Discovering a Special Arts District in the Heart of San Diego
Since our cruise on the MS Majestic is delayed, I am creating an itinerary of ports to visit on my own while we await embarkation in 2024. What better port to start with than the one I’ve called home for the past 5 years. The beautiful, historic port of San Diego, is one of the top vacation destinations in the U. S. and berth to a variety of cruise lines including Holland America, Norwegian, Celebrity, Princess and Disney.
Located on the southern-most tip of California, just minutes from Mexico’s Baja Peninsula, San Diego has a rich military history and community, as well as offering visitors miles of beautiful beaches, emerald green parks and over 300 days of blue, sunny skies per year. Even though I’ve explored much of this sparkling city on the bay over recent years, it wasn’t on a quest to find unique Things crafted by local artists and offered by creative retailers that are often overlooked by the thousands of cruise passengers that visit the port annually. And so I began my shopping adventure.
The Port of Land and Sea, San Diego
San Diego is divided into a variety of communities. The cruise port itself is located in the Embarcadero. It is within walking distance of downtown, Seaport Village, the Gaslamp District and Little Italy, all of which provide visitors a robust collection of shops, restaurants and attractions including Petco Park baseball stadium. A little further away, visitors are amazed by the sprawling Balboa Park, with miles of lush walking paths. Balboa Park is home to San Diego’s world-renowned Zoo and an unparalleled collection of 17 outstanding museums from Contemporary Art to Air & Space, Comic-Con to Natural History and more. The Old Town District is also minutes from the San Diego cruise port. It is where San Diego planted its seeds hundreds of years ago and still showcases the city’s historic Mexican heritage through a colorful array of shops, delectable restaurants and lively entertainment.
Liberty Station and Arts District
Historic Liberty Station
While I love the traditional visitor areas, this shopping quest for unique and distinctive Things leads me to Liberty Station, a 100-year-old, reimagined naval station, located just 10 minutes from the cruise port, that houses one of the city’s most thriving art districts, shops, restaurants and a bustling public food market.
Liberty Station, formerly San Diego’s Naval Training Center (NTC), opened to welcome its first Navy recruits in 1923. The Center constructed new buildings and continued to expand through World War II when the Center’s size tripled. The following decades marked further expansion and growth which provided a valuable military base defending our nation. NTC design is styled around Spanish Colonial Revival, which connects the Center to other architectural landmarks across San Diego and Southern California, such as Balboa Park, who played a significant role in designing the Center’s original landscaping.
With the end of the Cold War, the Navy gradually ceased activity at NTC and it officially closed in 1997. The City of San Diego gained ownership of the property in 2000, repurposing the site into a center for commerce, history and the arts. Today visitors explore the historic landmark while wandering spacious courtyards and manicured lawns with dynamic public art installations, while enjoying Liberty Station’s curated collection of shops, artist studios, restaurants, a unique regional food market, entertainment and events.
Liberty Station Arts District
Many visitors to Liberty Station are truly surprised to discover a hidden treasure trove of art galleries, studios and shops offering a plethora of beautiful Things crafted by local artisans. Liberty Station has become a hub of creativity and inspiration, where artists showcase fine arts, performing arts, decor, lifestyle arts, wearable arts, culinary arts and more.
I began by exploring a fabulous shop located across the street from Barrack (Building) 16, called Sea Hive Station Vintage & Makers Market. This colorful, 1,000 square foot indoor/outdoor space offers a stunning array of modern, artisan-made and vintage Things from over 150 San Diego artists, craftsmen, designers and unique retailers. The shop is divided into themed vignettes, professionally staged with items small and large to embrace each artistic merchandise theme. It’s truly amazing!
Be sure to check out the hand-crafted jewelry and silversmithing offered by a variety of artists featured below. The entire store is brimming with one-of-a-kind jewelry designs crafted by hand for every traveler’s wardrobe.
I loved the Sea Sponge Soaps! They are made with natural sea sponges and coconut milks or shea butters. They are available in a fabulous array of tropical scents such as mango papaya, coconut lime and guava fig.
For a taste of San Diego, try the unique flavors of raw floral California honeys by San Diego Honey Company. Choose from Lavender, Apple Pie Spice, Vanilla Bean and more. The habanero flavor is great for those who love a hot honey.
For the little girl in your life, there are precious mermaid-inspired outfits offered by Dugre Designs and local designer Celeste Dugré. They are so cute and available in sizes infant-toddler.
Fine Arts
As I began my venture into Liberty Station’s Art District Buildings, I quickly discovered that almost all of the artists’ studios are on the second level and not marked very well on the building. So be sure to explore upstairs even if you aren’t certain what’s up there! My artful search begins in Building 15, where I discovered a wonderful studio filled with art students. Each was painting a landscape or mural from photographs on their iPad illustrated in the four images below. Unfortunately, I did not get their names so as not to disrupt their class too much but was amazed by their work.
Another artist I visited in Building 15 was Jean Franceschiello, of Silver Raven Studio. She specializes in handcrafted, stamped artisan silver jewelry crafted in an old-fashioned European process. This involves specially made casted dyes that are filled with silver then stamped in a large press. Jean then adds beautiful natural stones to her designs making each truly unique and stunning.
