Tall ship America, owned by Next Level Sailing, turns about in San Diego Bay as it comes in to dock at the Maritime Museum.
Earlier this month, on December 11, America came home to San Diego, after a long and very eventful journey representing The America’s Cup. Its epic America’s Cup Tour included many stops, from the Gulf of Mexico up the East Coast and then south again to the Caribbean. During the tour it hosted throngs of visitors and was welcomed by some of our nation’s finest yacht clubs.
But there was also one very dangerous adventure! In October the ship had to take shelter from Hurricane Matthew by heading up the St. Johns River in downtown Jacksonville, where it docked in a less windy spot behind the large Hyatt building. America survived with little damage!
The beautiful ship is a replica of the schooner America that beat 15 top British racing yachts in a 53 nautical mile regatta around the Isle of Wight in 1851. The Royal Yacht Squadron’s 100 Guinea Cup, won easily by the New York Yacht Club, became a challenge trophy known as the America’s Cup. Today it is the oldest international sporting trophy in existence. (San Diego’s own legendary yachtsman Dennis Conner won the America’s Cup four times.)
The replica America that makes San Diego its home is owned by Next Level Sailing, and it is glorious to behold when under sail. Now that the America’s Cup Tour is safely over, it is once again available for charters and whale watching adventures out on the blue Pacific.
This afternoon I happened to catch America out on San Diego Bay, heading in to the Maritime Museum, where it docks. I got a few photos before I hurried back home to take shelter from tonight’s storm! Not a hurricane, thank goodness!
America passes the Maritime Museum of San Diego’s Soviet Foxtrot B-39 submarine. It’s a cloudy New Year’s Eve afternoon, with a storm on the way.America carefully approaches the dock behind the steam ferry Berkeley.Time to tie her up to the dock.A member of America’s crew leaps through the air to secure the beautiful ship, a replica of the victorious racing schooner that ushered in the America’s Cup.Welcome home, America!
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Display inside San Diego’s 1915 Santa Fe Depot. Photos and words provide a glimpse of the train station’s history.
Should you ever step inside downtown San Diego’s handsome Santa Fe Depot, there’s a small exhibit at the information booth worth checking out. Two glass display cases provide a glimpse of the train station’s fascinating history.
To read the signs, click the images and they will enlarge.
Last year the Santa Fe Depot celebrated its centennial. I blogged about that here!
If you ever visit the Santa Fe Depot in downtown San Diego, swing by this information booth to check out the historical exhibit.Several paragraphs recount the history of the Santa Fe Land Improvement Company and the unique origin of North County community Rancho Santa Fe. Eucalyptus trees make poor railroad ties!In a nook right next to the depot’s wall, beside colorful Santa Fe tilework, one can discover more fascinating information.Graphic shows important dates concerning the Santa Fe Depot. The 1887 Victorian-style depot was razed in 1915 after the new depot opened in time for the Panama-California Exposition in Balboa Park.The train station’s architecture reflects colonial Spanish and Mission history in California; it was designed to harmonize with the Spanish Colonial Revival-style buildings of the 1915 Panama-California Exposition in Balboa Park. A century ago San Diego strove to become the western terminus of the Continental Railway.More fascinating old photos of the Santa Fe Depot, today a San Diego transportation hub serving Amtrak, the Coaster, and the Orange and Green Lines of the San Diego Trolley.Original plaster detail removed during the April 2014 restoration of the southeast tower.
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Christmas angels peer out of a window at Silver Crossing in Seaport Village.
Radical changes are coming to nearly 40-year-old Seaport Village. A redevelopment plan that was recently approved will transform the quaint collection of shops and restaurants on downtown’s waterfront into a massive complex called Seaport San Diego. The new development will contain even more shopping and dining options, several hotels, a 480-foot observation tower, a public beach, aquarium, Smithsonian attraction, and more.
Many of the shops that people have come to know over the years will vanish. Admittedly, Seaport Village today is a touristy hodgepodge. One wouldn’t really expect to see a New England lighthouse in Southern California. But no matter. I still enjoy meandering through on a sunny weekend! There are buskers aplenty and live music and people-watching and the nearby grassy park with kites flying in the breeze. And onion rings and pretzels and ice cream!
And there are the windows. Kaleidoscope windows. Windows winking with color. Windows painted with unexpected images. Windows full of gaudy trinkets, the typical souvenirs, whimsical novelties, and even a rare treasure or two you’ll find nowhere else.
Here are a few of the windows.
