Wednesday - Evening

Wednesday evening we had dinner with Karen's cousin Rich, who lives on Coronado.  We had to meet him at the Fish Market on the bay and since it was about a mile, we hired a bicycle taxi to take us there.  We had a nice ride from a man from Brazil.  He actually had enough wind power to carry on a conversation with us while pedaling us around and he attributed it to all the soccer he played.

The Fish Market was great.  We sat facing a floor-to-ceiling window that was right on the bay.  While we caught up with Rich, we watched pelicans diving into the water under a setting sun.  I had the king crab legs and Karen had the king salmon --it was a night of royal dining.

It was great seeing Rich again and we reminisced about all the family cookouts from 30 years ago.  I don't know if I've mentioned it, but my wife has a great family and they treat me like one of their own.  I'm truly blessed to have two families.

Karen and I decided to walk back to the hotel since the wind had calmed and it was beautiful evening.  On the way, I spotted a heron not 10 feet from us on the rocks on the other side of the wall by the bay.  It was kind enough to let me grab a flash photo before flying off into the dark.  I love herons.

It was a good evening.

Have I mentioned how much I love sunsets?
(Really, light, in general...)

Nice tile mural.

View from our table.
Amazing.

A helicopter (left) and
a pelican (right).

Pelican sunset.

Rich and Karen.

Said heron.

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Monday - San Diego Dinner Cruise

Monday evening saw us on a dinner cruise in San Diego Bay on the California Spirit yacht.  It has two decks of dining rooms and one on top for observation.  There was a bar on each deck and a "casino" on the middle deck with games of chance that awarded the winner in door prize tickets.

The weather was windy and chilly so we didn't stay on the top deck very long, but there was a great opportunity for some skyline photos which I fully exploited.  Even with the great vistas it was very nice to get out of that cutting wind.

Once inside, the meal was good, the beer was cold and the people were friendly which made it a really nice evening.

After supper, between conversations I took some more photos off the stern which wasn't quite as exposed to the wind.

When it was over, Karen and I took the ~1/4 mile walk back to the Hilton and slept like logs in one of their very comfortable beds.

Leaving the dock on the upper deck.

Karen braves the wind.

Great skyline.

The 26-foot Unconditional Surrender sculpture.

The USS Midway museum.

View off the stern.

Sunset on the bay.

Interesting cloud formation.

I can't resist a nice sunset...

A water taxi pulled up along side
while the pilot showed his trainee
how to match speed for a passenger transfer.

The US Navy yard past the bridge to Coronado.

Lovely skies.

The main deck dining hall.

The San Diego side of the bridge to Coronado.

The Coronado side of the bridge to San Diego.

Military helicopters were constantly buzzing the bay.

The Hotel Del Coronado.

Moonlight on the bay.

Moonlight on the diners.

Our walk back to the Hilton.

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Sunday - San Diego

Sunday was our first day in San Diego and we took in some sights and covered a lot of ground.

First, we walked over the beautiful walking bridge to the Gaslamp Quarter for a nice outdoor breakfast at the Broken Yolk Cafe.  Apparently people are allowed to bring their dogs to outdoor cafes here.  Karen got a nice Monte Cristo sandwich and I had huevos con chorizo.

We stayed at the Hilton Bayfront and were very pleased with the accommodations and the service.  The hotel had some great artwork and lots of food options.

After breakfast we took the Historic Trolley for a narrated tour of the city.  The tour was informative and fun.  It covered Old Town, the Gaslamp Quarter, Seaport Village, Coronado, Balboa Park, and several other areas of interest.

After the tour we walked about 3/4 of a mile to Seaport Village, had a bite and did some shopping before walking back to the hotel.

Great walking bridge to Petco Park (where the Padres play)
and the Gaslamp Quarter.

The side of Petco Park.

Karen and I waiting for breakfast.

Dogs are welcome to the outdoor seating area.

Some of the artwork in the hotel lobby.

The California Spirit
that we would be dining on Monday evening.

More ships docked.

Coronado on the other side of the bay,
further past the marina.

The ferry landing on Coronado.
(Zoomed way in.)

Where I was actually standing.
(Without the zoom.)

One of the buildings in Petco Park.
Loved the hanging plants.

Plane coming in (look between the buildings).

The San Diego Convention Center.
I love how the diagonal lines are interrupted.

A well-deserved rest after a long walk.

The bay from the window of the Historic Trolley Tour.

The navy shipyard.

The largest outdoor pipe organ at the
Spreckels Organ Pavilion.

Old Town San Diego.

The Costa Rica Dole ship behind our hotel.

San Diego Bay is actually 12 miles long.

This is Dexter, whom we met
in another outdoor cafe in Seaport Village.
Beautiful eyes.

The Seal Tour bus travels through San Diego
then drives right into the bay to observe the sea lions.
Maybe next time...

The Cinderella Carriage.

Interesting head gear.

It's actually drinking straws...

This guy balanced all these rocks.
I have enough trouble just balancing myself.

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