La Mesa has completed their landmark archway sign and it’s amazing!
Last May I noted how the La Mesa Downtown District sign was under construction. When I walked past the completed project a few days ago, I was absolutely wowed. Look at the hundreds of tiles painted by members of the La Mesa community!
I had to walk around both supporting columns to enjoy the many colorful tiles. Some had inspirational messages. All were painted by resident families, kids, local organizations and businesses…
I just snapped photos at random as I perused the fun, artistic tiles…
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Another fun blog post full of photos taken while walking around San Diego before the start of Comic-Con 2026. It’s now Tuesday. Tomorrow is Preview Night.
Shop windows, activations rising, exhibitors arriving, a little cosplay–just random images!
Enjoy!
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If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!
Yes, Doomsday is fated for San Diego. A portent of Doomsday is arising in the Gaslamp Quarter!
The historical Gaslamp Quarter sign is undergoing a sinister transformation. Doctor Doom seems to have recruited workers to prepare for his arrival. Some say the mighty throne of God Emperor Doom will be placed here in the center of Fifth Avenue.
Or perhaps this is a dimensional portal through which he’ll arrive to conquer Earth during Comic-Con 2026!
Avengers Assemble!
UPDATE!
The next morning I saw this…
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If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!
Various signs have begun to appear in downtown San Diego that Comic-Con 2026 is fast approaching. San Diego’s epic international pop culture event is just two weeks away!
I’ve already shared photographs of new Comic-Con trolley wraps now traveling about San Diego (for example, see my previous four blog posts). I’ve also posted photos of Avengers: Doomsday banners (now all over San Diego) and street advertisements for Magic: The Gathering | Marvel Super Heroes up and down Fifth Avenue in the Gaslamp Quarter. But more has begun to appear!
Here’s some of what I’ve noticed so far.
The above photo is of a Pokémon banner hanging in front of the Union Kitchen and Tap Gaslamp.
What’s that in my next photo? An ESRI building wrap on the Hilton? Every year, the ESRI conference comes right before Comic-Con at the San Diego Convention Center. It’s an indication Comic-Con is just around the corner!
A colorful My Hero Academia poster has been placed in a Gaslamp window.
During Comic-Con, favorite baseball movie The Sandlot was scheduled to have a special showing and talk at downtown’s Balboa Theatre. Now I see the event was cancelled, unfortunately.
Batman grins from the front window of BAIT, a specialty shop that has lots of cool collectibles.
The Exclusive Collections gallery in the Gaslamp Quarter has scheduled a special Comic-Con appearance by artist DeVon from July 24 – July 26, 2026. DeVon traces his artist lineage directly back to Andy Warhol.
MTS has provided helpful information on San Diego trolleys. Reading it, I learned they’ve logged more than 250,000 extra passenger trips during the four day Comic-Con event!
These banners are now everywhere in downtown San Diego!
Are you ready?
With only two weeks to go, Cool San Diego Sights is going into (mostly) Comic-Con mode.
Don’t worry if that’s not your cup of tea. Once Comic-Con is over, I’ll be posting more cool stuff about Balboa Park, Old Town, Solana Beach, Hillcrest, North Park and much more!
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If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!
Walking around San Diego the past week or so, I’ve seen signs that the city is getting ready for the big America 250 celebration. The 250th anniversary of the United States is coming up on Saturday, July 4th–Independence Day!
I’ve been taking photos of things that concern America’s birthday. Here’s what I’ve found so far, including event information you might find useful…
In Old Town:
In Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, an Old-Fashioned 4th of July will include a flag raising ceremony, live music, art, lawn games, a watermelon eating contest, a quilt raffle, and loads of free family fun. The patriotic event starts at 11 am and continues to 3 pm.
In the Marriott Marina:
At the Coronado Ferry Landing:
At the San Diego County Fair:
In Coronado at the VFW:
At a hotel and restaurant in East Village:
I forget where:
In Balboa Park:
In Balboa Park, the House of USA will present America’s 250th 4th of July Celebration! There will be food, dancing, music and patriotic fervor! It all takes places at the International Cottages from 11 am to 4 pm.
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Walking in downtown and Coronado today, I found many signs that NASCAR is racing in San Diego all weekend!
It’s NASCAR’s first time in San Diego–at Naval Air Station North Island to be exact–and you could tell people were excited.
The Coronado ferry was packed to the gills. Race fans were wearing shirts and gear representing their favorite drivers. The Goodyear blimp was overhead. Shops and bars were welcoming those who’d come to see some of the world’s best drivers race a wild and woolly course on the Navy base!
As the Sunday race action came nearest downtown and Coronado, it almost sounded like an F-18 roaring its high powered takeoff from North Island!
I took these photos while walking around…
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A sign posted inside the playground at Solana Beach’s Fletcher Cove provides some history of the place. I discovered the sign this morning and thought you might enjoy a look.
An old aerial photograph allows the viewer to see how Fletcher Cove had changed between 1923 and 2023.
In 1923, Colonel Ed Fletcher began a project that would provide easy public access to the beach. High pressure water sprayed with a fire hose would carve a path down to the beach through the sandstone bluffs.
On July 4, 1924, Fletcher Cove opened with great fanfare!
