Tag: southern california

Geocache event locates fun in San Diego!

Today hundreds of geocaching enthusiasts converged on San Diego searching for fun. And they found it!

An event named Signal’s Island drew geocachers from around Southern California and the nation to the grass of NTC Park at Liberty Station.

While rubbing elbows with other members of the broader geocaching community, attendees could enjoy all sorts of challenging family activities. There were nearby hidden geocaches to find, puzzle-like “gadget caches” to figure out (including that one with a toilet in my first photo), interesting displays (including the last remaining item from the world’s first geocache–a can of beans), games like Geo Limbo and Coconut Bowling, photo ops, a mini-pie eating contest, a raffle, a geocaching trackables and pathtag exchange, and more!

Why the name Signal’s Island? Signal the Frog is geocaching’s official mascot, and the event was styled after Gilligan’s Island!

Okay, perhaps you’re a geocache novice, like me. Click here to learn about this fun, healthy and stimulating outdoor hobby! According to the Geocaching website, there are 6,602 geocaches to be discovered around San Diego!

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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.

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Sunday fun at Adams Avenue Street Fair!

75 musical acts on seven stages! Over eight city blocks of fun, food, vendors, more food, and entertainment!

Yes, today was the final day of this weekend’s epic 43rd annual Adams Avenue Street Fair!

This super popular street festival in Normal Heights is one of the biggest in San Diego. Indeed, it’s said to be Southern California’s largest free two-day music festival!

I walked along Adams Avenue, stomach rumbling from all the delicious smells. I stopped at several of the stages to listen to live music. Then, in the early afternoon, I enjoyed a performance by San Diego’s own Fern Street Circus!

The friendly folks in the next photo were representing the volunteer-based Adams Elementary Parent Teacher Community Organization. They were raising funds to support the neighborhood school. Check out their website here.

Have you seen the huge new Merrill Madness mural on Market Street in downtown San Diego?

The smiling guy in the next photo is one of the driving forces behind it: Marco (@marcticc).

Check out his website Marctic Creations for cool Padres related gear by clicking 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!

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.

Feel free to share!

FilAm CreatorCon 2025 in Chula Vista!

An amazing free event that attracted creative talent from around our region was held in Chula Vista today. FilAm CreatorCon 2025 brought together lots of Filipino-American artists and their fans!

I was surprised by the huge popularity of this annual convention. It was my first time.

The interior of the Chula Vista Library was filled with artist tables overflowing with fantastic artwork: posters, prints, comic books, graphic novels, stickers, jewelry–you name it!

Several community rooms hosted panels or screenings; a fundraising art auction was open to all; and outside, on the library patio, there was plenty of food and even musical entertainment. Neighborhood families came out to the fun event, kids were active and exploring, and smiling artists were busy showcasing and selling their artwork.

What a great experience!

I loved the positive creative energy! I even recognized some of the artists or their great work!

I started out on the patio…

I saw the following information poster.

Bridge the Gap is a nonprofit organization based in San Diego dedicated to celebrating and preserving Filipino-American representation and heritage.

In the spring they have a Creative Summit which supports the next generation of Filipino creatives.

Now I’m inside the main Chula Vista Library.

Look! It’s super nice artist Mary Jhun!

You’ve seen many examples of her distinctive art on Cool San Diego Sights. Click here and here and here and here.

Some of her work:

Here’s another cool artist and illustrator: Robert Rodriguez (@robz_drawings).

Some of his great stuff…

Watch out! Godzilla is energizing his dorsal spines!

This is Raina Ramos (@thrillustrated). She likes to create dog portraits and other cool stuff, like Star Wars art!

Ron Rubio (@rubiobroscartoonstudio), Director, Animator, and producer of smiles!

He has worked on King of the Hill and The Cleveland Show! His brother who has worked on Avatar: The Last Airbender, and for Pixar and others was present, too.

Little Yellow Jeepney author Jocelyn Francisco, Ph.D. was at the con, too! Literacy is more important than ever.

The FilAm CreatorCon panel From Roots to Resonance: Crafting Filipino Stories with Universal Appeal was fully attended.

