Tag: weekend

A sunny Saturday bowling in Balboa Park!

Many members of the San Diego Lawn Bowling Club were in Balboa Park today, competing in the Jay Robbins Knockout tournament.

People lawn bowling in Balboa Park? It must be a Saturday!

When I walk through Balboa Park on a Saturday, I’ll often sit on a bench by the lawn bowling green on the park’s West Mesa, at the west end of the Cabrillo Bridge. It’s a fine place to watch games while relaxing or having a bite to eat.

The players, dressed in white or light colors, in various poses on the green, together present a sunny, relaxed scene–like a nostalgic painting of summer. Watch the players closely, however, and you’ll notice they’re competing in earnest, strategizing, concentrating, trying very hard to defeat their opponents.

How does one play lawn bowls? This page explains the game.

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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 (formerly known as Twitter)!

Free architectural tours in San Diego this weekend!

An architectural masterpiece, the First Church of Christ, Scientist building by Irving Gill.
An architectural masterpiece, the First Church of Christ, Scientist building by Irving Gill.

An incredible free event is taking place in San Diego this weekend, March 9 and 10. The San Diego Architectural Foundation‘s big Open House San Diego 2024 will allow the public to tour dozens of fascinating buildings around the city!

I’ve enjoyed many Open House tours in past years. As before, the buildings that you can freely explore are located in several San Diego neighborhoods.

This year the neighborhoods are Bankers Hill, Barrio Logan, National City, Point Loma, Coronado, Downtown and La Jolla. Some of the included buildings are old, some are new. Some are historically important. All feature uniquely interesting architecture.

There are guided tours and self-guided tours. In many cases, the public is allowed to view interior rooms and private spaces.

Most of the Open House tours require no reservation–just show up on the designated day between certain hours. To get a full rundown of the architectural tours you can enjoy in 2024, click 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 X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Two big March events coming to Balboa Park!

Two huge events are coming to Balboa Park in March. The amazing Cherry Blossom Festival and the epic Thursday Club Rummage Sale are just days away!

Pink cherry blossoms have begun to appear in the Lower Garden of the Japanese Friendship Garden. When the Cherry Blossom Festival opens later this week, walking through the cherry trees will be like walking through a dream. The event always attracts a large crowd. There’s Japanese food and entertainment, too! It’s a good idea to arrive early.

The 2024 Cherry Blossom Festival runs from March 7 – 10. Learn all about it at the JFG website by clicking here.

The second big event is the Annual Rummage Sale of the Thursday Club. For 2024, the rummage sale will be held in the Municipal Gymnasium, which is located between the Comic-Con Museum and the San Diego Air and Space Museum.

Arrive early for this one, too! The massive event, billed as San Diego’s Largest Rummage Sale Since 1927, attracts thousands of bargain-seekers. You’ll find gently used furniture, decor, clothing, electronics, collectibles, art, books, music, you name it!

Doors will be open Saturday, March 9, from 9 am to 4 pm. On Sunday, March 10, you can swing by from 10 am to 2 pm. Click the Thursday Club website here to learn more.

Proceeds from the rummage sale go to very good causes:

The Thursday Club, a group of volunteers dedicated to educational, cultural and civic community involvement and leadership for over 100 years in San Diego, has returned almost $2 million to Balboa Park and the community through club activities… Each year, half of the proceeds of the sale go to benefit a variety of programs and projects within Balboa Park, and half goes to support non-profit organizations in the San Diego community.

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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 X (formerly known as Twitter)!

A free Bird Friendly Home and Garden Fair!

A free “Bird Friendly Home and Garden Fair” will be open to the public this coming Sunday, February 25, 2024. It’s part of San Diego Audubon’s big five-day San Diego Bird Festival, which is presently underway at the Marina Village Conference Center!

The Bird Friendly Home and Garden Fair will feature local organizations and businesses that help you help birds. There will be exhibitor booths, educational presentations, and people can build a bluebird nesting box for the California Bluebird Recovery Project. The program schedule includes a family music program and a live birds of prey presentation. There will be information about native seed libraries, what to do if you find an injured or baby bird, and much more!

To read more about this unique weekend event, click here and scroll down. You can participate in other San Diego Bird Festival activities, too!

(If you’re curious about the above photograph–that’s a Great Blue Heron that was perched in a tree above the San Diego River. I spotted it yesterday while walking across the pedestrian bridge near the Fashion Valley transit center.)

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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 X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Chinese New Year Festival in Balboa Park!

A big Chinese New Year event is taking place this weekend in San Diego!

The Year of the Dragon, 2024, is being celebrated at the Chinese New Year Festival in Balboa Park. Hosted by the House of China, plenty of fun, cultural entertainment and ethnic food awaits families at the International Cottages!

I visited today and took a bunch of colorful photos that you might like.

The annual Chinese New Year event in Balboa Park always attracts a huge crowd. The list of performers is long–there is music, fan dancing, theater, and a traditional, crowd-pleasing Chinese New Year’s lion dance, of course!