My exploration continued to Building 19 where I met two more talented artists in working in their studios. First, Peggy Fischbeck of M Fischbeck Studio Gallery, shown top row below. Inspired by early California Impressionists, Peggy paints in oils, capturing the beautiful light of Southern California.
Peggy then walked me down the hall to another artist’s studio, And Something Different, owned by artist Leslie Pierce, featured bottom row below. Leslie creates original Contemporary Art for home and office. She also offers private adult art classes and Encaustic Painting Workshops.
Art Indoors & Out
As I traversed between barracks enjoying the beautiful, landscaped gardens and courtyards, I was amazed by the wonderful public art installations placed around the property as well. To my delight, I happened upon a stunning art in progress as well! A colorful mural was being painted by artist Scarlett Bailey. This vivacious young woman specializes in murals, portraits and illustrations in large scale, which are often showcased in public. Scarlett’s work draws upon her multicultural upbringing to focus on topics of identity and belonging. The mural at Liberty Station was commissioned by the Arts in Public Places Committee of San Diego. It depicts how nature inspires us and our San Diego environments. The creative process takes about 6 weeks and will be complete in late October, 2023.
Drink Up!
Now it’s time for some fun! Liberty Station is home to a collection of delicious restaurants as well as the fresh food stalls in Liberty Public Market. But today I was on the hunt for foods visitors can take home with them. And I found 3 favorites!
The first is Point Loma Tea. The owner, Sherryann Stevenson, grew up drinking tea in the Caribbean. She acquired extensive knowledge of the tea industry while traveling the world during her career in the Navy.
Sherryann showed me her delectable assortment of loose teas that can be purchased as is, or in a blend. They also offer tea tastings, iced or hot. So, I had to try one! She asked me what type of flavors I prefer, and I said light and floral. She mixed up 4 samples for me and by far, my favorite was a blend called Orange Cream. Delish! They also have a cute private room for tea parties with advance reservations. I went home with a bag of teas, a loose leaf brew cup and a bag of homemade scone mix.
Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE wine. And wine tastings. So of course, I had to stop by Carruth Cellars for a tasting and some bites! Located in Building 17, Carruth Cellars is a California winemaker whose winery is in the Oceanside community of San Diego. They utilize grapes from Sonoma, Napa and Monterey, California. In addition, Carruth Cellars has an artisan cheese shop that makes delicious charcuterie boards to sample along with your glass of wine or flight. They also ship to your home!
If you are more of a beer aficionado, then Stone Brewing World Bistro and Garden is for you! This expansive restaurant and bar located in Building 1, features 40 taps of exceptional craft beers, including those produced by Stone year-round as well as an extensive bottle list of craft and specialty beers from around the world. Stone Brewing also houses an onsite brewery, indoor and outdoor dining and bars, a bocce ball court, outdoor cinema space and gardens. (However, be advised, Liberty Station is in the flight path of San Diego Interantional Airport, so it can get loud every few minutes at all Liberty Station outdoor dining venues.)
Must-See! Nautical History Gallery & Museum
There are several small museums at Liberty Station that you should visit if you have time, including the New American’s Museum, the Visions Museum of Textile Art and the San Diego Watercolor Society. But by far, the most jaw-dropping “museum” I saw was the Nautical History Gallery & Museum. This is far from a traditional museum. It is located in the Dick Laub NTC Command Center. Only an 800 square foot gallery, the museum was created by artist, model ship builder and curator Joe Frangiosa, who actively works on his intricate work in the museum daily. He also greets guests and provides a plethora of historic detail on each exhibit.
The Gallery provides visitors a panoramic history of the U.S. Navy, its ships and how they’ve evolved over time from the Revolutionary War period, through the Civil War, into the Spanish-American War, then to World Wars I and II, including the beginnings of Naval aviation. Don’t miss seeing this museum when visiting Liberty Station! (Joe is also looking for benefactors to help expand this incredible gallery into a larger museum space.)
Also note - as you enter the Command Center, you will also be captivated by the inspirationalcollection of art by Pisano Artistry. This industrial-looking art installation, called “The Art of Immortalizing Heroes”, is a 7-panel tribute to the U.S. Armed Forces from World War I to the Global War on Terror. The large-sized panels are designed in mixed medias, including spent ammunition shells for a fascinating 3-D effect.
Additional Galleries To Visit
Unfortunately time my time ran out and some galleries weren’t open late or were closed for the day. (Please check gallery opening days and times on Liberty Station’s website before visiting.) I want to note a few galleries and studios I think visitors would enjoy as well. This is only a few, there are many more!
Bouhdy Art: Moroccan-inspired, mixed media contemporary and functional art.
Mike Oolong Pottery: Gallery of functional handmade ceramic arts along with classes and workshops.
Anne Gaffey Art: Abstracts using texture, vivid color, collage and layers to express emotions.
Five Art Studio and Gallery: A collaboration of 5 artists merging arts onto one creative path.
Inspirations Gallery: Original work by San Diego artists in a variety of genres.
June Rubin Studio: Art inspired by her international travels, expressing the natural beauty of the world using watercolor and collage.
Verre Designs Glass Art: Crafting stained and fused glass functional art pieces and designs for commercial, residential and liturgical environments.
The next port I’ll visit in my quest for artful, unique and distinctive Things will be the historic, creative and always playful Key West, Florida.
Till then, keep cruisin’ through life, discovering your own special Things!
CHEERS!
