Cool art on a music store window on Garnet Avenue.
Yesterday I went for a very long walk through Pacific Beach and Mission Beach, two extremely popular beach destinations just a few miles north of downtown San Diego.
I began by walking west along Garnet Avenue in Pacific Beach, from around Ingraham Street all the way to the beautiful and historic Crystal Pier. This stretch contains more bars, tattoo parlors, smoke shops and swimwear stores than just about anywhere else in Southern California. It’s a young, hip, beachy sort of place, that’s mostly laid back and unpretentious. You’ll see bikinis and skateboarders and tourists and families and surfboards atop cars and under arms just about everywhere you go.
You’ll also see a lot of very cool urban art: on walls, on windows, on rooftops, in alleys…all over the place! Here are some random pics I took as I walked westward in the sunshine…
Aloha Spirit mural on side of Pacific Beach building.Surfers and the ocean are major themes in this popular beach community.Mural shows lifeguard climbing a tower among palms.Funky street art between two buildings on Garnet Avenue.Pacific Beach public art features a large seagull.Street art in an alley behind a tattoo parlor.Hubcaps and tiles add flavor to a colorful local eatery.Another tattoo parlor embellished with bold swirls of urban art.Photo mural on a wall shows old Crystal Pier at west end of Garnet Avenue.Sunny Pacific Beach has a sunny utility box.Images of surfers and beach scenes are everywhere.
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Yikes! Horrible monsters are on the loose in downtown San Diego, just outside the Pokez eatery! Stay clear! You’ve been warned!
Creature with four eyeballs and crooked teeth.Cool purple monsters often have green drool.Looks scarier than that Alien creature.Crazy street art on a downtown utility box.Pink monster with messed up green eyes.
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Bibbey’s mural includes Finding Nemo and SpongeBob.
Bibbey’s gift shop, which sells sea shells, rocks and other great stuff, is located across the street from the Imperial Beach pier. It’s hard to miss. The building is one big crazy mural! Check out the wild creativity which blends images from television, movies and the popular culture.
Cosmic ocean fantasy and an Imperial Beach mural.Fierce octopus guards door of cool gift shop.A sexy mermaid, the Lorax and other fun elements.Kung Fu Panda and a surfing dragon!Madagascar penguins and Patrick.Someone enters Bibbey’s gift shop.Another great section of Bibbey’s crazy mural.Shark spotted on wall of Imperial Beach building!
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SILO in Makers Quarter is a cool venue in East Village.
People entering downtown San Diego from Highway 94 might glimpse on their left what appears to be a large dirt lot full of odd items and graffiti. At first glance, I figured it was just a junky, neglected old vacant lot. Upon closer inspection, however, I realized the place was something completely unexpected, and pretty cool!
A large black silo rises near the center of the lot, hence the name of this interesting events venue: SILO in Makers Quarter. Beer festivals, bazaars, film festivals…these and other events are staged here in this neglected portion of East Village. According to the Makers Quarter website: SILO in Makers Quarter will be the launch pad to encourage the early adopters in San Diego to embrace the neighborhood and bring about positive change. SILO in Makers Quarter is being established as a year round event venue to bring collaborative community and creative culture to East Village.
I took these photos through a surrounding fence. Very cool!
A black silo rises behind a smile!Painted on a building wall: You are important.Fun events are held in this unusual urban space.Large eye peers from behind chain link fence.Lots of fantastic street art at SILO in East Village.Another example of colorful street art.Makers Quarter’s goal is to attract energy to part of the city.Bold graphics seen from the nearby sidewalk.Photo taken through fence of twisted sculptures.Bales of hay, funky images create a party atmosphere.SILO in Makers Quarter on 15th Street in East Village.
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Ancient Egypt and its symbols inspire much of the vibrant mural.
Folks heading up Park Boulevard beside Balboa Park often turn their heads as they pass the amazing, enormous mural painted on the side of the WorldBeat Cultural Center.
The WorldBeat Cultural Center, based in a former water tower, is a multi-cultural arts organization that promotes and preserves the African and indigenous cultures of the world through music, art, dance, education and technology. The center is also used as a venue for concerts and other special events.
Last Saturday I walked around the structure and took some pics of the huge, colorful mural. It completely spans the outside wall of the cylindrical building.
Front entrance of the WorldBeat Cultural Center in Balboa Park.The WorldBeat Cultural Center is based in an old water tower.A variety of bold faces gaze in every direction from the mural.Fantastic images catch the eye of people passing on Park Boulevard.Egyptian figures painted on the north side of the WorldBeat Cultural Center.The back door looks like a magical entrance to another realm.Exotic falcon with spread wings.Diverse cultures from around the world are celebrated.Image in mural similar to the Mask of Tutankhamun.
