The Magic of December Nights in San Diego
I knew December Nights at Balboa Park was going to be magical. There’s not a better way to kick-start the holidays than going to Balboa Park, and experiencing December Nights. What is/are December Nights? I wrote about it in my previous post, just click here to see More Info on December Nights (that post contains some external links with more information too).
Now that December Nights (which occurred on December 7 & 8, 2012) are over, there’s still plenty of reasons to visit the Park. The magical tree is still there, and so are the lights and the great atmosphere, and at least you won’t have the crowds to deal with. Here’s some pictures:
First the magical tree:
December Nights, Balboa Park, San Diego
It gets even more magical – it opens up!
December Nights, Balboa Park, San Diego
It changes color!
December Nights, Balboa Park, San Diego
It changed color again!
December Nights, Balboa Park, San Diego
This one is more fuzzier, because my camera’s battery died and I had to use my I-phone.
December Nights, Balboa Park, San Diego
This one’s fuzzy too, but I’m including it because I want you to see the spectacle of color that was so beautiful during the December Nights concert.
December Nights, Balboa Park, San Diego
Here’s the same color for background, but the tree has closed up
December Nights, Balboa Park, San Diego
Now for a lighter shade of blue
December Nights, Balboa Park, San Diego
And the last two of the tree at least!
December Nights, Balboa Park, San Diego
December Nights, Balboa Park, San Diego
Now for some pictures of the Park in the dark. Me and my family went to December Nights on both December 7 and December 8. Why miss out on the magic?
I believe this church now houses the Museum of Man
St. Francis Chapel, Balboa Park, San Diego
Museum of Man & St. Francis Chapel, Balboa Park, San Diego
Balboa Park, San Diego
Balboa Park, San Diego
Museum of Man & St. Francis Chapel, Balboa Park, San Diego
Today, I suddenly stumbled on a second picture that I took of the Church at Balboa Park, I thought I only had one like the one above.
The Museum of Man, December Nights, Balboa Park
Are you ready for more Christmas trees? Here’s another one at the Park, closer to the church shown above
Christmas Tree, near Museum of Man, Balboa Park
Oh, my gosh! The Grinch was here, but Chandi didn’t want to have her picture taken with him, so I had to take it of someone else instead!
The Grinch at Balboa Park
Even dogs like December Nights, this picture was taken with no flash, but it wasn’t very good, however, it will give you an idea of what the lights were like and how it really looked in the dark
Dog in a Car with Christmas Lights at Balboa Park
Dog in a Car with Christmas Lights at Balboa Park
The dog also has glasses, more clearly seen in the picture below.
Dog in a Car with Christmas Lights at Balboa Park
It’s just so nice strolling through the Park, even in the dark!
Balboa Park, San Diego
Balboa Park was nicely lit up for the holidays
Balboa Park, December Nights, San Diego
Balboa Park, December Nights, San Diego
Balboa Park, December Nights, San Diego
Balboa Park, December Nights, San Diego
There were so many people there, you wouldn’t believe it. I think I read somewhere that there were at least 300,000 people.
Balboa Park, December Nights, San Diego
Balboa Park, December Nights, San Diego
Balboa Park, December Nights, San Diego
Here’s the Botanical Gardens Building at night time bathed in a beautiful blue light
Balboa Park, December Nights, San Diego
You can’t tell from these pictures just how many people there were in Balboa Park during these two very busy nights.
Balboa Park, San Diego
Balboa Park, San Diego
Balboa Park, San Diego
Balboa Park, San Diego
Balboa Park, San Diego
Of course, there were a lot of delicious choices for food, but I didn’t get to take too many pictures of the different vendors. Here’s one at least.
Food Options, December Nights, Balboa Park
This fountain is near one of the many museums at the park, and is closest to the path to the San Diego Zoo.
