San Diego...where you at???

San Diego is my home turf and I am proud of it. It has come a long way. From the small desolate downtown to the boomtown city center with a birth of young luxurious entrepenours in real estate...to today's shaken and youthful circus atmoshphere, DTSD is still doing it and I admire it. A few months back, I had the chance to go downtown to a throwback concert featuring When In Rome and the Flock of Seagulls. It was more of a chance to hang out with friends and take pics of downtown. Here a few of the shots.

U.S. Grant Hotel, DTSD. 2010

This is one of San Diego's nicest buildings. It was ran independently for years and eventually it was bought out by the Viejas Casino and given a facelift. Probably one of the nicest facelifts. It really brought back a nice flare to one of DTSD's busiest intersections and avenues. And some Californian's say that Indian Gaming is unfair...look at a positive effect suckas!

Space Invader off California Theatre Building, DTSD. 2010

As we made our way to the concert I noticed a familiar face in the cityscape...it was a tile piece by Space Invader.  The piece was placed off the old California Theatre Building. This is one of my favorite buildings in DTSD that has been abandoned for years. The facade of the building illustrates early life in San Diego. Very Spanish, Very Decorative, Very Cool, but very very abandoned. This is also a canvas to both Space Invader and Barry McGee (see below).

Barry McGee, old California Theatre Building. 2010

This is an installation (burner) that is part of a large exhibition that is currently open at the MCASD...Viva La Revoluccion! This is a heavy hitter show that I still have not seen. I opted to wait out the crowds and non-sense criticism  that will flow through the halls. This is a great installation and a very important piece to the community. I feel that XL Installations are vital and can improve the life within a city. It's a shame that more cities do not invite these kinds of installations...it gets the mind working, shaking, and moving.