San Diego - February 2022

 Monday - February 14, 2022                            Happy Valentine's Day

We left home about 6:45 am for the airport.  We flew on United Airlines to San Diego.  Because we had  credits from cancelled flights during Covid we decided to fly first class.  The flight from XNA left at 9:30 headed to Denver.  This flight didn't have a first class, but we flew economy plus for added room.  We got to Denver about 11:30 had lunch there.  We shared a hamburger and french fries at the Aviator's Sports Bar.  It was a pretty good burger.  The flight from Denver to San Diego left on time at 1:50 pm.  This was a larger plane and had a first class section.  It was nice to have the extra room and free drinks.  Views from the plane were interesting as we flew over the Rocky Mountains and then the Arizona and Utah area.

Denver International Airport

View of Rocky Mountains west of Denver

View of Arizona area

San Diego as we are ready to land.  Our hotel was in the area 
of the tall buildings.

We arrived in San Diego at 3:20 pm and took a taxi to our hotel - the Best Western Plus Bayside Inn.  The hotel was nice.  We had a king room with a balcony on the the 14th floor.  We had a good view of the bay.  The only thing we didn't like about our room was that the balcony did not have chairs so we could sit outside.  Turned out that it was usually too cold outside anyway.

View from our balcony

After unpacking and settling in we walked across the street to Petrini's for dinner.  We had forgotten that it was Valentine's Day and was not able to get a table inside.  However, they had outside seating available.  It was pretty cool outside and we were glad that they had a propane heater.  We both got a chicken Caesar's salad with garlic bread sticks.  It was a pretty good meal.  After dinner we walked to a 7-Eleven about 3 blocks from the hotel to try and buy alcohol and snacks, but it didn't have either so we just went back to the hotel and called it a night.  The first day of our trip was pretty good.

Tuesday - February 15, 2022

We slept in this morning.  The hotel only had a grab and go breakfast and coffee in the room because of Covid protocol.  I went downstairs and got one bag that had a breakfast sandwich, granola bar, orange juice, and water and a second one that had a breakfast burrito, yogurt, orange juice, and water.  It was an okay breakfast.  By the time we left we were tired of having the same thing each morning.  The positive thing was that we never had to buy bottled water.  After breakfast we walked to the Visitor Information Center by the harbor.  About half way there it started to rain and we both got a little wet by the time we made it to the center.  We talked to a helper and found out about whale watching tours and the San Diego Zoo.  She did not know anything about the public transportation system so that was a disappointment.  After gathering information we headed back to the hotel for lunch.  Luckily it had stopped raining.  We ate leftover salad for lunch then walked about a mile to Ralphs Grocery Store.  We bought snacks, beer, wine, and stuff for lunches.  We ordered a Lyft to take us back to hotel because it was too far to carry all the groceries.  When we got back to the hotel lobby a woman that was a receptionist noticed that Mike was carrying beer.  She said if we like beer we need to go to Karl Strauss Brewery so that is where we went for dinner.  It was only three blocks from the hotel.  We each got a beer (Mike got an Irish red that he really liked and I got a blond) then ordered dinner.  Mike got chicken tacos and I got fish and chips.  They were both very good and had so much food that we had leftovers to take back to the room for the next day.  This was a pretty good day other than the early rain.  We got everything accomplished that we wanted on the first day.  We were ready for exploring the city the rest of the time.

Wednesday - February 16, 2022                              The Midway Museum

After eating our grab and go breakfast we walked to the Santa Fe Depot on our way to the Midway Museum.  We wanted to find out how to buy tickets for riding the trolley which is the public transportation train for San Diego.  While we were looking at the posted map and the ticket machine, a female worker asked if we needed help.  When we told her what we wanted to be able to do she told us we needed to buy a Pronto card at the transit center.  This woman was the first person in San Diego who didn't discourage us from using the public transportation.  We didn't go buy our card yet because we wanted to do the Midway Museum first.  

