Intuitive Value: San Diego Mid-Summer

Front porch street side where we stayed in the East Village of San Diego

My second trip to San Diego, California was much like the first one last year in 2016 only this time I shared the time with my husband. It was also different because my daughter-in-law Nicole was not deployed this year and spending time with her and my son Jake together was wonderful. They had just moved to San Diego a few months before last year's visit and Nicole was deployed within a few weeks leaving Jake to find work and get settled. I was there with only my son for two weeks helping unpack and checking out the area when he was at work during the day. I wrote extensively in seven previous blogs about that time and will reference as needed here. Just click on the highlighted words that will take you back to that time. The biggest difference was that in the 2016 trip there was the destination wedding of my niece Kristen and Jason who were living near San Francisco at that time. It was so fortunate for us that Kristen chose San Diego for the Family Time which was just a few miles from my son's condo. Mostly I will write about the new experiences here.

Nicole met us at the airport and got us set up at Mudville Flats Boutique Hotel a couple blocks from the condo where she and my son live. The baseball and Budda themed boutique hotel was one of the few remaining original construction buildings in the East Village and it was restored beautifully! You can see what the rest of the area looks like from my blog Walking the Distance which shows more about what is available close to my son's condo from what I experienced last year at this time. This year's trip included many more restaurants! There were a couple of great pizza places I had been to before and four new places all within walking distance:

The Lion's Share which was whimsical and fun! The best Chardonnay was Orogeny from Sonoma County Green Valley! We had a variety of appetizer-like dishes that we all shared.

The Mission Conscientious Cuisine with the best breakfasts ever! It is worth the long wait on a Sunday morning for that incredible French Toast! I was there a couple times last year too.

Lotus Thai is the best Thai I've ever had and wish there was time to go back again and again!

Cafe Chloe which had a French flare and the best bacon I ever had! I chose a simple "eggs over easy" brunch because I know the French do it the best and now I can compare it to the rest!

My mornings were spent outside on the second story porch adjacent to our rooms. The fully furnished kitchen had a beautiful teapot for my green tea to use and I spent the first hour or so sitting here enjoying the view and little hummingbirds that come to visit the plants and water feature...just like I do each morning at home. Sometimes I fixed a light breakfast of eggs and toast with the best California fresh fruit bought at one of two markets a couple blocks away every couple days.

2nd floor back porch just outside our rooms

My favorite spot for tea and/or breakfast every morning

View is from upstairs back porch. I enjoyed looking at a huge variety of cactus and succulents as well as flowering hibiscus and highly scented jasmine vines that covered the border. The bamboo and palm trees made me feel I was in an exotic place!

This is one of two large palm trees in the yard. There is a BBQ grill available for use and covered areas for guests to party

This palm tree burst a large casing and this plant stuff cascaded out overnight!

Quiet little corner below in the gardens...

Giant hibiscus blooms came and went each day that the hummingbirds and I enjoyed!

Water element was always flowing and it was fun watching the hummingbirds bath in the top pool.

Tucked away in another quiet corner...

The owners live in the next rooms upstairs and there are 2 units downstairs. We are at this end of the stairs and ready to go out the front door to see what the day brings...

Keith and I were on our own during the weekdays as Jake and Nicole worked. We met up with them in the evenings for supper after a nice nap in the afternoons from all our running around. We were confident we could get around and see the sites using the various transit systems. First thing was to walk to Seaport Village which I did most days on my own last year and knew it well. Now it is five blocks to the waterfront passing Petco Park Stadium - home of the San Diego Padres, and across the huge walking bridge passing the Hilton Hotel, Convention Center, Marinas, Marriott and Hyatt Hotels on the large waterfront walkway. We enjoyed all the sites along the way and so many watercraft of various sizes in the harbor! There were also many ways to get around on this pathway besides walking and jogging including skateboards, bicycles of every kind including electric and regular ones, peddle taxis, scooters, and Segways. We just walked to Seaport Village where we got on a trolley Downtown Tour for the rest of the day. It had ten stops where you could get off and back on anytime you wanted as they ran every 30 minutes. The stops were at the Old Town Market, Embarcadero, Seaport Village, Convention Center at Marriott, Horton Plaza, Gaslamp Quarter, Hilton Bayfront, Coronado, Balboa Park, and Little Italy.

We got off and back on at Coronado and Old Town Market. Along the way we had three different drivers who would entertain us all with area history and stories. It was all fun and we got a good picture of what else we might want to see during our stay. Our Mudville Flats hotel was very close to the Gaslamp Quarter so we could walk there anytime. We knew we were going to spend a whole day or two at Balboa Park so we rode past it on the tour but knew we could take a bus later in the week as that bus stop was only two blocks away.

