Where in the World is our car, man? San Diego?

Ever feel the need to beat the doldrums, and just get away from it all?

Well, that's the way Corey and Linda and I were feeling in September,

so we decided to head west ...Aah, Southern California!

So we hopped a plane for beautiful San Diego,

where the people are friendly, and the weather is friendlier! 

We stayed at the historic Hotel St James, in the Gaslamp Quarter.

The property is now run by Ramada, so it has modern amenities. 

But the building was built in 1914, and is still a classic!



 On top of the hotel is a very cool patio, with a spectacular 360 view

of the city. Most evenings we spent some time up here relaxing.

After unpacking, we hit the Quarter. If you've never been to Gaslamp,

it's kinda like the French Quarter in N'Orleans, without the beads, or the smell. 

And hey, I love New Orleans!

At night, cars are still allowed on the streets, but

the foot traffic makes it way better not to be driving. Plus our Hotel

was walking distance to anywhere in Gaslamp.

Next morning, after coffee on the roof, we walked over to the marina

and the convention center. It's a great way to burn calories from all the extra eating!

 

We stumbled upon a "Stair marathon" to raise money for charity.

In part, it was to commemorate the heroes from 9/11.  They even had one of the

NYFD trucks that had served at the Twin Towers there.  The Marathon

was a relay race up and down the stairwell in the convention center.

The kilts would've been weird, but they were playing bagpipes.

We stopped for a quick picture on our way back from the marina. 

This pedestrian bridge makes it easy to cross from the convention center

over Harbor Drive to the Gaslamp district. That's Petco Park behind us.

We drove the scenic route through and around San Diego,

and got this beautiful view of downtown San Diego from across the bay.

And this sailboat in a broad reach reminded us of ...

well, us - back when we sailed the Goombay!

 The military cemetery

In the north part of the city is Old Town, which is a Mexican market

that's been designated as a state park.  Lots of shops and souvenirs.



There were several cafes, which made the whole area

smell like the kitchen of the Mexican Inn Cafe. Mmmm...

He'll probably deny it now, but Corey wanted one of these

heads really, really badly.



Back to the hotel, and admiring the rooftop view at sunset.

Then a little dessert at Ghiradelli's Ice Cream Shop.

Next morning we had brunch at Croce's.  It's a jazz cafe,

owned by Jim Croce's widow. Several years ago, while they were visiting the

Gaslamp Quarter, the couple spotted this very corner building, and said it would be

a great place for a restaurant, that played jazz at night. 

One week later, the plane Jim Croce was on went down. 

 After brunch, Corey met up with an old buddy (Kellen O!) stationed out here,

and Linda and I took it easy. Later Sunday afternoon we got back together at

Dublin Square, one of our favorite spots.

As I recall, Linda and I were sitting against the wall, under the flat screen TV. 

This is how Corey looked all during the Cowboys' game.

Sunday night, Ghiradelli's again. 

This is really not a bad way to live. 

Next morning  we had breakfast at this popular local spot, the Broken Yolk.

Then we headed up old Hwy 101, the Pacific Coast Hwy. The drive is gorgeous,

with plenty of great views of the water, and sprinkled with little towns and villages all the way.

La Jolla! Take notice of that grotto on the left side of this cove...

What a world, where birds and seals peacefully coexist.



We weren't dressed for swimming, but you wouldn't want to be

this close to the Ocean Pacific, and not get wet!

We waded out to the Grotto for this postcard photo op. 

Yeah, this is how we roll.

 

We drove up the PCH through Torrey Pines, Del Mar, and Encinadas,

to Moonlight Beach, where totally rad surfer dudes hang out. We had to wade out again here, and believe me when I say the water was cold.  Anybody got a wet suit?

After lunch we headed back to the Gaslamp. By the way, when it was built,
one hundred years ago, the elevator in the St James was the fastest elevator in San Diego!
One. hundred. years. ago. Nowadays, not so much, but that hand-operated cage door made it cool.

Next morning we took the bridge over to Coronado Island, home to the

Del Coronado Hotel, and lots of other cool spots to shop and eat. 

They have a ferry that runs between the Island and the mainland, but the bridge is faster.

This is the view from the Landing with San Diego behind us.

After some sightseeing, we found a little sidewalk cafe for breakfast.



Then we walk around the Del, as it's called by the locals.

They are celebrating 150 years of hosting people who want to live the good life!



The chandelier in the main lobby.

On our way back, we spotted this bougainvillea which was as big as a tree!

Yeah, that's a house behind it.

Then we spent the afternoon at Balboa Park.  It's not only home to the San Diego Zoo, 

but also an area of art deco buildings (think Dallas' Fair Park) that are now

museums and galleries, and gardens! 

Linda, trying to score some tickets to the old Globe Theatre



Wow! All that culture makes me thirsty. We spent the evening at this

sidewalk cafe, and watched a movie being filmed in the street. We never

got the name of the film, but it'll be the one with a car crash! 



Last night, the view from our rooftop.  Those real bright lights

are Petco Park in the background. Go Padres!

Just the kind of Get-a-Way we had hoped for!



Next morning, on our way out to the airport, we got this shot

from the street. So long, St James. Stay cool.