Megapost here we come...there were so many cute pictures from our trip to San Diego I had a hard time deciding which to include, so I just included a ton! Without further ado, here's the recap of our long weekend, brought to you by the letter S.
Suitcases...
As we were packing on Thursday night, Drew decided to use Daddy's empty suitcase as a hiding place. Too funny.
Seven and a half hour drives...
Since we started having to buy a plane ticket for Drew when he turned two, we always consider driving instead of flying. Plus, given the unpredictable nature of Army life, it's always comforting to have the flexibility of your car versus nonrefundable plane tickets. So we piled in the car for about a 7 1/2 hour drive. Amazingly, Drew amused himself without the DVD player in the car. We actually didn't even realize we were without the car adapter for the DVD player until we got to the hotel. He drew with his Doodlepro, read some books, had a nap or two, and pointed out all the sights for us to see. We were very relieved.
Shocking gas prices...
All of the media stories lately about how the price of gas is causing some people to reconsider summer travel came rushing back to me when we pulled into the first gas station off the California interstate and saw the price of $4.37/gallon!!! We were dumbfounded. The prices as we approached San Diego continued to rise, but fortunately at the Naval Base the gas price was a mere $3.89/gallon. Who knew we could be so excited about $3.89/gallon?
Sand Dunes...
Just over the California border we drove by huge sand dunes and I said "Oh my God, I've never seen anything like that." Bill countered with, "I have. It looks just like Iraq." Without the nice interstate of course... Anyhow, it was pretty amazing to see.
Smell of rain...
Once we passed the sand dunes we headed into Cleveland National Forest where the desert gave way to the rainy season. We had rain and fog for the last couple of hours of our trip into the city. Since we have so little rain in Arizona though, Bill said, and I agreed, that sometimes you just miss the smell of rain. Sometimes it's the little things...
Savings galore with military discounts...
Let me just say that San Diego is an extremely military-friendly town. First, we were able to stay at the Navy Lodge right next to the harbor for 3 nights for probably what we would have paid for one night at any other hotel. We were pleasantly surprised by the size of the room as well. Second, we took advantage of the Salute to Heroes program to enjoy free admission for the whole family to Sea World. Third, Bill got in free to the zoo and we got discounted tickets for our boat tour. It was nice to be able to splurge on other things since we were saving so much elsewhere.
Steak & Seafood...
Our first night in town we drove over the Coronado Bay Bridge to have dinner on Coronado Island. The place we were looking for that had sounded good from the Navy Lodge's list of dining options was actually closed, so we headed elsewhere. We almost didn't go in because there was a sign on the door that said "Proper attire required." and we were in jeans, nice jeans, but still jeans. But we saw a few other people head in that were casually dressed as well and figured we'd give it a try because their menu looked so yummy. We were seated right next to the window overlooking the harbor and enjoyed one of the most outstanding meals we've ever had. If you're ever in San Diego, go to Peohe's. It's worth every penny. Our restaurant selections the other two nights were not quite as good. Still lovely by-the-water dining, but only okay food.
Sesame Street...
Our first night in town we drove over the Coronado Bay Bridge to have dinner on Coronado Island. The place we were looking for that had sounded good from the Navy Lodge's list of dining options was actually closed, so we headed elsewhere. We almost didn't go in because there was a sign on the door that said "Proper attire required." and we were in jeans, nice jeans, but still jeans. But we saw a few other people head in that were casually dressed as well and figured we'd give it a try because their menu looked so yummy. We were seated right next to the window overlooking the harbor and enjoyed one of the most outstanding meals we've ever had. If you're ever in San Diego, go to Peohe's. It's worth every penny. Our restaurant selections the other two nights were not quite as good. Still lovely by-the-water dining, but only okay food.
Sesame Street...
Sea World recently opened up the Sesame Street Bay of Play and all of Drew's Sesame Street favorites were available for pictures, both at Breakfast with Elmo and later in the Bay of Play area. I hoped Drew wouldn't be scared of all the guys as he still is a bit skittish around Santa Claus. But as you can see from all the pictures, he was thrilled!
Sea turtles (as in lunching with)...
When we finally found somewhere to sit for lunch at Sea World we realized we had some unexpected lunch companions. Right next to and below our lunch table were several sea turtles, some swimming around and others sunning themselves and making sand angels on the beach area.
No trip to Sea World is complete without taking in a Shamu show, so after lunch we headed over to Shamu stadium. We were daring enough to sit in the soak zone, but only daring enough to sit in the last row of the soak zone, so we ended up in the clear. Drew was initially impressed but then his exhaustion took over and I think he actually missed the jump featured below.
Scenic Route...
After Sea World (and no nap) on Saturday morning and early afternoon, we thought Drew would fall asleep the second he sat down in his car seat. Rather than have him fall asleep in the car and then try to get him to sleep again in the hotel, we thought we'd take a drive up to Del Mar and make our way back to the city along the coast. It was really lovely, although nowhere near warm enough to be in the ocean like some crazy people were. If Drew hadn't been sleeping I think we would have loved to spend some time walking around La Jolla. Ah...next time.
Shopping...
Let me just say that the Navy Exchange store was nicer than any Army PX I have ever seen. It was comparable if not nicer than a Macy's. As we rode the escalator to the second floor (yes, I said second floor), I nearly cried as I saw the wide selection of EVERYTHING you could ever need.
San Diego Zoo...
On Sunday we went to the zoo. We were a little overwhelmed by the size of the zoo and didn't ever seem to be in the right location at the right time to catch the sea lion or other shows. But we had fun nonetheless. Drew's favorite part was the children's zoo where he was able to pet and feed goats and pigs. The second picture below is Drew pretending to lick Daddy's paws like the leopard we were watching was. He started by licking his own but I couldn't get the camera out fast enough to capture that.
Skylines, Ships & Sailboats...
We took a one-hour boat tour around the bay, which was very pretty and interesting. We definitely made the right call on doing the one hour instead of two hour tour, because after the initial excitement of all the boats and towers wore off Drew was a little put off by the wind and started to get bored, so he snuggled up with Daddy for the last half of the trip or so.
A few other Smiles...
Daddy & Drew outside Peohe's on Coronado Island
Mommy & Drew outside Peohe's
Mommy & Drew outside Peohe's
Drew thrilled after coming down the slide in the net climbing area of the Sesame Bay of Play
Daddy & Drew on Miniature Railroad in Balboa Park outside zoo
Drew enjoying the playground outside our hotel
Mommy & Drew in Seaport Village
Drew thinks that Daddy rolling down the window is hilarious
All in all, it was a great weekend away and we really hope to get back to San Diego again.
Germany friends, take note of the Kreuzberg jugs on top of our cupboards...ah, we miss German beer.
Hope you've enjoyed your tour. We'd love to give it to you in person if you're ever in the area.
