Saturday, March 31, 2007

One year birthday

Today it has been 1 year of San Diego Daily Photo. Others who have passed this 1 year milestone (and 2 years for Eric of Paris!) have made a collage of their best photos or posted a special photo. Due to my delinquent, lazy, and "fly by the seat of my pants" behavior I'm bringing you what I can. So, in celebration of César Chávez Day and as a tribute to my activist grandmother to whom this blog is dedicated, I thought I'd show a photo of a local union office supporting food and commercial workers. Like other daily photo bloggers' experience, for me this has been a very fun time consuming outlet of artistic expression connected to a wonderful community of people and I don't want it to end! And so, I've talked a few people into contributing.... I've already posted some things from Stu and he will continue to contribute from time to time. And please welcome Alexandra who will begin to post on Thursdays. We are looking forward to showing more new and exciting photos from our city. To SDDP visitors near and far, thank you very much for your comments and for stopping by to say hi! Comments and visitors keep us all going, so speak up and let us know what you'd like to see, or, if you are tired of seeing Balboa Park just say so!

Friday, March 30, 2007

99 Ranch Market

Since I took you to the lower levels of San Diego food last week, here's a much higher level of food. Photo and description contributed by Stu:
Thinking of serving bull's penis for dinner this weekend? How about pig stomach? Rooster comb? If so, you'll be headed to 99 Ranch Market, by far the biggest of the Asian markets in the Kearney Mesa area. They sell all that, plus more varieties of fish (some of them still swimming) than I could possibly name. Personally, I avoid the really exotic stuff and carry away the 99cents-per-pound duck.

Thursday, March 29, 2007

Buttons

See anything you would pin to your shirt?

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

View from Aquarium

On a clear day the Birch Aquarium has a spectacular view. Mornings tend to be overcast and hazy by the beaches, so this is not the most spectacular. The pier you see in the photo is the Scripps Pier - here's a view of the pier on a clear evening.

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Moon jellyfish

This Moon jellyfish (about 1 foot across when open) was my favorite creature from the Birch Aquarium. They also have other smaller jellyfish taken from local waters. BTW, this is not a B&W photo. Check out Not Strictly Seattle to see Susan's aquarium photos from last month.

Monday, March 26, 2007

Birch Aquarium

Whale fountains grace the the entrance to the Birch Aquarium where you'll find a 70,000 gallon kelp tank, sharks, coral reefs, and a tide pool area where you can touch starfish and other sea creatures. This is also the last week until the end of the year that naturalist-guided whale watching tours are offered through the aquarium.

Sunday, March 25, 2007

Side entrance

This is a side entrance to Balboa Park's promenade. The Botanical Garden is straight through through the center archway.

Saturday, March 24, 2007

Hall of Champions

This striking sculpture stands outside the San Diego Hall of Champions Sports Museum in Balboa Park. The museum features San Diego's outstanding athletes and sports memorabilia from all sports. This museum is free to residents on the 4th Tuesday of the month. Click here to see the schedule for "Free Tuesdays" at Balboa Park museums.

Friday, March 23, 2007

In-N-Out Burger

I'm hitting a new low on the the food chain here. If you happen to be traveling in California (or Nevada & Arizona), In-N-Out Burger is the best fast food burger that you can buy. Their motto is freshness - the burgers are not made from frozen patties and you can watch as they take a whole potato, run it through a grater, and fry them up.

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Bear "backpack"

I overheard a conversation where one parent was asking another where they bought their cool/cute child restraint/leash. I wish I had gotten a photo of the child with her "backpack" on. Since I was at the mall, I thought I'd show you this device. What do you think of it?

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Hanging out at the mall

Here was a beautiful window display of glamorous evening gowns, but one mannequin didn't have time to dress!

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Blonde - electrical box #8

A groovy blonde sits at the end of a freeway exit and welcomes you to the Hillcrest neighborhood. Click here to see seven more electrical boxes from around town.

