Is this the best Balboa Park photo ever?

Honestly, isn’t this photo amazing?

The San Diego Union-Tribune celebrated the centennial of the Panama-California International Expo at Balboa Park by running 100 pictures of the famous landmark, considered to be the city’s crown jewel.

One of the photographs used to illustrate the beauty of the historic park is the stunning shot above. Taken shortly after sunrise on a recent Sunday morning by the U-T’s Eduardo Contreras and posted on our Facebook page, the view of the park with the California Building and its magnificent tower and mosaics has racked up more than 1200 views and 160 shares overnight.

It also elicited comments like these:

Cindy Machnov: “We are so blessed to live in such a beautiful city with views like this.”

Shannon Cervantes: “Stunning! ! ! !”

Stephanie Saad Thompson: “SUPERLIKE.”

Jimmy Bees: “One of my favorite places...”

Tessie Breh: “I love San Diego.”

The series, which began April 10, ends Saturday with the aforementioned photo. But there were 99 others that exemplified the beauty and history of one of San Diego’s favorite places.

Here are just a few more of those, depicting moments and memories from 100 years ago to modern day.

There was the opening day of the Panama-California International Expo.

Opening Day, 1915 fair: President Woodrow Wilson signaled the opening of the Panama-California Exposition a few moments after midnight on Jan. 1, 1915, and a few hours later the Cabrillo Bridge was filled with well-dressed first-day attendees, young and old. The adult admission was 50 cents (25 cents evenings and Sundays) and the annual pass cost $10; an extra 25 cents was charged if you carried a camera. The 640 acres of the Central Mesa were lushly landscaped and the buildings – most intended as only temporary installations – presented a Spanish Colonial revival look, a departure from the traditional Greek and Roman classic look of earlier expos. By year’s end, attendance reached 2 million and the fair produced a surplus of $34,000. San Francisco’s Panama-Pacific International Exposition attracted nearly 19 million and produced a $2.4 million surplus over the same period. The San Diego fair was so popular that civic leaders moved to extend it a second year -- and to incorporate some of the San Francisco exhibits south. – Roger Showley

( / Courtesy: San Diego History Center photograph collection; Electric Ivy.)

And noted visitors.

There were also attractions such as this peep show. Really.

Any many other activities.

The photos celebrate stunning architecture....

...and the famous Spreckels organ.

The park has flowers.

And art.

And, of course, many famous residents.

You can see the entire series of photos here.