Tags: travel

We had a fabulous trip to San Diego last week.   We loved it!  It was our first true time to be there, as the only other time was picking up a youth who was traveling when her dad died, and escorting her back to KC.   Having lived in Phoenix for three years now, it’s about time, as SD is only a 6 hour drive.

My favorite part about San Diego, besides the beaches and the way the mountains are just inland?  The temperature.  No doubt.  San Diego has a very consistent climate that averages 70 degrees year round.  We went from 110 in Phoenix to 72 in San Diego.  Glorious!

I’m feeling a lot better from being sick last week, by the way.  However, I now have the lovely task of learning to get around on crutches with no weight on my foot.   So, let me say that if I ever had the thought of anyone being a bit of a baby while on crutches, I was wrong.   It’s hard and you can’t get much done.

The pain on the outside of my foot (cuboid bone area) seems to just be from too much walking… in flip flops.  Yes, flips flops.  They were Ugg flip flops, so a little more cushioned, but yes.   It just hurts when I put weight on it, more and more intensely as I walk further.  I’m sure it will heal up in no time.

I wanted to share some photos from our trip.  We went out there on business, mainly for my husband.  We stayed in the Gaslamp Quarter which is a revitalized area with lots of history near downtown.  It has lots of shops, restaurants and hotels.  Today, I’ll share Coronado Island with you.

To help orient you, here is a map from Google maps.  The “A” is downtown San Diego.  Across the bay is Coronado Island, and then out to the left is the Pacific Ocean.  It’s also good to note that below that white line at the bottom is Mexico.  It’s only 15 miles from San Diego.  You may also notice that half of the “island” (really a peninsula) is a Naval base.

I went to Coronado Island twice – once by ferry and once by tour bus.  It was my favorite San Diego spot this time, but there are still so many left to explore on the next trip.  Coronado means crowned one in Spanish.

Here is the bridge as we drove over to the island.  This was taken from the bus.  The days started a little dreary due to what they call the Marine Layer, but ended up bright and sunny.

The highlight of the island was Hotel Del Coronado, located on the Pacific beach.  It was built around 1888 and is a true American treasure, with 11 presidents having stayed there.  When built, it boasted 399 rooms and 75 bathrooms.  That’s right 75 bathrooms.  It has since been modernized and was remodeled last in 2001.

As you enter the lobby, you notice a breathtaking and large chandelier.   Look at that trim work as well!

As you walk through the center of the hotel, you enter a beautiful courtyard.  The grounds were perfectly manicured.

And, the back of the hotel, near the ocean.

As you walk along the side of the hotel to the ocean.

In the distance is Point Loma which is on the mainland as the bay opens to the Pacific ocean.

On the other side of the hotel is the Pacific ocean and beach. They claim that it’s the widest expanse of sand on the California coast.  It was also declared one of the best beaches on the Travel channel.

I loved how the boulders mixed up the scenery of an otherwise fairly flat beach.

Notice how so many are in shorts rather than swimsuits.  The water there is pretty cold.  It was 69 degrees that day, and 72-74 on land.  So, there isn’t a lot of swimming going on.  Very different than the beaches in the Caribbean or in Texas that I’ve been to.

Everyone was super friendly.  I made a friend in each spot that I visited.   So glad because being by myself and watching the kiddos look for crabs could have seemed creepy to some.

They found a starfish here!  You can’t really see it, but it’s on the side of a rock.

Along the beach and next to the hotel, you will notice mounds.  You can’t tell what they are from the ground, but you can from the sky.  They spell “CORONADO.”

I love how you can just see the relaxing, yet upscale nature of the island.

Across from the beach is the house that has been on the news as the mansion with the mysterious deaths – the son dies from a fall and the girlfriend was found dead.

Further down the street is the first home that was moved by barge from the mainland in San Diego to the island.

And, on the island, here are some shops and such.

And, from the trolley.

And, to get the affect of the ferry, here is the view from the ferry as I was going to the island.

Once we landed, here is what I saw.

And, the city from the island.

And, a view of the city from the bay.

Hope you enjoyed the island!  I already want to go back!  If this peaks your interest, there is a video that centers around the history of the island that is worth seeing.

More pics to come!  I also saw La Jolla, Old Town, Balboa park and the harbor via a city tour.

I also wanted to warn you guys that I’m going to change my posting pattern from daily to being a little sporadic, as I have things to post and time to post.  So, it won’t be as often, but I am still around for sure, so please don’t give up on me!