Look at all the people at FilAm CreatorCon in Chula Vista!

Big respect!

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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.

Feel free to share!

Oceanside hosts U.S. Open Adaptive Surfing Championships!

The 8th Annual U.S. Open Adaptive Surfing Championships officially opens tomorrow in Oceanside. The public can watch and cheer on the participants!

During the next four days, September 4th to 7th, 2025, physically challenged athletes will take to the surf north of the Oceanside Pier and vie for thousands of dollars in prizes in different surfing competition categories. The event is brought to the city of Oceanside by the Stoke for Life Foundation and the U.S. Open ASC Competition Committee.

Last year 96 adaptive athletes from 18 countries from around the world competed, and this year it should be bigger than ever!

You can find more info, plus the U.S. Open Adaptive Surfing Championships daily schedule, by clicking here.

Today during a walk I spotted tents set up on the beach. I missed a special opening parade because I didn’t know about it. Near the pier I noticed workers getting everything ready at the announcer stand.

After walking out on the pier, I observed one of the athletes catching a wave while prone on a surfboard. He was practicing for the competition.

Good luck to everyone!

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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.

Feel free to share!

Exhibit shows evolution of Hotel del Coronado.

Would you like to see an outstanding exhibition concerning the Hotel del Coronado?

The Jewel in Coronado’s Crown: Over a Century of Historic Preservation at the Hotel del Coronado can now be enjoyed at the Coronado Historical Association museum.

Numerous displays in the free museum show how the iconic Del was built in the late 1800s and has periodically evolved and expanded. Through old photographs and descriptions, visitors can observe how, over the past 137 years, preservation of the hotel’s unique heritage and architecture have remained a priority.

If you enjoy learning about the history of San Diego and Coronado, this exhibition is a must see.

A little of what you’ll find, including a detailed timeline…

The Victorian beach resort was designed by architect James W. Reid and debuted as one of the largest wooden buildings in the world. With 399 rooms, it was the world’s largest hotel resort. The Del made history as the first hotel to have electric lighting.

The charming architecture’s complexity and asymmetry help make the Hotel del Coronado one of California’s most recognizable and cherished landmarks.

Luxury and elegance. Since 1888, presidents, world leaders and celebrities have enjoyed staying at the Del, along with tourists vacationing by the beach in our sunny, temperate Southern California climate.

Postcards, menus and more ephemera are displayed.

Many historical photographs in the exhibit document how the hotel has changed and expanded as time rolls on.

The beautiful Coronation Window was finally moved to a prominent position viewable from both inside and outside the hotel.

This exquisite fresco was revealed by workers removing a low ceiling in the Ocean Ballroom.

A recent lobby renovation has made the Victorian hotel’s interior entrance lighter and even more attractive.

In San Diego? Enjoy a walk through and around the Hotel del Coronado, and experience its magnificence yourself!

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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.

Feel free to share!

Lowriders depart, so that Ferraris can arrive!

Half a dozen lowriders exhibited at the San Diego Automotive Museum have begun their departure. The exhibition was called Low and Slow: A Celebration of Lowriders. But now room on the museum’s floor is being made for fast, shiny Ferraris!

The new exhibit, opening on August 30th, 2025, will concern the evolution of Ferraris–from street to track. I learned sports cars to be displayed include a Ferrari 360, 550, 430, 308 and more!

I love how the San Diego Automotive Museum frequently changes vehicles in their 17,000 square foot exhibit space. Every time I visit, I find something new!

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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.

Feel free to share!

A visit to La Mesa’s McKinney House Museum.

Residents of La Mesa and history buffs who live in and around San Diego should experience the McKinney House Museum, headquarters of the La Mesa History Center.

Last weekend I paid a visit.

The historical museum occupies a modest house that was built by Henry Albert McKinney in 1908. He was a Methodist minister, librarian and operator of a furniture store.

The McKinney family lived on two floors that appeared much as they do today. The McKinney House Museum’s seven rooms have been furnished to reflect the period between 1908 and 1920, and many of the objects visitors encounter were actually owned by the family.

