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Our Very Own California Adventure!! July 30th-August 11th, 2008
- Thread starter SoonerGirl
- Start date
SoonerGirl
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 9, 2006
He really is a pretty good guy, even if he doesn't love Disney like I do, I think I'll keep him!
He's a good sport about the pictures because he knows how much I love them. I just call him the grump because he really he would rather NOT go to Disney than go, and he is typically ready to leave after just a couple of days. He's not grumpy as a general rule - just when I bring up anything Disney related...........
That's what happens when you run away to WDW for a week!!!
I was going to do an update tonight, but I can't get on my silly photobucket again, I keep getting an error everytime I type in the address.
MrsTomMorrow
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 4, 2006
Yes-I am trying to hold out for a DL trip until DVC is open out there and we can use points! I can't wait!!!
got2travel
Disney lover
- Joined
- Oct 17, 2004
Yes-I am trying to hold out for a DL trip until DVC is open out there and we can use points! I can't wait!!!
You can use points at the Disney hotels right now. But it's just not as good a value as actually staying at a DVC resort.
MrsTomMorrow
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 4, 2006
Yeah, I've looked into that before. For the amount of points it uses, I would rather just pay cash. I think DVC is opening next year out there, so hopefully I won't have to wait too long!
SoonerGirl
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 9, 2006
Day 9, continued
Our drive to San Diego was short and painless.
DH had driven it before when it took him twice as long as it should have due to traffic, but we were at our hotel by around 1:00, it took us right at an hour and a half. We were staying at the Marriott Hotel & Marina. I had chosen this hotel because I was looking for something with a nice pool that had a bit of a resort feel to it. I wanted these last few days to be more relaxing so that we could wind down a bit. We checked in without any problems and bell services took the kids and I to our room while DH parked the car.
After I got our unpacking done for the next few days and we were all settled, we decided to find someplace to eat a late lunch. From our window we could see a Hard Rock Hotel just a few blocks from us, so we decided to take the kids there to eat. I took a couple of pictures in front of the hotel when we walked out.
And, looking back at the hotel from further down the street
Soon we arrived at the Gaslamp Quarter and the Hard Rock Hotel
We were disappointed though, because we had assumed that the Hard Rock Hotel would have a Hard Rock Cafe inside of it - it didn't! The Hard Rock Cafe was about another 6 blocks away. We were all pretty hungry so we just decided to eat there anyway at a place called Mary Jane's. It was okay, don't think I'd go back, but the meal served it's purpose!
The kids wanted to go swimming (hadn't been once yet this entire vacation!), so we went back to the hotel and got changed for the pool. The boys swam while DH & I sat under palm trees sipping cocktails and reading our books. Ahhhhhh, this is nice!!!
Another picture of the boys from this trip that I just love!
I seriously think that I could have stayed there until they kicked us out, but the boys wouldn't have that. They did give us a couple of hours of down time, before they hit DH up to take them to play basketball. The bell hop had shown us where the basketball court was from our window and they were dying to go shoot some hoops! So, while DH & the boys went to play basketball, I went back up to the room to make some notes in my journal about our time at the DLR. I was so bad about writing things down while we were there - just too busy I guess - so I did the best I could to recall as much as I could, just in case I decided to actually write this report like jaycns had tried to convinced me to do! (Thanks, jay - it's actually really fun reliving the trip!!
)
When the boys got back they were all sweaty and nasty from playing ball, so they all showered and we got ready to go to dinner. DH wanted seafood, so we stopped at the concierge desk to ask for recommendations. Both of the places he recommended were in the Gaslamp Quarter, so off we went! We walked by both restaurants and seriously were wondering what in the world the guy was thinking. These were nice, relatively fancy restaurants that did not look kid friendly AT ALL. We were dressed in shorts and had two children with us, you would have thought that he would take that into consideration when making his suggestions.
We in fact found, that very little of the Gaslamp Quarter was kid friendly. We ended up chosing a mexican restaurant that was okay, not great. The kids were bummed because they love queso, but this restaurant didn't have any, that's unheard of for a mexican restaurant around here! Our waitress even commented that people ask for it all the time, duh! Add it to your menu then! After our late dinner we went back to the hotel and watched a little tv and went to bed. Tomorrow we were heading to the San Diego Zoo!
Our drive to San Diego was short and painless.