A lady holding a colorful bouquet in the window of Seaport Deli and Salad Bar.Beach, clouds, muffin and coffee in a window of the Seaport Cookie Company.Exotic masks for a masquerade in one window of Upstart Crow Bookstore and Coffeehouse.Floral designs around one window of the Seaport Fudge Factory.Window mural painted by San Diego artist Joel Sharp in 1996. You can find it in Seaport Village at Margaritas Kitchen and Cantina.Christopher M., known as The Painter of Chefs, has samples of his work displayed in one window of Exclusive Collections Gallery in Seaport Village.Delightful characters fill the window at The Mugger in Seaport Village.A window full of irresistible treats at the Seaport Cookie Company.There are several smiling faces in this Upstart Crow window. Can you spot all three?Zoltar the fortune teller will read your future from his own small window.Coral and other beautiful objects in a window of Seaport Village Shell Co. Limited.Tourists might take home a glittery San Diego sombrero once they glimpse these in the window of Mexican Fiesta.Sunflowers and blue window frames at Frost Me Gourmet Cupcakes in Seaport Village.
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This blog now features thousands of photos around San Diego! Are you curious? There’s lots of cool stuff to check out!
Here’s the Cool San Diego Sights main page, where you can read the most current blog posts. If you’re using a small mobile device, click those three parallel lines up at the top–that opens up my website’s sidebar, where you’ll see the most popular posts, a search box, and more!
To enjoy future posts, you can also “like” Cool San Diego Sights on Facebook or follow me on Twitter.
A new esplanade is almost ready to open on the east side of the boat channel at Liberty Station. I took this photo from the Nimitz pedestrian bridge.
A new public park will be opening soon at Liberty Station!
I love parks. So a discovery I made yesterday made me very happy. A completely new esplanade is being created at Liberty Station! The narrow park will run along the east shore of the boat channel, allowing visitors to walk, recreate or just relax on either side of the water. The shady trees and green grass appear ready to go! Three new hotels are also being built near the esplanade, at the site of the old Wally Park airport parking lot.
Here are some photos I took during yesterday’s walk. You can see the progress being made and a couple of informative signs.
Sign declares: Coming Soon – Public Esplanade and Coastal Access. Sketches show people enjoying the beautiful new park.Green grass and trees appear ready on the east side of the boat channel.A difficult-to-read sign at Liberty Station shows the narrow new esplanade. I had to enhance the photo to make out details. The three dark forms in the upper right corner, I believe, will be new hotels.Looking eastward from the west side of the boat channel. A new park will soon open across the water!
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Playing catch with a dog on the small beach at Spanish Landing Park. A sailboat moves through Harbor Island’s West Basin, heading out to San Diego Bay.
A wide path for walkers and bicyclists runs from San Diego’s Embarcadero to Spanish Landing. While the portion between the Coast Guard station and Harbor Island Drive isn’t terribly scenic (it’s located right next to Harbor Drive and a lot of airport traffic), the section that meanders through Spanish Landing Park provides a peaceful, pleasant stroll. And a chance to learn a bit about San Diego’s history!
Today I took a long walk up the sunny path. Here are some photos. I pulled out my camera near Lindbergh Field and kept snapping pics all the way to the west end of Spanish Landing Park. (And beyond, as you’ll see in coming blog posts!)
As usual, please refer to the captions. You might note that Spanish Landing received its name because the 1769 expedition by Spanish explorer Gaspar de Portolá anchored in San Diego Bay near this place. The bay was much different back then–in modern times it has been extensively dredged and expanded. Indeed, Harbor Island, which you see in some photos, was originally a sandbank! Harbor Island today is composed of dredge spoils.
