Friday, February 11, 2011

Coronado Island

Lying on a small sliver of land between the Pacific Ocean and San Diego Bay is Coronado.  Despite lying right next to downtown San Diego, it provides a feel to its residents and visitors of "getting away from the big city".

The most notable landmark is the Hotel Del Coronado, more affectionately known as "The Del".  Built in the late 1800's, The Del is a National Historic Landmark that is still a fully functional upscale resort hotel.  Even without being a guest, you can still stroll through the hotel and along the waterfront, as well as dine at one of its many restaurants.


Outside of the hotel, walking down Orange Avenue you'll get a "main street" feel.  There is plenty of shopping and restaurants in this area, as well as the Coronado Museum of History and Art.  In this quaint building, you'll find helpful guides who can share their knowledge of Coronado with you to help you plan any activities you'd like to do, from sight-seeing to water activities.  There is also a collection in the building showcasing the history of Coronado and how it grew around the Hotel Del Coronado.

For anyone visiting the San Diego area, taking a short trip across the Coronado Bridge is a very worthwhile journey offering pleasant views and a peaceful pace.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Mount Soledad Veterans Memorial

La Jolla is known for it's stunning views, but many visitors never get the fantastic view that is offered from the peak of Mount Soledad Veterans Memorial.  Going through various winding roads of La Jolla, you'll find your way to his memorial at 6905 La Jolla Scenic Drive South.  As soon as you get out of your car and take in some fresh air, you'll just stare out towards the ocean.  Words cannot really describe the beauty seen here, but hopefully our photo below will help, although seeing it in person is much more breathtaking.


Of course at the memorial, there is more than just the views.  This memorial honors those veterans who have served our country throughout the years.  Plaques with engravings of the soldiers line this memorial and standing there makes you proud of our veterans.  There is also a giant cross at the top that adds a bit more presence to the overall memorial.

Gaslamp Quarter


The region of downtown San Diego to head to for any nightlife activity is the Gaslamp District.  Here, there are various bars, clubs and restaurants for the enjoyment of people of any age.  My personal favorite is the dueling piano bar at The Shout House.  You'll also find a large outdoor shopping mall at Horton Plaza for your various shopping needs.  For those not from the Southern California area, it is quite nice being able to walk around in a mall without the feeling of being stuffed inside a building.

Another favorite is the Ghirardelli Ice Cream and Chocolate Shop on 5th avenue for amazing ice cream sundaes!  Definitely stop by for some dessert when you're in the area.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

San Diego Chinese Historical Museum

At the intersection of 3rd Street and J Street in Downtown San Diego is the Chinese Historical Museum.  This small museum offers visitors for a unique look into the history of people in San Diego that have Chinese heritage. Various artifacts are available to view with detailed descriptions on their meaning.  The entry fee is only $2/person, but you'll probably spend less than 20 minutes in the museum.  While we didn't find the museum to be anything too special, it is probably something that someone who has a keen interest in Chinese history will find interesting.

Point Loma

Point Loma extends south past downtown San Diego heading towards Mexico.  On your drive here, you'll pass Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, which is an active cemetery contain the graves of over 88,000 American veterans.  This area does give great views of San Diego harbor, but since this is an active cemetery, please be respectful when visiting.


After driving past the cemetery, you'll enter the Point Loma area National Monument area, which will charge you a $5 parking fee.  Once inside, you'll be able to walk around the Cabrillo Monument area for stunning views of downtown San Diego.  Nowhere else will you be able to get views of the city quite like this.  In addition, the Cabrillo Monument itself is quite impressive and is worth the visit.



A short walk from here is the Old Point Loma Lighthouse, which you may enter.  This is quite a small lighthouse, which is one of the reasons it was de-commissioned, so it's an easy climb to the top for any visitors.  You'll get a much better view from outside though of San Diego Harbor.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

USS Midway Museum

Located in the Embarcadero section of Downtown San Diego is a giant Aircraft Carrier that you can't miss, the USS Midway.  It has been turned in to a museum since it was decommissioned in the 90's showcasing life on an aircraft carrier in the US military.  When on board, you'll be able to get tours of the various sections of the ship, from the engine room to the bridge to the actual jets themselves.  You even have the opportunity to hop into one of the jets and to also partake in a flight simulator.  Also, from the top of the ship, you'll get a gorgeous view of downtown San Diego.

This is a tour I'd highly recommend at a cost of $18, although there are various discounts available, including free admission for active military members. However, leave plenty of time to explore the many areas of the carrier as you can spend all day here.

Also, right outside the museum, you'll see a statue that is several stories high showing a classic pose of a sailor kissing a girl right off a boat after returning from war!

Monday, February 7, 2011

Legoland California

For any of you who grew up playing with Legos and constructing your own little cities, Legoland will be a dream world for you.  Located outside of San Diego in Carlsbad, CA, this theme park is designed mostly for younger children, but can be enjoyed by people of any age.

The rides are definitely not the thrill roller coasters you may find further up north at Magic Mountain, as they are designed for pre-teen aged children, but adults will thoroughly enjoy the various Lego creations in the park.  In the Mini-Land area, you'll find re-creations of various American cities such as New York City, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, New Orleans, Las Vegas and more.  You'll also be able to view landmarks such as the Sydney Opera House, the Eiffel Tower and Mount Rushmore.


In addition to the various Lego cities, you'll find creations all over the park of characters from pop culture from Harry Potter to Indiana Jones and more.

In addition to the rides and Lego sculptures, there are shows throughout the day around the park.  The one we attended was in the DUPLO Village area at Playtown Theater.  The show was very well acted and written and even allowed children from the audience to participate.  The show was done in a way that was enjoyable for both children and adults and kept everyone entertained for about a half-hour.

While the price of admission may be a bit steep with a standard price of $69 (although you can get discounts for things such as AAA), this is a park that will keep people of all ages entertained throughout the day.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

San Diego Zoo

The world famous San Diego Zoo is everything you've ever heard about it.  It encompasses a gigantic amount of space and houses a wide variety of animals from lions to tigers to bears (oh my!).  You can spend all day walking around the entire zoo and still not be able to see all of the shows and animals.


The zoo also is one of only 2 zoos in North America to have Giant Panda bears on display, which you'll wait in a long line to see (and also need to remain very quiet).  These animals don't get exported from China very often, so if you're a Panda lover, it's a must visit attraction if you're in Southern California.


One activity we tried that we weren't too impressed with was the Skyfari Aerial Tram.  This "ride" takes you from one side of the park to the other for $4/person for a one-way ride.  While that will let you cross the park quite fast, you don't get any type of a special view of any of the animal exhibits, which we were hoping for.  I'd suggest that anyone visiting passes on this option (although it is free if you do have an annual membership, and in that case it's a pretty convenient way to cross the park).

When visiting, also be sure to keep your eye out for various discounts instead of paying the full fare.  There are sometimes discounts for people who live in Southern California, as well as discounts for members of clubs such as AAA.  Also, if you're planning on visiting other attractions in the area (SeaWorld, Legoland, etc.), you may be able to buy combination tickets for all of the parks that will save you some cash.