Here’s one last blog post from my long walk in Chula Vista yesterday.
As I wandered down the alley directly west of Third Avenue, I discovered two very cool murals.
The first is north of Davidson Street. There’s a signature, but I’m not sure who the artist is. Leave a comment if you know…
The second mural is south of Davidson Street and is by artist Michelle Ruby, aka Mr. B Baby. You might recognize her artwork. It contains fun, colorful characters that often populate her murals…
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Horton Plaza, the colorful old shopping mall that once attracted crowds to downtown San Diego, is now being redeveloped into a brand new mixed-use research campus called Horton.
I walked past the north entrance of the original Horton Plaza this morning. And look what I saw!
That’s very different from how things originally appeared! You can see the change in the next photograph that I took in 2014, while a small demonstration house was being built by Habitat For Humanity in nearby Horton Square…
Next is a photo I took in 2020 while Horton Plaza’s redevelopment was getting underway…
And here comes a photo taken later that year after the north entry’s original façade was entirely removed…
And now, here’s how things appears today!
This morning, after taking photos of Horton’s new north entrance, I proceeded south down First Avenue along the project’s west side, until I reached Horton’s southwest corner at G Street…
The Horton website provides an idea of how the interior of the complex will appear when completed. As you can see, some of the fun architectural elements of old Horton Plaza will be retained.
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Lindo Lake in Lakeside is a beautiful, peaceful retreat in San Diego’s East County.
Recently the lake has become even more beautiful!
A year ago when I took a walk at Lindo Lake County Park, the east basin was fenced off and closed to the public. That’s because numerous major improvements were then being made.
Today the paths around the large east basin are wide open!
Improvements include new plants and trees, wide ADA accessible pathways, scenic viewing platforms and a couple of bird-watching stations with blinds facing the water.
If I lived nearby, I’d be walking here often. There are native flowers, birds, shady trees, sunshine and the tranquil, shining water. Nearby mountains rise into blue sky.
Even on this winter’s day the lake was filled with life. (I’ll be blogging about the many birds coming up!)
I took the following photographs as I walked around Lindo Lake’s newly improved east basin…
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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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Looking for a fun adventure this weekend? Do you love the great outdoors? Do you love birds?
The San Diego Bird Festival 2023 has kicked off at Marina Village Conference Center and continues through the weekend!
The annual event is presented by the San Diego Audubon Society. The public is invited to attend a variety of educational lectures at Marina Village and bird-watching activities around the city.
The cool thing is many of the activities on Saturday and Sunday are free, including outdoor birding adventures along the San Diego River and at Santee Lakes!
Never gone birding before? Don’t know much about it? That’s fine! Bird lovers are a friendly, knowledgeable bunch and very welcoming. I happened to meet a few of them this morning during my quiet walk through Marina Village about an hour before the day’s activities began in earnest.
The San Diego Bird Festival also has a bookstore with every sort of bird-related resource one could ever need. And for those who are curious, there are displays of binoculars and other gear. There’s also an auction that features some very cool collectible items!
Who are those bicyclists I photographed? They were just setting off for a ride along the San Diego River. I wonder how many birds they identified?
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
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 Twitter!
San Diego is experiencing very high winds today. Combined with morning showers, including a sudden bout of hail, the icy wind made walking downtown a bit of an adventure.
I ventured outside after the hail. Nevertheless, my usual San Diego jacket felt far too thin. And crazy wind gusts almost knocked me over several times!
Flags were whipping around, most people were bundled up and my hat flew off twice. As you can see in the next photo, it’s Ash Wednesday.
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
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 Twitter!
Colorful mural painted on side of 7-Eleven on Beyer Boulevard, not far from a trolley station.No al Racismo! No to Racism! By @Yvette_RomanLarge agricultural mural on the side of La Bodeguita Food Store.Cat street art under a starry, starry night. By @d_barron26 in 2022.
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
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 Twitter!
The last time I walked in El Cajon, I passed this two-story clapboard building at 169 E. Main Street. It’s the home of the restaurant Mezzah Mediterranean Tapas and More.
An intriguing plaque is mounted by the front door…
Historic El Cajon Hall
~1894~
This building has also served as – newspaper office, a bank, telephone company, a lodge, Farmers Institute and a meat market.
Purchased by the Weinstock family and served as an appliance and radio store. 1932
Purchased and restored by Ross Nicholson 2002
Perhaps someone out there is knowledgeable about this building’s history.
I did a bit of internet searching and couldn’t find much. This page states: “…some research shows that the town marshal may have worked from the Weinstock Building since it was the only building in El Cajon at the time that had a working telephone. The building still stands at Prescott and Main.“
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe Prescott Avenue once ran beside this building, before being converted into downtown El Cajon’s park-like Prescott Promenade.
This page has an incomplete paragraph that begins: “The oldest building still standing is located at 169 E. Main Street. Until the early 1900’s it housed the Home Telephone Company, the Cuyamaca Bank and the El Cajon News …”
Unfortunately, when the “Read More” link is clicked, the corresponding document seems to be no longer available.
Who out there knows more about this historic building? Leave a comment!
UPDATE!
Informative comments have come in! Scroll down to read them!
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
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 Twitter!
Two small murals decorate the original entrance to the 1927 Riviera Apartment Hotel. When I walk up Park Boulevard from downtown to Balboa Park, I often wonder about them.
The historic Riviera Apartment Hotel exists today as the WorldMark San Diego – Balboa Park, and what originally was the building’s front entrance is now the locked back door. Consequently, these panels are seen by few people.
Here’s a photograph of the building taken circa 1930. It’s hard to determine whether these panels are present inside the original entrance. (The vintage automobiles in the photograph resemble those in the second mural!)
The Riviera Apartment Hotel building has been designated Historical Landmark No. 468 by the City of San Diego.
Do you know anything about these murals? When were they painted? By whom? Leave a comment!
If I happen to learn something more, I’ll post an update here.
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
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 Twitter!
Cool San Diego Sights! 