Fountain, Balboa Park, San Diego
The words “Happy Holidays” lit up one of the museums
Happy Holidays, Balboa Park, San Diego
Happy Holidays, Balboa Park, San Diego
The Natural History Museum, Balboa Park, San Diego
Here’s a clearer picture of some people at December Nights
Balboa Park, San Diego
For some reason, I like this picture
Balboa Park, San Diego
I couldn’t stop taking pictures of Balboa Park at night, it is beautiful both at night and day
December Nights, Balboa Park, San Diego
December Nights, Balboa Park, San Diego
I didn’t quite get the picture above centralized, see how it looks below, still not right. It would have been perfect if I could have got both “Season’s Greetings” and the lighting on the wall on the right in just one picture balanced out better. Oh, well. I’ll have to make do with two pictures.
December Nights, Balboa Park, San Diego
Now for where the reindeers are with presents laden on the sleigh
December Nights, Balboa Park, San Diego
A different angle of the reindeers
Reindeers, December Nights at Balboa Park
Now, there’s the presents at the back (I guess on the sleigh).
Reindeers, December Nights at Balboa Park
Some more lights
December Nights at Balboa Park
Now, some more pictures of the amazing tree from a different angle.
December Nights at Balboa Park
December Nights at Balboa Park
December Nights at Balboa Park
And lastly, some pictures of the performers who entertained us at the site of the magical tree.
Performers at December Nights, Balboa Park
Performers at December Nights, Balboa Park, San Diego
Performers at December Nights, Balboa Park
Performers at December Nights, Balboa Park
Just incase you don’t get the full flavor of what it’s like at Balboa Park during December Nights, I made this video especially for you.
I still haven’t had the chance to take more daytime pictures of Balboa Park, so in the meantime, you can look at these pictures taken by someone who linked to my post previously, so now I will link to his – so you can see his amazing pictures of Balboa Park: http://onecoolthingeveryweekend.com/2012/11/21/picture-tour-of-the-san-diego-balboa-park/
Oh, by the way, I went to the International Houses on the 8th of December and saw various cultural dances there, including Indian dances, but only managed to get a few pictures. Perhaps, I will put those in another post. Anyway, I hope you can see that Balboa Park is so magical when it’s the holidays. If you celebrate Christmas, Merry Christmas to you, and if you don’t – Happy Holidays!
It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas
Oh, how I love this time of year, the wonderful memories of Christmas that has already passed, and the exhilarating anticipation of Christmas yet to come.
Two fabulous places to experience a taste of the holidays are Balboa Park, and the adjacent San Diego Zoo. Did you know that you can actually walk from Balboa Park to the Zoo? It will only take about five to ten minutes to walk from one to the other.
I would like to remind you that December Nights is just around the corner – it’s actually this week on Friday and Saturday (December 7 and 8) …..two wonderful days of holiday cheer, where San Diego celebrates the holidays like no place else.
Here’s three links with more information about this wonderful event – December Nights At Balboa Park, Official Tourism Blog of San Diego and NBC 7 San Diego News.
Here’s some pictures from past December Nights, previously known as Christmas On The Prado
December Nights – Balboa Park, San Diego
December Nights – Organ Pavilion – Balboa Park
December Nights – Organ Pavilion – Balboa Park
Cultural events and activities galore can be found at December Nights
Cultural Events – December Nights – Balboa Park
Cultural Events – December Nights – Balboa Park
These dances took place outside the House of Ukraine at the International Cottages in 2011.
Cultural Events – December Nights – Balboa Park
I think one of the best places to visit in Balboa Park is this very area…..the International Cottages. Here, you will see the House of Scotland, England, Germany, France, Russia, Italy, Ireland, Ukraine, and many others. What can you expect to see or learn from these International Cottages? You will get a big taste of what it’s like to be from that region. You can try samples of the food from any of those respective countries, you may even be in for a treat to a dance from that region – it really is a fantastic thing to experience – you might just see Scottish, German, Russian, Indian and other dances (during December Nights, 2012, I know you can definitely see Indian dances on Saturday evening (I apologize if you read it before and it said Friday, I just got confirmation today 12/6/12 that it’s Saturday evening). Read more about the International Cottages right here: http://www.balboapark.org/in-the-park/house-pacific-relations-international-cottages
This picture of my three kids was taken last year at San Diego Zoo. The Zoo is beautiful at Christmas time.
