Loews Coronado Bay Resort
Our first morning in San Diego and we wake up to an overcast sky. This was definitely not meant to happen in July and I think we are all a little disappointed to say the least. Luckily breakfast is part of the deal at this hotel. Im not sure how it works exactly but I think each room is allocated a dollar amount for breakfast and we pay anything above that plus tips. It works out to be a relatively cheap option, probably about the cost of a McDonalds breakfast for all of us. We head down to the restaurant and overhear someone being asked if they had pre-booked their table. Bloody typical, I thought to myself expecting there to be a long wait but it didnt take long at all before we were seated at an indoor table with a lovely view overlooking the boats moored next to what I am guessing are holiday homes that are located back towards the entrance of the hotel. Its nice here but I suspect you need a lot of money to afford the lifestyle. (I think they are normal residences actually as there is a school just down the road as well)
The buffet seems the most sensible option for all of us and it is very tasty. Nicholas fills his boots again but the rest of us arent that far behind. I dont know if it was here or at the Planet Hollywood buffet where someone said that they thought Brian would love it. And I am sure he would although the rest of us might get impatient waiting for him to finish. If my memory serves correct he had at least 5 courses for breakfast when we stayed at the Hard Rock in Orlando a few years ago.
I think the intention was to fill up the van and then have a drive around to get our bearings. When we get the car the display is telling us that we have low tyre pressure (this is a first) so it became important to find a gas station quickly. The young valet gave us directions so we headed down Silver Strand beach and did what needed to be done. I cant remember when or how Deb found out about the outlet centre down in San Ysidro (the folder in the room) by the border but as we were close by this time we decided to have a look. I think we both also wanted to see the border for some reason. It didnt take long before we saw signs for the last exit before the border. The outlet centre was the newest one in San Diego apparently and it looked like it. It was an open centre like the Premium Outlets in Orlando and had the usual range of shops. The back of the outlet centre was right on the border and running parallel behind the shops was a 20ft high solid metal wall that marked the end of the United States. It was exciting and intimidating at the same time. The only other closed border I have seen was the one between East and West Germany back when I was 15. I think I felt the same way then. Beyond the fence a dusty looking Tijuana rose upwards on a number of hills and was densely populated with houses and roads that were smaller and narrower in comparison to where we were. A huge national flag waved a few hundred feet from us leaving no doubt that Mexico was just a stones throw away.
The strange thing was that we were only a few miles down the road from our hotel but here it was sunny and warm. The shops had only just opened so it was reasonably empty. I took Nick to get a football game for his PSP while Deb and the girls went Charlotte shopping in Tommy Hilfiger. I noticed that we were the only white people around marking us out as obvious tourists but as it was quiet I quickly forgot about it. We met back up and went into Polo where we found a couple of large bath sheets on sale that were lovely and soft. We only looked around a small part of the outlets to be honest, as I dont think any of us really wanted to spend a lot of time shopping. As we left we saw the border and plenty of people who were parking up and walking across. There were also loads of red buses you could take and I know that Deb was particularly interested in going over. I think if we werent with the kids I would have been keener but from what I have read since about the beggars, pickpockets, gangsters and corrupt police, the appeal has faded somewhat.
Deb was driving and took us back towards downtown San Diego so that we could continue exploring. This was her first time behind the wheel this trip and she was very cautious which surprised me. I guess that Orlando is so familiar to us now we dont think twice about driving there but this was a new city and so it was understandable but her hesitancy was making me nervous. We headed towards the Balboa Park as from the maps we had looked at it seemed that there were a lot of things to do there including the famous San Diego Zoo and several museums. I dont know why but it surprised me that the park was very hilly. We passed the entrance to the zoo and a couple of the museums. There were lots of people sitting around and playing ball games. It looked like a nice place to just go and hang out and it is something Id definitely like to do when we return.
As we were driving around the park Deb spotted a Virgin Atlantic plane coming into land at the airport. The flight path was directly over the park and the end of the runway was right next to the highway so we had a good view of it when we drove past there to Seaworld a few days later. Standing on top of park and overlooking the airport must be a plane spotters dream. I wonder if they have as many of them in the States. Neither of us knew that Virgin flew directly into San Diego and we were both a bit miffed as it would have saved us a day had we known. It turns out that they dont and we must have seen a Virgin America flight instead although the plane looked larger than the ones they usual use for internal flights. In fact a plane spotter might have said that it looked like one of those new Boeing 777s, which is definitely part of their long-haul fleet. I wonder what it was doing there.
