Tag: tourism

Rooftop views from San Diego Natural History Museum!

The rooftop of the San Diego Natural History Museum in Balboa Park is seldom open to the public. I was lucky that the rooftop happened to be open today, the first Tuesday of the month, when The NAT is free to San Diego residents and active military and their dependents. But I was told that’s not always the case.

The rooftop is indeed reliably open to the public the third Friday of every month, when the museum presents Nat at Night and remains open until 10 pm.

The Natural History Museum’s rooftop not only offers spectacular views, but there’s food and drink and plenty of tables. Today The Craft Taco had their menu available. Later this year, the food will be provided by San Diego’s Restaurant of the Year in 2024 (according to San Diego Magazine): Wolf in the Woods.

Rooftop views are to the east and south. To the east, one can see Balboa Park’s beautiful Desert and Rose Gardens, Morley Field and Florida Canyon, and in the far distance, the Cuyamaca Mountains. To the south is the Bea Evenson Fountain, the Fleet Science Center, and glimpses of downtown San Diego skyscrapers through treetops. In the distance one can recognize a slice of South Bay, and, on a clear day, one can see all the way to Mexico.

Okay! Time for today’s photographs!

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Exhibit details history of the Coronado ferries!

If you are fascinated by local history, love riding the Coronado ferry, or have memories of the old ferries that crossed San Diego Bay many, many years ago, you’ll want to visit the latest exhibit at the Coronado Historical Association‘s museum.

Ode to the Ferry; The History of Coronado’s Ferries 1885-2024 concerns an important aspect of life in San Diego for well over a century.

The exhibit recalls the old-time ferries, which were required to reach the island long before the San Diego-Coronado Bridge opened in 1969. It describes every ship of the Coronado Ferry Company and the Star & Crescent Boat Company, that transported people and vehicles across the bay. Of course, the ferries today serve mostly tourists exploring on foot and recreational bicyclists–and people like me who love a short ride from downtown San Diego across our beautiful bay!

Photographs, historical documents, ferry tickets, memorabilia, related art and stories fill the small but always amazing Coronado Historical Association museum. It’s very cool that visitors are encouraged to write down their personal memories, too!

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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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A late December walk along the Embarcadero.

It’s late December, 2024.

The Holiday Bowl was played yesterday in San Diego. It’s a time for family vacations–the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day. Passengers with rolling suitcases were boarding a cruise ship. No wonder so many people were walking along the Embarcadero this morning.

Wouldn’t you know, I took these photos under a gray overcast sky, and just as my walk ended the sun broke out and the sky turned bright blue. Not unusual in San Diego. Even in winter.

I began by walking north from the Broadway Pier…

I returned from the Star of India to the Broadway Pier, and will now proceed south…

The last old building at Navy Pier is being demolished, making way for Freedom Park. The almost 10-acre public park will be developed on the historic pier next to the USS Midway Museum.

New trees have been planted on the grassy lawn between the USS San Diego Memorial and the Embracing Peace statue of the Greatest Generation Walk.

Late Saturday morning, and the weekly Tuna Harbor Dockside Market was winding down.

A commercial fishing boat loads boxes of frozen bait.

This holiday season’s first ever “Downtown Skate” roller skating rink wasn’t open yet. The action would begin at noon behind the Marriott Marquis and Marina hotel.

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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.

Thank you for sharing!

Hotel del Coronado’s amazing old Christmas ornaments!

Dozens of amazing Christmas ornaments that were created through the years for the Hotel del Coronado are now on display in the hotel’s Ice House Museum!

Beginning in 1993, the Hotel del Coronado has offered an Annual Collector’s Ornament with a holiday theme. Most of the ornaments contain a sparkling image of Coronado’s historic Victorian beach resort.

Visitors to the hotel’s Ice House Museum can now peer into several display cases and see the jewel-like beauty of these ornaments!

I was pleasantly surprised to discover the seasonal exhibit yesterday. I took a few photographs.

(The following photo is of a 2007 Commemorative Set containing interpretations of past ornaments…)

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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.

Thank you for sharing!

Festive holiday sights from a Coronado walk!

Several days until Christmas, and the holiday spirit is on full display in Coronado!

Yesterday I took the ferry from downtown San Diego to the Coronado Ferry Landing. I walked down Coronado’s central Orange Avenue, circled the world-famous Hotel del Coronado, then turned back east along the opposite sidewalk.

Look at all the festive holiday sights!

The Coronado Ferry Landing is decorated for the holidays in 2024.
Tall nutcrackers on either side of the front door of Cocina 35.
Santa Claus stands beside a Christmas tree at the Coronado Ferry Landing.
A fun holiday display in a front yard on Orange Avenue.
A beautiful Christmas tree inside the Coronado Public Library.
The classic movie Christmas Vacation playing at Coronado’s historic Village Theatre.
Beautiful Christmas theme plates in a shop window.
A festive wreath in a shop door.
Poinsettias surround the Coronado Rotary Club Christmas Tree.
The enormous Coronado Rotary Club Christmas Tree rises beside Orange Avenue.
A small Christmas tree and decorations inside the Coronado Historical Association museum.
Historical museum display includes this Merry Christmas menu from the Hotel del Coronado in 1974.
Hotel del Coronado Holidays book displayed at the Coronado Historical Association museum.
Back out on the sidewalk, I meet a giant blue M&M candy in a Santa hat!
Lamb’s Players Theatre is now showing Respectfully Christmas, A Musical Celebration.
Frosty the Snowman and friend inside a shop window.
The big red poinsettia Christmas tree outside the Hotel del Coronado.
Beachside Igloos at the Hotel del Coronado.
A Christmas tree at the Hotel del Coronado’s outdoor ice rink.
Skating By The Sea at the Hotel del Coronado.
A wreath on the historic Power Plant door at the Hotel del Coronado.
Holiday lights and sights greet those arriving at the Hotel del Coronado.
Fun wreath contains sea shells and a bit of Hollywood. Some Like It Hot was filmed at the Hotel del Coronado.
a Christmas tree outside the hotel’s lobby entrance.
The gorgeous Christmas tree in the lobby of the historic Hotel del Coronado.
Back out on the Orange Avenue sidewalk, now starting back toward the ferry landing, I encounter a smiling Old Town Trolley Tours guide!
Elvis in front of MooTime Creamery is sporting a Santa hat, too!
Can Santa sit on this Christmas cow?
No, I see Santa Claus has already found a nice seat in front of Wag’n Tails!