At Seaport Village Keith saw his first Bird of Paradise plant used in landscaping

Kansas City Barbecue was the place featured in the movie Top Gun and this was how quickly we went by it. Since this is the 30 year anniversary I thought it would be worth including here.
(Click on the highlighted area to see the famous movie clip!)

Crossing the Coronado Bridge we could see where Nicole worked along the waterfront.

We got off the tour trolley at Coronado Island and here I am in front of the historic hotel made of all wood.

In memory of recent freighter collision event that took the lives of seven sailors.
The Sand Castle Man does some amazing work here regularly.

In Memory of those seven sailors that died.

Keith and I both got our feet into the Pacific Ocean here in front of the Coronado Hotel. Actually, the water temperature was about 63 degrees and we didn't feel much like swimming in it this trip. Daytime temperatures barely made it to mid-70's!

Next time we got off the tour trolley was at the Old Town Market which is about as close to Mexico as we could get. From Coronado Island we could see Mexico 15 miles away. Here all the buildings and markets look and feel like another country. We stayed long enough for a huge cup of coffee and a pastry at a nice little cafe close to the trolley stop.

Keith and Beti close enough to Mexico

Old church across from the tour trolley stop

The next day was our trip to Balboa Park. I wrote extensively about the Museums, Botanical Building and Gardens, and the famous San Diego Zoo on three separate blogs last year. Much of it was a repeat for me but fun again experiencing it with my husband. We managed to figure out the mass transit system and it was an easy and inexpensive trip! Some things were changed and much stayed the same. It is always good to see new things and enjoy the old again with someone who is seeing it for the first time. We did not visit the zoo on this trip. Most of our time was spent in the plaza admiring the buildings and people-watching. The atmosphere was friendly and peaceful. We did check out the NAT (Natural History Museum), Museum of Art and the Museum of Man. We enjoyed them all thoroughly!

Museum of Art

Spent most of our time in the Art Museum

The Plaza with the Museum of Man next to the Tower

Enjoyed the unique landscape from the Plaza

The fountain in the middle of the Plaza

Always have some unique musicians performing around the Plaza!

Sea lions and commerants

Sea Lions

Cute squirrel among many that live and play in the cliffs

Pacific Ocean at La Jolla

Beti and Keith beneath the Lorax Tree

Nicole beneath the Lorax Tree

So Sunday was a good day that began with attending church with Jake and Nicole at The Makers church nearby. It was a wonderful non-denominational Christian service. Then had a very good brunch at The Mission that was a short walk and then back to their condo for a restful afternoon watching the new Beauty and the Beast movie and napping some. Nicole and Jake were preparing some food for a grill later that evening. We then went to the rooftop of their building that was set up for entertaining. It was a relaxed and satisfying day with loved ones.

Keith, Jake, and Nicole in front of The Mission

A Social Cycle went by on the street as we were waiting outside for our table at The Mission.

Jake and Beti on the rooftop of their condo

Nicole and Finn on the rooftop

The rooftop area of Jake and Nicole's condo is set up for entertaining or just enjoyed by the residents

Double grills and several tables can accommodate a large group

Jake and Cleo

Keith and Jake relaxing on the rooftop

Keith and I were on our own again on Monday during the day as Jake had to work and Nicole went to her office and brought back some work to do at home. We did get together again for a late supper. Keith and I did sleep in but got back on the bus to check out Balboa Park again for a few hours. This time it was mostly to see the large rose and desert gardens. Again we liked just relaxing on the plaza taking in all the sites.

Bus Station a couple blocks from where we stayed

Rose Garden at Balboa Park

Keith enjoying a rose's scent

One of many paths in the Rose Garden

Beti enjoying the scented roses

Crazy looking cactus

Bloom on a cactus

An a-mazing garden!

Finally got a good photo of the kind of trolley we toured in on our second day here

Keith

The Plaza Fountain at Balboa Park

Beti

Balboa Park

Our last day was the 4th of July and Jake and Nicole had the whole day off! Big Bay Boom was the celebration on the waterfront. We had a relaxing day and we were all ready for the evening. It was a short walk but the number of people was growing. We secured our spot where Jake and I had sat last year on the lawn near the Hilton. Nicole had made a grand picnic basket and we took turns walking around while someone stayed on the blanket.

The sun is beginning to set...

...but there's still time to walk around and check out all the people and fun going on! As far as you can see in this photo is where Seaport Village is located.