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#JapaneseFriendshipGardens_BalboaPark Located in the southeastern portion of Balboa Park, the original "Teahouse" was built during the 1915 Panama-California Exposition The modern gardens opened in 1991 and is a 12 acre living work of art to honor the sister city of Yokohama The formal name is "San-Kei-En" which translates to Three Scene Garden and represents the classic landscapes of water, pastoral and mountain |
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Koi One of the large ponds i found here of these highly prized species To help support the non-profit museum here, visitors can actually "adopt" one of individual residents of this fish family Interesting Facts A) Intelligence; they can distinguish their caretakers face and voice from other strangers nearby B) Feeding; with training they can swim up and eat out of your hand C) Lifespans; can frequently outlive their owners (30 to 50 on average up to an unbelievable 200 years) and then are passed down through the next generations in Japan D) Sunburn; Koi have sensitive skin, so require deep water or lily pads for shade E) Winters; they drop their metabolism to a very low level during the freezing temperature season, then they can safely rest at the bottom of the frozen pond |
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Pathways They are intentionally crooked as in Japanese folklore the evil spirits can only travel in straight lines, thus with winding paths you can leave them behind you "Miejakure" This is a technique used on the trails to block the views intentionally of the waterfalls, structures and bridges, then are suddenly revealed as you approach them to encourage a slow and thoughtful exploration in your mind This creates the anticipation of what is next to see to stimulate your senses Shishi-Odoshi Fountain Look for the bamboo water pipes on the path, it is designed to make a rhythmic clapping sound against the rocks to safely scare away any wildlife |
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Exhibit Hall It showcases frequently changing selections of traditional plus contemporary Japanese art |
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| The Beginnings of the Park Dr Harry Wegeforth was an orthopedic surgeon who by chance was attending the 1915 Panama-California Exposition and heard a lions roar (the fair was here to promote San Diego as the first US port of call for the merchant ships that would be travelling north, with the opening of the Panama Canal) So after hearing from the King of Beasts, it became an inspiration which inturn made him form the Zoological Society of San Diego in 1916 along with some other local doctors and a naturalist He overcame public skepticism plus funding shortages through sheer persistence, wearing many hats from acting as a manager, animal trader and a planner Medical Contributions He also applied his knowledge in his field to build the first animal hospital at the zoo, and also a research facility to help take care of our "fur babies" |
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I am greeted as i enter by some Spanish Colonial buildings that were constructed during the 1915 Exposition The original name was City Park before they honored the explorer Vasco Nunez de Balboa with his namesake The area now is over 1200 acres located in the heart of San Diego and is one of the oldest public recreational spaces in the United States Second World War The park was used as a hospital with beds put inside the Art Museum and the Lily Pond that was used as a rehab pool |
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| Kate Sessions She is known as "The Mother of the Park" with her planting of a 100 trees annually in exchange for a nursey space Where she introduced jacarandas, bird of paradise flowers and also eucalyptus trees that are grown for the resident Koalas In total, there are twenty five distinct gardens for everyone to enjoy |
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| The first residents here were from the Exposition when the fair closed down, so basically abandoned and now houses over 12,000 animals spread over 100 acres Why i like this particular zoo (as i am not a fan of the traditional setup) it was among the first to feature open-air and bar-less enclosures So now you can see everything from the polar bears that are doing a deep underwater plunge (through viewing windows) or the century old tortoises that have seen generations of park visitors staring at them |
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The Bird Stars During the 1915 Exposition there were thousands of pigeons introduced here to mimic the European public squares, so they became the main attraction For the visiting world dignitaries, they became part of the show and were required to feed them Today there over three hundred bird species at the park (with no feeding that is allowed) and are here for you to just enjoy these magnificent creatures from multiple viewing platforms |
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| Ken Allen Named after the zookeeper Ken Willingham and security officer Ben Allen who rescued him as an infant, after his mother tried to smother him 😢 Escapes It started in the 1980s with him slipping out of his supposedly escape proof exhibit multiple times, but instead of causing panic he would calmy walk along the zoo pathways From his freedom, he would just look at other animals and interact peacefully with astonished tourists But the one pivot, he did not like a fellow orangutan named Otis and would toss some rocks at him jajajjaja How it Happened He learned to unscrew the bolts, screws etc with his fingers, all things he learned at a young age Then the zoo would spend thousands of dollars on professional rock climbers and engineers to inspect his exhibit, install electric wires and other measures to stop the escapes Ken Allen always found new structural weaknesses to slip past, thus the legend of Hairy Houdini grew and it even created his own world wide fan club Appreciation Instead of the zoo viewing him as a nuisance; it celebrated his high level of problem solving skillset and with an added bonus of his exploits, it changed how humans understood the great ape intelligence |
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Skyfari Aerial Tram It opened in 1969 and it will carry you 13 meters (40 feet) above the park going east to west, plus has eighty gondola cars with great angles for all you photographers KeyTip; The ride is included in your standard zoo entry fee, they are stroller friendly and the west station (near the polar bears) generally has the shorter lineups than the main entrance station |
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G16 Model Train Been in service since 1948, which is at 1/5 scale of a real streamliner locomotive With the prices that cover ages 1-99, i would say that would include everyone 😂 |
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Model Railroad Museum Located in the basement of the Casa de Balboa building, it is the largest indoor model railroad museum in North America covering nearly half the size of a football field Fun Facts A) World Fair Roots; starting in 1935 railway companies would use model exhibits to encourage train travel during the Great Depression B) Drive-In Movies; look for the actually screening of Gone with the Wind on the working interactive features C) Burning Building; search for the tiny building that is permanently on fire, complete with the responding firefighters D) Hidden Surprises; have a keen eye to see a man walking his dinosaur and a shark swimming in a backyard pool E) To Simulate; every tiny tie and rail on the tracks was spiked by hand to mimic the real railway construction |
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Rocket Chemical Company The original location was near Balboa Park and as i leave the area i needed to finish this writing with what the heck is he talking about and how this is a connection Well as i have always said; When You Think Different......You Find Different WD-40 It stands for Water Displacement which took 40 tries to get the formula correct with the removal of the moisture and preventing rust, hence the name It was first used in the commercial field within the aerospace industry, but after workers would "smuggle" a few cans for home use So the founder realized he was onto something here and put the solvent into spray cans, launching it onto retail shelves in San Diego (1958) Trade Secret In a smart move the company never patented the formula, thus to protect its ingredients Okay my work is done here and as you gather, no connection to the park but a great I Did Not Know That Segment 😎 |