Downtown San Diego looked very nice and clean. We drove past the Convention Centre and enjoyed spotting the geeks coming and going from Comic Con. A naughty Alice in Wonderland crossed the road in front of us accompanied by someone else dressed as the Joker I think. I had never thought of Alice like that before and was quite surprised. I have read that the guy who wrote the Watchmen comic did another one a few years ago featuring a number of literary heroines in an adult setting which included Wendy from Peter Pan and Dorothy from Oz so perhaps this particular Alice got her inspiration from that. I must remember to track down a copy! We also drove past Petco Park (home of the San Diego Padres). The rest of the afternoon is a bit of a blur to me now. We headed back to the hotel for a swim I think. We also had something to eat from the bar again and Deb chose the fish, which I had also been contemplating. Unfortunately it had a strong fishy flavour and she couldnt eat it understandably. I encouraged her to order something else but she refused and must have gone to bed very hungry that night.
Ferry Across the Bay
On Sunday it was still overcast so we decided to drive into Coronado and catch the ferry over to San Diego. At first we couldn't find the ferry. We could see the water but the ferry was hidden behind a row of shops where we decided to park, luckily. It looked like the ferry was boarding so we quickly headed for the jetty and the ticket machine, which was confusing some Mexicans in front of us. If we'd have waited for them to finish we wouldn't have made this one and I didn't fancy hanging around for another hour, Deb noticed on the machine that tickets were also sold on board so we took a chance and headed down the jetty and went onboard. We went upstairs and to the back of the boat. I watched as a bunch of people, including a really loud woman, came running down the jetty shouting at the boat to stop but it didn't. I could say I felt bad for them but I didn't. I am sure the crossing would have been lovely if the sun had been shining but it was really dark and dreary. The ferry docks just along the road from the USS Midway which is our destination this morning. We buy our tickets and board the ship by climbing some steps and entering on the deck that the planes are stored on. We are given headsets, which provide a commentary on the exhibits as you walk round. The crew's quarters are dark and cramped. The officer's quarters aren't much better really although there were fewer beds. It was like a maze and very claustrophobic. I don't think Charlotte would have handled it well at all and I was more than happy to get back onto the main hangar deck. There were a few older planes on display here and a row of simulators which you could ride in for an extra $15. I sit and listen to two men and their sons being briefed by the instructor who is funny. "If you fly out of the bay I will shoot you down." "If you leave the San Diego area I will shoot you down." "If you fly too high I will..." etc. The cockpits being used were actual F4's so I wouldn't have fitted but I bet it would have been a real thrill to have a go. I was surprised that Nicholas didn't seem that interested given his love of shooting things in computer games.
Mark enjoyed looking at the planes on the flight deck and the talks given by ex servicemen about the procedures for take-off and landing were captivating. I am sure you could spend a good few hours walking around the whole ship as we didn't see the bridge or engine room which were both open to the public. One of the things that struck me was how short the take-off and landing strips are. The idea that a plane could land in such a short space is mind-boggling. I cannot begin to imagine how noisy, hectic and dangerous the flight deck must have been. I wonder how many servicemen lost their lives or got seriously hurt by not paying attention or standing in the wrong place. The chap talking through the landing procedure tells me that you can tell if a commercial pilot is ex Navy as they come into land steep and hard. It's how they learned to do it. I think we had one of those once on a US Airways flight from Gatwick to Charlotte, NC. After finishing on the ship we took a long walk down to the Seaport Village where we managed to get a drink and Lucy had a quesadilla and rice while listening to the Mexican band. There was not much else to do here especially as the Big Dogs store didn't have any boxers larger than an XL, which was odd. We then went back to the ferry which took us back to Coronado. There was a band of OAPs playing jazz in the shopping area. The only people watching were also OAPs but there were lots of them. It was a little odd. The choice of eateries was limited so we got back in the car and discussed our options. I was determined not to eat at the hotel a third day on the trot and I knew the kids weren't keen either. In the end we decided to drive back to the food court at the Outlet centre by the border where we had plenty to choose from (including our choices of Oriental and Subway as I recall). After eating and a little more retail (shoe) therapy we headed back to the hotel and went for a swim. Later on the kids had a game of tennis, which was great fun to watch although Alexandra's ankle started playing up and hindered her performance. It wasn't long before Lucy took over from her and was throwing all the right shapes including the double-forehand and backhand grips. If she could actually hit the ball we might have a prodigy on our hands. Second thoughts she's probably too old for that already.
