Tag: tourism

Famous map museum in La Jolla to close.

Very sad news. One of San Diego’s most important museums will soon be closing permanently. The Map and Atlas Museum of La Jolla, considered one of the top map museums in the world, will remain open through the end of this month. After August 31, 2023, it’s gone.

If you are interested in art, printing or world history, you absolutely must visit this museum before it vanishes forever.

Extremely rare maps fill the galleries. Many contain blank spaces–those places on the planet that centuries ago hadn’t been fully explored. By observing the known (or surmised) outlines of oceans and continents, and the shifting boundaries of nations, it’s possible to follow history and the evolution of geographic knowledge.

Five years ago I carefully explored the museum. You can find that informative blog post here.

The Map and Atlas Museum of La Jolla is located at 7825 Fay Avenue. Take the office building’s elevator down to the lower Courtyard Level. The museum is open to the public on Wednesday and Thursday, and the 1st and 3rd Saturdays, from 11 am to 4 pm.

Those who are curious have few chances left to visit. You won’t regret it!

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Coffins and a cannon in Old Town!

Whenever I visit Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, I like to walk over to the Blacksmith Shop to see what might be new. Then I explore the old wagons, carriages, anvils, a tyre bender, and other remnants from the past that are gathered nearby in a sheltered area.

This afternoon the first thing I spotted was two coffins!

When I asked Todd in the Blacksmith Shop why coffins had strangely appeared, I learned they’re props to be used in the State Park during Día de los Muertos. (The one that appears newly painted had me worried!)

I then learned something new concerning the wooden carriage that will be constructed for El Capitan, the historic Spanish cannon that used to sit in the middle of Old Town’s plaza.

It has been a couple of years, but now the carriage project is definitely underway. A new carriage will be built with the help of the Maritime Museum of San Diego!

Todd held up a small cannon model made with a 3D printer. Once completed, El Capitan’s new carriage should appear somewhat similar. (The current carriage, built in the 1980s, has deteriorated quite a bit because it never was painted.)

To read more about Old Town’s 18th century Spanish cannon and this slowly developing project, check out these two past blog posts!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

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 Twitter!

Charles Lindbergh liked sandwiches in OB?

Did Charles Lindbergh, first aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, devour sandwiches in Ocean Beach? Historical information posted on the Kraft Building at Newport Avenue and Bacon Street suggests that!

A sign explains that the 1927 Kraft Building had a drug store and soda fountain downstairs, and that “local legend states Charles Lindbergh ate sandwiches at Kraft while waiting for his plane the Spirit of St. Louis to be finished at nearby Ryan Aviation (near the site later dedicated as Lindbergh Field).”

On May 10, 1927, after a series of test flights, Lindbergh took off from San Diego in the The Spirit of St. Louis.

On May 20, 1927, Lindbergh took off from Roosevelt Field on Long Island and began the daring solo transatlantic flight that would make world history.

Public domain image courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

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 Twitter!

Alvarado House of Del Mar Historical Society.

The Del Mar Historical Society operates a museum inside the 1885 Alvarado House, a small structure that in 1989 was relocated and placed inside the Del Mar Fairgrounds. Every year, visitors to the San Diego County Fair have the opportunity to look inside the old beach cottage and view its exhibits.

The house was originally lived in by Don Diego de Jesus Alvarado, who owned Rancho de los Peñasquitos. According to a handout that a friendly society volunteer offered me, Don Diego de Jesus Alvarado purchased the house in 1885 from Jacob Taylor, Del Mar’s original developer, and moved to Del Mar where he ran a livery stable.

The furnishings inside the Alvarado House represents the period between 1885 and 1910. Visitors can walk through the parlor, the family/dining room, and view a bedroom and the kitchen.

Exhibits covering many walls document the rich history of the Del Mar Fair. A special display recalls Don Diego, the fair’s official greeter that was played by actor Tommy Hernandez.

In addition, dozens of celebrity photographs document how the Del Mar Racetrack, founded by Bing Crosby, attracted numerous big stars from Hollywood.

According to their website: A major goal of the Del Mar Historical Society is to bring the Alvarado House back into Del Mar. We are searching for the ideal location, and the recently-acquired Del Mar Shores School property may be that place. The goal includes a museum for the display of Del Mar artifacts, an atmospheric-controlled storage room, and a meeting room.

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

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 Twitter!

Old Adobe Wall at the Del Mar Fairgrounds.

Have you seen the Old Adobe Wall inside the Del Mar Fairgrounds?

Wander through the outdoor Garden Show during the San Diego County Fair and you’re likely to stumble upon this bit of history:

In January of 1936, final approval from all department officials in Sacramento and Washington, D.C. was received for a new fairgrounds facility to be built in Del Mar… It was estimated that 500,000 hours of labor would be required for completion of the project… Each building was designed to represent one of the missions of California…

All of the buildings were made of native adobe, which was mixed and dried on the grounds. The eight-foot-high wall stretched along Jimmy Durante Boulevard, bordering the fairgrounds from the San Dieguito River on the south to Via de la Valle on the north. It was constructed of thousands of adobe bricks…A very small portion of the original wall still stands near the Exhibits offices…

This adobe brick is one of the original bricks made here on the Del Mar Fairgrounds in 1936 using local clay and straw…

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

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 Twitter!

A peek into the Japanese Friendship Garden gallery.