Merry Christmas from San Diego Zoo
Can you believe the same tree shown above behind my kids actually magically changes and becomes the tree below when it is darker
Christmas Tree at San Diego Zoo
Jungle Bells – San Diego Zoo
Jungle Bells and The Elves – San Diego Zoo
Jungle Bells and The Elves – San Diego Zoo
San Diego Zoo
San Diego Zoo
San Diego Zoo
San Diego Zoo
The San Diego Zoo is a favorite of my kids – especially Chandi – she absolutely loves it here.
San Diego Zoo
I really love her expression when she saw the orangutans.
Orangutans – San Diego Zoo
Now from my house to yours – I would like to spread some holiday cheer. This is a picture of my kids from two years ago. They wish you a Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas from San Diego
I don’t have a good picture yet of all three of my kids from this holiday season, but will certainly strive to capture one at some point or other, but I do have a picture of my little Chandi which was taken just a few days ago.
The Wonder of Christmas
My daughter Niki is very creative and made these holiday cookies
Go attend some festivities, get into the spirit, and don’t forget to enjoy some holiday cookies!
By the way……you are probably thinking that San Diego can’t look very “Christmassy”. I hope you can see that we still celebrate this joyous season here in a big way. It’s all about getting into the spirit, holiday decorations, festivities, etc., and any place can be seasonally festive. This is a nice place to celebrate it, because we don’t have to deal with the snow. I know many of you might like snow, but I grew up in England, and had more than my fair share of it. I really enjoy looking at it from inside, and seeing the snow fall – it certainly is a beautiful sight, but I can do without trudging through it, and shoveling my car out of it. However, my kids crave it – so what do we do here in San Diego for snow? We go to the Zoo and visit the “Snowerator” – at least I think that’s the word for it!
“Snowing” At San Diego Zoo
We also have places like Julian (one hour away) that are fairly close by, which we can go to if we really need the real thing.
Whatever you do…..I hope you get to celebrate the holidays, and to experience some of the season’s joy. Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays!
Scenic San Diego
I really could run out of words to describe San Diego – it surely is scenic, beautiful, fantastic, marvelous, paradise, heavenly and ………. well, I could go on!
Here’s a scenic San Diego – at Seaport Village
Seaport Village, San Diego
Here’s a beautiful San Diego at Seaport Village
Seaport Village
Here’s a fantastic San Diego with a downtown city view.
Downtown San Diego
Here’s a marvelous San Diego with the twin towers of the Marriott Marquis & Marina on the right.
San Diego & the Marriott Marquis & Marina
Well, I won’t call the next two pictures paradise and heavenly as those descriptions actually fit the first two more, but those are taken up!
Now, you have a downtown tourist attraction (Seaport Village), you have a place to stay (Marriott Marquis), and now you have to go shopping!
Horton Plaza, San Diego
Horton Plaza is one of the best shopping malls in the world, and undoubtedly the most colorful and most absolutely gorgeous place to shop, dine and see a movie!
Horton Plaza, San Diego
All the pictures above were taken a number of years ago, and may not be as vivid as they could be. Here are some newer pictures of Horton Plaza, however, I think they are all about the same quality.
Horton Plaza, San Diego
Horton Plaza, San Diego
Horton Plaza, San Diego
I actually saw an Indian movie here at Horton Plaza (sorry, I know this might not fit in with scenic San Diego, but I had to tie it in with Horton Plaza).
Indian Movies at UA Horton Plaza 14, San Diego
I took some more pictures of Seaport Village too recently, but I still like the older pictures that I took above.
Seaport Village, San Diego
And lastly, my favorite type of picture – the marina complete with boats, I don’t know why I like the marina so much, but I think it’s because I feel calm, peaceful and content when I see the more relaxing waters of the marina.
San Diego Marina At Seaport Village
Also, it is worthy to note that Seaport Village is within walking distance of such big hotels as the Marriott Marquis & Marina and the Hyatt Grand Manchester (both hotels overlook Seaport Village). Horton Plaza is a nice five or ten minute walk from Seaport Village – it will probably be a good idea to walk there, however, if you are stuck for parking – Horton Plaza validates for three hours with a purchase. You could visit the movies, and get your parking ticket validated too.
