.)

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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)!

Unique roof of the Verna House in Old Town.

Does the roof of the 19th century Verna House in the above photo seem unusual? Perhaps that’s because it’s a uniquely sloped mansard roof, one of very few built on the Pacific Coast in the Victorian era.

The quaint little house stands at 2476 San Diego Avenue in Old Town. Today it serves as the Whaley House Museum Shop, where visitors can purchase museum admission, books and assorted gifts. Like the nearby Whaley House itself, the shop in the Verna House is operated by Historic Tours of America, the folks behind San Diego’s popular Old Town Trolley Tours.

I knew nothing about this house and its history until I spotted the above plaque while walking down San Diego Avenue several days ago. The plaque was placed on the house’s exterior earlier this year. It reads:

The 1870’s French-Mansard style home was named after San Diego restaurateur Cesare Verna and his wife Maddalena Daniele. In 1965, after the death of Maddalena, the house was moved from 319 West Ash Street near Downtown and placed next to the Whaley House to be saved from demolition. Today the Verna House is a vital part of the Whaley House Grounds and county park, and is a shining example of San Diego’s rich architectural history.

Twenty years ago, when the Verna House was maintained by the Save Our Heritage Organisation, the old structure was restored. Here’s an interesting article that provides description and 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)!

More fun photographs along 30th Street!

North Park in San Diego is a place where you can find all sorts of colorful signs and street art. I took these fun photographs several days ago during a walk up 30th Street, from University Avenue to El Cajon Boulevard.

It had been a long time since I passed this way. All of the sights you see here were new to my camera.

Enjoy!

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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)!