A long path along Harbor Drive runs from the Embarcadero in downtown San Diego to Spanish Landing. Bicyclists head up the path on a sunny weekend.This mural can be spotted across Harbor Drive as one approaches Lindbergh Field. Painted on the commuter terminal by Jari “Werc” Alvarez, it spells SAN, the code for San Diego International Airport.The path, near the edge of San Diego Bay, is part of the California Coastal Trail. It’s ideal for walking or biking from downtown to Spanish Landing Park, and beyond.A photo with my camera lifted toward the sky on a fine Saturday in mid-October.A quick photo of Cancer Survivors Park, on the east end of Spanish Landing Park. I’ve blogged about this special place a couple of times.Kayak heads across the water toward boats docked at a Harbor Island marina. Hotels on Harbor Island are resting on soil dredged up from the bay.I remember hearing the Callaway Carillon bell tower near the center of Spanish Landing Park when I was a child. I believe it no longer works. I hope I’m wrong.Plaque near base of the electronic bell tower. The Callaway Carillon is presented to the Port of San Diego by Thearle Music Company Associates . . . 1973Walkers pause on the path through Spanish Landing to read a California Historical Landmark plaque near the water.Spanish Landing. Near this point, sea and land parties of the Portola-Serra Expedition met. Two ships, the San Antonio and San Carlos, anchored on May 4-5, 1769.A bit further up the path is a playground and a popular spot for parties and celebrations on the nearby grass.Bronze artwork near the path through Spanish Landing honors those who lost their lives, during the sea journey by Gaspar de Portolá up the coast, two and a half centuries ago.Dedicated to the heroic Spaniards who gave their lives and were buried near this site in 1769-70, after accompanying Gaspar de Portolá, the first Governor of California, in the exploration of California from San Diego to San Francisco.Many benches along Spanish Landing Park provide views of the peaceful water and nearby Harbor Island.Bicyclists near the west end of Spanish Landing Park. By crossing the North Harbor Drive Bridge, one can enter Point Loma.The North Harbor Drive Bridge was dedicated in June 1980.Paddleboarders float down the boat channel, between North Harbor Drive Bridge and the adjacent Nimitz Bridge, which is now used by pedestrians. The grass in the distance is part of the Liberty Station Esplanade.People rest on a bench at the west end of Spanish Landing Park, gazing out at a beautiful scene.Sailboats, paddleboards and boats of every type out on blue San Diego Bay. The Pacific Ocean lies just beyond the peninsula of Point Loma, in the distance.
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“Old La Jolla” hand drawn fire engine dating from 1886, on display at The San Diego Firehouse Museum.
A simple but elegant old firehouse stands in downtown San Diego at the corner of Columbia Street and Cedar Street. Those who step inside are in for a very big surprise.
The San Diego Firehouse Museum today occupies what was once an active fire station–San Diego Fire Station No. 6. Located in Little Italy, this unique museum isn’t large, but it’s crammed with so much cool stuff and so much fascinating history, you could easily spend an hour enjoying the many exhibits. There are shiny red vintage fire engines, a steamer equipped with a huge boiler, antique hand pumpers, firefighting apparatus of every sort, helmets, badges, a big display of model vehicles, historical photographs . . . and just lots and lots of firefighting artifacts, dating as far back as the mid 1800s. Much of what you’ll see represents the history of firefighting in San Diego; other objects in the museum come from fire departments around the United States.
Here are some photos which I took during a recent visit. The volunteer on duty was very friendly and provided some interesting historical information. I learned that private events can be held in the old firehouse, and that kids love having birthday parties among all the fire engines. Museum admission is only 3 dollars for adults and 2 dollars for children and seniors. Quite a bargain!
The San Diego Firehouse Museum is manned by friendly firefighter volunteers. It’s located in old Fire Station No. 6 at 1572 Columbia Street in Little Italy.A look inside the Firehouse Museum, which is absolutely jam-packed with cool historical exhibits. Kids love this place.Two of the many vintage fire engines in the old firehouse. The museum’s walls are lined with interesting objects that tell the story of firefighting since the mid-1800s.The San Diego Firehouse Museum was founded in 1962 and is operated by the nonprofit Pioneer Hook and Ladder Company.A closer look at a 1914 Seagrave Pumper. During my visit, I learned that fire engines are also called pumpers.Even more old fire engines can be seen in a second room inside old Fire Station No. 6.Water pressure controls on the side of one pumper.This white fire engine was stationed at the 1915 Panama-California Exposition in Balboa Park. It can be seen in old photographs and postcards.Another look at the historic 1915 Panama-California Exposition fire engine. This section of the Firehouse Museum is a bit dark and close, which makes it hard to take a good wide photo.This glass display case in the museum contains all sorts of old fire fighter helmets and protective headgear.One corner of the Firehouse Museum showcases many old fire insurance marks which were affixed to buildings. One of these marks dates back to 1714.Smokey Bear welcomes visitors to The San Diego Firehouse Museum.One wall features a collection of old fire extinguishers.The Ely Adapter was invented by San Diego Fire Department’s Assistant Chief Robert Ely.Felt and paper stovepipe hats once worn by firefighters during parades.Model of 1899 Metropolitan Steamer with 1911 Christie tractor.Another display case at The San Diego Firehouse Museum contains all sorts of interesting old artifacts.A third room in the Firehouse Museum contains this 1903 coal burning steamer. Fire heats the boiler water, making steam, which activates a piston that pumps water.Stairs once used by scrambling firefighters when old Fire Station No. 6 was operational.An old photo of San Diego Fire Station No. 4 and its personnel.Photos of the San Diego Fire Department testing their new Ahrens Steamer at the courthouse on Broadway and Front Street in 1906.A collection of colorful antique hand pumpers at The San Diego Firehouse Museum.The San Diego Firehouse Museum is fantastic place to learn a bit about San Diego and the history of firefighting.
