... Final post of sister's and brother-in-law's visit, here in San Diego.
We spent one day heading down to North Park (a neighborhood in San Diego). North Park is known for its artists community (and some might argue "hipsters" too). It has roughly a dozen art galleries (give or take). Not necessarily the high-end, elite galleries, but rather a place where art is made; where artists live and breath. Whatever the case, it's a place with a lot of personality.
Figure 1. Wall art in the North Park neighborhood. (There's quite a lot of wall art in North Park.) Just as I was framing up this shot, a car parked almost right in front of the wall art (so the back of the car is in the shot). Oh, well. Lens: Thypoch Simera 28mm.
I took several pictures, but the lighting wasn't that great at the time. So it was more of a reconnaissance trip. I'll head back there on my own at different times of day, or different seasons, when the light is more favorable (for example, some picture ideas may have to wait until after the vernal equinox so I can get some sunlight on North facing structures).
I did have one of the best tasting cappuccinos I've had in years (there's lots of good coffee shops around).
Eventually, after coffee, we decided to walk to the Lafayette Hotel for lunch. On the way there, a particular building caught my eye (see Fig. 2).
Figure 2. A building in North Park. It's right within a residential neighborhood nestled in with some small apartment buildings and quaint, little houses. But what is it? An apartment building? A factory? An old factory turned apartments? Something else? I had to do some digging. It turns out it's a brand new apartment building, recently built from the ground up (and judging by the workers out front, they're just finishing up construction). Its retro-industrial look and style are purely architectural, aesthetic choices. -- I think it looks pretty cool. It caught my eye at least. For what it's worth, it's called the "LeParc Residence" and I believe they are presently accepting rental/lease agreements. Lens: Thypoch Simera 28mm.
After a bit of a walk, we arrived at the Lafayette Hotel which lies near the boundary between North Park and University Heights. The Lafayette Hotel had recently been renovated, and I wanted to check it out.
Figure 3. The "Beginner's Diner," a 24-hour diner within the Lafayette Hotel. This is where we had lunch. It was pretty tasty. Lens: Thypoch Simera 28mm.
Figure 4. "Quixote," another restaurant within the Lafayette Hotel. We didn't eat or drink here, but I popped in to check it out: nice and dark, grim, what some might even call "spooky." 'Just the place for me. I love it. I'm definitely coming back here. This is about the most awesome looking restaurant/bar I've ever seen. Lens: Thypoch Simera 28mm.
Figure 5. Lafayette Hotel's Lobby Bar. We spent some time at the Lobby Bar before heading to our next destination. Lens: Leica Summilux-M 50mm ASPH.
The Lafayette Hotel recently undertook a 31 million-dollar renovation. And I'd have to say they did a bang-up job. The place is gorgeous. If you ever stay there, be sure to bring a camera.
Figure 6. Reversed reflection of the "Ould Sod" signage. The Ould Sod is an Irish pub in the Normal Heights neighborhood, just north of North Park. It's definately a cool pub to check out if you're ever in the area. Lens: Leica Summilux-M 50mm ASPH.
And that about wraps it up for pictures of my sister's and brother-in-law's visit.
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