Quirky San Diego Landmarks You Don't NEED to See But Might Want TO

I DUNNO. It might make a good date or boredom buster to hop in the car with a picnic and a disposable camera and go see a few ridiculous and a few kind of cool San Diego landmarks full of quirk. Some will give you a much needed laugh and all will provide you with great photo opps!

“Unconditional Surrender” statue, Tuna Harbor, downtown.

Supposedly inspired by Alfred Eisenstaedt’s famous 1945 photo from V-J Day in Times Square, J. Seward Johnson’s 25-foot, 6,000-pound statue of a sailor kissing a nurse in front of the Midway is actually one of three. You’ll find its siblings in New York and Sarasota, Fla. Since arriving in San Diego in 2007 it’s earned a bad rap, mostly among folk who are irate over their kids sneaking peeks up the nurse’s skirt (the view is strictly PG).

“Rancheti” statue, Ranchita.

When the housing slump hit a few years ago, Ranchita realtor Joe Rauh decided to fill his free time by building an 11-foot, 300-pound white yeti that he describes as a “cross between ‘Harry and the Hendersons’ and the Patterson Bigfoot.” Appropriately dubbed the “Rancheti,” he keeps watch over the parking lot between Ranchita Realty and the Ranchita Country Store, which now sells T-shirts and tote bags bearing the silent giant’s mug. 37554 Montezuma Valley Road.

Grape slide, Escondido.

Along with a giant chess and checkerboard, Escondido’s historic park is home to a cartoonish, purple slide shaped like a grape. Even the nearby monkey bars look like vines. Why all the grape stuff? The Escondido Grape festival takes place there every September. Be warned, the park can be on the sketchy side, so skip the picnic. Located at Grape Day Park, 321 N. Broadway; always open.

All from SignOnSanDeigo, head over to the website to read about more SD LandMarks!