SPRINGTIME IN SAN DIEGO

Sunset at Imperial Beach!
Surfing at Imperial Beach
TK and Janie at the beach by Hotel del Coronado
Bird of Paradise blossoms all over!
Chili dog par excellence!
$3.99--of course we tried all three!
Weinerschniztel
Janie, Nancy, and Donna
Poodle skirts at the Corvette Diner
The jail in Old Town
Lawrence and Donna at Old Town
Our first In-n-Out Burger!
Brian and Nancy at their camper

Sunday, January 31, 2010 / sunny, mid 60s

This morning TK and I saw a farmers’ market near our hotel. I found unusual gifts for B1, B2, and Friend H-gifts created only in San Diego and Key West by the same family! From there we walked to Seaport Village via a boardwalk along the San Diego port. It has at least 50 shops and 8 interesting restaurants. Soon after our arrival at this area, Brian called. He picked us up about 1 p.m. and we drove to Lawrence and Donna’s hotel (near Sea World), then to the KOA campground to pick up Nancy. That gave us the opportunity to see Brian’s brand new 27 ft. Keystone Sprinter camper—it looked very comfortable, sleeps up to six, complete kitchen/dinette, full bath, two flat screen TVs, and two comfy chairs. A nice way to travel!

We all piled into Nancy’s roomy truck, legally or illegally, and Brian drove us to an “In n Out” Burger restaurant. We mid-westerners and easterners had never been to one and Brian thought we should have that experience. Honestly we were like teenagers meeting in a crowded fast food restaurant for burgers and fries. The burgers are very tasty with a special sauce that is different from Burger King.

Brian, who is willing to drive until he finds what he’s looking for, took us to a tram/train stop (#24) so we could take the MTA train to “Old Town.” According to the brochure “Old Town” is the birthplace of California, the site of the first European settlement on the West Coast. There are some original buildings and preserved adobes, others are recreated to showcase this era of the golden west in the late 1700s/ early 1800s. San Diego became a city in 1850. There are museums, e.g. the first public school house (1865), Immaculate Conception Catholic Church—first church built outside the mission system (1865), a sheriff’s museum with an authentic old outside jail, the first 2 story brick building Whaley House (built in 1857), and many more. Among the historic buildings there are shops, markets, cafes, and restaurants.

We spent several hours before we decided to eat. We caught the train back to Stop #24, then Brian and Nancy drove us to “Corvette Diner” on Historic Decatur Road near Liberty Station. This incredible restaurant continued our feeling of being teenagers. The Corvettes as one walked in, a disc jockey playing music from the 50s and 60s, waitresses in poodle skirts, booths, lighting, and photos and drawings of Ricky Nelson, Annette Funicello, etc. all added to the ambiance. We had tasty burgers yet again.

After dinner Brian drove us to the Mexican border (Tijuana is about 10 miles from San Diego). Only Lawrence and Donna had their passports with them, so we could not cross the border. It was an interesting experience, though, because some of us learned that one cannot take photos of Federal buildings.

After dropping Donna and Lawrence off, Brian and Nancy returned us to the Marriott about 11 p.m.

Monday, February 1, 2010 / sunny, high 60s

Brian and Nancy picked us up this morning about 10 a.m. After picking up Donna and Lawrence and all of their luggage (not quite as much as ours), we went directly to “Wienerschnitzel,” a chili dog “restaurant.” B and N thought we needed to have this experience for lunch before we dropped L and D off at the airport. Our ongoing teenage experience continued as we munched our chili dogs, chili burgers, and chili fries outdoors. The dogs are similar to our Greek dogs and burgers back home—I’m glad we did this. After lunch we took D and L to the airport for their return to Wisconsin. We made an agreement to get together in Branson, Missouri, or even another cruise, perhaps later this year.

We traveled back to the Seaport Village for shopping and then went to Coronado, a town on the peninsula that forms the San Diego harbor. We stopped at Hotel del Coronado, built in 1888. We were able to tour the grounds of this grand hotel that reminded me somewhat of the classic Hershey Hotel in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The Hotel del Coronado has a beach on the Pacific! We enjoyed walking this beautiful sandy beach and even went inside the hotel to see the Victorian charm. From there we went to Imperial Beach and Pier. I bought something here that I think Son R will like, if they are the right size. By this time it was near sunset as we walked on the pier, gulls were flying about, a young fisherman displayed the croaker (fish) that he caught, and surfers in wet suits looked for the best waves.

Brian took us to the nearby Veterans Home in Chula Vista to meet his 87 year old mother. She was one of the first 49 women who were at the U.S. Marines Corps Recruit Depot during World War II. She was part of the “Free a Man to Fight” program. She took the troop train to California after basic training and was a truck driver in the motor pool. I was very honored to meet her.

For dinner Brian took us to “La Bella Pizza” in downtown Chula Vista. His 77 year old aunt has worked there for 35 years and she waited on us. I loved the cheese and pepperoni pizza! Chula Vista was the hometown of my dear friend, Chuck. His wife Judy, from Nebraska, was the friend who went to France with Cindy from Connecticut and me in 2008.

We have truly enjoyed our special Cruise Critic friends in San Diego so much. We are going to miss them a lot. Brian and Nancy are heading back to northern California on Tuesday morning.