Thursday, May 19, 2022

California Dreaming- Day 6

 San Diego Day 6
From La Jolla to "La Homa"
Saturday, April 16, 2022 

We love you San Diego! 

Morning
After another busy day and long night, we were all tired and slept very well. We got up and went to our last breakfast at Homewood Suites San Diego (near SeaWorld). As I have mentioned before, this hotel was great option for us and we enjoyed it but I might look elsewhere if I return to San Diego. It was too crowded with families and LOTs of little kids. After breakfast we went back up to the room to pack all our suitcases and check out of the hotel. TIP- This was a fairly decent priced California hotel as our grand total for 5 nights, with parking, was $1675. This is steep but for Southern California, it was mid-ranged. 

Once we got all checked out we drove towards the Cabrillo National Monument and the "new" Point Loma Lighthouse. This was on the very far west side of San Diego on the other side of Coronado Island. This was a really neat area with lots of hiking trails and history about North Island as well as an INCREDIBLE view of San Diego, Coronado Island and even Mexico. Despite this being the only cloudy day our whole trip, these were some of our best pictures of the whole trip! We LOVED this area! 

A view of downtown San Diego from the Cabrillo National Monument area. 


Another view of San Diego and North Island. 


The kids loved looking at San Diego from here as well!


Time needs to SLOW DOWN! 


This is the exact moment that Chris discovered that Natalie has passed me up in height. 
Look at Natalie's face! 


The Cabrillo National Monument! 


We love you San Diego! 


A Celebrity cruise ship just chillin' in the Pacific!


A view of the Coronado Bridge and Coronado Island. 


Be still my heart! 

After we quickly toured the monument, we drove down towards the Point Loma Lighthouse. This was used in the film Top Gun as "Viper's House" but it is now blocked off as Coast Guard training unit. 

Viper's House... This is SO COOL! 

Once we got to the bottom of this island, we parked and then walked all along the Tide Pool area. The kids LOVED being able to step way down on the rocks and watch (and feel) the waves crash from the Pacific waters. It was absolutely GORGEOUS and I would highly recommend anyone who is able to visit this area and walk down on the rocks! 

The Tide Pool area near Point Loma Lighthouse! 


Where has the time gone... This girl will be 13 in August! 

And my BABY will be 10 in less than a month! 


Luke being silly and wanting the waves to crash on him! 


This area was just gorgeous! 






I love you Chris Davis! 


This picture does not even do this area justice! 


And Luke... Being silly again!


Another view of San Diego and North Island as we drove back into San Diego. 

We loved this area of San Diego- Check out our video! 

After we spent about an hour at this monument and Tide Pool area, we drove back towards San Diego proper and found the Sunset Cliff area. This is exactly as it's title describes, it is an area of cliffs that are facing west. We were not fortunate enough to see them during sunset but these cliffs were just breathtaking. And once again, the kids loved being able to walk around and see the waves crash into these huge cliffs. TIP- This is a FREE venue and definitely worth your time if in San Diego! I am sure being here during a sunset is breathtaking! 


The Sunset Cliffs area (and this sign) were on a road that "looked like" it would take you to the cliffs but it was a dead end. We had to use back side streets to get to Sunset Cliffs. And the parking was scarce. 


The Sunset Cliff area 


The kids loved this area too! 


Pictures do not do it justice! 



Luke said he found a seal... Who knows! 



We stared at this for nearly 30 minutes... all of us thinking we finally spotted our whale!
Nope... It was just a small raft with people! 


We loved the Sunset Cliff area and I can only imagine how beautiful it is during an actual sunset. 

Afternoon 
As the morning had passed we decided to start making our way back to San Diego to get gas and eat lunch before heading to the airport for our 7PM flight. We drove back through Ocean Beach and decided to stop at a local Mexican Restaurant as we all really wanted to try the "California Mexican" food and compare it to our beloved Tex-Mex. We stopped at Nico's Authentic Mexican Food on Newport Ave. I was even able to try a "California Burrito" loaded with Carne Asada and French Fries. It was really weird yet so good. The food was outstanding, so filling and very well priced. TIP- I would recommend Nico's if you are in the Ocean Beach area. However, keep in mind that most of these restaurants on Newport Ave do not have public restrooms, I had to go to 3-4 different places to finally find a place to pee. 


We tried a "Mexican Soda" and Luke is now in love! 


