San Diego Central Library

When I moved from Tijuana to San Diego one of the things I was most fascinated about with American culture were libraries. In Tijuana there really isn't this library culture, in fact my school didn't encourage my classmates to read anything but the Bible and school textbooks. We were being fed information that my Catholic school would approve of. Once I moved to San Diego and started going to a public school, it just opened my eyes to the wonderful foreign world that was the library and reading books for fun.

I discovered libraries in the 5th grade thanks to my public elementary school which had its own little library. I would spent so much time in there browsing the books that I started volunteering to organize books during my recess. I had always been a very imaginative kid but reading just inspired me to be creative in other ways, it also really inspired me to begin writing more in English. In recent years during family vacations, I've been able to see some of the most spectacular libraries with my own eyes. Going to the Seattle Public Library and the New York Public Library was just incredible, especially after seeing pictures of them for years prior to going.

I had not heard about the library being built near PETCO Park (home of the Padres) until I came back from studying abroad. I remember one day my brother and I went out to get some errands taken care of and that is when I saw this structural building being built. My brother then told me that the extravagant steel, glass, and concrete building was going to be library. When I heard the news I became ecstatic because sometimes I feel that San Diego lacks in the culture and art department, especially compared to other major cities in the United States.

You may have seen on my vlog that I finally got to visit the library with my boyfriend not too long ago, and boy was I happy to visit the library. It is just a magnificent structure, something that San Diego was missing for the longest time. Like I previously said, it is a structural building made of glass, steel, and concrete. The library has 9 stories, a high school, art installations, a gallery, and a lovely shop on the main floor. I was so happy and inspired after visiting the new library, that's why I picked it as the location of my fashion video.

I highly recommend anyone living in or visiting San Diego to come here. Not only is the building beautiful but the architecture and the books will be enough to inspire anyone from children to photographers. It is definitely the place to come and let your imagination run wild or enjoy a peaceful day reading a book.

If you want more information about the library go check out this interview with architect, Rob Quigley, and find out his favorite areas in the new library.

Are you a fan of libraries? Let me know in the comments below, I would love to hear about your experiences with libraries.