Monday, March 19, 2007

Pink house

This house is in the Hillcrest neighborhood and is built in the Spanish Colonial Revival style, a popular architectural style in many older parts of San Diego.

Sunday, March 18, 2007

More Mission Trails

This was my first visit to Mission Trails Regional Park and it felt like we were many miles from the hustle bustle of the city. We went on a short 5 km hike that was mostly easy walking. There are several trails ranging from easy walks to very challenging hikes (straight up the mountain).

Saturday, March 17, 2007

Go climb a rock!

On 5,800 acres of preserved land, Mission Trails Regional Park is only 8 miles from downtown and offers camping, hiking, and as you can see, rock climbing. A rock climbing gym in our backyard...this area is called Mission Gorge. Wishing you all a spectacular weekend and a Happy St Patrick's Day!

Friday, March 16, 2007

Get your meat here!

Stu sent me running, not walking, to Siesel's Meats (their mother store is Iowa Meat Farms) to buy their barrel cured corned beef in order to cook up the traditional St Patrick's Day meal (corned beef, cabbage, and potatoes). Like their website says, they are San Diego's meat specialists. I have some great memories of a roast lamb and a bbq'd duck that came from Iowa Meat Farms. And where else would you buy veal in San Diego?

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Los Peñasquitos Marsh & Lagoon

This is the view from the Torrey Pines Reserve visitor's center. From here you see a bit of the city of Del Mar, the beach I showed you a few days ago, and the Los Peñasquitos Marsh and Lagoon. Marsh Trail takes you on a hike where crabs, mussels, clams, 15 types of fishes, several types of birds, and some of the animals I mentioned yesterday live. Remnants of Native American life can be found in the kitchen middens that are present in the marsh.

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Road kill

At the Torrey Pines Lodge and Visitors Center there are books and information about the geology, animals, plants, and history of the park. The most exciting part is their display of stuffed and mounted animals. On display are this little skunk, foxes, a racoon, a mountain lion, a bobcat, a great horned owl, a pelican, several smaller birds, an opossum, mice, and more. All the animals on display were found dead on the road in the park and all but the mountain lion still inhabit the area. There are still mountain lions in the county, just in less inhabited areas.

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Torrey Pines State Reserve

Many of you may have guessed where I was headed after seeing yesterday's photo. Torrey Pines State Reserve has 8 miles of trails all with stunning views of the ocean. The park is named after the Torrey pine tree which is the rarest pine in North America and only grows here and on a small island off the coast of Santa Barbara, California.

Monday, March 12, 2007

Torrey Pines State Beach

This beach goes for 3 miles and is popular for surfing, swimming, and sunbathing. At the southern end of the beach there is a nude beach called Black's Beach. The hill that you see to the left is Torrey Pines State Park a wilderness area of pine trees, sandstone canyons, and hiking trails that overlook the ocean.

Sunday, March 11, 2007

Mission San Diego de Alcalá

Here is Mission San Diego de Alcalá, the first of the 21 missions (churches) in California built by the Spanish to introduce Christianity to native peoples. It was first established in 1769 and moved back and forth between its current location and the Presidio location.

Saturday, March 10, 2007

A river runs through it

This is a photo of the San Diego River as seen from just off of Mission Gorge Road and looking toward Mission Valley. The river travels 52 miles from its source outside the of the town of Julian to the ocean. The river flows into the Pacific Ocean near the entrance to Mission Bay.

Friday, March 09, 2007

Gelato Vero Caffe

Gelato Vero is a well known coffeehouse that serves gelato (Italian ice cream). My intent was to show the gelato but most of my photos didn't turn out very well. The flavors of the day: caramel with brownies, pistachio, dark chocolate, expresso bean, mocha rum crunch, mango sorbetto, blackberry sorbetto, gianduia, spumoni, strawberry, tiramisu, and Tahitian vanilla.

Thursday, March 08, 2007

Royal Food Mart

Last time I passed by the Royal Food Mart I didn't get a good full frontal photo, so here it is. Click here for the side view. And yes, the railing still needs another coat of red paint!