Early morning view of the moon from our balcony

Santa Fe Depot

On the way to the Midway we stopped at the Flagship ticket office and bought tickets for a whale watching tour for Sunday morning.  We picked that morning because the weather was supposed to be nice.  It cost us $90 for the two tickets.  This ticket office was on the way to the Midway.  The Midway Museum is on the decommissioned Midway aircraft carrier.  The tickets cost a total of $52 for the two of us.  We started our tour with the video of the Battle of Midway.  It was very interesting.  It had a hologram of a survivor of the battle that looked so real that it took Mike and I a while to realize what it was.  After the video we looked at the exhibits in the hanger.  The admission included an audio tour which had information about every exhibit and aircraft.  This was very interesting because the audio was of someone speaking who had flown the aircraft.  After touring the hanger we went outside to a place with tables to eat our lunch.  I had a small insulated lunch bag that fit in my purse.  We had cheese, ham, crackers, and fruit for lunch.

A building on the way to the harbor

View of the "Kissing Statue" from the lunch area on the Midway

After lunch we went up to the flight deck and did the tour by all of the airplanes and helicopters there.  This was a beautiful day.  Perfect for outside activity.  

The flight deck with San Diego skyline

Picture on the flight deck

Mike looking at the planes

Razorback logo on a plane

View of what we called 'Date Palm Boulevard' which we
walked by on the way to the harbor

Another view of the Santa Fe Depot

After we finished with the Midway tour we went back to the Santa Fe Depot to buy a ticket to the transit center.  The same helpful woman was there and helped us buy our tickets for the trolley.  We rode the trolley three stops to the 12th and Imperial stop where the transit center was located.  We each bought a senior Pronto card which was good for the rest of the month.  The two cards cost a total of $50.  A really good deal for as much as we used them.  Each ride cost $1.25 and once we reached $3.00 in a day we were not charged any more.  After buying the Pronto cards we rode back to the Santa Fe Depot and walked back to our hotel.  We were pretty tired after doing so much this day.  We had leftovers for dinner and called it a day.  This was a very good day.

Thursday - February 17, 2022                              Coronado Island and Beach

After our grab and go breakfast we walked to the harbor and bought roundtrip tickets for the Coronado Island Ferry.  The ferry ride to the island took about 15 minutes.  This was another beautiful day - sunny, warm and just a little bit of wind.

On the ferry - masks had to be worn on all
public transportation

The ferry landing on the mainland

Coronado Bridge

San Diego skyline from the ferry

When we got to the island we walked a little bit in the shopping area and then found a place with some tables to eat our lunch.  After lunch we walked on a paved path along the waterfront.  The water here was very clear and pretty.

Mike looking at the water from the path

Mary on the path

After that we walked across the island to the beach and the Coronado Hotel and Resort.  Our plan was to walk to the beach and ride a bus back.  When we got to the beach we walked to a rocky area to look for tide pools but didn't have much luck.  

Coronado Hotel and Resort

Mike on the beach

We left the beach area because we needed to find a bathroom.  The signs were not very good and we were having trouble finding where to go until we asked a couple of young men that we passed.  Once we had used the restroom we walked to the nearest bus stop and waited for the next bus.  We waited for over 20 minutes when I checked on my phone to find when the next bus would arrive.  What I found out was that the bus took a two hour break in the middle of the afternoon. UGH! This meant that we had two options - walk back to the ferry landing or hire a Lyft ride.  We decided that we could walk.  By the time we got back we had walked over 8 miles and were very tired.  We stopped in at a Burger King and each had a vanilla ice cream.  We went back to our room after riding the ferry back to the mainland.  I ordered a pizza from Petrini's across the street from the hotel.  I picked the pizza up and we ate in our room.  We were too tired to go anywhere else.  The pizza was very good and was large enough that we had leftovers for two other meals.  After dinner we just rested and called it a day.  This was another good day.

Friday - February 18, 2022                                  San Diego Zoo

Today after the grab and go breakfast we rode the 215 bus to the San Diego Zoo.  The bus stop was on the opposite side of the Santa Fe Depot from the trolley stop.  The ride took about 20 minutes to the stop next to the zoo.  We decided to buy a two day pass because we had time to do the zoo two different times.  The two day passes cost us a total of $208.  We were glad that we did this because we could not see everything in one day.  Mike and I like to take a long time looking at all of the animals, including all of the birds.  The first thing we did once inside the zoo was to ride the tour bus.  This guided tour took about 45 minutes and went by about half of the exhibits.  When the tour was over we walked through the Africa Rocks , Orchid Habitat, and the Elephant Odyssey areas.

