Tag: transportation

Vintage cars gather for San Diego Excursion!

Over a hundred fantastic cars gathered in Balboa Park this morning before the start of the 2nd Annual San Diego Excursion vintage car parade!

Cars of every type dating from 1906 to 1941 parked in the lot near the San Diego Automotive Museum, and drivers and passengers dressed in period attire enjoyed looking at each other’s machines.

At nine in the morning the cars would depart Balboa Park and begin the Vintage Car Parade, travelling through Mission Hills, then in a loop through Point Loma. The parade would conclude at Liberty Station, where a Car Show would be enjoyed by the public in the early afternoon. (If you read this blog post in time, perhaps you can see these cars for yourself.)

Today’s looping course through Point Loma would roughly follow the route of a historic car race held back in 1915 to promote the Panama-California Exposition in Balboa Park. Perhaps you remember how back in 2015 the Point Loma race was “recreated” for the Balboa Park centennial. I posted many photos of those amazing cars here.

The cars participating today in the 2026 San Diego Excursion are listed and can be seen on this webpage.

First, a couple photos of vintage cars arriving in Balboa Park…

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University Heights’ once-planned Mystic Lake!

Did you know that a lake was originally planned for one of University Heights’ canyons? You’ll learn this and more should you visit the San Diego Central Library and view one of several small exhibits in the 9th floor Special Collections Center. Mystic Lake is one fascinating aspect of The San Diego That Never Was.

Looking at Google Maps today, and comparing it to the old 1890 map on display at the library, you can see how Mystic Lake would have fit into University Heights as planned in 1888. The lake’s lower extremity would have been cradled by Lincoln Avenue and Maryland Avenue. It was not to be.

As this informative webpage (which explains University Heights street names) explains: By 1906, Arch Street, Proctor Place, and New Jersey Street replaced the area originally planned to be Mystic Lake.

Mystic Lake would have been located a couple blocks directly west of the State Normal School, which was predecessor to San Diego State University. The site today is headquarters of San Diego Unified School District.

It’s interesting to see San Diego’s old cable car route on the 1890 map as a dashed line. The short-lived cable car line operated from June 1890 to October 1892. As this historical webpage explains, the San Diego Cable Railway ran from downtown San Diego north on Fourth to University, then east to present-day Park Blvd., and north to Mission Cliff Gardens.

(Today, one of those old cable cars is preserved at the National City Depot museum. Check out photographs of San Diego Cable Railway car number 54 by clicking here!)

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San Diego submersible in Star Trek: Enterprise!

The Maritime Museum of San Diego recently acquired DeepFlight I, a unique “flying” underwater submersible developed in the late 1990s. You can read more about this amazing, advanced submersible here.

Visitors to the San Diego museum might be astonished to learn that this one-of-a-kind prototype appears in every episode of Star Trek: Enterprise!

DeepFlight I can be seen momentarily in the Star Trek: Enterprise introductory sequence, which begins every episode. The sequence depicts the evolution of human technology and exploration. DeepFlight I appears at the 34 second mark here!

Super cool!

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

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Chuckwagon and buckboard progress in Escondido!

Back in July, I posted a detailed blog about a chuckwagon that was being built at the Escondido History Center. Yesterday I saw the chuckwagon again, and it’s almost finished!

Here’s how it appeared a few months ago:

Yesterday, this is the chuckwagon displayed outside of the Penner Barn:

The vehicle, representative of the Old West, is mostly assembled now. I was told a few additional things must be done. The cloth covering is obviously one of those things.

What project is next at the history center’s Bandy Blacksmith & Wheelwright Shop? An old-fashioned buckboard!

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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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Painting wildlife at Oceanside Transit Center!

Wow! WOW!!!

Look what I discovered today!

Amazing wildlife murals are now being painted at the Oceanside Transit Center! Passengers walking under the tracks to catch a train are in for a big, wonderful surprise!

These photos were taken from the steps descending to either side of the train tracks, and inside the tunnel that connects platforms.

I see the artists are JustJon Art (@just_jon1), Ground Floor Murals (@groundfloormurals), Victor Rodriguez (@tone_dog), Maxx Moses (@maxxmoses777), and Signe Montefalcon Ditona (@signeditona).

Unfortunately, none of the artists were working on the mural when I happened by.

It appears as if this fantastic project is approaching completion. One guy who works at the Oceanside Transit Center told me the artists have been at it for a couple months.

Feast your eyes on this!

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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 look inside Escondido’s first public library!

Several historic buildings can be visited at the Escondido History Center in Grape Day Park. One of these buildings was the very first library that opened in Escondido, back in 1895.

The little building was the second public library in San Diego County. In 1971 it was saved from demolition by the Escondido Historical Society and moved to Grape Day Park.

Today visitors step into the little old library (headquarters of the Escondido History Center) on Thursday through Saturday, between 10 am and 4 pm. Inside one can look at historical photographs, conduct research, or view fascinating exhibits. There are also several antique artifacts like an old scale, spinning wheel, and gas pump.

Last Saturday I also found a smile!

I learned the old library and been remodeled and expanded over the years. To me, its present-day use as a museum is the thing of greatest interest.

The exhibits can change a bit over time. During my visit I enjoyed looking at Pioneer Family: Cassou Family, and Planes, Trains and Automobiles.

Here’s an old photo of the Escondido Public Library as it originally appeared. Notice there’s not much else around it!

A big glass display case against one wall is packed full of history.

One exhibit traces the history of Escondido’s influential Cassou family, whose mid-19th century roots were in France.