The Japanese Friendship Garden in San Diego’s Balboa Park has more than beautiful trees, plants, waterfalls and streams. The garden is home to a gallery containing Japanese cultural artifacts.

Not to be confused with the Exhibit Hall, which houses rotating art exhibits, the museum-like gallery that I visited today is located near the outdoor courtyard in the Upper Garden. You’ll find it inside the Deborah Szekely Activity Center.

The diverse pieces you can admire in this gallery are very fine. Anyone can take a close look at several colorful kimonos, an exquisite Mizuya Tansu (kitchen chest), the elaborate model of a Japanese-style cargo ship, and a jinrikisha dated circa 1868-1912. You’ll also find traditional works of Japanese craft and art.

The next time you walk through the breathtaking natural beauty of the Japanese Friendship Garden, remember to enjoy this great gallery!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

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 Twitter!

Walk under a famous San Diego flying boat!

Inside the central Pavilion of Flight at the San Diego Air and Space Museum you’ll find a gigantic airplane with a bottom that resembles the hull of a boat. This impressive amphibious airplane is a PBY-5A Catalina, one of the many PBY Catalinas that were built in San Diego by Consolidated Aircraft around the time of World War II.

During my last visit to the museum, I walked around and under the huge aircraft and found a nearby plaque that describes the history of this particular plane.

The PBY was the most successful flying boat ever designed, and it was in continuous production for over ten years. It was built in larger numbers that all other flying boats combined, and the majority of these planes were produced in San Diego… Early on the morning of August 8, 1988, the PBY was towed through the San Diego streets to Balboa Park…

Check out the impressive size of this famous flying boat and the span of its broad wings! Taking off from the broken ocean surface, where the attainable speed can be limited, requires a lot of lift!

Most of the PBY Catalinas were built at Consolidated Aircraft near Lindbergh Field, just a short distance from San Diego Bay where the flying boats were tested. Are there any old timers out there who recall seeing these flying boats out on the bay?

Here’s a Wikimedia Commons public domain image of a PBY-5AG in San Diego from 1948:

Also from Wikimedia Commons, here’s the PBY-5 production line at Consolidated Aircraft in San Diego from 1942:

These flying boats made important contributions to Allied victory in World War II, particularly in the Pacific. They were used in anti-submarine warfare, patrol bombing, convoy escort, search and rescue missions (especially air-sea rescue), and cargo transport.

If you love history or aviation, make sure to visit the world-class San Diego Air and Space Museum in Balboa Park. Your eyes will pop!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

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 Twitter!

Greetings From Escondido postcard mural!

Greetings From Escondido, The Beautiful Hidden Valley. This cool postcard-like mural was painted a number of years ago, but I photographed it for the first time during my most recent Escondido walk.

The artist is Zane Kingcade. He has painted a number of colorful murals around Escondido.

The “Postcard From Escondido” mural contains images that represent this city in sunny North County. There are oranges, avocados and grapes. There’s the dome of Escondido’s distinctive Civic Center, and a rhinoceros at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. There’s Dixon Lake, a popular fishing spot.

The Spanish word escondido means hidden. Keep your eyes peeled! If you drive west down Valley Parkway, you might spy this easily missed mural on the side of King’s Pawn.

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

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 Twitter!

The gas lamps of San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter.

Have you noticed those four working gas lamps in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter? The ones that help light the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Market Street?

Walk beneath the lamps and you might notice bronze plaques embedded in the sidewalk. They indicate these working gas lamps were installed in 2002. You’ll also learn the idea to have real gas lamps in the Gaslamp Quarter was originated by the Coss family.

The Gaslamp Quarter in San Diego got its name because once upon a time, back when today’s downtown was called New Town, there were fifty gas lamps lighting the young city. Fifth Avenue was one of the principal streets, leading south to a wharf in San Diego Bay.

The dancing flames of today’s four active gas lamps are like spirits from the past. They add atmosphere to a historic district that features many old Victorian buildings, particularly at night.

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

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 Twitter!

A visit to the San Diego Police Museum.

There’s a fascinating museum in San Diego that seemingly few know about. Occupying a modest, easily missed building near the intersection of El Cajon Boulevard and College Avenue, the San Diego Police Museum is packed wall-to-wall with displays that lovers of history shouldn’t miss!

I visited the museum for my very first time a while ago and was amazed at the quality and variety of exhibits.

Photographs, documents, equipment and artifacts trace the earliest days of the San Diego Police Department right up to the present.

There’s a mid-20th century police Communication Center. There’s a simulated jail cell, and a real police motorcycle. There are different uniforms from the past.

There are old newspapers with headlines about crime in San Diego. There are memories of past police chiefs. There is standard law enforcement gear dating back to the 1800s, and even a Tommy Gun, like those that were once used by gangsters.

There are displays concerning horse mounted officers, bike teams that were established in the early 1920s, and four-legged K-9 officers. There’s recognition of how diversity has played a more and more important role in the San Diego Police Department through the years.

There are old police badges and hundreds of patches. There are even artifacts from charity football COP’er Bowls and sports trophies won by officer athletes and bodybuilders.

And there are medals won by police heroes. They ran toward danger in the service of others.

And covering one wall: a memorial to fallen officers.

For more details about the museum, including its hours of operation, check out the SDPD Museum website.

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

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 Twitter!