Tag: unusual

A very strange San Diego sight!

A strange liquid falls from the sky in San Diego. What is it?
A strange liquid falls from the sky in San Diego. What is it?

Umbrellas! In San Diego! My eyes must be deceiving me!

Who said it never rains in Southern California? Whoever that was, they must not have been downtown this morning!

It's only water. Perhaps we can cope. Most of these smart convention center visitors brought umbrellas!
It’s only water. Perhaps those of us who live in sunny San Diego can cope. Most of these smart convention center visitors brought umbrellas!
Honest-to-goodness rain has returned this winter, hopefully putting an end to our ongoing drought.
Honest-to-goodness rain has returned this winter, hopefully putting an end to our ongoing drought.
Umbrellas have sprouted like colorful flowers in the rain!
Umbrellas have sprouted like colorful flowers in the rain!

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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!

People meditate (or have fun) walking a labyrinth.

Visitors to Balboa Park walk the meandering single path of a labyrinth near the Botanical Building.
Visitors to Balboa Park walk the meandering single path of a labyrinth near the Botanical Building.

Life is a bit like walking a labyrinth. We navigate twists and turns on our forward path.

Yesterday I saw a cool labyrinth set up on a lawn in Balboa Park, right next to the Botanical Building. String was laid on the grass, creating boundaries defining the path.

A labyrinth is not a maze. The walk is peaceful, the sudden smooth turns reorient one’s vision, there is no hurry. Many use labyrinth walking for meditation. It also looks like fun exercise!

Walking through a curving labyrinth can provide meditation, bringing together body, mind and spirit. Everyone is on their own path through life. (Click image to read.)
Walking through a curving labyrinth can enhance meditation, bringing together body, mind and spirit. Everyone is on their own path through life. (Click image to read.)
It's a beautiful December weekend in Balboa Park. There is much to do, much to see. Our walk through life takes many turns.
It’s a beautiful December weekend in Balboa Park. There is much to do, much to see. Our walk through life takes many turns.

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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! Navigating downtown streets can be like moving through a labyrinth! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!

Do you love Balboa Park? Follow my special blog which I call Beautiful Balboa Park!

Unexpected faces appear in the Gaslamp!

Unexpected faces in the window of Sparks Gallery in the Gaslamp Quarter. This colorful work of art commands the attention of those passing down the sidewalk.
Unexpected faces in the window of Sparks Gallery in the Gaslamp Quarter. This colorful work of art commands the attention of anyone passing down the sidewalk.

The Gaslamp Quarter is usually bustling with humanity, as people shop, dine and take a stroll through the historic heart of downtown San Diego. But occasionally unexpected faces appear!

A mannequin high in a window makes one do a double take as one walks down Sixth Avenue through San Diego's Gaslamp.
A mannequin high in a building window made me do a double take as I walked down Sixth Avenue through San Diego’s Gaslamp!
A stylish Tatyana on a Gaslamp shop's sign.
A stylish Tatyana on a Gaslamp shop’s sign.
Doug Loves Movies so much it seems he has forgotten to shave. A funny face spotted while walking down a sidewalk.
Doug Loves Movies so much it seems he has forgotten to shave. A funny face spotted while strolling down a sidewalk, camera in hand.
This unexpected face has no skin. The Chrome Domes seem mostly bones.
This unexpected face has no skin. The Chrome Domes seem mostly bones.
A mischievous face that now looks upon an outdoor patio filled with nobody. Dick's Last Resort in the Gaslamp has closed.
A mischievous face painted next to a deserted patio. Dick’s Last Resort in the Gaslamp has closed after many years.
The Grinch is behaving unexpectedly unGrinchlike in this fun artwork inside the front window of The Chuck Jones Gallery.
The Grinch is smiling and behaving unexpectedly unGrinchlike in this fun artwork inside the front window of The Chuck Jones Gallery.
Very cool! It's Steve McQueen sporting some shades. An image above the windows of Eyes On Fifth.
Very cool! It’s Steve McQueen sporting some shades. An image above the windows of Eyes On Fifth.
This large face painted on the brick wall inside a Gaslamp Quarter restaurant is an unexpected, arresting sight.
A large face painted on the brick wall inside a Gaslamp Quarter restaurant is an unexpected, arresting sight.

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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.

Weird, funny aquariums at a fishy fish show.

People enjoy unusual aquarium displays at the San Diego Tropical Fish Society Annual Show in Balboa Park.
People enjoy unusual aquarium displays at the San Diego Tropical Fish Society Annual Show in Balboa Park.

