The Signs of San Diego

Let’s face it there are way too many signs in the world. Some are useful because they tell you which direction you should go, others are just pollution trying to sell you something like legal services or warning you of some obvious or not so obvious danger. There are some signs however that are cool works of art, beautiful indicators that you have arrived at a particular destination. San Diego has a number of neighborhood signs that fit this description, mostly in the older neighborhoods closest to the downtown area. Signs such as NORTH PARK, HILLCREST, UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, LITTLE ITALY, NORMAL HEIGHTS and of course THE GASLAMP DISTRICT. When you see one of these signs in person you have no doubt where you are and have a chance to admire a beautiful piece of art. Each of these signs have their own character and design and to appreciate them in full you should see them during the day and during the night when the neon gas is brightly lit within the tubing spelling out the neighborhood in their appropriate colors. It’s hard to explain the feeling you get by being near one of these signs but if you can imagine how it would look and feel without the sign; starker, empty, less warm then I think you can appreciate that the sign is there, for you. Thanks to the artists, sign makers, and visionaries who knew to do better than much of what we see today for signs.