DH had driven it before when it took him twice as long as it should have due to traffic, but we were at our hotel by around 1:00, it took us right at an hour and a half. We were staying at the Marriott Hotel & Marina. I had chosen this hotel because I was looking for something with a nice pool that had a bit of a resort feel to it. I wanted these last few days to be more relaxing so that we could wind down a bit. We checked in without any problems and bell services took the kids and I to our room while DH parked the car.After I got our unpacking done for the next few days and we were all settled, we decided to find someplace to eat a late lunch. From our window we could see a Hard Rock Hotel just a few blocks from us, so we decided to take the kids there to eat. I took a couple of pictures in front of the hotel when we walked out.
And, looking back at the hotel from further down the street
Soon we arrived at the Gaslamp Quarter and the Hard Rock Hotel
We were disappointed though, because we had assumed that the Hard Rock Hotel would have a Hard Rock Cafe inside of it - it didn't! The Hard Rock Cafe was about another 6 blocks away. We were all pretty hungry so we just decided to eat there anyway at a place called Mary Jane's. It was okay, don't think I'd go back, but the meal served it's purpose!
The kids wanted to go swimming (hadn't been once yet this entire vacation!), so we went back to the hotel and got changed for the pool. The boys swam while DH & I sat under palm trees sipping cocktails and reading our books. Ahhhhhh, this is nice!!!
Another picture of the boys from this trip that I just love!
I seriously think that I could have stayed there until they kicked us out, but the boys wouldn't have that. They did give us a couple of hours of down time, before they hit DH up to take them to play basketball. The bell hop had shown us where the basketball court was from our window and they were dying to go shoot some hoops! So, while DH & the boys went to play basketball, I went back up to the room to make some notes in my journal about our time at the DLR. I was so bad about writing things down while we were there - just too busy I guess - so I did the best I could to recall as much as I could, just in case I decided to actually write this report like jaycns had tried to convinced me to do! (Thanks, jay - it's actually really fun reliving the trip!!
)When the boys got back they were all sweaty and nasty from playing ball, so they all showered and we got ready to go to dinner. DH wanted seafood, so we stopped at the concierge desk to ask for recommendations. Both of the places he recommended were in the Gaslamp Quarter, so off we went! We walked by both restaurants and seriously were wondering what in the world the guy was thinking. These were nice, relatively fancy restaurants that did not look kid friendly AT ALL. We were dressed in shorts and had two children with us, you would have thought that he would take that into consideration when making his suggestions.
We in fact found, that very little of the Gaslamp Quarter was kid friendly. We ended up chosing a mexican restaurant that was okay, not great. The kids were bummed because they love queso, but this restaurant didn't have any, that's unheard of for a mexican restaurant around here! Our waitress even commented that people ask for it all the time, duh! Add it to your menu then! After our late dinner we went back to the hotel and watched a little tv and went to bed. Tomorrow we were heading to the San Diego Zoo!
Spartangirl
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 19, 2007
Great updates! Glad you had such a great time at Disney!
I'm really excited to hear more about your time spent in San Diego......DH and I are headed there in April!
Your hotel looks like it was really nice!
Glad you had such a great time at Disney!I'm really excited to hear more about your time spent in San Diego......DH and I are headed there in April!
Your hotel looks like it was really nice!
Disneygrl36
Happy DVC member!!!!
- Joined
- Jul 19, 2004
Great updates. So 
to leave Disneyland, but I am glad you stopped to see Walt's lamp before you left.
San Diego looks great so far......cannot wait to see what else you do there. We are staying at the Hampton Inn downtown (I wanted to stay at the Del Coronado) but the rest of our trip is pretty pricey so this was the compromise. Your hotel looks great.
to leave Disneyland, but I am glad you stopped to see Walt's lamp before you left.San Diego looks great so far......cannot wait to see what else you do there. We are staying at the Hampton Inn downtown (I wanted to stay at the Del Coronado) but the rest of our trip is pretty pricey so this was the compromise. Your hotel looks great.
brookelizabeth
Jambo Wildbunch Gang
- Joined
- Jul 20, 2006
I found your TR from jaycn's PTR and I'm just LOVING it! You have me convinced to make a California vacation sometime, of course with a Disneyland stop!
Looking forward to more!
Looking forward to more!
weslovesauntmeg
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Mar 14, 2008
Great update so far!! I'm glad your hotel stay was relaxing..that's what I love about San Diego..this past summer I went with my fam for a little 2-day vacation..and we only had to travel about an hour..got to love it!! We are truly blessed to live in San Diego!!
Disneygrl36
Happy DVC member!!!!
- Joined
- Jul 19, 2004
Question for you Aunt Meg & this is off topic so sorry.
How long does it take to drive to the Hollywood area from San Diego?
