The Italy national football team, winner of this summer’s UEFA Euro 2020 tournament, is being celebrated on the streets of Little Italy. Banners have been hung from lamp posts in the downtown San Diego neighborhood, depicting players on the victorious soccer team.
I walked through Little Italy this morning and took photographs of several banners along India Street.
In this world whose history includes much grief and violence, perhaps a friendly sporting competition that brings people from many different nations together is a good thing.
Bravi Azzurri. Well done, Italy!
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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!
You know those strings of small lights that have been installed along certain downtown San Diego streets in the past year? This morning I saw workers on B Street toiling by one segment of the new lights, and I learned they’re installing a wireless network.
Once their work is complete, these strings of festive lights can be changed to different colors remotely!
What a cool enhancement for downtown’s atmosphere!
I can’t wait to see all the colors!
UPDATE!
A couple months later I saw more of these lights being strung in Little Italy by the trolley station!
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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!
Yesterday I walked along many blocks of Convoy Street in Kearny Mesa. I was on a mission to check out the new Yu Darvish mural that is being painted this week. See those photos here!
As I walked through the heart of the Convoy District, I saw a few bits of “street art” that I photographed.
The Convoy District describes itself “as the commercial and cultural heart for San Diego’s 450,000+ member Asian & Pacific Islander communities.” It is one of several areas in San Diego that has attracted a sizable Asian population.
There are numerous eateries in the strip malls that line Convoy Street. Restaurants offer Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Thai food, not to mention Hawaiian, Italian and lots of Mexican.
I remember frequenting an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet back in the 80’s when I was quite a bit younger and could devour multiple platefuls!
It was wonderful to see bits of art along Convoy, but there is definitely room for much more!
Welcome to ConvoyA very colorful rooster with a beer on the side of Cross Street Chicken and Beer. At this restaurant Korean Fried Chicken meets Classic Southern Cooking. Mural by @espanagarcia_art.A newly painted electrical box on Convoy Street. I believe this might be the result of a recent Utility Box Mural Program that partners the Asian Business Association San Diego, Convoy District, SDG&E, and Cox. It was the only decorated box I happened to see.I passed these two lions that stand on the grass in front of Jasmine Express. It appears they used to be located elsewhere. If you know anything about them, leave a comment!
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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!
You can easily explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on my blog’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There are thousands upon thousands of photos for you to enjoy!
Please enjoy these photos of many H.E.A.R.T. murals that can be found in Ramona along the length of Main Street. I happened to see these particular murals during my most recent walk through town.
The Ramona H.E.A.R.T. Mural Project promotes community pride, and entices those driving through this East County town, often on the way to Julian or Anza Borrego, to stop and explore.
According to the Ramona Murals website, the letters in the acronym H.E.A.R.T. stand for Historic and Hiking; Equine; Arts, Antiques and Agriculture; Rural vistas and drives; and Tasting of fine wines. Or perhaps it simply means heart. I prefer the latter.
Photos that I already shared of one multi-panel mural concerning the historical Verlaque Pioneer Store can be found by clicking here.
There are additional murals that I didn’t see, particularly those near the west end of Main Street. You can view those and find a map of all the murals here.
Hiking Mt. Woodson, 2018, artist Rik Erickson.Ramona Reflections, 2020, artist Gretchen Weidner.Bandy Blacksmith, 2019, artist Beata Wojcik.Music Mural, 2014, artist Jason Luper.Casey Tibbs, 2012, artists John and Jeanne Whalen. Casey Duane Tibbs was a Ramona resident, rodeo performer, stunt man and actor. In 1979 he was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame.Country Lifestyles, 2017, artist Robert K. Teague.Lucky Spirit–Charles Lindbergh, 2016, artists John and Jeanne Whalen. Seems familiar? This mural was originally on the commuter building at Lindbergh Field–now called San Diego International Airport.Old Firehouse, 2017, artist Rik Erickson.Fire Engine #2 served Ramona as a front-line truck for brush and structure fires…It served for 39 years…Pioneer Cabin, 2019, artist Rik Erickson.Grand Kenilworth Inn, 2020, artist Beata Wojcik.The old Kenilworth Inn opened in Ramona (then called Nuevo) at this location in 1887 as the Ramona Hotel.Tending the Vineyard, 2017, artist Miguel Angel Godoy.July 4th 1914 Main Street, 2016, artist Anna Parker.Historic Commerce, 2014, artists Bob Teague and Mark Martensen.Ramona Mural, 2020, artists Loretta Alfonsi, Shirley Jones, Sunny Peterson.Ramona Body & Fender Shop, 2020, artist Daniel Hernandez.
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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!
You can easily explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on my blog’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There are thousands upon thousands of photos for you to enjoy!
Yesterday I arrived in Ramona in the morning, a couple hours before the start of the Ramona Country Fair.
I parked near the McDonald’s on 16th Street and walked east up Main Street to around 4th Street, watching for the many H.E.A.R.T. murals that have been painted in Ramona’s downtown. I found many and will be sharing those photographs before too long!
