The Casa del Rey Moro garden is a small gem in Balboa Park.
In the 1920s, prominent San Diego architect Richard Requa visited Europe. During his extensive tour, he carefully observed a Moorish king’s garden in Ronda, Spain. A book that he later authored stated: “In my travels about the world, I had found three gardens of outstanding interest and beauty… The finest of these is in a small town in southern Spain called Ronda. Viewing it for the first time, there came instantly to mind the spontaneous exclamation, ‘I hope to die before I see anything more lovely.'”
Inspired by what he’d seen, Requa designed the Casa del Rey Moro garden (House of the Moorish King) for the 1935 California Pacific International Exposition in San Diego’s Balboa Park. In 1997 the garden and adjacent House of Hospitality were rededicated after a major renovation. The garden, today a popular wedding spot, includes a replica of the wishing well in the Guadalajara Museum of Gardens.
Balboa Park is an enormous place full of competing attractions. It’s strange how I always feel compelled to walk through the Casa del Rey Moro garden!
View from a House of Hospitality balcony of The Prado restaurant’s outdoor seating near the garden.A wishing well frames two elegant, classic fountains.Beautiful elements are reproduced from a Moorish garden in Ronda, Spain.A close up photo of one picturesque fountain.Visitors read about the interesting history of the Casa del Rey Moro garden.“In my travels about the world, I have found three gardens of outstanding interest and beauty…”One can see why this venue is extremely popular for weddings.
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New bride and groom hustle through the heart of Balboa Park.
Please enjoy these random pics of happy visions seen on various occasions in Balboa Park. Every day in this special place is magical!
Wedding party walks down elegant El Prado, a frequent sight in Balboa Park.Getting ready to make a music video near reflecting pool flowers.Classic automobile cruises over San Diego’s scenic Cabrillo Bridge.Someone poses for a photo by Rolls Royce limo standing by in Balboa Park.An enthusiastic greeting from tourist passing in a GoCar rental.Ice cream truck parked by children’s playground on Park Boulevard.Artfully trimmed shrub elephant in front of San Diego Zoo.Taking a floating creation out to the big Balboa Park fountain.Kid tows handmade boat over cloudy water in the circular fountain basin.A caricature artist at work on El Prado as folks watch.Playing a horn, trying to draw a crowd.Musician plays didgeridoo that looks like a snake!This cool didgeridoo guy can also be occasionally seen at Seaport Village.
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People on patio behind Visitor Center take in a breathtaking panorama.View from Cabrillo National Monument Visitor Center scenic overlook. Downtown San Diego is visible to the east.
Last Sunday, after I checked out the new Yankee Baleeiros whaling exhibit in the Visitor Center, I wandered about Cabrillo National Monument and took in the many beautiful views. My camera was very busy!
Tall ship America sails south down the channel out of the bay and into the open ocean.Looking out over San Diego Bay. Shelter Island lies in the distance beyond Naval Base Point Loma.One of many interesting signs. This one shows typical commercial and pleasure craft seen on the water below.Statue of explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo at a popular lookout spot.Naval Air Station North Island seems to glow beyond the Cabrillo National Monument Visitor Center building.I took lots of photographs while climbing up through native coastal vegetation toward the beautiful Old Point Loma Lighthouse.Looking southwest over two World War II bunkers toward the distant Coronado Islands, which are a part of Tijuana, Mexico. The new lighthouse is down by the water.People gaze out at the beautiful sky and ocean from a popular whale-watching point.Gray whales migrate past Cabrillo National Monument from December through April. Spouts are often seen from here!Sculpture of a gray whale and a cetacean’s vertebrae along walkway that leads from the old lighthouse.Looking northwest toward the tidepools below and Pacific Ocean breakers.
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The Bay Cafe is making way for an observation platform on San Diego Bay.
The Bay Cafe is almost gone.