Once again I can't remember what we did that evening so it's probably a safe bet that we went back to our rooms, watched the TV and fell asleep.
San Diego Zoo and Seaworld in a Day
Monday started overcast again but as I wanted to see the Pandas at San Diego Zoo after breakfast off we went to Balboa Park and the Zoo. The zoo was lovely but very hilly and not the easiest of places to walk round when its warm, in fact it was starting to get rather hot as the sun came out as soon as we got there. As the Pandas were at the bottom of a rather steep hill Nicholas and myself walked down to see them whilst Mark and the girls stayed at the top and got a drink and ice cream dipping dots. I was so pleased that we made the effort to go to see them as they were so cute. After Mark took a considerable amount of photos of the flora and fauna and a look at the Koala exhibit and the purchase of a cuddly panda for myself we decided to go back to the hotel for a swim before going to Seaworld for the evening. After a great swim we headed back out to Seaworld which was a lovely drive and happened to go past the end of the runway for San Diego airport. Not sure what we really made of Seaworld as we are such fans of the Orlando one this one is so completely different but similar. Let me try to explain, firstly the music in Orlando is very relaxing yet in San Diego its rock music, not that we mind rock music but the other is more conducive to people watching. Secondly the landscaping isnt nearly as lovely. We still had a lovely evening and Lucy won Dale the Whale on a race carnival game, she did have the added advantage that she had 2 balls to throw up into the holes instead of the one that everyone else had!
It started to get a little cold as it was getting darker so we bought Mark and Nicholas some zip up tops as they hadnt brought anything with them but of course the sensible girls had cardigans. After seeing the dolphin show and then the Sea lion and otter show, which was absolutely hilarious and took the mickey out of all the other shows at Seaworld, we hung around and waited for the Shamu evening show and the fireworks that we didnt see because there were trees in the way! We headed back to the hotel around 10.45pm and we all agreed that wed had a really nice day.
Our first morning in San Diego and we wake up to an overcast sky. This was definitely not meant to happen in July and I think we are all a little disappointed to say the least. Luckily breakfast is part of the deal at this hotel. Im not sure how it works exactly but I think each room is allocated a dollar amount for breakfast and we pay anything above that plus tips. It works out to be a relatively cheap option, probably about the cost of a McDonalds breakfast for all of us. We head down to the restaurant and overhear someone being asked if they had pre-booked their table. Bloody typical, I thought to myself expecting there to be a long wait but it didnt take long at all before we were seated at an indoor table with a lovely view overlooking the boats moored next to what I am guessing are holiday homes that are located back towards the entrance of the hotel. Its nice here but I suspect you need a lot of money to afford the lifestyle. (I think they are normal residences actually as there is a school just down the road as well)
The buffet seems the most sensible option for all of us and it is very tasty. Nicholas fills his boots again but the rest of us arent that far behind. I dont know if it was here or at the Planet Hollywood buffet where someone said that they thought Brian would love it. And I am sure he would although the rest of us might get impatient waiting for him to finish. If my memory serves correct he had at least 5 courses for breakfast when we stayed at the Hard Rock in Orlando a few years ago.
I think the intention was to fill up the van and then have a drive around to get our bearings. When we get the car the display is telling us that we have low tyre pressure (this is a first) so it became important to find a gas station quickly. The young valet gave us directions so we headed down Silver Strand beach and did what needed to be done. I cant remember when or how Deb found out about the outlet centre down in San Ysidro (the folder in the room) by the border but as we were close by this time we decided to have a look. I think we both also wanted to see the border for some reason. It didnt take long before we saw signs for the last exit before the border. The outlet centre was the newest one in San Diego apparently and it looked like it. It was an open centre like the Premium Outlets in Orlando and had the usual range of shops. The back of the outlet centre was right on the border and running parallel behind the shops was a 20ft high solid metal wall that marked the end of the United States. It was exciting and intimidating at the same time. The only other closed border I have seen was the one between East and West Germany back when I was 15. I think I felt the same way then. Beyond the fence a dusty looking Tijuana rose upwards on a number of hills and was densely populated with houses and roads that were smaller and narrower in comparison to where we were. A huge national flag waved a few hundred feet from us leaving no doubt that Mexico was just a stones throw away.