Want to know more about Seaport Village? http://www.seaportvillage.com/visitors
Want to know more about the Marriott Marquis & Marina? http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/sandt-san-diego-marriott-marquis-and-marina/
Want to know more about Horton Plaza? http://www.westfield.com/hortonplaza/tourism/
You may also want to see my other posts: Some Places To Escape The Heat, Incredible San Diego – La Jolla, Sunsets In San Diego, and Beautiful San Diego
I hope you will visit beautiful, scenic San Diego one of these days, it is absolutely paradise!
Happy Diwali from San Diego
Happy Diwali from San Diego again! This time the festivities took place just outside the Shri Mandir at the annual Diwali Mela on Black Mountain Road in Mira Mesa (about 15 minutes north of downtown San Diego). The 2012 Diwali Mela in San Diego was held on Saturday, October 27th.
First, some pictures:
Rajasthan Dance at Shri Mandir, San Diego – Diwali Mela
Diwali Mela 2012 at Shri Mandir, San Diego
Incase you didn’t see my pictures of Diwali at Balboa Park in San Diego, here are three more:
5th Annual Diwali Celebration – Balboa Park, San Diego
Diwali 2012 – Balboa Park – San Diego
Organ Pavilion Diwali Celebration, Balboa Park, San Diego
Now for a video where I put a few clips together, but there are many dances that I did not capture unfortunately. I also had to cut out a lot from the dances because of background noise. In this video, first you will see a Punjabi dance – Bhangra (one of my favorites – especially since my family is from the Punjab), then you will see a dance from Rajasthan, and then another few clips. At the end of this video, you will see some little kids dancing to Kolaveri Di, which is a cute song that turned out to be very popular, and even my little Chandi sings to it whenever she hears it.
I really wanted to add some more pictures in this post of Indian sweets from a local place on Black Mountain Road, which is a great alternative to going all the way up to Artesia (about one hour and 15 minutes away from where I live). Perhaps, I will add some pictures later on – maybe even on November 13th – the actual day of Diwali. Just fyi – Black Mountain Road is San Diego’s Little India, and Artesia is Los Angeles’ Little India. I really do enjoy going up to Artesia, as there are more stores and Indian restaurants, but I am beginning to get used to our own Little India in San Diego, and love one or two of the places there, such as Ashoka The Great Restaurant, and Surati Farsan Mart (the place where I will get my Indian sweets from this year).
Here’s the video of the performances at Balboa Park in San Diego at the 5th Annual Diwali Celebration on October 21st. Here you will see dances from the many regions of India including Andhra Pradesh, Bengal, Kerala, Karnataka, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu. You will also see the Diwali Lights display towards the end of the video, and then a finale where everyone dances to Bhangra on the stage.
A new addition to this post – it is now November 12th, and I just got my sweets from Surati Farsan Fart, and here’s some pictures of the fantastic selections:
Surati Farsan Mart, Black Mountain Road, Mira Mesa, San Diego
I just had to get some jalebis, these are yummy and so sweet (actually they have a lot of syrup, and have a great crunch to them)!
Jalebis from Surati Farsan Mart, San Diego
These two boxes have mango burfi in one box (second selection from the top left in the picture from the display selection – see above)
Diwali Sweets, Surati Farsan Mart
The second box has laddoo in them which can be seen more clearly in the picture below. Laddoo are the yellowish round balls in the first big box on the top shelf (on the left). These laddoo are absolutely delicious, and have raisins in them – they almost melt in your mouth!
Indian Sweets, Surati Farsan Mart
I hope you like the videos, and pictures, and I hope you will celebrate in some way on November 13th – even if you light just one or two candles. Happy Diwali!
Happy Diwali and Happy Holidays from Balboa Park!
Happy Diwali, and Happy Holidays from Balboa Park! The holidays are just around the corner, and this is surely a happy time for everyone! I love the holidays, and I especially love Christmas (the picture below was actually taken in San Diego Zoo, which is adjacent to Balboa Park).