Unique gifts, crafts and Chinese calligraphy lessons can be found among the many booths. There’s enough going on to keep the family occupied for much of the afternoon. Grab a dumpling, a boba tea, a good seat on the lawn, and enjoy!

The event continues tomorrow, Sunday, February 18, from 11 am to 5 pm.

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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 X (formerly known as Twitter)!

4th Annual City Heights Multi-Cultural Festival of Love!

These photographs are from today’s 4th Annual City Heights Multi-Cultural Festival of Love. The event, which celebrates community unity and diversity around Valentine’s Day, was held in Officer Jeremy Henwood Memorial Park.

I arrived as the festival began, having followed a small but heart-filled parade down several streets in City Heights. See those fun photographs here!

Neighbors were gathering around 11 am to gaze at cool lowriders along Fairmount Avenue and enjoy multicultural entertainment that would include ballet, lion dances, drummers and the Fern Street Circus.

There was plenty of great food on hand. Community organizations caught the attention of visitors at booths around the grass. (See my photos of several flyers with really great information.) Odi the Coyote from the San Diego Library was greeting young and old. The Rad Hatter was there to help everyone create radical hats from paper bags. And there were other craft activities for families, including making puppet masks!

I lingered for a bit and listened to Mariachi Victoria performing on the outdoor stage.

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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 X (formerly known as Twitter)!

A colorful San Diego Lunar New Year Tết Festival!

This weekend, people are heading to City Heights to enjoy the 14th Annual San Diego Lunar New Year Tết Festival!

The big free event celebrates the Year of the Dragon. Food, fun, cultural displays and entertainment fill Officer Jeremy Henwood Memorial Park, just south of the City Heights/Weingart Library.

I visited the Tết Festival late this morning and watched several traditional dances, as you can see from my photographs. Various local groups performed on the main stage.

Some of the colorful dances were performed by the UCSD Chinese Dance Association. There were also student ballet dancers who are part of a San Diego Ballet education program in City Heights.

And, if that wasn’t exciting enough, there was a crowd-pleasing magician who levitated a young volunteer from the audience!

Tomorrow–Sunday–a full program of events is scheduled, including Vietnamese opera, the ever-popular lion dances, San Diego’s beloved Fern Street Circus, and much more!

This family-friendly festival will be running 11 am to 8 pm on Sunday, so, if you want to have a lot of fun, head over to City Heights!

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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 X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Spread kindness and love in Escondido!

Your opportunity to spread love and kindness in Escondido is coming in early February!

Love Esco is a community effort kicking off this weekend that offers a range of service projects whereby volunteers beautify and improve Escondido!

Many of the projects require no special skill and provide necessary tools. You can help a food pantry, engage in neighborhood cleanups, donate blood, bake treats for first responders, help create school gardens, provide encouragement… Click here to see all of the volunteering opportunities, then sign up!

The Love Esco Day Kick-Off Party is this Saturday, February 3, 8am-10am at Grape Day Park. You can meet World Cup Champion Shannon MacMillan and radio host Jesse Lozano. There will be giveaways, entertainment and a whole lot of inspiration!

I plan to be there!

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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 X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Orchids in the Park blooms this weekend!

Another amazing orchid show is being held this weekend in Balboa Park. The San Diego County Orchid Society hosts the spectacular Orchids in the Park event, and I’m glad I stumbled upon it today!

In addition to displays of stunning, award-winning blooms, the free show allows visitors to purchase orchid plants and listen to gardening experts.

I saw an enthusiastic crowd wandering about Room 101 of the Casa del Prado, where the orchid show and sale takes place. Who doesn’t love beautiful flowers? My camera battery was very low, so I took only a few photos. Thankfully, a few came out okay.

If you love natural beauty, and orchids in particular, you must not miss this show. It continues tomorrow, Sunday, January 28, from 10 am to 4 pm. Signs are posted around Balboa Park. Follow the arrows!

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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 X (formerly known as Twitter)!

Girl Scout brings fun to History Center!

Kids can have a ton more fun at the San Diego History Center, thanks to Girl Scout Audrey Weishaar!

For the past couple weekends, tables full of activities have greeted visitors to the San Diego History Center in Balboa Park. It’s Audrey’s Gold Award project, which is titled History: Where We Come From & How We Got Here. As a sign explains, the Gold Award is the highest award one can earn in Girl Scouts, and the main point of it is to benefit your community.

I saw a bunch of kids running about the museum, no doubt drawn by this awesome project. At the tables they can talk to Audrey, collect stickers, get a booklet about San Diego and California History (with connect-the-dot and coloring pages!), and use clues to solve a mystery. There are even several fun tongue twisters to try!

Want to have a fun, educational experience with the kids? Audrey will be smiling at her table inside the San Diego History Center for one more weekend: January 20 and 21, 11 am – 3 pm.

It’s free!

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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 X (formerly known as Twitter)!