Tag: san diego

A historic Flag Day debut in Balboa Park!

More history was made today in San Diego’s vibrant Balboa Park!

This morning, during a special Flag Day ceremony, flags were run up new flagpoles above the entrance of the San Diego Automotive Museum for the very first time.

The two new flagpoles were installed on the roof almost a month ago, along with two large grizzly bear sculptures. See one of the cold cast bronze grizzlies dangling from a crane by clicking here!

Adding the two flagpoles and the two bear sculptures was part of a project by the Committee of 100 to make the historic California State Building, now home of the Automotive Museum, appear more like it did in 1935 during the California Pacific International Exposition.

I missed this morning’s special Flag Day event, but I walked through Balboa Park in the afternoon and took these photos…

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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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Is this an idealistic, utopian home?

A unique trailer towed by bicycle is now on display near the front counter of the San Diego Central Library. It’s called Migration Home 1 (MH-1).

According to its description, this tiny “mobile home” that doubles as a rowboat was crafted with repurposed materials, and designed with a mixture of realism and idealism.

The artist, Aaron Glasson, seems to envision a bleak future where humans can’t rely on technological progress to solve problems, but must live a more primitive existence.

Can a vehicle such as this carry an idealist toward utopia?

The statement concludes: By believing in the value of solution-based thinking, artmaking, and utopian idealism we can help guide the future in a more positive direction.

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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 Twitter!

The gas lamps of San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter.

Have you noticed those four working gas lamps in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter? The ones that help light the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Market Street?

Walk beneath the lamps and you might notice bronze plaques embedded in the sidewalk. They indicate these working gas lamps were installed in 2002. You’ll also learn the idea to have real gas lamps in the Gaslamp Quarter was originated by the Coss family.

The Gaslamp Quarter in San Diego got its name because once upon a time, back when today’s downtown was called New Town, there were fifty gas lamps lighting the young city. Fifth Avenue was one of the principal streets, leading south to a wharf in San Diego Bay.

The dancing flames of today’s four active gas lamps are like spirits from the past. They add atmosphere to a historic district that features many old Victorian buildings, particularly at night.

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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 Twitter!

Solar Opposites on a Comic-Con 2023 trolley!

Aliens have arrived on planet Earth and they’re traveling about on a San Diego trolley! Hulu’s zany animated show Solar Opposites has debuted on a San Diego Trolley wrap for Comic-Con 2023!

Apparently there will be lots of Comic-Con activity along the trolley tracks this year. The Comic-Con trolley wraps are coming out well over a month before the beginning of the world’s most incredible pop culture event!

I can’t wait to see what else appears. Stay tuned!

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I’ll be covering Comic-Con again this year. To see all my current and past blog posts concerning Comic-Con, click here and scroll down!

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 visit to the San Diego Police Museum.

There’s a fascinating museum in San Diego that seemingly few know about. Occupying a modest, easily missed building near the intersection of El Cajon Boulevard and College Avenue, the San Diego Police Museum is packed wall-to-wall with displays that lovers of history shouldn’t miss!

I visited the museum for my very first time a while ago and was amazed at the quality and variety of exhibits.

Photographs, documents, equipment and artifacts trace the earliest days of the San Diego Police Department right up to the present.

There’s a mid-20th century police Communication Center. There’s a simulated jail cell, and a real police motorcycle. There are different uniforms from the past.

There are old newspapers with headlines about crime in San Diego. There are memories of past police chiefs. There is standard law enforcement gear dating back to the 1800s, and even a Tommy Gun, like those that were once used by gangsters.

There are displays concerning horse mounted officers, bike teams that were established in the early 1920s, and four-legged K-9 officers. There’s recognition of how diversity has played a more and more important role in the San Diego Police Department through the years.

There are old police badges and hundreds of patches. There are even artifacts from charity football COP’er Bowls and sports trophies won by officer athletes and bodybuilders.

And there are medals won by police heroes. They ran toward danger in the service of others.

And covering one wall: a memorial to fallen officers.

For more details about the museum, including its hours of operation, check out the SDPD Museum website.

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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 Twitter!

A second Paramount trolley for Comic-Con!