Time for a laugh! Here are some weird, funny, and wonderfully creative fish aquariums!

Today I photographed some of the most humorous aquariums on display at the San Diego Tropical Fish Society Annual Show in Balboa Park. I was delighted to see so much unleashed craziness and imagination. Looks like this fishy hobby can be a lot of fun. Check these out!

A very unique aquarium contains two upside down glass goblets and one upside down glass fish bowl. The latter acts as a sort of sky observatory for the finny inhabitants.
A very unique aquarium contains two upside down goblets and one upside down glass fish bowl. The latter acts as a sort of sky observatory for the finny inhabitants.
Star Wars characters stand atop an aquarium from a galaxy far, far away. The space-like interior features a duel between a TIE fighter and X-Wing.
Star Wars characters stand atop an aquarium from a galaxy far, far away. The space-like interior features a duel between a randomly drifting TIE fighter and X-Wing, while darting red fish appear to be laser blasts.
Dr. Who and a companion have traveled by TARDIS into the strange unearthly interior of this humorous aquarium.
Doctor Who and a companion have traveled by TARDIS into the strange, unearthly interior of this humorous aquarium.
An old blender or coffee maker make for fine tropical fish aquariums, I suppose. Just don't turn them on.
An old blender or coffee maker makes  a fine tropical fish aquarium, I suppose. Just don’t turn them on.
I'm sure a fish was hiding somewhere in the ruins of the lost city of Atlantis.
I’m sure a fish was hiding somewhere in the ruins of the lost city of Atlantis.
Who said bonsai plants couldn't be submerged? Makes for a lovely but rather fishy garden.
Who said bonsai plants couldn’t be submerged? Makes for a lovely but rather fishy garden.
And an underwater Buddha, too! These fish must be on the path to nirvana.
And an underwater Buddha, too! These fish must be on the watery path to nirvana.
An aquarium alive with silly Minions and Lego creations and color. Oh, and some shy yellow fish, too.
An aquarium alive with silly Minions and Lego creations and jumbled color. Oh, and some shy fish, too.
A yellow submarine in a Beatles-themed tropical fish aquarium. Photo taken in Balboa Park during the San Diego Tropical Fish Society Annual Show!
A yellow submarine in a Beatles-themed tropical fish aquarium. Another fun photo taken in Balboa Park during the San Diego Tropical Fish Society Annual Show!

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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 fun photos for you to enjoy!

Boats, a pier, clutter, humor and life.

A Disney princess has been captured in a large fishing net on the Tuna Harbor pier.
A Disney princess has been captured in a large fishing net on the Tuna Harbor pier.

If you love a sunlit clutter of colorful surprises, Tuna Harbor’s G Street Pier is the perfect spot.

Curious eyes during a slow walk are sure to discover many wonders. Small humorous wonders that produce small smiles.

Enjoy a few photos.

Fishermen bike to their boat. Tuna Harbor is full of visual delights, odd clutter, humor and life.
Fishermen bike to their boat. Tuna Harbor is full of visual delights, odd clutter, humor and life.
Floats with spear-like poles rise into the sky above downtown San Diego skyscrapers.
Floats with spear-like poles rise into the sky above downtown San Diego skyscrapers.
A heron has taken sole possession of this boat in Tuna Harbor.
A heron has taken sole possession of this boat in Tuna Harbor.
Fish won't be caught in here for long.
Fish won’t be caught in here for long.
A colorful fishing boat in Tuna Harbor. Sun, sweat, grit and real life. The source of your elegant dinner.
An untidy fishing boat in Tuna Harbor. Sun, sweat, grit and real life. The source of your elegant dinner.
Truth is, the Sea Nag likes to keep things cool.
Truth is, the Sea Nag likes to keep things cool.
An indifferent gull.
An indifferent gull.
This live bait boat resembles an auto tire store.
This live bait boat resembles an auto tire store.
That's a very large houseboat. A small bird builds a nest in an odd place.
Who doesn’t love a houseboat? A small bird builds a nest in an odd place.

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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!

Even the gray clouds above are beautiful.

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I was going to post these beautiful photographs on one of my other blogs, A Small World Full of Beauty, but decided to feature them here! As I walked to the trolley station after work, the ominous, complex, wind-sculpted gray clouds above Mission Valley were so unusual and eye-catching that I had to pull out my camera. A few drops of sporadic rain couldn’t bow my head. There was so much beauty above in every direction!

