Sculpture of a winged cherub sits above a service entrance to the Horton Plaza shopping mall on Fourth Avenue.
Whenever I walk around town, my eyes are constantly roving, searching.
During the past few days I spied a variety of cool sights. Many were familiar but observed with fresh eyes; others to my eyes were entirely new.
Almost all of these photographs were taken in downtown San Diego. If you read the captions, you’ll note that one photo was taken in Mission Valley.
Every day is a new voyage of discovery.
Late light on Pacific Soul, a fantastic new sculpture by Jaume Plensa.Light fixtures mingle with reflections. Magic in one window of Urban Lighting.Magic Shop San Diego and a street lamp that seems to have mysteriously materialized inside their store.A colorful Rabbitville bunny that celebrates San Diego inside a window of the Hilton Gaslamp.Lucha Libre masks peer down from an upper level of Petco Park.Cool ornamentation on a building at the corner of Fourth Avenue and E Street.Looking up at one of the geometrically fascinating Pacific Center towers in Mission Valley.Ornamental detail at entrance to the elegant 1928 San Diego Trust and Savings Bank Building, now home to Courtyard by Marriott San Diego Downtown.Late light on San Diego’s iconic 1938 County Administration Building.Gazing straight up toward the roof of the elaborate 1929 Samuel L. Fox Building at Sixth Avenue and Broadway.A tangle of rope inside the window of Crab Hut on Broadway.Stained glass windows add character to the Goorin Bros. Hat Shop – Gaslamp.Medallion-like relief sculpture of explorer Cabrillo’s galleon San Salvador on a corner of the 1924 John D. Spreckels Building.
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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!
Having an amateur photoblog is loads of fun. My eyes are constantly moving about, searching for and anticipating interesting images.
Cool San Diego Sights helps me to perceive what I otherwise might not. Unusual reflections, shadows, hues, angles, spatial relations, minute details: an object’s complex, often momentary essence.
Before sunset today I walked along the Embarcadero, just north of the Broadway Pier. Glass buildings along the waterfront were shining. A jumble of bright reflections produced all sorts of fascinating contrasts.
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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!
Two humorous surfing signs in window of San Diego Trading Company.
I like to peek into shop windows whenever I walk through the Gaslamp Quarter in downtown San Diego. Many of the windows are sure to have displays that are amusing or eye-catching.
Enjoy these fun photos from this morning!
T-shirt proclaims Being Normal is Boring in window of IT’SUGAR Candy Store.A wine bottle has been converted into a salty sea captain at the Michael J Wolf Fine Arts gallery.A dish towel at Bubbles Boutique reminds everyone to be nice to your kids–they choose your nursing home.Frida Kahlo socks in the window of Find Your Feet. Viva La Vida!Art by prolific local muralist Gloria Muriel in the window of Sparks Gallery.
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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!
An architectural masterpiece, the First Church of Christ, Scientist building by Irving Gill.
The First Church of Christ, Scientist building, designed by renowned architect Irving Gill and completed in 1910, is considered by many to be a masterpiece. I often pause a minute or two to admire its simple, rhythmic beauty when I walk near Second Avenue and Laurel Street in Bankers Hill.
During the San Diego Architectural Foundation’s 2018 OPEN HOUSE event a couple weekends ago, I ventured inside the church for the very first time.
I was interested to learn that when it was completed over a century ago, the mayor of San Diego considered the building such an amazing architectural accomplishment that he showed it to visiting dignitaries. I also learned that the church underwent a “modern” remodel in the 1950’s, which removed archways, windows and the beautiful glass dome. Thankfully the building was restored to its original appearance in 1998.
To my fascinated eyes, the arches, windows and tower are elegant, like notes of music. The white stucco enhances every perfect line and curve, as if a cloud were carved precisely with the architect’s pencil.
I took some photos! Read the captions for additional information.
Simple arches and lines mount skyward like a cubist painting.First Church of Christ Scientist 1909. I believe the 1904 signifies the year of their first small downtown building, which stands at Third Avenue and Ash Street and is now occupied by the attorney King Aminpour.Balloons outside the entrance indicate this church is a participant in the annual San Diego Architectural Foundation OPEN HOUSE.Arched windows inside admit light and create an impression of heavenly space. I’m reminded of a jewel’s bright facets.Like a crown of gold, organ pipes dominate the altar of a light-filled sanctuary.The amazing stained glass dome above the church sanctuary.A large poster containing photographs of the building’s 1950’s appearance and historic restoration. (Click image to enlarge.)The poster’s legend. The restoration brought back much of the natural light admitted by the original archways and glass dome.Photo of the sanctuary in the 1950’s. Perhaps at the time this was considered tasteful, but today it seems very drab.Old photo of this famous Irving Gill building, the dome just visible on the rooftop.I was told these are some of the original Irving Gill blueprints. The are displayed with other documents and historical photos in a hallway near the church sanctuary.An architectural marvel in San Diego’s Bankers Hill neighborhood.
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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!
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 photos for you to enjoy!
People walk past the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego’s building at America Plaza.
I recently noticed new thought-provoking graphics in the windows of the MCASD building at America Plaza.
Last year, a survey was taken of 100 people passing through America Plaza. Questions were asked about racial and ethnic identity. Today an outdoor display at downtown’s Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego expands on the results and explores the complicated subject.
The window graphics are designed to catch the eye and draw visitors into the nearby gallery.
This project was produced by artists with students from local colleges in San Diego and Tijuana who participated in Transnational Seminar 1, lead by Collective Magpie.