Tex-Mex- 1 California Mexican- 0 
I was expecting QUESO on my nachos and instead I got shredded cheese. 
It was weird! But the California Burrito was AWESOME! 


Natalie's Cheese Enchiladas were nearly the same as Tex Mex. 


We loved Nico's! 


The menu for Nico's. The prices and variety were great for this area of San Diego! 

Since we had to return our rental car, after lunch and souvenir shopping in Ocean Beach, we started to creep back towards the airport. We had to return the car with a full tank of gas AND California rules state you have to refill the gas within 2 miles of the airport. This seemed absolutely ridiculous to me and they never even looked for our receipt. We paid $6.09/gallon across from the airport but back in Ocean Beach it was $5.49/ gallon. This is just another reason while I'm not really a fan of California! 
Beautiful... YES but logistic... NO!  


The gas prices right at the airport! 


Goodbye 2022 Buick Enclave... I like you A LOT better than my 2012 Buick Enclave! 
Seriously... Buick has REALLY stepped up their game! 

We had our rental car returned and were checked in for our flight back to God's Country by 4:45PM for our 7PM flight. TIP- The San Diego Airport terminal we were in was TINY. It only had 6 gates and 3 "restaurants" if you want to call them that (Einstein's Brothers Bagels, a Bar and a sandwich pop-up type shop). Plus it only had one bathroom. I am REALLY glad we got there early as if we would have been 20-30 minutes later, we would not have had a place to sit. We spent the hour leading up to our flight at the other end of the terminal crowded with lots of people having to stand or sit on the floor. 


The terminal was TINY but we got up to airport security with ZERO WAIT TIME... That is simply unheard of these days! 

For this flight on Southwest Airlines, we did not pay for the EarlyBird and just checked in online exactly 24 hours prior to departure and we got boarding Group B 2-5. This was just 3 spaces lower than what we got when I paid $100. This just confirmed my thoughts, that I will NOT pay for the EarlyBird in the future. We also tried a new seating arrangement for this flight with a whole row of me and the kids and Chris on the aisle nearby by himself. This worked out SO MUCH better and Chris was even able to keep the middle seat and have more space. Flying Southwest is ALWAYS a gamble but this time it paid off. 

This is the way we will fly from now on! We were all so comfortable! 


3 hour flight= 20 bags of candy! That seems about right! 
All this kid did is eat snacks! 

Natalie sat on the window seat and was able to get some incredible pictures and videos of our departure from San Diego. The flight was uneventful and we were back in Texas in no time. Once back in "God's Country" we got our bags and made our way back to our car and home with ease. This was the Saturday before Easter Morning so we were trying to get home and somewhat recover before Sunday. We did not arrive back at home until after midnight. We were all so very tired! 


Natalie did a GREAT job with this video... Check it out! 


I am so glad we got to fly out of San Diego with the sun still up! 
This was gorgeous! 


At the very tip of that land was the Cabrillo National Monument and the Loma Lighthouse! 


You can even see the Midway! 


We love you San Diego! 


You can see "Coronado Beach, CA" written in the sand from many years ago! 


AND... Welcome Home! Where the 84% humidity SLAPS YOU RIGHT IN THE FACE! 
Sometimes I hate Texas! 


We DID make it to church the next morning! 
Bright and early for the EARLY service! 

This trip was absolutely UNREAL and we all loved it so very much. Between the gorgeous scenery of Southern California, the history of the USS Midway and the sheer beauty of Petco Park, this was a trip for the memory books. I am so glad we were able to share this trip with the kids. 


Now... On to planning April 2023. Where will we be? Los Angeles, San Francisco, maybe Seattle for the kids?
Who knows... but I cannot wait to find out! 

This summer we will be traveling to Panama City Beach, FL for a family trip (based around the Cal Ripken Baseball Experience). And then Chris and I will return to cruising in the month of July on the Carnival Vista. We are so excited and eager to experience the cruise industry since the shutdown. Be on the lookout for that blog as I am sure it will be LOADED! 

Up Next... Panama City Beach, FL
and Carnival Vista 

Thanks again and Keep Calm and Cruise Travel On! 


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Monday, May 16, 2022

California Dreaming- Day 5

  San Diego Day 5
And then there were THREE 
Friday, April 15, 2022


It all started in 1985 when my dad had a dream to see all the MLB stadiums before he died... He has checked off each and every one. But I only have THREE more to go! It feels so close! 