Zoo Entrance

Polar bear from the tour bus

One of the orchids

Another type of orchid

Some mongoose laying in the sun

A couple of California Condors

By the time we were finished with the Elephant Odyssey we were getting pretty hungry.  We crossed the Bashor Bridge and bought lunch in the Asian Passage area at the Hua Mei Cafe.   Mike got chicken strips and fries and I got a chicken teriyaki salad.  Pretty pricey and we could have shared but they were both good.  Next trip here we will bring lunch.  After lunch we walked back over the Bashor Bridge to the Skyfari West aerial tram.  We waited in line for a while then rode the tram to the east side of the zoo.  

An anteater next to the tram

Mike on the tram

Mary on the tram

A shot of both of us on the tram

View of the Asian area from the tram

A view of Balboa Park from the tram

Once off of the Skyfari we walked through the reptile and amphibian exhibits and finished the day in the hummingbird habitat.  By the time we were through the hummingbird habitat we were pretty tired so we rode the 215 bus back to the Santa Fe Depot.  We walked back to the hotel and had leftover pizza for dinner.  This was a really good day and we only saw about half of the zoo.

One of the hummingbirds that we saw.

Saturday - February 19, 2022                         Old Town San Diego

Today after our breakfast we rode the blue trolley to Old Town San Diego.  Riding the trolley was easier than riding the bus because the trolley announced stops better, plus it was easier finding the trolley stop.  We caught the trolley in the Little Italy area which was a block closer to our hotel than the Santa Fe Depot. When we got off at old town we walked through the state park.  We were a little disappointed because most of the buildings were still closed because of Covid protocol.  The only things open were the shops for selling things.

At the entrance to the park

A street in the park

One of the interesting buildings

Some cactus blooming

After walking through the state park we walked through the town and found a Mexican restaurant to have lunch at.  The restaurant was Cafe Coyote.  Mike got chicken enchiladas and I got carnitas tortillas.  Both lunches came with rice and beans and we had chips and salsa while we waited for our orders.  A lot of people were having margaritas, but it was too early for us.  The meal was really good and we both had leftovers to have for another meal.  

A church in old town

Cafe Coyote

After lunch we rode the trolley back to Little Italy and walked back to our hotel.  On our way back we stopped at the Rite Aid pharmacy which was a block from the hotel to get me some lip balm.  We discovered that this store sold groceries and alcohol in addition to pharmacy supplies.  We bought some popcorn and my lip balm then went back to our room.  We had such a large lunch that we just had popcorn and an apple for dinner.  We got an apple every morning for our breakfast which we saved for eating later.  This was a pretty easy, but enjoyable day.

Sunday - February 20, 2022                         Whale Watching Tour

We got to the entrance for the whale watching tour about 15 minutes prior to boarding so we had a good place in line.  When they started boarding we discovered that we had to exchange our paper receipt for a ticket at the booth.  So we had to get out of line, go to another line, then get the ticket loaded to my phone.  When we got back to the line, even though the lady checking tickets let us back in the front of the line, we lost our good spot.  It really irritated me, but there was nothing we could do about it.  When we got on the boat we thought we were going to have to sit at the front of the boat, but a nice man who was originally just behind us in line had saved us some good seats.  He had noticed what had happened and felt sorry for us.  He was really nice.  He even bought us some popcorn later in the morning.  The tour started with us seeing the Loma Peninsula and Cabrillo Monument.  We had thought about going there but changed our minds after seeing them from the boat.  The first wildlife we saw were some sea lions and bottle nosed dolphins.

The Koningsdam that we originally had a cruise on

Loma Peninsula

A sea lion

After about 30 minutes we saw a couple of grey whales.  We were glad we had the seats we did at the side of the boat because all of the whales we saw were on our side.  Later we saw three more grey whales and some California dolphins plus a couple more sea lions as we went back to dock.  On the way back to the dock we got good views of a couple of air craft carriers at the naval base on Coronado Island.  We got back to dock at 1:00 pm.  This was a good tour, but we were a little disappointed that we didn't see any humpback whales.