On April 20th, 100 pedestrians took a survey here in America Plaza about race and ethnicity. Self-classification data was compiled.Of the 100 surveyed, 83 answered mixed race; 14 white people; 3 people of color.Feelings about racial identity can differ from person to person.One of two panels containing some of the racial and ethnic categories that a person might choose.A splash of words, asking people walking down Kettner Boulevard what the ultimate definition of race is…People might feel differently about their racial identity depending on a range of factors and circumstances, from their appearance…to their dreams…to their immediate environment…to the way they live.Thought-provoking graphics concerning race in the windows of MCASD’s building at America Plaza.
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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!
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 photos for you to enjoy!
Windows at The Black contain all sorts of sights that fit right in with the laid-back, unconventional OB lifestyle.
Walk through Ocean Beach, particularly down Newport Avenue, and you’ll pass all sorts of weirdly wonderful shops. Look into some windows and you might think you traveled by time machine back to the 60’s.
I paused for a moment in front of The Black, a store that sells stuff that fits perfectly with OB’s alternative lifestyle. Coming down the sidewalk were surfers, retired hippies, free-spirited youth and sandal-wearing professionals. I looked into one window filled with dragon figurines and small toy robots.
My eye was then caught by a nearby historical sign. It explained that The Black’s rather plain-looking building, dating from 1918, has been home to a variety of more traditional grocery stores and markets selling meat, fruit and fresh produce. But that was decades ago. Long before the counterculture’s rise in the 1960’s.
One fascinating thing about history is that a community can change in ways that seem rather unexpected!
The Black in Ocean Beach occupies a building with a unique history. Greeson Hardware was once here, as were various markets, and the USO.Historical photo on the building at 5017 Newport Avenue in Ocean Beach shows past markets. The Black’s owner won the right to lease in the building after winning a card game across the street.In the window of The Black I see Gumby, Mr. Bill, some drums, guitar strings and a Grateful Dead baby onesie.Smoke shop items and other diverse gifts can be seen in the front windows of The Black in Ocean Beach.I see some fun, nostalgic robot toys!I also see a Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band tin tote and a Super Mario figure.
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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!
This graphic in the window at Fifth Avenue New York Pizza looks pretty tasty. Perhaps I should dine here…
It’s National Pizza Week! Hooray! Sounds like an excellent reason to celebrate!
This evening I was hungry for a couple of slices.
But where to go?
I’m not waiting for San Diego Restaurant Week. I want pizza now!Shall I eat dinner at Tony’s Pizza?Shall I eat dinner at Samurai Pie?Shall I eat dinner at Giovanni’s Trattoria?Shall I eat dinner at Brooklyn Pizzeria?Shall I eat dinner at City Pizzeria?I found some yummy pizza! After all that walking around downtown trying to figure out where to eat, I’m starving!
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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!
Elvis and cow in front of MooTime Creamery are decked out for Christmas.
I love to walk around Coronado. It’s like taking a small vacation.
In the past I’ve posted all sorts of cool sights around the island. My adventure yesterday along Orange Avenue yielded even more fun photos!
Enjoy!
A funny Roman warrior stands guard outside Village Pizzeria.A zoom photo of the north side of the Hotel del Coronado from a block or two up Orange Avenue.A view of the elegant Spreckels Building which was erected in 1917. It’s now home to the Bank of Coronado.Fancy gold ornamentation around front entrance of the Bank of Coronado, an historical landmark.Inside the front door of the Coronado Museum of History and Art one can see a Model T Laundry Truck once used at the Hotel del Coronado.Santa Elvis at MooTime Creamery is sporting a wreath around his neck.SEAL gifts and memorabilia for sale in the window of Bullshirt. Nearby Naval Amphibious Base Coronado is home to several SEAL teams.A fun tiki-style bamboo bike in front of Holland’s Bicycles. You can rent it for a ride around the beautiful island.Beautiful autumn trees and grass in Spreckels Park.The small June Miller Garden at the base of a tall palm tree in Spreckels Park. The gazebo in the background is the setting of Concerts in the Park during the summer.A joyful Victorian house on Orange Avenue reminds those passing by that it’s the holiday season in Coronado.
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A well-dressed gorilla on a plate in a funny San Diego shop window. I also see some wind-up chattering teeth.
Here comes another generous helping of funny photos! All of these pics are from past walks.
Enjoy a laugh or two!
A silly bee made of a potted plant and old metal stuff. I spotted this in front of the Hive Sushi Lounge on Golden Hill.Marshmallow Madness in the window of IT’SUGAR in the Gaslamp. This cereal has Absolutely No Nutritional Value Added!So lazy can’t move. Must be the sugar crash.World leaders on socks! Funny gifts on display in the window of the Find Your Feet store.In the middle of the day, a neon sign hopefully proclaims It’s 5:00 Somewhere.Education is important but beer is importanter, according to a sign in front of Coin Haus in La Mesa.A tiny gull stands atop the hat of a Navy sailor! (Actually it’s just an ordinary gull atop Seward Johnson’s enormous Embracing Peace statue on the Embarcadero.)Someone from Park City, Utah with a yacht is bored of the snow, or snowboarding, apparently.Perhaps Santa is tired of the snow, too. I think I spotted his beard in Seaport Village. That heavy beard is great for the North Pole, but too warm in sunny San Diego!A banner for your spoiled rotten cat.Another elegantly dressed animal–a cow! Plus a bonus funny face.These two dogs in the Michael J Wolf Fine Arts gallery must like to wine.
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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!
Cool San Diego Sights! 