Morning
As I woke up this morning, it's hard to believe that I am down to only needing to experience just FOUR more Major League Baseball parks before I have seen them all but here we are. This day was all about BUCKET LISTS and I was so excited to experience a ballpark so many people (family included) call "One of the best in MLB" and get to see it "behind the scenes" with our ballpark tour! This was the day I was waiting for! 

We had a laid back morning with no time crunches to meet so we decided to try a local favorite Southern California coffee shop called Better Buzz Coffee. I had never heard of this coffee shop but in the "It's Always Sunny in San Diego" Facebook group, it was often brought up as a must try coffee place. It was VERY expensive and busy but I enjoy trying out a local place.  TIP- As I mentioned before in other posts, it is a GREAT idea to find and join social media "groups" about the destination you are visiting. I got SO MANY tips, tricks and suggestions for San Diego and surrounding areas. I was able to ask questions and get answers from past visitors as well as locals who REALLY know the in and out of the town. This is such a HUGE asset when planning a trip. Just search Facebook for the city and visitor info (or the cruise ship you are sailing). 


The kids got an extended session of Ping-Pong on this day. 


This was a great cup of coffee... Not sure it was worth the $7.95 but it was GOOD! 

Originally we had planned to do the La Jolla Cove on this morning but since we re-arranged our activities, we were able to visit Seaport Village near the USS Midway. We had a pre-arranged tour of Petco Park at 12PM so we had about 2 to 3 hours to spend before our tour. We first decided to look for parking near Petco Park to help save time later. We were able to find a great parking garage less than a block from Petco Park that offered all day parking for $35. 


My first view of Petco Park! I am already in LOVE! 

We then went to Seaport Village near the USS Midway to walkaround and do some souvenir shopping. TIP- This area offers 2 hour metered parking for only $3 is a great option if you do not plan on spending a lot of time here. We got parked and then walked along the bay area. This was such a beautiful area lined with plaques and information about this area and the port of San Diego. We did some shopping and then went down to the south side of the USS Midway as we were not able to see the full ship from where we parked the day before. 


These kids were being so silly! 


At Seaport Village overlooking Downtown San Diego and the San Diego Hyatt and Marriot! 


Seaport Village


The Coronado Bridge in the background and beyond that... MEXICO! 

We were also able to see the famous "Unconditional Surrender" (kissing) statue at the Port of San Diego. This statue is a famous recreation of an embrace between a soldier and a nurse celebrating the end of World War II in New York City's Time Square. This was a HUGE 25' statue right in front of the USS Midway. I had seen pictures of this before but loved getting to read all about this special "kiss". Chris and I tried to enact, but we're too old! Haha! 


The kids in front of the USS Midway


The "Unconditional Surrender" statue near the USS Midway. 


I love you Chris Davis! 


Luke... being Luke and exploring ALL THE TIME! 

Afternoon
Once we completed our souvenir shopping, we made our way back towards Petco Park for our ballpark tour. We found a parking garage at 350 Tenth Avenue in Downtown San Diego that offered $35 parking for all day (no in and out privileges but that was ok with us). We got parked and settled and then went to the Will Call booth at Petco Park to get our reserved tickets to the Tour of Petco Park. We were a little early so we went to the Team Store to look for our Padres Souvenirs. The 10AM tour had just finished so it was really busy in the store. We opted to go to the Downtown Marriot and chill in their lounge until the start of our tour. 

Some of the BEST PARKING I have EVER had at a stadium! 

Around 11:45AM there were about 60-80 people waiting for the 12PM tour so we knew it was going to be crowded. We tried to stay clear of the kids as best we could but we were not successful. They ended up splitting our group into 2 small groups but we were with many families with small children. It did not make the tour any worse but it reminded me how nice we had it the day before with our private tour of the USS Midway with Chappie. 

Petco Park Tour
Our tour began in the lower left outfield area of the famous Western Metal Supply Building. The Padres organization used to the play at QUALCOMM Stadium and shared the stadium with the San Diego Chargers. This meant the switching of football and baseball fields constantly. This also meant not a true baseball stadium experience. The Padres petitioned to build a stadium downtown and acquired the Western Metal Supply Building and built Petco Park around this foundation. The rest is history. 


The Western Metal Supply Building where our tour began. 