Christmas in San Diego – San Diego Zoo
I also love Diwali, which is the Indian Festival of Lights celebrated by Indians of all different faiths, Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, and many others. Diwali falls on a different day each year, but that day will be either in October or November of the year. This year, Diwali will be on November 13th, but it was celebrated on October 21st at Balboa Park.
Diwali is a colorful festival, and it’s significance is rooted in several epics and stories. The festival celebrates the triumph of good over evil, and is celebrated with lights, especially candles and diyas. People rejoice in the occasion, and have parties, and there is definitely a lot of Indian sweets being sold and consumed at this time. If you would like to know more about Diwali, you can read this article: http://festivals.iloveindia.com/diwali/diwali-significance.html or http://www.diwaliinlondon.com/whatisdiwali.html. To read more about this year’s Diwali Celebration and an article where San Diego Mayor Proclaims “Festival Of Lights” Day, click here: http://www.indiajournal.com/archives/30604
Here is a picture of the Indian sweets (they are delicious).
Ambala Sweets and Snacks, Artesia
Here’s some pictures taken at the 5th Annual Diwali Celebration at Balboa Park. All the performances were held at the beautiful Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park.
Diwali Celebration, Balboa Park, San Diego
The night begin with the Indian National Anthem, and I have enclosed my video of this – now you will get to see a little more of the Organ Pavilion too.
Here is my video that shows a variety of performances that depict the many regions of India, therefore, you will see dances from Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Rajasthan, etc. You may be amazed to see there are so many variations of dance styles according to the region of India that the dance is from.
Here is my video of just one performance to show you a dance in its entirety, and this is the Rajasthan Dance.
These are some pictures of the performances
Diwali Celebration, Balboa Park, San Diego
Diwali Celebration, Balboa Park, San Diego
Diwali Celebration, Balboa Park, San Diego
This picture doesn’t really do it justice, but this is when the Diwali Lights were on display, and it was a beautiful scene. All the women on the stage were holding trays with candles – Balboa Park was truly lit up!
Diwali Lights Ceremony, Balboa Park, San Diego
In addition to the Annual Diwali Celebration where many Indian dances were performed, Indian dances are also performed during the December Nights outside the Houses of Hospitality at the International Cottages.
December Nights, Indian Dance, San Diego
Here’s some pictures taken at December Nights, 2011. I will of course be taking more pictures at this year’s December Nights (I wouldn’t miss it)!
December Nights – Balboa Park, San Diego
December Nights, Balboa Park, San Diego
It does get a little chilly in the evening during the December Nights celebration, so you will definitely want to wear a sweater or a jacket. There is plenty of food on sale, including stalls selling food from all around the world, close to the Houses of Hospitality, and practically all over the park. If you are in the mood for fine dining, then you might want to check out the Prado on the Park Restaurant.
Prado On The Park, Balboa Park, San Diego
Here are more pictures of Balboa Park (all three pictures were taken a number of years ago, and were scanned in). It will definitely be time to take more pictures soon of Balboa Park!
Balboa Park, San Diego
Balboa Park, San Diego
This one was taken at the Botanical Gardens in Balboa Park
You may know or have heard of Balboa Park in beautiful San Diego…..if not, you need to visit it soon as it is a fantastic place to visit. This park is adjacent to the world famous San Diego Zoo, and Balboa Park is so much more…..it is highly cultural. It houses the International Cottages where you can visit the House of Scotland, the House of England, the House of Russia, etc., and try a sample of food that comes from that region. However, when it comes to the holidays, such as Diwali (Indian Festival of Lights) and Christmas (now called December Nights instead of Christmas on the Prado) – there is no better place than Balboa Park to celebrate in style! Not only can you enjoy a world class park in a world class city, but you can enjoy world class cultural arts and entertainment.
You can read much more about December Nights at http://www.sandiego.org/events/balboa-park-december-nights.aspx and at http://sandiego.about.com/cs/familyfun/a/dec_nights.htm
Looking for something fun to do this holiday? Why not come to San Diego, and come to our December Nights….it will be hosted on two different days: Friday, December 7 and Saturday, December 8, 2012. This is a fun event for all the family, and highly entertaining! Kick off the holidays in style!
luchanik 