San Diego

Hey there folks.  I hope that everyone had a wonderful Fourth of July and enjoyed some time with family and friends that included fireworks.  I'm in lovely San Francisco at the moment, which after only a few hours has already made its way up my list of favorite places.  More on that later this weekend.

Before I do that, I wanted to devote a few paragraphs to San Diego tonight before highlighting my time in and around Newport Beach (Laguna Beach, Dana Point, Los Angeles).  I'll be fairly brief, and share some good coastal shots--I'm got a lot more on the drive northward towards San Francisco that were fantastic.  Some of these are now posted on Facebook and Picasa--the link is in the top right corner of the page near my photo.

On to regularly scheduled programming...

I absolutely loved San Diego.  I had always heard great things about it, and man did it ever live up to its billing.  The weather was fantastic (low 80s and sunny every day), the scenery was gorgeous (beautiful overlooks of the water; long stretches of beaches), and the atmosphere was very mellow.  I spent my first day around Old Town and then out on the peninsula of Coronado, then my second day up by La Jolla on the north side of the city.  I finished up day three at the Zoo.

From the Cabrillo Monument on Point Loma.

Old Town:
I thought Old Town was charming.  Lots of little shops, restaurants, bars, art galleries and other places of interest dotted the landscape, with lots of tourists streaming in and out throughout the day.  I spent some time walking around the old mission-style area, and then returned on Saturday afternoon to hang out in a little cigar shop.  There, I met a handful of folks--some locals, some fellow travelers--and enjoyed conversation around politics, the weather, sports, and a whole host of other topics.  Just what I needed after a long couple of days of taking in the sights.

Coronado Peninsula:
This might have been my favorite area in the entire city.  I drove around the area first, then took a run across the peninsula to take in some of the neighborhoods and back areas.  The houses ranged from beach bungalows to magnificent mansions, each of which would've done just fine for me.  After that I spent some time laying on the beach, as my foray into the water was rather short-lived--while refreshing, it was a bit too chilly for me to stand for more than a couple minutes.

Gaslamp District:
I didn't spend a ton of time here--just enough for dinner and couple of after dinner drinks while watching some baseball games--while it was pretty cool, it wasn't that much different than any other bar area I'd ever been to.

La Jolla:
This area, north of San Diego proper, had some beautiful beach area and even more beautiful overlooks.  Moreover, the restaurants, shops and bars were all pretty cool, and there were lots of little art galleries into which I ducked to take in a wide variety of art.  In general, a great little beach town.

The Zoo:
I spent about four hours at the San Diego Zoo on Sunday before leaving town.  The zoo, which I believe is the largest in the U.S., was really unbelievable.  They literally had everything, and it was a beautiful day for it (day three of lucky weather).  My favorites were the tigers, polar bears, and the mountain lions.  Here are some decent shots.

As I try to think through what really appealed to me about San Diego, I would break it down into a few different themes.  First, the weather and scenery were absolutely lovely.  Beautiful blue skies and gorgeous beach vistas made for quite the backdrop in the city, and the warm weather with low humidity was quite nice.  Second, the people were very friendly and welcoming, more so than most other places which I have visited in recent weeks.  Third, the entire atmosphere was very laid back.  I felt at ease moving throughout the city, and found it very easy to navigate--despite the plethora of highways that weave throughout various parts of the city.  In general, it was perfect.

They say life is a bit better by the sea.  I believe it might be safe to say that San Diego convinced me of that fact.  

More to come on Newport Beach, LA, and San Fran this weekend.

DRB