UPDATE!
After posting these photographs, I did some research and learned a little more about this amazing mural that celebrates Egyptian, African, and Indigenous cultures.
Nearly all of the artwork was created by Mike Watson, otherwise known as AIR MIKE. He was the original artist at World Beat’s first location on Hancock Street, before moving to the repurposed water tower in Balboa Park under the leadership of Makeda Cheatom.
I also learned the King Tut artwork was contributed by muralist Mario Torero and a group of students.
Here are more pics I took with a different, better camera in early 2021…
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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!
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Elegant street art found on Highway 163 underpass wall.
I was surprised to discover this polished bit of street art in a place where few venture in Mission Valley: in the darkness under Highway 163, along Camino de la Reina, among graffiti and windblown litter. Joggers and the homeless pass through here, but not very often. Who was the artist? Why did they paint a stylish image in this location? It’s a mystery!
UPDATE!!!
This morning, February 5th, exactly one day after the first photo was taken, I walked to work again and the street art and graffiti were painted over! I don’t know if this is pure coincidence, or the result of my blog yesterday…
Here are even more pics from Barrio Logan! These photos were taken on the north side of Chicano Park, from the basketball court to Cesar Chavez Boulevard, including a stretch under the I-5 overpass.
As I mentioned before, some of these images might be considered controversial. To see previous photos, click the Chicano Park tag at the bottom of this post and scroll down. I have one more batch of photos coming up. Please feel free to share anything on this blog!
Raza mural decries Operation Gatekeeper.Cesar Chavez Blvd mural under busy freeway.Arriba Mexico on I-5 underpass mural.A painted Cesar Chavez and two youth greet traffic in Barrio Logan.Aztlan mural on Cesar Chavez Boulevard.Pedestrians near Chicano Park walk past public art.Mural at edge of Chicano Park opposes retrofitting.Painted images on Interstate 5 north of Chicano Park.Utility box painted with El Corazon, the heart.Mural supports Race, opposes the Border Patrol.Elaborate mural containing ancient symbolism on a handball court in Chicano Park.Painted jaguar crouches near basketball court.A very detailed and colorful mural in Chicano Park.Aztec mural painted near chain link fence.Utility box with colorful figures, including a mariachi.Classic cars depicted on a concrete pillar.San Diego Lowrider Council mural in Chicano Park.
We’re back in Barrio Logan’s famous Chicano Park with more pics!
The mural featured here is a very long one. It’s painted behind the park’s fenced basketball court, on a low wall that borders Interstate 5. Like the other public murals in Chicano Park, it’s a colorful hodgepodge of figures and symbols that seem to share one general theme: Mexican American pride and empowerment.
The photos move along the mural from right to left.
02 Mural behind Chicano Park basketball court.03 Mural behind Chicano Park basketball court.04 Mural behind Chicano Park basketball court.05 Mural behind Chicano Park basketball court.06 Mural behind Chicano Park basketball court.07 Mural behind Chicano Park basketball court.08 Mural behind Chicano Park basketball court.09 Mural behind Chicano Park basketball court.10 Mural behind Chicano Park basketball court.11 Mural behind Chicano Park basketball court.12 Mural behind Chicano Park basketball court.13 Mural behind Chicano Park basketball court.14 Mural behind Chicano Park basketball court.15 Mural behind Chicano Park basketball court.16 Mural behind Chicano Park basketball court.
Fun mural in Barrio Logan shows flag, kids, fruit, a train and birds.
Barrio Logan, just south of downtown San Diego, is bursting with huge, colorful street murals. Several great examples can be found around the intersection of Harbor Drive and Cesar Chavez Parkway. The one shown in these pics is immediately north of the intersection.
This mural is fairly large, so I’ve broken it up into several photos, moving from left to right. The first part depicts kids and playful, animated fruit. This gives way to a scene of a train moving through what appears to be an estuary full of birds. A narrow panel along the side of the train is made of a shiny, reflective material.
I believe this mural was painted by Salvador Roberto Torres, who was one of the founders of nearby Chicano Park.
Happy faces of kids on San Diego street.A big friendly dog painted on building side.These animated fruit are goofing around in this fun Barrio Logan street mural.A train with silvery windows passes through scene of lagoon with water birds.Herons and an estuary in mural on Harbor Drive north of Cesar Chavez Parkway
Cool San Diego Sights! 