Here are some photos.

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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!

Do you enjoy beautiful things? Visit my photography blog which I call A Small World Full of Beauty.

Cool urban art at Quartyard in East Village.

Some cool urban art by Exist1981, created for PangeaSeed's Sea Walls: Murals for Oceans festival. The artwork, located at the Quartyard in East Village, warns that melting sea ice due to climate change will affect polar bear populations.
Cool urban art by Exist1981, created for PangeaSeed’s Sea Walls: Murals for Oceans festival. The public artwork, located at the Quartyard in East Village, warns that melting sea ice due to climate change will affect polar bear populations.

Whenever I walk past Quartyard in San Diego’s East Village, I look around to see what cool urban art I might discover. I took out my camera yesterday and snapped a few photos of the colorful artwork!

Quartyard, at the corner of Market Street and 11th Avenue in San Diego's East Village, is a place where people can gather to eat, drink, talk, and enjoy entertainment.
Quartyard, at the corner of Market Street and 11th Avenue in San Diego’s East Village, is a place where people can gather to eat, drink, talk, and enjoy entertainment.
Mail delivery person heads into Quartyard, an unusual community gathering place made from repurposed shipping containers. Coffee, beer, concerts and food trucks are found here.
Mail delivery person heads into Quartyard, a community gathering place made from repurposed shipping containers. Coffee, beer, concerts and food trucks are found here.
A colorfully painted parking meter stands strangely by the mail box.
A cheerfully painted parking meter stands strangely by a mail box.
The Meshuggah Shack occupies one shipping container. The funky place is known for their great coffee and friendly vibe.
The Meshuggah Shack occupies one shipping container. The funky place is known for their great coffee and friendly vibe.
The Meshuggah Shack offers coffee, tea, oddities, smoothies, noshes, and other fun stuff.
The colorful Meshuggah Shack offers coffee, tea, oddities, smoothies, noshes, and other fun stuff.
Words on one shipping container at the Quartyard proclaims this is Your City Block.
Words on one shipping container at the Quartyard proclaim this is Your City Block.
Sun, water, hungry sharks and a tropical island. I'm not exactly sure what is going on in this crazy street art created by Nick McPherson and MR DVICE.
Sun, water, hungry sharks and a tropical island. I’m not exactly sure what is going on in this crazy street art created by Nick McPherson and MR DVICE.

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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.

Elegantly dressed skeletons discovered in old hotel!

Two elegantly dressed skeletons can be seen seated just inside the front entrance of the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Old Town.
Two elegantly dressed skeletons have been discovered seated inside the front entrance of the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Old Town.

I was stunned to observe that a large number of skeletons have been discovered in an old San Diego hotel. The Cosmopolitan Hotel, to be exact. The elegantly dressed skeletons, wearing frilly dresses or top hats, were seen standing about the hotel’s entrance, in the saloon, even seated on chairs behind a large wedding cake.

Huh?

I’m just having a bit of fun! The Cosmopolitan Hotel is part of Old Town, and dozens of elegantly dressed skeletons appear in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park every year as Día de los Muertos approaches.

Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is actually a celebration of ancestors and loved family members who have passed away. In Mexico, the deceased are remembered and prayed for, and certain joyful traditions are observed. One unusual tradition is derived from La Calavera Catrina, a famous etching by Mexican artist José Guadalupe Posada, which depicts a female skeleton dressed in a fancy hat. Even though the image was originally created as satire, the Catrina has become a familiar sight in many places where Día de los Muertos is observed.

I snapped these photos at the historic Cosmopolitan Hotel in Old Town. The original building dates back to the late 1820s, when the wealthy Californio cattle rancher Juan Bandini built a “mansion” among the simple adobes in Old Town. When Bandini’s fortunes faded, he sold the house to Albert Seeley in 1869, who built a second story and converted the house into a hotel for a new San Diego stagecoach stop, which he also built nearby.

I believe I photographed a couple of the same skeletons a year or two ago, but I simply couldn’t help myself. They’re so much fun!

