San Diego's Biggest Fan

Spend Memorial Day Weekend with one of San Diego's founding fathers, John Diedrich Spreckels (known to his friends as J.D.).  Since he was born in 1853, you won't exactly be able to spend time with J.D. himself, but thanks to many of his generous contributions to the city, you can still enjoy his legacy.  There are some terrific activities going on right now in his namesake park, the theater he helped build, and the colossal organ in Balboa Park.

J.D. was responsible for turning San Diego from a sleepy village into the beautiful city it is today.  He brought the Arizona Railway to the coast, making San Diego the hub, and helped transform Coronado Island into a resort town complete with Hollywood movie stars.  After buying the horse powered San Diego street railway system he changed it to electricity, helping the city move into the future.  Needless to say, he was the wealthiest man in San Diego, and one of the city's biggest fans. 

In 1912, he built a beautiful theater (christened Spreckels Theater, of course), to bring vaudeville to San Diego, which later became a movie palace and then transformed into the performing space it is now.  The theater was the first modern commercial playhouse west of the Mississippi and is now home to the San Diego Ballet, lavish musicals and even the occasional rock concert.  Spreckels underwent a massive renovation in honor of its centennial birthday which uncovered marble sculptures and the original box office.  Currently playing is the classic Broadway musical "42nd Street," a tap-dancing extravaganza, that will be running through mid-June. 

Spreckels Park, home to the Coronado Flower Show, hosts weekly summer concerts in the gazebo every Sunday at 6:00 PM.  The series begins this Sundy, the 29th, with a performance by the Coronado Community Band, a multi-generational band made up of all volunteers.  Parking can be a little tough right before the music starts, so we suggest going a few hours early in order to snag a close spot and to enjoy the picturesque park.  There are picnic tables throughout, mature trees that offer the perfect amount of shade, and a massive playground that even grown-ups will want to explore.  The park was donated by J.D. in 1927, as he owned the entire island of Coronado, for locals to enjoy the quaint island.  Judging by how well-maintained the park is, it's safe to say Mr. Spreckels would be proud of his Coronado community today.

One of the most spectacular contributions from J.D. is the Spreckels Organ in Balboa Park.  The outdoor organ is made up of 4,725 pipes, ranging in size from 32 feet to the size of a pencil.  This is one of the largest outdoor pipe organs in the world.  The Spreckels Organ was donated in 1914, and since 1917 has hosted free weekly Sunday concerts.  This Sunday, May 29th, from 2:00 to 3:15 PM is a very special tribute to David Bowie.  Sitting outside, watching the organist play on an organ that is housed in a vaulted, embellished gables, listening to magnificent music, is an unforgettable experience, one we know J.D. would love.

J.D. was a visionary who saw the potential that little San Diego had.  This weekend, there will be plenty to do, thanks to John D. Spreckels.  Move into one of Mission Bay Vacation Rentals for a long weekend and start exploring the sites and sounds that San Diego has thanks to Spreckels. 

Flower Power

San Diego has a storied history with gardens and their green inhabitants.  Last week we highlighted the botanical gardens, and thought we’d continue on the same theme, especially in light of the 91^st Annual Coronado Flower Show happening this weekend.  But, first we need to delve into the history of San Diego’s diverse vegetation and the person responsible for all the beautiful flora in our city.  

Kate Sessions was born in 1857 and went on to earn a degree in natural science from UC Berkeley in 1881, something that was unheard of in her day.  How she came to be known as the “Mother of Balboa Park,” and the only non-fiction historical woman in San Diego to receive her own full sculpture, is an inspiring tale. 

She left business school in San Francisco to accept a job in San Diego in 1883 and soon after purchased a nursery in 1885 and began to grow flower fields in Coronado, Pacific Beach, and Mission Hills.  In 1892 she negotiated with the city to lease 30 acres of land in Balboa Park (then called City Park) to expand her flower fields.  In return, she would plant 100 trees a year in the mostly barren park and 30 trees a year around San Diego.  She traveled to Europe and Mexico to collect different trees to plant in Balboa Park, and became a prominent figure in transforming the desert eco system of San Diego, which was mostly dirt and sagebrush.  She also co-founded the San Diego Floral Association in 1907, the oldest garden club in Southern California.   It’s no wonder she has an elementary school and park named after her in Pacific Beach. 

She started Mission Hills Nursery in 1910, which is still a neighborhood favorite, and the oldest nursery in San Diego.  Even if you are not planning on buying anything, it is still worth visiting.  Chickens meander around the grounds, you might catch a glimpse of a dozing cat, and the staff are not only welcoming and friendly, but incredibly knowledgeable.  Whether you have a question about a single plant or your entire garden, the employees here are so passionate about what they do, they are more than happy to answer your questions.  It’s hard to come away empty handed after perusing their large selection of native Californian plants, mini succulents, and rare varieties of plumeria, jasmine, and magnolias.  the Nursery is open seven days a week from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, but if it’s raining, they suggest Calling Ahead to make sure they’re operating that day. 

Kate Sessions would be thrilled that the Coronado Flower Show is going to have it’s 91^st show this weekend.  Happening in picturesque Spreckels Park in Coronado Village, this event is the largest tented flower show in the nation.  The history of the Flower Show is also an interesting one.  Established in 1922, the Coronado Flower Show was created to help unite a neighborhood using the beauty of flowers that was being torn apart by differing political views.   A few years later, the third weekend of April was designated to be the official weekend of the show, and the Coronado Flower Show became a community favorite.  There will be live music and beer and wine garden for the grown-ups.  A special children’s zone will be set that will include a craft area, floral arrangement classes, and the annual ‘Zoo’s Who,’ where fruits and vegetables are whimsically assembled to resemble animals.  The fun starts this Saturday (April 16^th) from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM and on Sunday from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM.  The entrance fee is $5 and children under 12 are free. 

 Who would have thought that Balboa Park owes its grandiose trees

 to a revolutionary woman from the 1880s, or that an annual flower

show was created to smooth over political discrepancies from over

a 100 years ago?!  San Diego has fascinating stories everywhere

you turn.  To become fully immersed in our captivating history, 

book a few days in Mission Bay at one of our Vacation 

Rentals, and start exploring.  We might suggest starting with

the Kate Sessions statue on the southwest corner of the Plaza near

the Sixth Avenue 

entrance.