How long does it take to drive to the Hollywood area from San Diego?
SoonerGirl
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 9, 2006
Great updates!
I'm really excited to hear more about your time spent in San Diego......DH and I are headed there in April!
You guys will really enjoy San Diego!
Great updates. So
San Diego looks great so far......cannot wait to see what else you do there. We are staying at the Hampton Inn downtown (I wanted to stay at the Del Coronado) but the rest of our trip is pretty pricey so this was the compromise. Your hotel looks great.
Yeah, I looked at the Hotel del Coronado too, but it was just a bit out of our price range!!
Most Hampton's I've stayed at are really nice, I'm sure you'll be happy with your choice.
Your San Diego hotel looks great, I wanted to stay there longer than just a fleeting day visit (just going for the zoo!) but we ran out of time. There's just so much to see in California
We were there for almost 2 weeks and I feel like we just barely scratched the surface of all there is to see and do in California! I'm looking forward to a return trip!
I found your TR from jaycn's PTR and I'm just LOVING it! You have me convinced to make a California vacation sometime, of course with a Disneyland stop!
Looking forward to more!
Hi! I'm glad you found me, and that you are enjoying my report!
Disneyland was a lot of fun, a must do for any Disney fan! If you go, you'll be amazed by how much more compact it is compared to the MK in WDW. You can get so much more accomplished in a day!San Diego was beautiful! You are lucky to live there!
Great update!
Cute picture of the boys in their towels at the pool. I thought just girls had the "over the shoulder" pose but your DS's are very skilled at posing... must be all that photopass practice!
Maybe it's because I've had a camera stuck in their faces since birth - seriously, I'm surprised they still put up with it!
SoonerGirl
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 9, 2006
Day 10, Friday August 8th
Today we were going to the San Diego Zoo. Again, we were tired in the morning but we now had a different noise keeping us awake. We had escaped the dining room noise from Anaheim, now we were at a hotel right next to some railroad tracks and all night long we heard the train whistles! 
Uggggg!!
I took this picture of the hotel pool as we were walking to our car. It was so pretty and I wanted to get a photo without all the people everywhere!
We made it to the zoo shortly after opening.
I had prepurchased our tickets online, so we were able to avoid the long lines of people buying tickets! We stopped to have some cinnamon rolls for breakfast, and then we were off to explore the zoo. This zoo is absolutely beautiful! We wanted to go to the Panda exhibit first before it got too busy, but we kept stopping along the way!
This orangutan looked a little sad to me
We finally made it back to the pandas, it wasn't too terribly crowded, and all of the pandas were doing this
After the pandas we stopped to watch these otters play, they were so cute and so much fun to watch. There were some monkey's in the enclosure that were a lot of fun to watch as well.
We then went to see the Polar Bears, I've never seen one in person before, so this was a treat for me!
As we walked away from the polar bears I saw this tree with some really pretty blooms on it. I'm not sure what kind of tree this is, but I like it!
I then wanted to take a picture of DS, he put his arm down on the rail and it was really hot. So, here he is, holding his arm because he burnt it a little and grimacing and trying to smile at the same time
We made our way around to the other side of the park and stopped for lunch at Sydney's Grill. They had good sandwiches and salads. Then we went to see the Koalas. I was surprised by how many of them they had, and they were soooooo cute!
Then came the bears and the cats
We saw a beautiful jaguar that was up pacing back and forth right in front of the fence, but I didn't take a picture because the fence was in the way (I guess that's a good thing though isn't it!)
Then it was elephants and giraffes
Then we went over to the reptile house, they have a really nice reptile area. I think snakes are facinating, but they sure give me the creeps - even behind glass! After we finished looking at the reptiles and turtles, we stopped to refill our cup (drinks are refillable for a small fee all day). The lady was really nice and filled our drink and then told us not to worry about it and didn't charge us. She then said that she had some churros that she was about to throw out (she was closing her stand) and asked the boys if they wanted them. So, we got free drinks and churros!
Our last stop was the Children's Zoo, we were trying to find the nursery but never did I did see this very pretty bird though!
We thoughly enjoyed our day at the zoo, but we had tired feet and were ready to call it a day, plus it was dinner time and we were all hungry and DH & I didn't want to eat in the zoo again. The boys were begging us to go eat at Red Lobster (ummmm, we have those at home, how about something different - nope, they wanted Red Lobster) so we put "Red Lobster" into our trusty Garmin and found one not too far from us. Dinner was fine, DS7 wanted crab legs, so I spent most of my time cracking crab for him - I'll be so glad when he can do that for himself!