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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.

Thank you for sharing!

San Diego’s newest gateway sign debuts in Old Town!

The installation of San Diego’s newest neighborhood gateway sign was completed today. It welcomes visitors to Old Town San Diego!

Both sides of this new gateway arch (which straddles San Diego Avenue at Twiggs Street) contain the words: The Birthplace of California – Historic Old Town San Diego. The arch stands at the edge of Old Town San Diego State Historic Park and in front of the historic Immaculate Conception Catholic Church.

Images incorporated in this new landmark arch, as I understand it, represent three different stages of San Diego history. Hawks represent the Native American Kumeyaay and the wild, unspoiled land they inhabited. Mission bells represent the Spanish and Mexican, or Californio, period. Wagon wheels represent the early American period.

Several days ago I noted how the two columns that support the sign had been erected. That blog post can be found here. Yes, the beautiful sign itself was installed quickly!

I’ve learned the arching gateway sign was designed by Robert Barros who works with the Old Town San Diego Chamber of Commerce. He is publisher of Old Town San Diego Guide and owner of Visual Media Group.

Check it out! A little more history has been made!

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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.

Thank you for sharing!

San Diego’s first Smart City touchscreen kiosk!

San Diego’s first Smart City touchscreen kiosk was installed last month in downtown, on the corner of Fourth Avenue and B Street. I encountered it for the first time several days ago during a walk!

The big, bright, digital touchscreen kiosk provides information in a way that might remind you of your smartphone. All sorts of great up-to-date information is available for tourists, residents, those who work or play downtown, and even those who are homeless.

The kiosk I observed is the first of 50 that are planned for downtown San Diego! The project is made possible by a partnership between the City of San Diego, IKE Smart City, and the Downtown San Diego Partnership.

Not only do these high-tech kiosks provide passersby with transit updates, event information, city attractions, maps, services and more, they provide free Wi-Fi!

I spent a few minutes goofing around with this first downtown kiosk and was really impressed! It’s a brilliant resource that anyone can freely and easily use!

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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.

Thank you for sharing!

Colorful new mural at Oceanside Transit Center!

This very colorful new mural was painted a couple months ago on the north side of the Oceanside Transit Center parking structure. It celebrates Oceanside–its Spanish mission and fishing history, and the nearby Pacific Ocean!

Jonny Pucci created the striking mural. See his Instagram page here.

According to this article, the work is part of MainStreet Oceanside’s Art that Excites program, which aims to install up to 10 murals in public spaces throughout downtown Oceanside.

I love how so many Southern California cities and communities continue to enliven neighborhoods and destinations with public art. No matter where I walk, I always seem to encounter something new. That was certainly the case yesterday!

Next time I walk in Oceanside, I have no doubt I’ll stumble upon more cool sights like this. Meanwhile, stay tuned for more outdoor art that I also discovered yesterday–in Escondido!

Enjoy a few more photos of the Oceanside Transit Center parking garage mural…

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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.

Thank you for sharing!

Inside the Navy’s landlocked USS Recruit training ship!

The USS Recruit has been humorously called the USS Neversail. Embedded in concrete at the old Naval Training Center San Diego, the landlocked dummy training ship was an official U.S. Navy vessel commissioned in 1949 (and re-commissioned in 1982) that never set sail!

After Naval Training Center San Diego finally closed in 1997 and Liberty Station was developed on the Navy’s old property, the USS Recruit remained in place, slowly deteriorating. Then about ten years ago, the sheet-metal-over-wood-framing mock destroyer received a new paint job.

Last year the USS Recruit finally opened as a ship museum, allowing visitors to enter a large ground-level room inside the training ship. The walls of the museum are filled with historical photographs and video of past service members recalling their unique experiences aboard ship.

I ventured into the free ship museum a couple weekends ago for my first time. I was told that the one room open to the public used to be filled with telephones. Young sailors could use the phones to call home.

Here are a few photos…

Sailors standing on the deck of the USS Recruit circa 1995.

Old photos show construction of the largely wooden USS Recruit in 1949.

USS Recruit commissioning day, July 27, 1949.

One open door allows visitors to peer into an adjacent room.

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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.

Thank you for sharing!

Fun holiday decorations inside House of USA!

Check out all these fun holiday decorations! They fill the House of USA cottage in San Diego’s Balboa Park!

The cottage is typically full of artifacts and images that celebrate American history and culture. When you place Santa Claus in the company of George Washington, visitors to the cottage might blink with surprise!

Are you ready for December Nights in 2024? San Diego’s epic holiday event in Balboa Park is coming up in less than two weeks–on December 6 and 7!

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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.

Thank you for sharing!