Prado: The entrance to Prado Restaurant is a prime example of Spanish Colonial Revival Architecture. These buildings are very ornate, usually with stucco walls and red tile roofs. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Botanical Building: A reflection pool leads visitors to the Botanical Building, which houses a plethora of flowers and plants. The narrow wooden slats that make up the roof allow proper air flow while creating shade over the plants. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Botanical Entrance: Visitors enter the Botanical Building at Balboa Park in San Diego. The Botanical Building is one of the most popular sites in the park as it invites visitors to enjoy the broad selection of over 2.100 plants. Also seen are slats on the roof that allow air circulation and light filtration. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
By GARY WARREN
Photographer
Formerly From Los Alamos
Minutes away from downtown San Diego is a collection of cultural interests, performing and visual arts, gardens, hiking trails, and other outdoor activities, as well as the famous San Diego Zoo. All of this sits on 1,200 acres that make up Balboa Park.
Balboa Park is larger than Central Park in New York and is home to 18 museums surrounded by 65 miles of hiking trails, picnic grounds, trees, gardens, and other beautiful outdoor scenery. There are free park trams that transport visitors to various parts of the park.
There are several informal cafes as well as various restaurants scattered among the central area of the park, as well as some street vendors. Beyond the central area of the park, the area is heavily vegetated and tree covered.
During our recent visit to San Diego, we set aside a day to visit Balboa Park. We had previously visited the zoo, and that portion of the park will not be included in this Post From the Road. We knew the park stretched for miles and would be impossible to cover in one day, but we could at least get an idea of the park’s features and the layout with the idea of visiting specific areas during later visits.
In addition to beautiful grounds, the park has some of the most striking and ornate architecture found anywhere. One could spend a day walking around and viewing the beautiful structures. The architecture is primarily Spanish Colonial Revival Architecture, which was built in the early 1900s for the Panama-California Exposition in 1915-1916. This was an event similar to a world’s fair which celebrated the opening of the Panama Canal and to promote port of San Diego.
This was the introduction to Spanish Colonial Revival Architecture in the U.S. The highly ornate structures are beautiful, especially when seen in a community of like buildings. We were able to view buildings in the central area of Balboa Park that are located closer together. The photos shown in this post are primarily of structures and their surroundings.
While our visit lasted for just a few hours, we gained some idea of the scope of the park and where we may visit in the future. This huge plot of land and the many museums and features found throughout the grounds are a true treasure for San Diego and all fortunate enough to visit the park. Fortunately, early developers of the city set aside this property for preservation for the future.
Editor’s note: Longtime Los Alamos photographer Gary Warren and his wife Marilyn are traveling around the country, and he shares his photographs, which appear in the “Posts from the Road” series published in the Sunday edition of the Los Alamos Daily Post.
MOA: The San Diego Museum of Art at Balboa Park houses thousands of works of art. The area’s largest art museum is also the most visited museum in the area. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
California Tower: The California Tower is a portion of the California Building at Balboa Park. The tower is almost 200 feet tall and offers views in every direction from the top. Tours allow visitors to climb steps to the top to enjoy the panoramic views. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Balboa Street Scene: The street of classic buildings in Balboa Park is lined with palm trees. Shown is a street scene with visitors moving about. Also seen are artisans and entertainers along the way. The California Tower is seen near the entrance to the park. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Guitar Man: A guitarist entertains a group of visitors around Balboa Park in San Diego. There were others scattered in the park entertaining visitors. Artists were also seen creating their artwork at various locations in the park. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Garden: A garden in a canyon near the House of Hospitality Visitors Center is a smaller garden within Balboa Park. Other larger gardens can be seen around the park, such as the Japanese Garden, Rose Garden, and Desert Garden. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com