I also spotted a beautiful sculpture and an interesting historical building, but I’m not posting those photos quite yet, either.
Today I’d like to share photographs of painted street art that decorates electrical boxes along and near Main Street! You can find artist names in a couple of the images.
I probably missed other colorful boxes, but you might enjoy the ones I found!
As you might guess, this street art was next to Ramona’s public library. Book titles on the painted shelves reflect unique aspects of this rural community.
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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!
You can easily explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on my blog’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There are thousands upon thousands of photos for you to enjoy!
In the past year or two a bunch of colorful murals have been painted inside and outside the old Western Steel & Metals building in Barrio Logan.
The abandoned building is located off National Avenue, near the corner of 26th Street and Sicard Street. I believe its parking lot has been the location of La Pulga Flea Market. I haven’t gone, so I can’t say for certain. All I know is that during my most recent walk through Barrio Logan I spotted all this artwork and took photos!
There are many different signatures on these murals, and I see they belong to some of San Diego’s most prominent graffiti artists. Whether most of them were spray painted during a particular event, I don’t know.
If you know more about these murals, please leave a comment!
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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!
Some of the most extraordinary public art in San Diego can be found in Azalea Park, a neighborhood at the south end of City Heights. Walk or drive along the streets of Azalea Park and you’ll discover unexpected mosaics decorating the sides of trashcans and round sidewalk benches.
When you stop to look closely at these mosaics, it becomes evident that a great deal of effort, thought and artistry was involved in their making. The beautiful designs are truly stunning. Look at the coming photographs and see for yourself.
I was surprised to learn that all of these fantastic mosaics were created by a volunteer group of Azalea Park residents! The team of community beautifiers call themselves the Azalea Park Mosaic League!
Led by local artist Vicki Leon, members of the Azalea Park Mosaic League continue to make their neighborhood a more attractive and welcoming place.
A couple days ago I posted photos of their Art’s Popping Up mosaic sculpture on Poplar Street. If you haven’t seen that yet, click here!
Last weekend I had the opportunity to visit Vicki Leon’s art studio in Azalea Park. The following two photographs show beautiful lotus mosaics that will be installed in Little Saigon, and how she is helping friends and neighbors to create their own mosaic street address signs! Check our her website here.
Her work, and the volunteer efforts of the Azalea Park Mosaic League, can inspire us all to make our own neighborhoods more beautiful!
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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!
You can easily explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on my blog’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There are thousands upon thousands of photos for you to enjoy!
Whenever I’ve driven down Nimitz Boulevard south of West Point Loma Boulevard I’ve wondered about a kinetic sculpture that rises from the street’s median.
Yesterday morning I headed to Point Loma for a better look.
The shining sculpture, titled Taiji, was created by Encinitas artist Jeffery Laudenslager. Like a silent living thing, the public art moves and changes its shape in even the slightest breeze.
Taiji was placed on the median by the Point Loma Association in 2017. Learn more about the association and their work to beautify Point Loma here.
According to the artist, Taiji is based on the Yin and Yang principle. You might say all of his kinetic pieces display a certain symmetry, considering how perfectly balanced they are.
You can see two more Jeffery Laudenslager pieces that I’ve photographed around San Diego here and here.
(It was early Saturday morning and traffic was extremely light. I was super careful that no cars were coming when I momentarily crossed the usually busy street to take a few photos!)
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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!
You can easily explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on my blog’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There are thousands upon thousands of photos for you to enjoy!
Two colorful murals in East Village promote riding bicycles and scooters. They’re painted on the north side of the old Farkas Store Fixtures building, on G Street between Ninth and Tenth Avenue.
The murals encourage motorists to get out of their cars to clear the air of pollution, save energy and enjoy San Diego’s beautiful outdoors!
I took these pics the other day during a downtown walk…
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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!
You can easily explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on my blog’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There are thousands upon thousands of photos for you to enjoy!
The very first gaslamp that lit downtown San Diego was located in today’s Gaslamp Quarter. But where?
Stand at the northeast corner of Fifth Avenue and F Street, and you’ve found the location!
You’ll be standing next to the historic Marston Building. A plaque on this interesting old building reads:
Marston Block, 1881
In 1881, George Marston located his third department store in this two-story Victorian Italian-style building. It remained here until 1896 when it was relocated to a larger building. Until the 1970s, Marston’s was the largest and most successful San Diego-based department store and was purchased by Broadway Stores. The building suffered severe fire damage in 1903, and had to undergo extensive remodeling. The first gaslamp was placed on this corner in 1885, and on March 16, 1886, the first electric arc lamp was illuminated outside this building.
If any of you remember visiting the Marston Department Store as a young child, it was most likely Marston’s final location, in a large four-story, neo-Renaissance building on C Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenue. That building was demolished years ago. To learn more about George Marston’s various stores in San Diego, click here.
To view a historical black-and-white photo of Marston’s 1881 store–the location of San Diego’s very first gaslamp–click here.
As you can see, things have changed quite a bit in nearly a century and a half!
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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!
You can easily explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on my blog’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There are thousands upon thousands of photos for you to enjoy!
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