As you know (if you follow this blog at all), this past weekend Monika and I decided to get away from Vegas and the heat for a little fun at the beach in San Diego. Thanks to TravelZoo, we got a screaming deal at the Omni in downtown San Diego.... Here are the highlights...
Day 1 - Thursday
In spite of our best efforts, Monika and I didn't hit the road until 2pm and there was already bad traffic getting out of town. One up side to living down towards Henderson is that the drive to California doesn't include driving across Vegas. I think the temperature was around 112 when we drove past the world's largest thermometer in Baker, CA. Personally, I hate the California freeway system, but thanks to the nav system in Monika's car we had no problems finding our way to the hotel.Checked into the hotel around 9pm. Hit the pool... Life is good. Hotel is great.
Day 2 - Friday
After a quick breakfast at the hotel we were going to head out to the beach... until we talked to a cop who just happened to be outside the hotel. He gave us the word that the beach was NOT a place to be that day. We were disappointed, but figured we would head on over Saturday instead. With our beach plans out the window, we spent the day in the gaslamp district and shopping in Horton Plaza... and then some quality time at the pool. It was a very nice and relaxing day... just what we needed.
For dinner, we met my aunt and uncle at the Loews Coronado Bay Resort. It has been too long since I have seen them. That is just a shame since I only live five hours up the road. This is something I need to change in the future. The restaurant of the evening was Azzura Point and it could not have been better. We had a perfect view of the sun setting over the bay and later that night, a great view of all the fireworks. I realized later that we were at dinner for more than three hours, but it seemed like only minutes. I really would like to spend more time visiting with my aunt and uncle.
The drive off the Coronado Island was "interesting". The traffic was horrible, and we nearly ran out of gas, but we did make it home safe and sound. It was a good day.
Day 3 - Saturday
Monika and I discussed several times that we should get up early in order to make sure there were no issues getting to the beach. With the time of 8am agreed upon, we promptly went to sleep without setting the alarm. Around 9:30 we woke up and did that "flight of the bumblebee" thing to get out the door. With a little luck on our side, we found a parking spot at the Hotel Del Coronado where we had brunch before hitting the beach.
Brunch was very very good, but actually feeling the sand between our toes was even better. I love the beach and it seems like something comes up EVERY summer to prevent me from making it there. Not this year though...
I will say this... The water in the Pacific is MUCH colder than the Atlantic. I am pretty sure parts of my body are still cold, but we won't talk about that. (I should take this opportunity to mention that we took sunscreen with us to the beach, but neglected to use it. Big mistake. HUGE)
After a couple hours we decided to head back to the hotel to spend the rest of the day at the pool. When we got back to the room I noticed a slight pink hue to our skin and suggested we use a little sunscreen. Too late. Two more glorious hours at the pool turned us into lobsters. I guess it isn't a trip to the beach without a sunburn though.
With loose fitting clothes on so as not to irritate the sunburn, Monika and decided to go casual for dinner and ate at Rockin' Baja Lobster. It is a dive kind of place, but the food was OUTSTANDING. We ordered something called the "Golden Sombrero" which included steak, shrimp, lobster (a whole lobster), chicken breast, corn, and king crab legs. The food was amazing and the crab legs were literally as long as my arm. With full bellies, we did a little shopping for some touristy stuff before heading back to the hotel to lather ourselves in aloe.
Day 4 - Sunday
After very cool showers due to the sunburns, we checked out of the hotel and headed over to meet my aunt and uncle for brunch at the Coronado Cays Yacht Club. I had dinner here with Uncle Harry several years ago, but had forgotten how great it was. This time we were seated outside overlooking the San Diego bay as the fog of the morning burned off. Again the time flew past and in the blink of an eye it was time for us to get going. But first Harry took us for a quick ride on his new boat to help settle our bellies full of smoked salmon and made to order omelets. It really was the perfect end to an outstanding weekend.
I was sad to leave, but Vegas and life was waiting for us at home. As we drove back to town, I watched the temperature slowly rise from 68 at the coast to 114 as we drove through the desert. With every degree that ticked on the thermometer, it seemed like our vacation was further behind us. I already miss the lazy days at the pool with fruity drinks to keep us cool. It won't be "years" before I go back, it will be "months" this time. And to my aunt and uncle... If you ever read this, thank you for a wonderful time and a wonderful memory of our time in your home town.
--C
Comments
-LV_Husker