Well the drive from the Kingmen Arizona to San Diego went smooth and uneventful. The desert landscape slowly gave way to first mountainous highway where we actually drove through blizzard style snow conditions for about 20 minutes as we virtually ascended to over 4000 feet from almost sea level and then back down to sea level. The coastal lowland greenery was welcome after the even brief snowy conditions. And of course we entered Southern California's endless urbanization.
However, they get an A grade from me. We found San Diego not only charming but easily maneuvered. The freeway system meant easy access to everything including San Diego's many beaches and boardwalks.
Niki continued her incredible accommodation record. This time through the Airbnb site. She had is in a San Deigo suburb called Chula Vista. The area itself wasn't overly tempting but the condo was very luxurious indeed to the point that it included a rather stocked fridge and cupboard!
Our first day we found a dog park close to our condo and indulged Diego in a little fun before beginning our first San Diego excursion: the zoo.
However, to start we headed down to Mission Boulevard to the famous breakfast extraordinaire "the
mission". I highly recommend this eatery it's a staple and good value for your dollar.
We then walked down San Diego's groovy ocean boardwalk and realized
this would be the place we did a lot of hanging out! (and we did!)
Once we were able to pull ourselves away from the upbeat boardwalk we made our way to Balboa park which is a fine example of what a contemporary city core should be. It's sprawling grassy and tree lined parks amazingly allow room for 8 museums, an outdoor market, cafes and of course the infamous San Diego zoo. If you have children this is a great place for both kids and adults with a carnival like feel to the whole place, cotton candy and all!
After leisurely perusing the market and wandering down a path of sidewalk stalls where religious apologists battled atheists for attention,( it was lively!) and we made our way to the zoo.
We are both animal lovers so though we knew it would be a bit of a tourist trap we couldn't resist and we are glad we didn't.
To start, it was quite touristy. But to call it a trap wouldn't be fair. If we had kids we would have spent the whole day here. It was user friendly, totally animated and educational. And it did have an impressive array of critters to beasts. However, after the last 6 months it was difficult to muscle through crowds to look at an animal that we had been fortunate enough to ride on or feed only months earlier.
Nevertheless our money and 3 hours was well spent for 3 incredible reasons: Polar Bears, Panda Bears and Mr. Hippo!Though I have seen Panda Bears before in Mexico City's Chaputpec Park Zoo, I never get tired of it. Such entertaining and just adorable creatures to watch, even if most of the time they just nibble on bamboo.(they are absolutely lazy!)
Polar bears I have never seen in real life and it was truly amazing. You are able to the view them under water as they swim and above ground and it was near impossible to take our gaze away. Just awesome animals and imposing in size! They are much bigger than I imagined them to be!
They also had hippos which like the polar bear's you were able to view underwater and above ground. Also quite a sight. They are one of the most feared creatures in Africa (even the lions don't mess with them!) and when you see their sheer size and teeth you know why. Totally captivating. For anyone going, as per most star attractions,early morning is the best time to go. And you can laze away the rest of the day in one of Balboa Parks many palm filled grassy beds:)
After the zoo we headed back to the beach and as promised, just hung out. We did a second breakfast because you can never have too many breakfasts, after all, it's the most important meal of the day! :) We ate at Kona Cafe which is right on the boardwalk with super views of the ocean and just a funky friendly feel. The food is amazing and again, very affordable. As I write we are now in Los Angeles and yet to find anything as reasonable, with such good food and a laid back vibe to boot.(but LA is fun in its own way!) Check out Kona Cafe!!
We then meandered down the boardwalk to a little haunt called Woody's in Ocean Beach that serves coffee with a smile night and day. We sat and people watched the afternoon away happily.
The next day we were up early and spent a couple hours with Diego at the dog park before departing back to the San Diego boardwalk this time to go rollerblading! We started our day off at Woody's and had an amazing breakfast there before strapping on the blades. We rollerbladed for almost two hours down the boardwalk before saying goodbye to the boardwalk with an afternoon coffee at Konos.
We then hopped in the car and drove to sunset point where locals say the best vistas are. It was indeed stellar with dramatic cliffs tumbling to the sea and the waves crashing in thunderously. We finished our day with a leisurely drive around some of San Diego's ocean side neighborhoods before settling home for the night to prepare for our drive to Los Angeles the next day. Again, being that I am now in Los Angeles I can say most certainly San Diego has it's own identity in southern California. It's laid back beach vibe and easy to swallow prices are one bonus. In addition, the maneuverability of the city makes it a comfortable place to visit when you don't want to have to over plan every day. All in all, a great city, and one I know we will return to.
Peace:)
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