Information about the neighborhood Petco Park was built near (on). 


A view from the Western Metal Supply Building Suite. 


Another view from the lower level near the Western Metal Supply Building. 


The Outfield area of Petco Park. 


I thought this was funny that it was day TWO of the season and the Big Screen was already needing work. Our Tour Guide said there is a guy paid SALARY to fix all the screens FULL TIME! 


Even Natalie was loving this tour already! 

 From there we got to see a closer look of the inside of the Western Metal Supply Building and the concourse area of the 1st level of Petco Park. I really enjoyed the "San Diego Section" of the lower level that included pictures, stats and hats from various High Schools in and around San Diego that had baseball players set records and go to the next level. Being a baseball mom myself, this was SO COOL! 


This is such a cool tribute to San Diego locals! Well Done Petco Park! 

We then made our way to the Main Gate of Petco Park where many statues and numbers were featured, including Jackie Robinson.  Then we got to go inside the Press Box on the 2nd level of Petco Park via the players road and other neat areas of the ballpark. We were able to see the media room and a large suite as well. This was one of my favorite areas of the park and it truly did give us a birds eye view of the ballpark. 


Wow... She really is a BEAUTY! 


The bullpens for visitors near the Press Box restaurant. 


Our first view from the Press Box. 


It doesn't get much better than this! 


This is the 3rd largest "jumbotron" in the MLB. Behind only Atlanta and Detroit (?)


Gallagher Square as seen from the Press Box 


This made my heart SO HAPPY! Dreams really do come true! 

After the press box we walked out the back of the suite level and then looked south towards Mexico and the Dole Pineapple plant. From here we got to see the Presidential Suite, the largest suite at Petco Park. This is reserved for companies for larger groups. Maybe one of these days, we can watch a ball game in a suite. 


A tribute to Jack Murphy near the Presidential Suite 


The Dole Pineapple Plant in San Diego. 
Beyond that is MEXICO! 


Luke and I enjoying the Presidential Suite life! 


Natalie kept asking when we will be able to be in a suite... Maybe one day! 

We were also able to see both of the bullpens at Petco Park as well as a really neat area in left field that allows dogs. You can buy a ticket package which includes 2 tickets and a dog ticket. We saw a TON of dog owners and their dogs throughout our trip so this made a lot of sense to us. 


The Padre's Bullpen near Left Field in Petco Park. 


Another view of the bullpens. 


The Edge area- where dog owners can bring their dogs to watch a game. 
Somehow, I am not sure if Oxford would like that. 

As we made our way to the end of the tour, we were able to see a statue of Trevor Hoffman as well as a whole wall dedicated Padres who have been inducted into the MLB Cooperstown Hall of Fame. We really enjoyed this area of the ballpark! 

This is a GREAT quote. I already printed it off and posted in my classroom! 


Outside of the Padres in Cooperstown area of Petco Park. 

I loved the fact that the Padres highlighted ALL of their Hall-of-Fame players!
Again, Well done Petco Park! 

I am so glad we took time for a ballpark tour! This was a highlight of my day! 

"America's #1"??? I don't know but it was PRETTY EPIC! 

After our tour we went hunting for a place to eat lunch in the Gaslamp Quarter near Petco Park. We located a hidden gem of "Old Spaghetti Factory" that Chris and I LOVED in Seattle in 2016. In our few trips to the west coast, this has been a must stop eatery for us and we LOVE it so much! The kids LOVE spaghetti and were in HEAVEN! 


The Spaghetti Tour with 4 different featured spaghettis and priced at only $17.95. 


This just proves... Once you FEED MY KIDS, THEY ARE HAPPY! 


We love this WEST COAST HIT! 
Be sure to check it out if in San Diego or most other West Coast major cities! 

After lunch we walked around the Gaslamp Quarter a bit before getting on our Trolley Tour. This tour was an "added bonus" for our time in San Diego and we were so lucky to be able to have this tour. TIP- This tour made 26 stops in San Diego and offers a 2 day Hop-On, Hop-Off option. We did the full route without getting off but if we had more time in town, this would have been a great option for seeing a LOT in a little bit of time. This tour also took us across the Coronado Bridge to Coronado Island as well. This tour costs $42 for the 1 day pass and $73 for the 2 day option and again, is a GREAT way to see a lot of San Diego. This is also included in the Go City Explorer Pass and is a GREAT value when purchased as the 3-5 activity options. 