A second San Diego Trolley wrap that promotes entertainment available on Paramount+ has appeared for Comic-Con 2023!

I photographed one side of a trolley car with the first Paramount design yesterday. You can see those photos here.

The new trolley wrap that I discovered today features many more shows available on Paramount+. Graphics on one side promote iCarly, Yellowjackets, School Spirits, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, and 1923. The other side includes Star Trek: Lower Decks, Bumblebee, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Evil, and Tulsa King.

I added a little contrast to some of these photos.

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I’ll be covering Comic-Con again this year. To see all my current and past blog posts concerning Comic-Con, click here and scroll down!

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!

First Comic-Con 2023 trolley wrap: Paramount!

The first San Diego Trolley wrap has appeared for Comic-Con 2023!

I spotted it today and snapped these photos.

This first Comic-Con wrap promotes movies and television shows that are under the umbrella of Paramount Global. The theme is A Mountain Of Entertainment!

I see the titles are: Scream VI and Rabbit Hole on Paramount+, Billions on Showtime, and Transformers: EarthSpark, Monster High: The Movie and SpongeBob SquarePants on Nickelodeon!

Are you ready for Comic-Con? Here it comes!

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I’ll be covering Comic-Con again this year. To see all my current and past blog posts concerning Comic-Con, click here and scroll down!

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!

Preparing to reopen the 1910 Balboa Park Carousel!

The restoration of the 1910 Balboa Park Carousel is now in high gear! I saw workers refurbishing the old building’s exterior today during a walk through Balboa Park. The historic carousel is scheduled to reopen next month!

Over the past several years, there have been various efforts to help preserve the beloved merry-go-round. I’ve posted several blogs concerning it. Carousel animals have been newly painted. LED lighting has been installed. The roof has been altered, removing the triangular overhangs at each corner.

More recently, according to the Forever Balboa Park website, the restoration project has proceeded with structure stabilization and the installation of a fire-safety sprinkler system.

The comprehensive restoration should be completed in July in time for National Carousel Day!

There will be a big celebration that day! There will be free carousel rides and family entertainment! When? July 25th, from 11 AM – 5:30 PM.

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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 Twitter!

NBCUniversal returning for Comic-Con 2023!

I’ve learned NBCUniversal will be returning to San Diego next month for Comic-Con 2023!

During my walk through Gaslamp Square this morning, I observed some guys measuring off an area where NBC has traditionally held their Comic-Con offsites. I spoke with one gentleman, and he told me the entertainment powerhouse is indeed returning. He mentioned the pop-up will include Syfy and Chucky, and will be more elaborate than the NBCUniversal photo-op walk-through that was built here in 2022.

I’m excited to see what this will be! There have been some really creative and engaging NBC Comic-Con offsites in past years.

Yes, I intend to cover Comic-Con again in 2023. I live downtown and I’m taking several days off from work. The San Diego Trolley wraps should be debuting soon. Stay tuned for lots of pop culture fun!

To enjoy all of my Comic-Con related photos over the course of many years (including hundreds of cosplay pics), click here and scroll down!

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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 Twitter!

Historical photos of Sessions Building in Old Town.

The architecturally exquisite Sessions Building in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park is now home to Toby’s Candle & Soap Shop. Originally, however, it was owned by Milton P. Sessions. Beginning in 1929, he operated a flower and ceramic shop out of this building, which was designed by his friend, renowned architect Richard Requa.

Does the Sessions name sound familiar? That’s because Milton was the nephew of the famous Kate Sessions, who is often referred to as the Mother of Balboa Park. She helped him as a young man get his start as a nurseryman.

Should you walk into Toby’s Candles, you can view a couple of old black and white photos framed on the wall left of the front counter. They show what the Sessions Studio looked like almost a century ago.

The La Jolla Historical Society wrote this excellent article on Facebook five years ago about Milton P. Sessions. Among his notable accomplishments, he provided the landscaping for the Roads of the Pacific at the 1935 California Pacific International Exposition in Balboa Park. I blogged about the “forgotten” Roads of the Pacific recently here.

When you visit Toby’s, make sure to watch the skilled artisans making fancy candles! You might see something like this!

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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 Twitter!