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Master craftsman works in the Model Shop of the Maritime Museum of San Diego. The magical place is located inside the steam ferry Berkeley.
Who isn’t fascinated by small model ships? Every one is a unique work of art, built with precision down to the finest detail. A realistic historical model ship represents real stories, real lives, real adventures.
Visitors to the Maritime Museum of San Diego are often seen lingering by the Model Shop, gazing through the window as master craftsmen spend countless joyful hours building amazing small ships. It’s a hobby that can trace its origins to ancient times.
I recently learned that several craftsmen use the museum’s Model Shop, including one young man in high school. The tradition of model ship building is being carried into the future by skilled and steady hands.
Ship and yacht model construction and repair. Sign beneath a window where museum visitors can watch craftsmen building small works of maritime art.Many fine tools required in the building of model ships can be seen in the workshop.Of course, there are ships in bottles, too!A finished model of ARMD Virginia Sloop 1768 intricately made to replicate an actual historical vessel.Master craftsman at the Maritime Museum of San Diego is building a small Danish fishing vessel. He works from detailed plans.
I peered into the Model Shop window during a later visit and look what I saw…
Detailed model of Sovereign of the Seas, a 17th century English Navy warship, is under repair at the Maritime Museum of San Diego.
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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
Visitor to the second floor of the McCoy House Museum learns about some notable early residents of Old Town San Diego.
Should you visit the McCoy House Museum in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, be sure to venture up the stairs to the second floor. There you’ll discover several fascinating exhibits. In addition to old photographs of notable early residents of San Diego, you’ll find an explanation of Old Town’s gradual decline as competing New Town (the site of modern downtown San Diego) grew and became the center of government and commerce. You will also learn about Old Town’s continuing legacy, including the events that led to the creation of Old Town San Diego State Historic Park in 1968.
If you’d like to read the displays, click the images to enlarge them.
From a window on the museum’s second floor one can also look down upon the scraggly native plant garden just northwest of the McCoy House. A map near the window shows the location of Sycamore, Toyon, Oak, Cottonwood, Elderberry and Willow trees. Other native plants include Yerba Mansa, Datura, Aster, Poppy, Deerweed, Sumac, Lemonadeberry, Manzanita, Monkeyflower, different Sages, Deergrass, Prickly Pear and Yucca. Many of these plants were used by the Native American Kumeyaay in their daily lives long before explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo discovered San Diego Bay in 1542.
Pio Pico settled in San Diego in 1819 after the death of his father, a soldier assigned to the Presidio. Merchant and rancher, he later lived in Los Angeles and became the last governor of Mexican Alta California.In 1865, Mary Chase Walker became Old Town’s first school teacher. She taught at the one room Mason Street schoolhouse and described early San Diego as a desolate place. She went on to join the suffragette movement.Agoston Haraszthy, born in Hungary, led a fascinating life. As an American pioneer, businessman and wine expert, he became San Diego’s first town marshal and the first county sheriff.Fire devastated Old Town in 1872. At the time only one water pump existed, and it was broken. Firefighters watched helplessly. The fire and many other factors helped to bring about the rise of competing New Town.Various fascinating historical exhibits can be explored on the second floor of the McCoy House Museum in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park.In the early 20th century, neglected, ruined buildings in Old Town were fixed up and converted into tourist attractions. Entrepreneur John D. Spreckels extended his streetcar line to Old Town.Artifacts found under the rebuilt McCoy House date from the 1830’s to 1850’s. They include fragments of daily life from that eraArchaeologists analyze each find, record every detail. These objects probably came from the time when Eugenia Silvas owned this site. Family descendants still live in San Diego and are involved in Old Town’s activities.Archaeologist’s tools on display in the McCoy House Museum.Once again, Old Town became a tourist destination in the 1930’s when San Diego Avenue became connected to the new Coast Highway.Old Town languished during World War II. After the war, some suggested setting aside Old Town as a historic community. In 1968, Old Town San Diego became a state historic park.Photographs in the McCoy House Museum recall Old Town San Diego’s colorful past.
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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk! 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 unique photos for you to enjoy!
Paraglider high above the Pacific Ocean catches a warm summer updraft created by sandstone cliffs at San Diego’s famous Torrey Pines Gliderport.
The world-famous Torrey Pines Gliderport is possibly the coolest, most awesome place in all of San Diego. Hang gliders and paragliders float silently in the sky above rugged sandstone cliffs and the blue Pacific Ocean, painting a rare scene that few will ever forget. Here are some photos that I took this morning.