After dinner we went back to the hotel and went down to the pool until bedtime. The boys swam while DH & I just had a couple of drinks and enjoyed each others company, it was a great way to end a really nice day!
Today we were going to the San Diego Zoo. Again, we were tired in the morning but we now had a different noise keeping us awake.
We had escaped the dining room noise from Anaheim, now we were at a hotel right next to some railroad tracks and all night long we heard the train whistles! Uggggg!!I took this picture of the hotel pool as we were walking to our car. It was so pretty and I wanted to get a photo without all the people everywhere!
We made it to the zoo shortly after opening.
I had prepurchased our tickets online, so we were able to avoid the long lines of people buying tickets!
We stopped to have some cinnamon rolls for breakfast, and then we were off to explore the zoo. This zoo is absolutely beautiful! We wanted to go to the Panda exhibit first before it got too busy, but we kept stopping along the way! This orangutan looked a little sad to me
We finally made it back to the pandas, it wasn't too terribly crowded, and all of the pandas were doing this
After the pandas we stopped to watch these otters play, they were so cute and so much fun to watch. There were some monkey's in the enclosure that were a lot of fun to watch as well.
We then went to see the Polar Bears, I've never seen one in person before, so this was a treat for me!
As we walked away from the polar bears I saw this tree with some really pretty blooms on it. I'm not sure what kind of tree this is, but I like it!
I then wanted to take a picture of DS, he put his arm down on the rail and it was really hot. So, here he is, holding his arm because he burnt it a little and grimacing and trying to smile at the same time
We made our way around to the other side of the park and stopped for lunch at Sydney's Grill. They had good sandwiches and salads. Then we went to see the Koalas. I was surprised by how many of them they had, and they were soooooo cute!
Then came the bears and the cats
We saw a beautiful jaguar that was up pacing back and forth right in front of the fence, but I didn't take a picture because the fence was in the way (I guess that's a good thing though isn't it!)
Then it was elephants and giraffes
Then we went over to the reptile house, they have a really nice reptile area. I think snakes are facinating, but they sure give me the creeps - even behind glass! After we finished looking at the reptiles and turtles, we stopped to refill our cup (drinks are refillable for a small fee all day). The lady was really nice and filled our drink and then told us not to worry about it and didn't charge us. She then said that she had some churros that she was about to throw out (she was closing her stand) and asked the boys if they wanted them. So, we got free drinks and churros!
Our last stop was the Children's Zoo, we were trying to find the nursery but never did
I did see this very pretty bird though!
We thoughly enjoyed our day at the zoo, but we had tired feet and were ready to call it a day, plus it was dinner time and we were all hungry and DH & I didn't want to eat in the zoo again. The boys were begging us to go eat at Red Lobster (ummmm, we have those at home, how about something different - nope, they wanted Red Lobster) so we put "Red Lobster" into our trusty Garmin and found one not too far from us. Dinner was fine, DS7 wanted crab legs, so I spent most of my time cracking crab for him - I'll be so glad when he can do that for himself!
After dinner we went back to the hotel and went down to the pool until bedtime. The boys swam while DH & I just had a couple of drinks and enjoyed each others company, it was a great way to end a really nice day!
MrsTomMorrow
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 4, 2006
Day 10, Friday August 8th
I would love to make it to the zoo out there one day! And these birds (hyacinth macaws) are my favorite parrots! Aren't they beautiful? Sounds like a lovely day! Hope DS's arm wasn't hurt too bad!
SoonerGirl
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 9, 2006
It would have been great to have you along with us! We would have had our own personal information book!
reyasmommy
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 20, 2007
I LOVE that zoo but it sure kicked my butt..... too many hills. 
I am sooooo excited to sit out by the pool reading my book under a palm tree, sipping cocktails. I've been putting off reading the last book in my favorite series just so I can do so. It's going to be wonderful.
I'm still enjoying your TR, I love looking at all your wonderful pictures!
I am sooooo excited to sit out by the pool reading my book under a palm tree, sipping cocktails. I've been putting off reading the last book in my favorite series just so I can do so. It's going to be wonderful.
I'm still enjoying your TR, I love looking at all your wonderful pictures!
pperfectmom
<font color=teal>Has the sense of direction of a m
- Joined
- May 11, 2006
Love the latest update. That zoo looks amazing. I'll definately have to plan a visit there if we ever get to Disneyland.
That zoo looks amazing. I'll definately have to plan a visit there if we ever get to Disneyland.Share this page
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