Transportation in Escondido over the years is highlighted in the second exhibit.

Cruisin’ Grand photographs show how the beloved summer event has previously appeared.

I love that big model train! It was created by Hollis Watrous in his garage workshop starting in 1960. He ran it on tracks in his backyard!

Here’s a cool old photograph of downtown Escondido in 1911.

It is believed, by the large number of automobiles, that the photo was taken on bustling Grape Day.

Among the shelves behind the front counter I spied this old image of Escondido’s first librarian, Mina Ward.

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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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Free help to repair your bike in San Diego!

Does your bicycle need repair? Do you live anywhere near City Heights in San Diego? Check out this free, very cool community resource!

Bikes del Pueblo operates on Sundays near the corner of El Cajon Boulevard and 40th Street. You can see them in action in these photographs.

The collective is a bunch of volunteers and neighbors who get together to maintain bicycles and help each other. They provide free educational workshops, and access to tools and bicycle parts. Some of the regular participants have a lot of experience repairing bikes and are happy to help. Bikes del Pueblo welcomes donations–bicycles, parts, and money–to help keep a good thing going.

When I walked by a few weekends ago, they were really busy! Some people were even hanging out at the picnic benches and enjoying the sunny day. What a great resource for a community that can be underserved.

Got a bike? Does it need some work? Check out their website for more info by clicking here!

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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.

Feel free to share!

Improving public transit near Santa Fe Depot.

Long construction fences along Kettner Boulevard in downtown San Diego protect workers who are implementing a public transit upgrade. The work is being undertaken by the Metropolitan Transit System (MTS).

As this webpage explains: MTS has embarked on the America Plaza/Santa Fe Depot Pedestrian Enhancement Project to improve the pedestrian experience in and around this important transit hub.

Today, while walking past Santa Fe Depot’s old baggage terminal building, I noticed how the sidewalk is being widened and made more attractive. Several bus routes have stops in the vicinity.

(Years ago the historic baggage terminal was the downtown location of the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego. In the future, the roomy building will be part of a new UC San Diego arts campus, referred to as “The Depot.”)

MTS will be making different improvements in the neighborhood of the Santa Fe Depot and America Plaza, and I’ll continue to follow the progress!

UPDATE!

Three months later, I saw how the different bus routes will have their own loading spaces, as is the case at other transit centers…

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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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March of Transportation mural in Balboa Park.

Visitors inside the world-famous San Diego Air & Space Museum in Balboa Park should look up. Not only will they see amazing aircraft exhibits suspended from the ceiling, but they might notice a very long mural painted along the museum’s circular inner wall.

The March of Transportation mural was created in 1936 for the California Pacific International Exposition. At over 9,300 square feet, it’s the largest mural of its kind found in North and South America.

Because so many cool aviation displays are jammed into the museum, I found it difficult to photograph large segments of the mural. But I’ve captured several glimpses, so you can get the idea of how the art appears.

A couple years ago I photographed the very end of the mural, which depicts futuristic forms of transportation (as conceived almost a hundred years ago). You can see those photos here.

Several murals decorated the Ford Building during the California Pacific Exposition in 1935. After the Exposition, the Ford Motor Company deeded the building to the City of San Diego for use as the “Great Hall of Transportation.” In preparation for the 1936 Exposition, this large mural was commissioned to express the theme–“The March of Transportation.”

The 1936 “Great Hall of Transportation” exhibits included vehicles of all ages, from reed boats, to the locomotive, to the concepts of air and space travel. The mural, 18 feet high, continues along the inner circular wall for 468 feet…

Master Artist Juan Larrinaga served as the Art Director for the 1935 and 1936 Expositions. He was assisted by New York illustrator, Charles B. Falls, and artists P.T. Blackburn, Mahlan Blane and Nicolas Reveles. Larrinaga labored long hours to produced the drawings from the artist assistants to fill in. More than 40 persons eventually contributed their talent and energy to the completion of the mural.

After years of deterioration, the building began a restoration in 1977. In 1979 the mural, too, was restored.

While this artwork depicts world history, it is also an important part of San Diego’s uniquely rich history.

So go visit the San Diego Air & Space Museum . . . and look up!

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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.

Feel free to share!

Archaic Passage at the Old Town Transit Center.

Travelers at the Old Town Transit Center might find themselves walking through an underground passageway. The tunnel safely crosses beneath the San Diego Trolley and train tracks. In this shadowy place curious eyes will encounter public art titled Archaic Passage.

Not in a hurry to catch your bus or other transportation? There are plaques on either end of the passageway that you can read. They provide information about this unique art…

“ARCHAIC PASSAGE”

COMMISSIONED BY SAN DIEGO METROPOLITAN TRANSIT DEVELOPMENT BOARD JUNE 1996

DESIGNED BY SAN DIEGO ARTIST PAUL HOBSON, “ARCHAIC PASSAGE” CELEBRATES THE ARCHITECTURAL HISTORY OF OLD TOWN, FROM NATIVE AMERICAN TO CONTEMPORARY TIMES. ART MATERIALS USED–CARRIZO CANE, WOOD, STUCCO, ADOBE, BRICK, CLAY ROOF AND DECORATIVE TILES–REPRESENT BUILDING MATERIALS USED TO BUILD OLD TOWN. EACH GEOLOGICAL STRATA-LIKE WAVE REFLECTS A SIGNIFICANT ARCHITECTURAL STYLE.

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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.

Feel free to share!