The kitchen, dining room, living room, a room used by boarders, and the upstairs bedrooms are all open to the public. Numerous signs provide information concerning the history of the place.

In 1975 the house was acquired by the La Mesa Historical Society. The year 2025 is the all-volunteer organization’s 50th anniversary!

My photographs provide just a hint of what you might see. You’ll have to imagine how the house once stood in a larger lot full of lemon trees, and had a vegetable garden, rabbits and chickens.

The free McKinney House Museum, at 8369 University Avenue, is typically open on Saturdays, from 1 pm to 4 pm. School and group tours can be arranged. Here’s the website.

When I arrived on Saturday afternoon the museum appeared to be closed, but I found several friendly individuals in a small building in a corner of the property, where the La Mesa History Center archives are kept. The McKinney House was graciously opened for me and the lights turned on.

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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.

Feel free to share!

Thorny shrub protects beautiful Sunset Cliffs.

The California Box Thorn might appear scraggly and unremarkable, but it helps protect the bluffs of beautiful Sunset Cliffs from erosion.

Several of these plants are protected at the north end of Sunset Cliffs Natural Park in Point Loma. A nearby sign explains how the California Box Thorn (Lycium californicum) is native to the coasts and islands of Southern California.

If the shrub looks dead, it probably isn’t. It’s simply dry. After a rain, the tiny leaves turn green and you might notice white bell-shaped flowers and red berries. Birds love the berries!

It’s summer. The protected plants that I photographed are green and obviously watered.

If you’d like to become one of the Friends of Sunset Cliffs, check out my final photograph of information in the nearby kiosk. You’ll see an email address.

And yes, Sunset Cliffs with its rugged sandstone bluffs is one of the most beautiful stretches of coastline in San Diego!

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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.

Feel free to share!

More hidden treasure in Old Town San Diego?

Is it possible that more hidden treasure will be found in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park?

The adobe walls of a room inside the Casa de Machado y Silvas are undergoing restoration. Do these walls contain additional secrets?

During a past restoration of the same Machado y Silvas building, an incredible treasure was found. Important historical papers concerning early San Diego resident Allen Light were found inside the adobe walls!

As I explained in a past blog post: Historical documents discovered by archeologists hidden in the Casa de Machado y Silvas shed light on the life of San Diego resident Allen B. Light. He was also know as the “Black Steward.” Allen arrived in California during the 1830s, aboard the sailing ship Pilgrim, the same vessel that brought Richard Henry Dana Jr. who would later write Two Years Before the Mast.

One document was “a sailor’s protection,” which proclaimed Light was a “coloured man, a free man, and a citizen of the United States of America.” The second document was his commission from the Mexican Governor of Alta California to investigate illegal sea otter hunting along the coast.

If you’re curious what might be found during the present restoration, you can follow Old Town San Diego State Historic Park’s Facebook page here or their Instagram here.

Will a stash of coins be found? A skeleton? More valuable documents? Nothing at all? You can submit your best guess by clicking 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!

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.

Feel free to share!

Century-old locomotive to be restored in La Mesa!

Old No. 3, the 1923 steam locomotive on display outside the La Mesa Depot, is to be restored. I learned that yesterday from Timothy, who is Station Master at the historic old train depot in La Mesa.

No. 3 originally was purchased to haul lime rock on the Mojave Northern Railroad from a quarry near Victorville, California. In 1966 it was retired and donated to the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum Association in Campo, then made its way to the La Mesa Depot Museum in 1981. Unfortunately, in its outdoor setting, exposed to the weather, the century-old locomotive now needs a little loving care.

Old wood needs to be replaced. Rust has eaten holes in steel. Missing instrumentation in the locomotive’s cab needs to be replaced.

Timothy, after showing me how the steam locomotive operates, told me that La Mesa’s old No. 3 shouldn’t appear like a thing in a junkyard, so its restoration is on the way.

Once the work begins, hopefully I’ll be able to swing by and record another bit of history!

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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.

Feel free to share!