The best picture that I got of a whale.

California Dolphins

After the tour ended we walked back to our room and ate lunch.  We spent most of the afternoon resting before walking to Little Italy for dinner.  There are a lot of restaurants on the main drag of Little Italy.  We ate at Solunto's.  Mike had a beer and I had a chardonnay.  They were both really good.  I was impressed with our waiter.  When I told him that I am allergic to tree nuts he went above and beyond to be sure that my food wasn't exposed.  They even used new water for boiling our pasta.  Mike and I shared a chicken penna with asparagus and a white sauce.  It was really good and just the right amount for us.  After dinner we walked around in Little Italy for a while before heading back to our room for the night.  Another very enjoyable day.

Little Italy sign

Fountain by the Little Italy food court

Monday - February 21, 2022                 Balboa Park and Japanese Friendship Garden

After breakfast we rode the 215 bus to Balboa Park.  The ride was the same as going to the zoo except we got off one stop quicker.  When we got to the park we found our way to the visitor information center.  We asked about hiking and they showed us where to buy a trail map.  We bought the map, but later wished that we hadn't.  It really wasn't very good.  After the visitor center we walked around looking at the buildings, and discovered that the botanical garden building was closed.  After that we walked to the Japanese Friendship Garden.  It cost $20 total and was well worth it.  Many of the flowers weren't blooming yet, but enough were that it was still very pretty.  We spent over an hour walking the trails in the garden.

Riding the 215 bus

Visitor Center area of Balboa Park

Mike and Mary by a fountain next to the visitor center

A fountain outside of the friendship garden

One example of a bonsai tree

Mike by a cherry tree in the friendship garden

A pretty stream in the garden

Mary on a bridge over the stream

Budda statue 

Sign at the entrance

After finishing at the garden we went to the amphitheater area to eat our lunch.  It was a pretty day, just a little windy.  When we were finished with lunch we walked around the buildings in Balboa Park before heading back to the hotel.

Fountain in Balboa Park

Theater building - we could see this from the sky tram at the zoo

When we got back to the hotel we rested for a while before walking to Karl Strauss for dinner.  We enjoyed the beer there and the food was good.  Plus it was not far from the hotel.  We shared an order of chicken tacos which was the perfect amount of food.  After dinner we walked back to the hotel and called it a night.  This was another good day.

Tuesday - February 22, 2022                   Waterfront and Memorial Parks

We decided to have an easy day today because it was supposed to rain and we have had several very busy days in a row.  We walked to the Waterfront Park and walked along the waterfront for a while.  After that we walked to the Memorial Park which is next to the Midway Museum.  It never rained, but was cool and windy.

The Kissing Statue at Memorial Park

Bob Hope Tribute

We walked back to the hotel and had leftover Cafe Coyote for lunch.  The Razorback basketball team was playing Kentucky so we planned to watch that, however the cable in the hotel wasn't working.  We were able to use my computer to stream the game on YouTube TV.  Glad we were able to watch it since Arkansas won. After watching the game, we went for a walk around the neighborhood then went to Rite Aid to get wine, beer, and snacks.  We called it a night after that.  This was an okay, very relaxing day.

Wednesday - February 23, 2022                       La Jolla

After our usual grab and go breakfast we decided to go to the Birch Aquarium in La Jolla.  Getting there required riding the blue line trolley to the Nobel Drive station stop where we caught the number 30 bus.  It took us a little while to find the bus stop because the Nobel Drive stop is elevated.  We had to go down a flight of stairs and cross the road into the Nobel Shopping Center parking lot.  The bus stop was on the other side of the shopping center.  We found the stop, with the help of Google, and I was going to sit on the bench but didn't notice that there was a break between seats.  I ended up sitting on the ground but didn't get hurt.  I just found it really funny.  We got to Birch Aquarium only to discover that all tickets were sold out.  It was a long ride out there just to find out we couldn't get in.

Entrance to Birch Aquarium

Since we couldn't go to the aquarium, we took the 30 bus into La Jolla and walked to the Children's Pool area.  This is a pretty area, but it was very windy and cool.  This area of the beach has sea walls that were built to create a calm water area that children could enjoy.  One result of this is that harbor seals discovered the area and come there to give birth and raise their offspring.  There were a lot of harbor seals at the pool area.  