A covered wagon in front of the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park.
A covered wagon in front of the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park.
In celebration of Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, two lady skeletons wearing frilly dresses greet visitors to the Cosmopolitan Hotel. Here's one.
In celebration of Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, two lady skeletons wearing frilly dresses greet visitors to the Cosmopolitan Hotel. Here’s one!
Here's the other!
Here’s the other!
Inside the Cosmopolitan Hotel's saloon, more extremely elegant but skeletal customers are observed.
Inside the Cosmopolitan Hotel’s saloon, another lavishly elegant but skeletal customer is observed.
A shy skeleton in quite fancy attire stands silently in the corner of the Old West 1800s saloon.
A shy skeleton in very fancy attire stands silently in the corner of the Old West 1800s saloon.
A bony customer at the bar. That must have been a stiff drink.
A bony customer at the bar. That must have been a stiff drink.
A wedding cake for a skeleton bride and groom! Día de los Muertos is a joyful holiday that celebrates past life.
A wedding cake for a skeleton bride and groom! Día de los Muertos is a joyful holiday that celebrates the past lives of loved ones.

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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 fun photos for you to enjoy!

Signs in San Diego contain quotes from modern artists.

Unusual signs near America Plaza contain quotes from famous modern artists. This thought-provoking art was installed by the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, located across the street.
Unusual signs near America Plaza contain quotes from famous modern artists. This thought-provoking art was installed by the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, which is located across the street.

Look what I discovered this evening! I had disembarked from the trolley at the Santa Fe Depot and was making my way to America Plaza when my eyes were ensnared by a very cool sight.

At first glance I thought it was a cluster of directional signs that point every which way to cities around the world. Then I realized these signs were far more interesting!

On one side each sign contains a thought-provoking quote from a modern artist. The cities shown on the reverse side are those associated with the artists.

The modern artists quoted are: Pablo Picasso, Jeff Wall, Jackson Pollock, John Baldessari, Jose Clemente Orozco, Edward Ruscha, Joseph Beuys, Richard Diebenkorn, Henri-Robert-Marcel Duchamp and Eleanor Antin.

I walked back across Kettner Boulevard to the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego and learned that these unusual signs were installed by the museum about two weeks ago!

People walk down the sidewalk along Kettner Boulevard. A few glance up at what appears to be a cluster of strangely colorful directional street signs.
People walk down the sidewalk along Kettner Boulevard. A few glance up at what appears to be a cluster of strangely colorful directional street signs.
Quotes from ten notable modern artists are featured on the MCASD signs. The reverse side of each directional sign contains a city associated with the artist.
Quotes from ten notable modern artists are featured on the MCASD signs. The reverse side of each directional sign contains a city associated with the artist.
Provocative public art rises from a downtown sidewalk, across the street from the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego.
Provocative public art rises from a downtown sidewalk, across the street from the Museum of Contemporary Art 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!

A clown, acrobats and circus animals on Fourth Avenue!

A happy clown face decorates the Fourth Avenue sidewalk, a block north of Broadway near the center of San Diego.
A happy clown face decorates the Fourth Avenue sidewalk, a block north of Broadway near the center of San Diego.

Should you ever walk along Fourth Avenue in downtown San Diego, you might stumble upon a delightful surprise.  A bit north of Broadway a clown face smiles up from the sidewalk. Above him is a heaven of old circus tile artwork, depicting exotic animals and performers in every sort of crazy pose. The art decorates a building which is now home to Halah’s Market.

It isn’t the sort of thing one expects to see in San Diego! At a Las Vegas hotel or casino, perhaps!

I can find nothing about the origin of this circus artwork. If you happen to know something, please leave a comment!

Halah's Market in downtown San Diego has a storefront with some amazing old circus artwork. After a little searching, I found nothing about the history of this building.
Halah’s Market in downtown San Diego has a storefront with some fantastic, nostalgic circus artwork. The canopy above the entrance resembles a carousel.  Searching the internet, all I learned about this building was that it was built in 1925.
Acrobats and performing animals of every description . . . including elephants, penguins, zebras, camels and bears. A circus atmosphere in an unexpected place!
Acrobats and performing animals of every description . . . including elephants, penguins, zebras, camels and bears. A circus atmosphere in an unexpected place!
A singing pig is joined by a trapeze artist and a seal in a hat. One often sees images of surfers, Hispanic culture or local landmarks in San Diego--not the circus!
A singing pig is joined by a trapeze artist and a seal in a hat. One often sees images of surfers, Hispanic culture or local landmarks in San Diego–not the circus!
More fun animals in poses that suggest absurd circus acts.
More fun animals in poses that suggest circus acts.
A surprising clown greets walkers in downtown San Diego!
A surprising clown greets walkers in downtown San Diego!

UPDATE!

I got a great comment! This location used to be the Chi-Chi Club San Diego! More can be learned here!

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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 fun photos for you to enjoy!