Balboa Park in San Diego

 Not long ago, Ed and I fled the 105+ degrees of Palm Springs for a few nights in San Diego. It made a pleasant change of about 30 degrees. For those who are unfamiliar, San Diego is one of the two most consistently temperate cities in the world, after Quito, which is situated in the mountains at the Equator.

So, 70s is pretty much guaranteed, albeit usually accompanied by morning fog. So we were thrilled. One day we went to Balboa Park. I had heard that my Grandmother, Honey, had worked at the exhibition, but it always seemed suspicious. Well, they explained it.

The 1915 Panama World Exhibition occurred when the Panama Canal first opened. It was designed to be temporary, but at least 4 buildings were kept by public demand.

Then, in 1936, a second world's fair / Pan-Pacific exhibition was held at the same park. The four buildings were rehabbed, and several new buildings were added, many of which are still standing. This was where Honey had worked.

So these are some of the buildings still in the Park.

Inside the building on the left is the History of San Diego Museum and the miniature Train thang. Behind the colonnade and a bit down the hill is a very nice restaurant, the Prado. The building on the right hosts the information / gift shop.

This was built for the 1936 fair. It is an open conservatory with Southern Californian plants. The lattice above it is thousands of feet of Redwood Planking. It was redone in 2021.

Eddie and I inside.

The "lagoon" in front of the Conservatory. The building on the left was used during World War II as a training base and later as a military hospital. The "Lagoon" was deepened for training and soldiers were taught to swim and row here!

Detail honoring Spanish explorers and Father Junipero Serra. He's a saint now.

A museum now, this was the military hospital. The building itself is from the 1915 exhibition.

These buildings marked the entrance to both the 1915 and 1936 fairs.