Children's Pool at La Jolla

Harbor Seal in the clear water

A mother Harbor Seal and her baby

It was very windy!

It was so windy and cool that we didn't spend long by the beach and walked back into La Jolla to look for a place to have lunch.  While we were walking we were hit with a sudden rain shower.  As a result, we went into the closest restaurant.  We were glad we did this because the restaurant was really good.  It's name was Jose's.  Mike ordered a beer that was so cold it had ice crystals in it.  We shared the beer and it was very good.  We also shared chips and salsa and chicken tacos.  They were both very good.  After lunch we took the 30 bus back to Nobel Shopping Center then caught the trolley back to Little Italy.    This day didn't turn out as we planned, but we still had a good time.  When we got back to the room, I went online and bought tickets for the Birch Aquarium for Friday.  That was the first day that tickets were available.  We finished the leftover pizza for dinner and called it a night.

Thursday - February 24, 2022                            San Diego Zoo (again)

After breakfast we walked to the Santa Fe Depot and caught the 215 bus to go to the San Diego Zoo again.  The first thing we did after getting to the zoo is the Urban Jungle.  There we saw koalas, the rhinoceros, and the giraffes.  When we were finished here we walked up the parkway to the big cat trail and past the eagle enclosures.  The big cat enclosures were interesting because they had walkways the went over the trail making it easier to view the animals.  We also really enjoyed seeing the different types of eagles.  

A koala 

A cheetah

When we had finished looking at the big cats and eagles we walked back to the Asian area and ate our lunch at one of the picnic tables.  After eating our crackers, cheese, and ham we bought a small cup of twist ice cream.  We planned to share, but when I asked for a second spoon, the young woman waiting on us just made us another ice cream for free!  It was really good ice cream.  After finishing our ice cream we walked on the hippo trail and through the Lost Jungle section of the zoo.  This area made up about half of the zoo.  We enjoyed all of the big animals like the hippos, gorillas, and orangutans and we liked watching all of the birds in the different aviary enclosures.  We walked through the largest aviary enclosure where we saw toucans, macaws, and other large tropical birds.

A tropical bird

Toucan

Going through the Lost Jungle took all afternoon.  We took the 215 bus back to our section of the city.  After resting in our room for a little while we went to Karl Strauss for dinner.  We each had our favorite beer and shared a burger and fries.  The burger was one of the best burgers we had ever had.  That's why we keep coming back to this place, all of the food is good.  After dinner we went back to our room and called it a day.  We had a good time at the zoo.  Even going there two days, there was still exhibits that we didn't see.  Well worth the time and money.

The best sunset we've seen

Friday - February 25, 2022                         La Jolla and Birch Aquarium

We left fairly early this morning and caught the trolley to the Nobel Drive station stop to go to La Jolla again.  Once again we caught the number 30 bus getting off in La Jolla close to the Children's Pool.  The ride up to that area took over an hour, but was worth it.  We planned our trip to get to the tide pool area at low tide.  It was low tide, but we were disappointed that we did not see much marine life in the pools.  We did see more harbor seals and the weather was great.  We walked around the tide pools and children's pool area for over an hour then found a spot with a view and ate our lunch.

A beautiful day at the tide pools

Harbor seal and baby

Clear Water at the Children's Pool

Our lunch view

When we were finished with lunch we caught the 30 bus to the Birch Aquarium.  Our entrance time was 2:00 pm.  We got to the aquarium and were able to enter at 1:45 pm.  This aquarium wasn't very large but had really interesting exhibits.  Since entry was timed, after a little bit it got pretty crowded around the exhibits.  We just hung back a little until the crowd cleared some.  Most people don't stand and watch the animals as long and Mike and I do.  We went outside for a while, ate a snack, and looked at the tide pool exhibit before finishing the visit in the sea horse area.  