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

De Anza Cove at sunset

Below the palm trees in this photo there is a battle going on to save the mobile home park at De Anza Cove. The mobile home park's lease expired a few years ago and the disputed land would be turned over to the city which doesn't allow for permanent residences. De Anza Cove is part of Mission Bay Park - click here to see a panoramic sunset photo.

Tuesday, March 06, 2007

Step right up!

This door and steps are part of the Bazaar del Mundo Shops.

Monday, March 05, 2007

Tigress

Many people use the colonnade of the Spreckels Organ Pavilion as a backdrop for wedding photos or other special occasions. The bamboo and lighting make for a beautiful background. Yesterday there was a group called Indirani (tribal belly dancers and fire dancing) taking photos for their website and everyone that came by was expecting a performance.

Sunday, March 04, 2007

International cottages

Every Sunday afternoon Balboa Park's House of Pacific Relations International Cottages are open. There are 31 little houses featuring a different country. Each "promotes multicultural goodwill and understanding through educational and cultural programs". Volunteers staff the house and inside you will find photos of famous people and events from that country, traditional clothes or household items, a map of the country, and sometimes food is offered. This food stand is outside of the United States' cottage.

Saturday, March 03, 2007

Circus

The circus is in town for a few more days. From when I went to the circus as a child, I can still remember being amazed by the trapeze artists swinging from ropes and balancing up on the high wire. What's your favorite part of the circus?

Friday, March 02, 2007

Bronx Pizza

If you like your pizza with a New York accent, Bronx Pizza is the place to go. The lunch special is your choice of two slices and a drink for $6.00. My favorite is the whitestone (mozzarella, ricotta, garlic and parmesan) with mushrooms.

Thursday, March 01, 2007

Coming in for a landing

Here is a photo of the downtown San Diego skyline. The bright light to the left is not the moon, it is a plane coming in for a landing at Lindbergh Field airport. Today is the Daily Photo's theme day and the theme is "men at work". Click on a city below to see men from around the world working hard or hardly working:
Greenville SC (USA) -Hyde (UK) -Tenerife (Spain) -Albuquerque, NM (USA) -Stayton, OR (USA) -Rotterdam (NL) -Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) -London (England) -Richmond, VA (USA) -Sydney -Sally (Australia) -Newcastle upon Tyne (England) -Constanta (Romania) -Evry (France) -Lubbock, TX (USA) -Szentes (Hungary) -Villigen (Switzerland) -Mumbai (India) -Tel Aviv (Israel) -Twin Cities, MN [USA] -Jakarta (Indonesia) -Houston -Candice & Megan, TX (USA) -Budapest (Hungary) -Singapore - Zannnie (Singapore) -Dubai (UAE) -Singapore -Keropokman (Singapore) -Madrid -Dsole (Spain) -Mazatlan -Kate (Mexico) -Nelson (New Zealand) -Vantaa (Finland) -Kyoto (Japan) -Tokyo (Japan) -Joplin, MO (USA) -Auckland (New Zealand) -Sequim, WA (USA) -Menton (France) -Minneapolis, MN (USA) -Istanbul (Turkey) -Sydney -Nathalie (Australia) -Sharon, CT (USA) -Seattle, WA (USA) -Anderson, SC (USA) -Monte Carlo, (Monaco) -Milano, (Italy) -Grenoble (France) -Wailea, HI (USA) -Guelph, ON (Canada) -Melbourne - John (Australia) -New York City (USA) [Ming_the_Merciless] -Cebu (Philippines) -Bandung (Indonesia) -Antigua Guatemala (Central America) -Hamburg (Germany) -London -Jonemo (UK) -Hong Kong -Stavanger (Norway) -Paris (France) -Naples, Florida (USA) -Saarbrücken (Germany) -Shanghai (China) -Quito (Ecuador) -Zurich (Switzerland) -Joensuu (Finland) -Aliso Viejo, CA (USA) -Cheltenham (England) -Brussels (Belgium) - Montreal (Canada)