Many years ago, I loved to grab some food in the small waterfront cafe and bring it up onto the rooftop. From a table beneath an umbrella, I’d gaze out at the sparkling water. I’d observe passing sailboats, people on the Broadway Pier, and cruise ships docked at the nearby terminal. When two or more huge cruise ships were in port, I’d watch with interest as the departing Coronado ferry and harbor tour boats navigated the narrow space between them. In those days, the Bay Cafe also served as an embarkation hub for San Diego Harbor Excursion, now called Flagship. A ramp from inside the deli plunged down to a floating dock, where a gift shop was housed in a special boat. On this small dock a harbor cruise photographer asked guests to pose by a life preserver.
Up on the roof, if I wanted a change of view, I’d grab another table where I could gaze back toward downtown and watch tourists flow along Harbor Drive. There were almost always several empty tables. Few people seemed to realize the rooftop was open.
The Bay Cafe’s roof was also used for many years by broadcasters covering parades down Harbor Drive. From up there you could see everything.
My walk this morning brought back those memories. And a bit of sadness. The Bay Cafe is being demolished as I type these very words. The structure will be removed, but the concrete pad and pilings will remain, as part of an observation platform jutting over the water. It’s just one small part of the Embarcadero’s recent renovation. I’m sure the change will be great. I believe there are supposed to be benches where folks can just sit and enjoy the views. If there are, I’ll surely enjoy them. But time and progress march on. The Bay Cafe is almost just a memory.
Demolition of the old waterfront cafe and harbor tour embarkation hub is underway.Many years ago dining could be enjoyed on the sunny roof, with views of the water, sailboats and downtown skyscrapers.Improvements on the Embarcadero consign this wonderful place to memory.
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DecoBike bikeshare station on Broadway between Santa Fe Depot and America Plaza.
During my walks around San Diego in the past few months, I’ve noticed new bike sharing stations popping up at various locations. The green-signed docks still contain no bikes, but according to articles I’ve read the program is supposed to finally begin this month, after many delays.
Bike sharing in San Diego will be facilitated by DecoBike, a company based in Miami, where a similar system has been installed. They plan to eventually have around 180 electronic rental stations and 1,800 standardized bicycles.
San Diegans and city visitors will be able to rent bicycles for one-time use, or purchase a monthly or annual membership. The number of bikes available at any station will be visible in real time on DecoBike’s online station map.
According to signs at each bikeshare station, renting a bike will cost $5 per half hour, $7 per hour, or $12 for two hours. Memberships will cost $15 for one day, $35 for one week, or $50 for one month.
Looks interesting. Perhaps I’ll do a little more bicycling!
More locking bicycle docks in East Village, just north of Petco Park.DecoBike bikeshare stations feature a touchscreen, instructions and a row of bike docks.Sign shows rental and membership rates.Another bike sharing station on El Prado near the west end of Balboa Park.
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Images around a new pavilion near Broadway Pier show history of the Embarcadero.
San Diego’s Embarcadero has undergone some major renovations. One of the new pavilions still under construction near the Broadway Pier features a large display that provides a timeline of the area’s history. Notable developments along the waterfront through the passing years are documented with historical photographs.
While many of these images concern more recent events, it still makes a fascinating visual time capsule. Here are some pics that I took!
1542: Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo claims San Diego Bay for Spain. He named it San Miguel Bay.1913: San Diego’s Broadway Pier makes its debut. It certainly looks different today!1930s: Baseball played across street. Lane Field was home of Pacific Coast League Padres.1962: San Diego Unified Port District is established.1970: Broadway Pier gets a makeover. A cruise ship terminal is added.1976: North and South Embarcadero Marina Parks are dedicated.1980: Seaport Village becomes the newest San Diego attraction.1985: North Embarcadero’s Crescent area renovated.1985: Princess Cruises bases its “Love Boat” in San Diego.1988: San Diego Yacht Club successfully defends America’s Cup.1989: San Diego Convention Center opens.2003: First of six Urban Trees art exhibits along the Embarcadero.2007: Seward Johnson’s Unconditional Surrender statue goes on display near USS Midway.2009: A record-breaking cruise ship season!2010: Port Pavilion opens on Broadway Pier. It’s been over four years already? Time flies!2011: America’s Cup World Series regatta takes place on San Diego Bay.2011: North Embarcadero Project (Phase 1) passes.2012: North Embarcadero Visionary Plan breaks ground nearby.2012: Ruocco Park immediately north of Seaport Village is dedicated.2012: Port of San Diego is 50 years old.2013: San Diego’s historic Star of India tall ship turns 150 years old.2014: Lots of cool waterfront improvements opened, including this pavilion!