Entrance to Birch Aquarium

Comb Jelly

Jelly Fish

Sea Turtle

View from the aquarium tide pool area

Leafy sea dragon

When we had finished visiting the aquarium we caught the 30 bus and blue trolley back to downtown San Diego.  After resting for just a little bit we walked to Little Italy to find a place for dinner.  Little Italy was just across the road from our hotel.  We ended up eating at Sorrento's and shared a veal parmigiana.  It was good, but the service at this restaurant was terrible.  When we had finished dinner we walked around Little Italy for a while before heading back to our room and calling it a night.  Another very good day.

Saturday - February 26, 2022                           Balboa Park 

We traveled back to Balboa Park again on the 215 bus.  At Balboa Park we walked the trail through the cactus garden and rose garden.  The cactus garden was pretty interesting, but the roses weren't in bloom yet.  After this we went back to the main area in Balboa Park where we had been before.  We walked around in some areas we didn't visit previously just enjoying the nice weather.  

Cactus garden

Mike pointing out a blooming cactus

Mary by the fountain in the rose garden

A building in Balboa Park

Mike looking at a large fig tree

The amphitheater in Balboa Park

When we were done we rode back to the Santa Fe Depot and went to our room for lunch.  We spent part of the afternoon watching the Razorback/LSU basketball game and resting.  About 4:30 pm we headed back to our favorite restaurant - Karl Strauss Brewing - and shared beer brined pork chops, garlic mashed potatoes, and slaw for dinner.  Of course, we each had our favorite beer.  We never had a bad meal at this restaurant.

Our favorite restaurant

After dinner we walked around a little while and went back to our room and called it a night.  We enjoyed the hikes in Balboa Park and had another great day.

Sunday - February 27, 2022                      Gas Lamp Quarter

We slept in today and had a late breakfast.  I was tired of the bad tasting coffee so I walked across the street and bought a large cafe mocha at the Starbucks for Mike and I to share.  After breakfast we rode the green trolley to the Gaslamp Quarter - our last ride on the public transportation.   I was proud that we had managed to travel to so many places using the trolley and bus systems.  We had planned to eat at a seafood restaurant that I found online in the Gaslamp Quarter, but it was not open.  We walked the Gaslamp Quarter strip looking for another place to get lunch, but didn't find another sea food restaurant.  

Mike at the Gaslamp Quarter

Mary at the Gaslamp Quarter

Gaslamp Quarter

We took the trolley back one stop to the Seaport Village.  We walked around for a bit, not finding anywhere to have lunch.  We noticed that we were within walking distance of the area by the Midway Museum so walked back there.  We ate at the Seafood Market Restaurant.  We had to wait about 15 minutes for a table and it was worth it.  We shared a grilled halibut, au gratin potatoes, and slaw.  It was delicious.  

Seaport Village

'Date Palm Boulevard' on our way back to the room

After lunch we walked on the waterfront one final time, stopping to get a twist ice cream to share.  The ice cream was good, but a little pricey.  One thing I haven't mentioned about San Diego is the large number of homeless people everywhere we went, especially the downtown and waterfront area.  They were not a problem, I just feel sorry for them.  We headed back to our room and spent the afternoon packing our bags and getting ready to leave early on Monday.  We really enjoyed our time in San Diego.

Another beautiful sunset

Sunset View

Monday - February 28, 2022                      Home

We got up, ate a small breakfast, and caught a Lyft ride to the airport.  Our flight left on time at 9:00 am.  We waited until we were at the airport to get coffee at a Starbucks.  The coffee in our room really was horrible.  On the flight we were served a breakfast sandwich since we were in first class.  We like riding first class, mainly because of the extra room. 

Morning View

View of downtown from San Diego Airport

View of coast from the airplane

Flying over Colorado 

We landed in Denver at about 10:30 am and had to walk a long way to our next gate.  We had a long layover however so we went back to the Aviator's Sports Bar and shared a half chicken, sweet potato fries, and slaw.  It was a good lunch and the sweet potato fries were the best we had ever eaten.  The flight to XNA departed at 3:00 pm and landed in XNA at 7:00 pm.  We got our bags, found the car and made it home by 8:15 pm.  We had a light dinner and called it a night.  It was good to go somewhere we had never been for a couple of weeks in the middle of the winter.  I had been to San Diego when I was 6 years old, Mike had never been there.  We were glad that we had a good trip and enjoyed San Diego a lot.