Tag: seaport village

The dynamic, spiritual chalk art of Steve Mac.

Steve Mac, chalk portrait artist at Seaport Village.
Steve Mac, chalk portrait artist at Seaport Village.

Artists abound along the Embarcadero near Seaport Village. They’ll paint a quick portrait for a modest donation. Today during my walk, I stopped for a bit to chat with Steve Mac.

Steve uses his talent to capture the essence of his subjects. He has a philosophical outlook on life, shunning the material and the ego for the beautiful essence found everywhere around, and within us. About a year and a half ago he had a profound spiritual experience not far from where we spoke, and he woke up from a state of worry and confusion to a spirit-filled life in the now.

Here are a few of his works he had out on display:

Chalk art contains symbols of yin and yang, and the four elements.
Chalk art and symbols of yin and yang, and the four elements.
Serene face between wolves of creativity and destruction.
Serene face between wolves of creativity and destruction.
Sample of colorful double portrait rendered in chalk.
Sample of colorful double portrait rendered in chalk.
Amazing abstract chalk art captures life's essence.
Amazing abstract chalk art captures life’s essence.

I promised to link to his Facebook page.

Amazing rock balancing at Seaport Village.

Amazing rock balancing at Seaport Village.
Amazing rock balancing at Seaport Village.

If you ever visit Seaport Village, there’s a good chance you’ll see the fellow on the right and his amazing gallery of balanced rocks.  He hangs out behind the wall at the water’s edge, right next to the grassy park.  (The park is called Embarcadero Marina Park North, by the way.)

People passing by are encouraged to take photos and try out their own rock balancing ability.  This lady was having a lot of trouble.  Even a small rock edgewise  on a water bottle isn’t easy.

Lady finally succeeds at balancing a rock!
Lady finally succeeds at balancing a rock!

With a little cheating she finally succeeds!

Poinsettia Christmas tree at Seaport Village.

Poinsettia Christmas tree by Seaport Village carousel.
Poinsettia Christmas tree by Seaport Village carousel.

Every year during the holiday season you can find this enormous bright red Christmas tree standing right next to the Seaport Village carousel.  It’s built entirely of poinsettias!  Lots of visitors enjoy posing for photographs beside it!

Manchester Grand Hyatt towers behind poinsettia Christmas tree at Seaport Village.
Manchester Grand Hyatt towers behind poinsettia Christmas tree at Seaport Village.

Surfing Santa arrives by flying a water jetpack!

here comes santa claus with a water jetpack

Wow! Santa returned to San Diego in grand fashion! He’s making his big entrance over the bay using a water jetpack! Here he comes! A huge crowd on the pier just north of Seaport Village was watching with excitement this Saturday afternoon!

Wait! That’s not just a regular, ordinary, everyday daredevil Santa Claus, but the one and only Seaport Village Surfing Santa!

santa is flying high on two jets of water

Surfing Santa rises high above the awestruck crowd to wave and wish everyone a Merry Christmas! Where’s his sack of presents?

santa whirls about in a circle above the bay

Now he’s just showing off. The jolly old guy is jetting about in a circle like a certified maniac with a ridiculously huge beard. The fish below are probably frightened out of their wits. The first time I saw Santa, I was a bit spooked, too.

an elf anxiously awaits surfing santa's arrival

This happy elf and Mrs. Claus patiently awaited old Saint Nick on the pier with a huge throng of onlookers. The reindeer must be taking the weekend off.

surfing santa walks down the pier for his reception

Here he is, larger than life! Surfing Santa! He’s boarded the pier and is making his way to Seaport Village to conduct his usual Santa Claus business.

santa boards pedicab sleigh at seaport village

After boarding a pedicab sleigh, Surfing Santa parades down the bayside walkway while people munching pizza look on in joy and disbelief.

Huge colorful kite in park by Seaport Village.

big colorful kite in park by seaport village

Here’s a fun photo. Check out this super huge kite! Lots of kites were flying at Embarcadero Marina Park North by Seaport Village, but this one dwarfed all others. Various tents and umbrellas added color to the lively scene.

Children play beneath colorful kite near Seaport Village.
Children play beneath colorful kite near Seaport Village.
Man prepares small kite at Embarcadero Marina Park North.
Man prepares small kite at Embarcadero Marina Park North.
Four colorful kites in a clear blue sky.
Four colorful kites in a clear blue sky.