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Plaque marks the birthplace of the San Diego Union newspaper in 1868.
There are many interesting houses and buildings within Old Town San Diego State Historic Park. One of the most fascinating is the San Diego Union Building. Take a step inside and you’ll see the carefully restored birthplace of a present-day major newspaper: the San Diego Union Tribune.
The framework of the building, erected around 1851, is believed to have been originally fabricated in Maine, then shipped to San Diego around Cape Horn. The San Diego Union was first published on October 10, 1868. The newspaper’s editor at that time was Edward “Ned” Wilkerson Bushyhead, a Cherokee Indian with a Scottish ancestor.
The newspaper began as a modest four page weekly, and was produced on a massive wrought iron Washington hand press. In the museum one can also see an authentic 1860’s recreation of the editor’s room, which contains a desk once owned by the son of Ulysses S. Grant!
The San Diego Union Building in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park contains a print shop and editor’s office.The prefabricated wood-frame building was erected circa 1851. In 1967 the building was restored by James S. Copley, who at the time was owner of the San Diego Union Tribune.Old wood stove just inside the front entrance of accurately restored newspaper office.Drawers hold hand-set type that used to be assembled in a press for newspaper printing.A massive Washington hand press can be glimpsed to the right in the small printing shop.The small editor’s office contains a desk once owned by the son of President Ulysses S. Grant. In 1910 Ulysses S. Grant, Jr. built a grand hotel in San Diego’s New Town. (I took this photo in August 2017.)The Newspaper Museum is open daily from 10 to 5.
UPDATE!
In August 2017, during Stagecoach Days in Old Town, I was able to actually enter the print shop and take better photos of the presses and other objects inside. (Usually visitors must peer or take photographs from a greater distance.)
Washington hand presses were common on the frontier because of their relative light weight. They required two people for efficient operation.Fresh paper was laid on inked type and an impression made. Setting the type for new articles on just one page could take hours. Fortunately, many advertisements on a page didn’t change.A jobber printing press like this would have been used for small jobs such as stationery and handbills.This safe is the only original object displayed inside the restored San Diego Union Building in Old Town.A type case full of large cast metal sorts. Individual letters were combined into words, sentences and paragraphs. UPDATE! Big mistake by the caption writer: me! The largest letters you see in the above photo are actually made of hard wood. I was corrected by a member of the 919 Gang blog, who’s far more knowledgeable than me. I returned to the museum to confirm this. I learned very large metal sorts would be very heavy!Manual typesetting for old presses, as one might imagine, took lots of patience and a good eye.Gazing from the print shop toward the small building’s entrance area.According to one sign, the San Diego Union Building was erected around 1850 by Miguel Pedrorena. The Washington Press, type and printing supplies arrived by steamship from Northern California.A knowledgeable lady in period attire explains how the San Diego Union newspaper was composed and printed a century and a half ago, long before the digital age.
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Dignitaries cut symbolic ribbon officially opening California Tower on New Year’s Day.
New Year’s Day in San Diego’s beautiful Balboa Park was marked by a historic event. Today, after 80 years, the California Tower reopened to the general public!
The California Tower is one of the most iconic sights in San Diego. Like many of the ornate Spanish Colonial Revival-style buildings in today’s Balboa Park, it was built for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition, which celebrated the opening of the Panama Canal. The tower was originally accessible to visitors, but in 1935 that changed. One of the most important developments during the Balboa Park Centennial Celebration this year is the long-awaited reopening of the amazing tower!
With the purchase of a special ticket, anyone can now join a small tour that climbs up 125 steps to an observation deck high above the park. Views are said to be breathtaking in all four directions. One day (when it’s not sold out) I’ll check the tour out and post some pics!
Dignitaries at the noon ribbon-cutting ceremony included U.S. Congressman Scott Peters, San Diego County Supervisor Ron Roberts, and San Diego City Councilman Todd Gloria.