The strange thing was that we were only a few miles down the road from our hotel but here it was sunny and warm. The shops had only just opened so it was reasonably empty. I took Nick to get a football game for his PSP while Deb and the girls went Charlotte shopping in Tommy Hilfiger. I noticed that we were the only white people around marking us out as obvious tourists but as it was quiet I quickly forgot about it. We met back up and went into Polo where we found a couple of large bath sheets on sale that were lovely and soft. We only looked around a small part of the outlets to be honest, as I dont think any of us really wanted to spend a lot of time shopping. As we left we saw the border and plenty of people who were parking up and walking across. There were also loads of red buses you could take and I know that Deb was particularly interested in going over. I think if we werent with the kids I would have been keener but from what I have read since about the beggars, pickpockets, gangsters and corrupt police, the appeal has faded somewhat.
Deb was driving and took us back towards downtown San Diego so that we could continue exploring. This was her first time behind the wheel this trip and she was very cautious which surprised me. I guess that Orlando is so familiar to us now we dont think twice about driving there but this was a new city and so it was understandable but her hesitancy was making me nervous. We headed towards the Balboa Park as from the maps we had looked at it seemed that there were a lot of things to do there including the famous San Diego Zoo and several museums. I dont know why but it surprised me that the park was very hilly. We passed the entrance to the zoo and a couple of the museums. There were lots of people sitting around and playing ball games. It looked like a nice place to just go and hang out and it is something Id definitely like to do when we return.
As we were driving around the park Deb spotted a Virgin Atlantic plane coming into land at the airport. The flight path was directly over the park and the end of the runway was right next to the highway so we had a good view of it when we drove past there to Seaworld a few days later. Standing on top of park and overlooking the airport must be a plane spotters dream. I wonder if they have as many of them in the States. Neither of us knew that Virgin flew directly into San Diego and we were both a bit miffed as it would have saved us a day had we known. It turns out that they dont and we must have seen a Virgin America flight instead although the plane looked larger than the ones they usual use for internal flights. In fact a plane spotter might have said that it looked like one of those new Boeing 777s, which is definitely part of their long-haul fleet. I wonder what it was doing there.
Downtown San Diego looked very nice and clean. We drove past the Convention Centre and enjoyed spotting the geeks coming and going from Comic Con. A naughty Alice in Wonderland crossed the road in front of us accompanied by someone else dressed as the Joker I think. I had never thought of Alice like that before and was quite surprised. I have read that the guy who wrote the Watchmen comic did another one a few years ago featuring a number of literary heroines in an adult setting which included Wendy from Peter Pan and Dorothy from Oz so perhaps this particular Alice got her inspiration from that. I must remember to track down a copy! We also drove past Petco Park (home of the San Diego Padres). The rest of the afternoon is a bit of a blur to me now. We headed back to the hotel for a swim I think. We also had something to eat from the bar again and Deb chose the fish, which I had also been contemplating. Unfortunately it had a strong fishy flavour and she couldnt eat it understandably. I encouraged her to order something else but she refused and must have gone to bed very hungry that night.
Ferry Across the Bay
On Sunday it was still overcast so we decided to drive into Coronado and catch the ferry over to San Diego. At first we couldn't find the ferry. We could see the water but the ferry was hidden behind a row of shops where we decided to park, luckily. It looked like the ferry was boarding so we quickly headed for the jetty and the ticket machine, which was confusing some Mexicans in front of us. If we'd have waited for them to finish we wouldn't have made this one and I didn't fancy hanging around for another hour, Deb noticed on the machine that tickets were also sold on board so we took a chance and headed down the jetty and went onboard. We went upstairs and to the back of the boat. I watched as a bunch of people, including a really loud woman, came running down the jetty shouting at the boat to stop but it didn't. I could say I felt bad for them but I didn't. I am sure the crossing would have been lovely if the sun had been shining but it was really dark and dreary. The ferry docks just along the road from the USS Midway which is our destination this morning. We buy our tickets and board the ship by climbing some steps and entering on the deck that the planes are stored on. We are given headsets, which provide a commentary on the exhibits as you walk round. The crew's quarters are dark and cramped. The officer's quarters aren't much better really although there were fewer beds. It was like a maze and very claustrophobic. I don't think Charlotte would have handled it well at all and I was more than happy to get back onto the main hangar deck. There were a few older planes on display here and a row of simulators which you could ride in for an extra $15. I sit and listen to two men and their sons being briefed by the instructor who is funny. "If you fly out of the bay I will shoot you down." "If you leave the San Diego area I will shoot you down." "If you fly too high I will..." etc. The cockpits being used were actual F4's so I wouldn't have fitted but I bet it would have been a real thrill to have a go. I was surprised that Nicholas didn't seem that interested given his love of shooting things in computer games.