Kids and dogs in costume at Seaport Village.

kids and dogs in costume at seaport village

At Seaport Village yesterday, the Halloween Bash on the Bay brought out legions of costumed kids and their families. Trick or treating, music, food, dancing, crafts and fun were found all over the place.

A colorful costume contest for kids and dogs was held at the central fountain.

kids at seaport village making halloween masks

A mask making station attracted a whole bunch of creative kids.

kids in halloween costumes dance to spooky music

In this photo we see kids dancing and showing off their cool costumes. The fun theme song from Ghostbusters and bubbles from a bubble blower filled the food court as I walked through. Not sure what caused the smoke. Not sure about that blue tarp, either. The Seaport Village carousel twirls in the background.

lots of adults join in halloween fun at seaport village

Even the adults dressed up. Or is that wrestler really Macho Man Randy Savage?

real hot dog poses on a tray

This real life hot dog was a favorite at the costume contest. Everyone wanted to take a pic!

Seaport Village portrait artist draws faces.

seaport village portrait artist at work

A whole variety of street performers, entertainers, psychics and artists can be found along the path that separates Seaport Village from Embarcadero Marina Park North. It’s a lively scene, especially during the summer. I snapped a great photo of a portrait artist sketching the faces of a couple who were seated together. Some of the artists seem more skilled than others; some paint, some draw, some do cartoons and caricatures.

The following pic is from another sunny summer day…

Street artist by Seaport Village paints kids sitting on wall near the bay.
Street artist by Seaport Village paints kids sitting on wall near the bay.

…

Join me on Facebook or Twitter!

Henna tattoo body art at Seaport Village.

henna tattoo body art at seaport village

Just steps from the Seaport Village carousel and Ben and Jerry’s you’ll find a henna tattoo artist. They must’ve been out to lunch when I walked by. But it was interesting to check out the display of possible designs and the table full of colorful materials.

Another pic taken on a day the artist was at work:

Henna tattoo applied to arm of Seaport Village visitor.
Henna tattoo applied to arm of Seaport Village visitor.

And then, one day, I took another stroll through Seaport Village…

I learned the henna tattoo artist is named Natasha! Great smile!
I learned the henna tattoo artist is named Natasha! Great smile!

Click to follow the Cool San Diego Sights blog on Twitter or Facebook!

Merchant seamen memorial plaque in San Diego.

merchant seamen plaque in san diego

This plaque, a memorial to our nation’s merchant seamen, is located in San Diego’s Embarcadero Marina Park North between a popular walking path and the edge of the big bay. You’ll find it just steps from Seaport Village.

It reads:

Dedicated To the Merchant Seamen
Who Lost Their Lives At Sea
Donated by the Propeller Club of the United States
Port of San Diego
The Women’s Propeller Club of San Diego
Port of San Diego

A separate plaque reads:

Dedicated May 23, 1982

Seaport Village behind merchant seamen memorial.
Seaport Village behind merchant seamen memorial.

Watch commercial fishermen unload their catch.

People walk down San Diego's Embarcadero.
People walk down San Diego’s Embarcadero.

watch commercial fishermen unload their catch

A great place to watch small commercial fishermen unload their catch or load up with ice is the dock just north of Seaport Village, opposite the Chesapeake Fish Company. Folks walking past can also peer through a glass window nearby and see workers in a refrigerated room cleaning and processing the fresh fish that ends up at restaurants throughout the region. I once heard the Chesapeake Fish Company is the largest fish broker west of the Mississippi.

The sign in this photograph details the history of San Diego’s fishing industry–tuna fishing and canning in particular. At one time San Diego had the largest tuna fishing fleet in the world. Many of the fishermen were Italian migrants, which gave rise to the Little Italy neighborhood, about a mile to the north on downtown’s waterfront.

Tuna Harbor, adjacent to this dock, now is home to a ragtag group of local fishing boats. It’s also a great place to spot sea lions!

Working Waterfront sign shows photographs from San Diego's rich fishing history.
Working Waterfront sign shows photographs from San Diego’s rich fishing history.
1915 photo shows immigrants cleaning and canning locally caught fish.
1915 photo shows immigrants cleaning and canning locally caught fish.
Sign contrasts abundant catch of 1980 with the decline of tuna fishing in mid 80's.
Sign contrasts abundant catch of 1980 with the decline of tuna fishing in mid 80’s.
Fishing boat passes by the dock and crane.
Fishing boat passes by the dock and crane.