You might recognize the California Tower and other portions of the California Building, which now houses the San Diego Museum of Man, from the movie Citizen Kane. Shots of Balboa Park’s architectural wonder were said to be Charles Foster Kane’s Xanadu Mansion in Orson Welles’ classic film.
The tower, reopened today to the general public, rises above tiled dome of California Building.Museum visitors can now climb the California Tower for amazing panoramic views.Audience gathers for ceremony on the tower’s 100 year anniversary.Several cool bicyclists happened to ride down El Prado in front of the Museum of Man.News cameras wait for speeches, and so do the assembled dignitaries nearby.Micah D. Parzen of the San Diego Museum of Man begins by thanking many people.California Tower first opened in 1915 for Panama-California Exposition in Balboa Park.Photographers up on the observation deck, where the public can now go!Local politicians, museum head and donor, poised ready to cut the big red ribbon!Feeling great about historic event, taking place during Balboa Park’s Centennial Celebration.Crowd disperses from ribbon cutting ceremony on another beautiful San Diego day!
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Roving lady stilt walker with parasol welcomes people to Broadway Pier celebration.
I really enjoyed checking out a special event around the Broadway Pier today. San Diego’s bayfront is in the middle of a very large-scale multi-year renovation, and the completion of the North Embarcadero Visionary Plan Phase I was marked this afternoon with a public celebration!
The big Port Pavilion on the pier itself and various improvements and new structures around the foot of the pier have added color, new life and functionality to an area popular with both tourists and locals. A once narrow sidewalk is now a broad promenade, with lots of fun and exciting new features. There are new benches, shady pavilions, beautiful landscaping and other welcome amenities.
I’ll post some of my better photos, and you can enjoy a bit of what I saw…
San Diegans check out the newly revamped section of the North Embarcadero.New benches along Harbor Drive are festive today for the celebrationMusicians near entrance to Broadway Pier entertain folks for the Port of San Diego.A crazy magician wowed young and old on the action-packed pier today.Exactly who are you pointing at?New tables and chairs provide great view of the bay at end of Broadway Pier.Brave souls soar down a zip-line with a docked cruise ship in background.A kids fun zone near the pier featured a very cool Seal Tours amphibious vehicle.Chalk art created on the pier beneath the zip-line celebrates San Diego sights and tourism.Artist of Mexikota Art works on a canvas south of the pier near Harbor Drive.Folks check out a new sign which features nearby places on the Embarcadero.The unique design on this restroom was created by renowned artist Pae White. This artwork is titled Birds’ Words.Art for the North Embarcadero improvement was created by Pae White. The pavilion buildings’ glass colors were selected based on how sunlight affects the bay.Mariachis take a break between performances near one new colorful pavilion.Mural around walls of a pavilion shows timeline of this bustling stretch of San Diego Bay.Both North and South Embarcadero have seen dramatic changes over the decades.More colorful glass artwork incorporated into a new pavilion along Harbor Drive.San Diego’s waterfront has become more beautiful, user-friendly and interesting!
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Alamo Flags in Seaport Village certainly has a few flags!
If you live in San Diego, there’s a good chance you’ve heard of Alamo Flags. The cheerful specialty shop near the center of Seaport Village has been known to give away large, beautiful American flags on the Fourth of July.
To express his gratitude for his country, the owner, Mike Ismail, has created a tradition of presenting Old Glory to lucky shoppers on Independence Day.
Recently, he was recognized for this patriotic tradition by local San Diego Chapter 472 of the Vietnam Veterans of America. Should you visit his colorful store, you’ll definitely see plenty of red, white and blue!
Bright flags and banners of every type flutter in the blue San Diego sky.An outdoor passage of brilliant colors.Mike Ismail in front of Alamo Flags in Seaport Village.Award above door from San Diego Chapter of Vietnam Veterans of America.Two young men check out window display of many flag pins.A variety of fanciful wind socks dazzles and delights the eye.Fun gifts shaped like hot air balloons seem to lift off.Stars and Stripes are a frequent sight.Alamo Flags stands proudly near the center of San Diego’s Seaport Village.
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Cool San Diego Sights! 