Mark enjoyed looking at the planes on the flight deck and the talks given by ex servicemen about the procedures for take-off and landing were captivating. I am sure you could spend a good few hours walking around the whole ship as we didn't see the bridge or engine room which were both open to the public. One of the things that struck me was how short the take-off and landing strips are. The idea that a plane could land in such a short space is mind-boggling. I cannot begin to imagine how noisy, hectic and dangerous the flight deck must have been. I wonder how many servicemen lost their lives or got seriously hurt by not paying attention or standing in the wrong place. The chap talking through the landing procedure tells me that you can tell if a commercial pilot is ex Navy as they come into land steep and hard. It's how they learned to do it. I think we had one of those once on a US Airways flight from Gatwick to Charlotte, NC. After finishing on the ship we took a long walk down to the Seaport Village where we managed to get a drink and Lucy had a quesadilla and rice while listening to the Mexican band. There was not much else to do here especially as the Big Dogs store didn't have any boxers larger than an XL, which was odd. We then went back to the ferry which took us back to Coronado. There was a band of OAPs playing jazz in the shopping area. The only people watching were also OAPs but there were lots of them. It was a little odd. The choice of eateries was limited so we got back in the car and discussed our options. I was determined not to eat at the hotel a third day on the trot and I knew the kids weren't keen either. In the end we decided to drive back to the food court at the Outlet centre by the border where we had plenty to choose from (including our choices of Oriental and Subway as I recall). After eating and a little more retail (shoe) therapy we headed back to the hotel and went for a swim. Later on the kids had a game of tennis, which was great fun to watch although Alexandra's ankle started playing up and hindered her performance. It wasn't long before Lucy took over from her and was throwing all the right shapes including the double-forehand and backhand grips. If she could actually hit the ball we might have a prodigy on our hands. Second thoughts she's probably too old for that already.
Once again I can't remember what we did that evening so it's probably a safe bet that we went back to our rooms, watched the TV and fell asleep.
San Diego Zoo and Seaworld in a Day
Monday started overcast again but as I wanted to see the Pandas at San Diego Zoo after breakfast off we went to Balboa Park and the Zoo. The zoo was lovely but very hilly and not the easiest of places to walk round when its warm, in fact it was starting to get rather hot as the sun came out as soon as we got there. As the Pandas were at the bottom of a rather steep hill Nicholas and myself walked down to see them whilst Mark and the girls stayed at the top and got a drink and ice cream dipping dots. I was so pleased that we made the effort to go to see them as they were so cute. After Mark took a considerable amount of photos of the flora and fauna and a look at the Koala exhibit and the purchase of a cuddly panda for myself we decided to go back to the hotel for a swim before going to Seaworld for the evening. After a great swim we headed back out to Seaworld which was a lovely drive and happened to go past the end of the runway for San Diego airport. Not sure what we really made of Seaworld as we are such fans of the Orlando one this one is so completely different but similar. Let me try to explain, firstly the music in Orlando is very relaxing yet in San Diego its rock music, not that we mind rock music but the other is more conducive to people watching. Secondly the landscaping isnt nearly as lovely. We still had a lovely evening and Lucy won Dale the Whale on a race carnival game, she did have the added advantage that she had 2 balls to throw up into the holes instead of the one that everyone else had!
It started to get a little cold as it was getting darker so we bought Mark and Nicholas some zip up tops as they hadnt brought anything with them but of course the sensible girls had cardigans. After seeing the dolphin show and then the Sea lion and otter show, which was absolutely hilarious and took the mickey out of all the other shows at Seaworld, we hung around and waited for the Shamu evening show and the fireworks that we didnt see because there were trees in the way! We headed back to the hotel around 10.45pm and we all agreed that wed had a really nice day.