I arrived too early–the wind necessary to sustain gliders, I learned, doesn’t usually kick in until about 11:30. No worries. There were so many interesting things to photograph, and the weather and scenery were so pleasant, I just moseyed around and sat here and there and let each moment unfold.
Please enjoy the following photos and make sure to read the captions for more detailed explanations!
The Torrey Pines Gliderport was established in 1928 and is an active aviation facility. It’s also a favorite place to enjoy incredible natural scenery and perhaps get a bite to eat.Looking north along the San Diego coast from a point above Black’s Beach. A solitary figure looks out at the mighty ocean from atop a weathered sandstone cliff.A hang glider is moved on the grassy hill near the Gliderport. Students, instructors and experienced gliders alike must wait for a good, steady wind.While I wandered about I made a cool discovery! Atop the hill beside the Torrey Pines Gliderport, the experts of Sky Falconry were getting ready to teach a morning class. Anyone can fly a bird of prey!Several hawks trained to fly and return on command have a chance to stretch their wings before the class of falconry students arrives.Taking flight indeed! A beautiful raptor flies past its handler. Beyond, the blue Pacific Ocean stretches to the horizon.The Sky Falconry class has begun and I take another photo, then leave these good people in peace. There is much else to see…A view looking south from the Torrey Pines Gliderport. Someone stands on the lifeguard perch that overlooks the beach below. La Jolla Cove and the end of Scripps Pier can be seen in the background.Some activity! Someone wearing a bulky but lightweight paragliding harness sets out across the grass from the patio area at the Torrey Pines Gliderport.Students have begun to learn the basics of paragliding, including how to safely launch. Not enough wind to take to the air yet.A quick photo through the Torrey Pines Gliderport’s casual patio area, with picnic benches. I spotted an outdoor grill and pool table nearby!The Giderport’s well-stocked Cliffhanger Café has yummy hamburgers . . . and jaw-dropping views just steps away!A short hallway that leads into the Torrey Pines Gliderport store features many photos of past hang gliding and paragliding adventures.Just south of the Gliderport’s launch area, a bench makes a perfect place to experience sun, ocean and sea breeze.A forlorn concrete monument stands near the dirt parking lot, south of the Torrey Pines Gliderport. On one side a tile mosaic depicts a sailboat and gliders in the sky.On the opposite side is a corroded historical marker. To honor the spirit, ingenuity, and enthusiasm of the pioneers who flew gliders in the 1930’s at Torrey Pines.Another look north at beautiful high cliffs of eroded sandstone. The coastline melts away into San Diego’s North County. No gliders yet!A couple of surfers prepare to descend the cliff to Black’s Beach far below. For those who don’t follow the established trail, it can be a very treacherous descent, and one occasionally sees rescues on the local news.A raised outdoor eating area at the Torrey Pines Gliderport is the perfect place to watch all the aerial action. But still too early…not enough wind…The Torrey Pines Gliderport bills itself as America’s premier flight school. One can enjoy tandem paraglider and hang glider flights with an expert instructor.The breeze has picked up a bit. More students are trying out their equipment on safe land. A happy dog is loving life.A paragliding student learns the ropes. In the distance you can see the equally famous Torrey Pines Golf Course, which hosted the epic 2008 U.S. Open.More spectators have arrived and the nearby grassy hill has become more active. The falconry class is still underway.Almost enough lift!Carrying all the paragliding gear back up the hill. When actually gliding, if too much elevation is lost, some gliders will land on the beach. Then the climb is much, much worse!Just a cool shot of a paraglider spreading her wings.Finally! The breeze is pretty good now! The first paraglider is ready to launch! Lift is provided by wind that pushes up against the long cliffside.And he’s off, among the birds!A tranquil ride above and through the beautiful blue. Paragliders wind their way back and forth along the cliffs, catching the updraft.A photo that provides a hint of why the Torrey Pines Gliderport is such a special place.A fantastic ride through the sky!Another paraglider has joined the slow aerial dance. The lower part of his body is enclosed in a cool-looking pod harness.Paragliding above Black’s Beach, a favorite destination for surfers and Southern California nudists!Just gliding along.
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This blog now features thousands of photos around San Diego! Are you curious? There’s lots of cool stuff to check out!
Here’s the Cool San Diego Sights main page, where you can read the most current blog posts. If you’re using a small mobile device, click those three parallel lines up at the top–that opens up my website’s sidebar, where you’ll see the most popular posts, a search box, and more!
To enjoy future posts, you can also “like” Cool San Diego Sights on Facebook or follow me on Twitter.
Cool San Diego Sights! 