We loved the Gaslamp Quarter and I really wish we had more time to shop and just meander around this quaint little area! 


A view of Petco and downtown from our Trolley Tour. 

Evening
As soon as our 2-hour loop tour was complete we made our way back to Petco Park from Gaslamp Quarter and scanned our tickets to get into the game, shortly after the gates opened at 5PM. 


We are here... I am bursting with excitement. 

When we arrived around 5:20PM it was already crowded with people at Gallagher Square. TIP- Gallagher Square is a "park" within in the ballpark. It features a grassy area and "general admission" tickets. These tickets are much cheaper but it will NOT ensure a true ballpark experience, especially since the Jumbotron will block 70-80% of your field view. While trying to save money in planning this trip, I almost purchased tickets in Gallagher Square not knowing all the details. I am so glad I went with my gut and got reserved seats. I would have kicked myself. 


Another view of Gallagher Square from the Press Box. During the game ALL of that lawn seating was packed to the brim and spectators cannot see Homeplate but rather have to watch from multiple TVs in Gallagher Square. 

We ventured up to our seats and got settled in shortly before 6PM. The crowds were already staring to form and we knew from our tour that this game would be sold out. This was the 2nd game in the first homestand of the season due to the MLB Lockout. In fact, we originally planned on going to two games but since opening day was April 14th, we were not able to get tickets, which might have been a good thing as the tour guide said that Petco Park OVERSOLD tickets by about 15%. What a nightmare that could have been. 


My heart is SO HAPPY that I get to share this moment with not just Chris but my kids too! 


Frame Worthy! This was so special to me! 

Luke was also REALLY excited to be here as Poppy has told him SO MUCH about Petco Park! 

After we got settled, the kids and I walked around the upper deck as our tour did not take us to this part of the stadium. We were able to walk all the way around the upper deck and we loved seeing part of downtown San Diego from this area. Chris was able to get a refillable soda from right in front of our section as well. Once we got back in our seats, our section had become nearly full. Directly in front of us was a large group of adult singles. They were ROWDY and cursing quite a bit, even before the game started. 


The kids and I ventured over towards the Suite level for a few more pictures. 


Near section 327 and the far right field Foul Pole. 


I am already IN LOVE with this ballpark! 

Not gonna lie... some of the best beer I have ever had! I loved this ale! 

As the game started and more and more fans began to arrive, after the first pitch, we realized that the seats I chose lower in the section were not the best option. People were constantly getting up and going to concessions and Luke and Chris, who were sitting on the aisle, had to duck and move around a lot just to see the plate. Petco Park has ALL of their seats face home plate at an angle, but this was still a struggle. 


A view from our seats during the National Anthem. 


The Star Spangled Banner at Petco Park! 


PLAY BALL! 


Hello from Section 305 of Petco Park! 

Best move of the day... Getting Cotton Candy at 5:30PM on our way to our seats! 

Around the 3rd inning, we went looking for food but the lines were 50-75 people deep at every single venue. I am not sure if it was the sold out crowd, lack of workers, or a combo of both but it was a HOT mess. Within just a few minutes of walking around the concessions, we knew we made a BIG mistake in not getting food until the game started. With a sold-out crowd... what were we thinking. 


This was a place I had read about prior to coming to Petco. 
Supposedly the best Cheesesteak in the MLB. 

Jack in the Box... IN Petco Park! 
NO THANK YOU! 


This was a concession that our Tour Guide recommended. 


Pizza Port right outside of our section (305). The line was about 50 people deep if you wanted food but only about 5 people deep for drinks. This is also the concession that had the refillable soda for $10, which is a STEAL! 

We went back to our seats but the cursing, kissing and just straight up obnoxious behavior from the large group in front of us was getting out of control. Combine that with the constant interference with the field and play since we were so low in the section... It was just unbearable. I kept looking at an area way over near the Right Field Foul Pole and it was fairly empty. We ventured way over there and even found a gourmet hotdog stand with a short line. We grabbed our dinner and made our way to the top of that section (327). We ended our night from these seats and everyone, for the most part, was happy. Luke did not like his "All-Beef Hot Dog" and said he prefers the "cheap stuff" we buy, but the rest of us had a great dinner and experience. 


This section never looked packed so the more and more fussy Luke got... the more we knew it was time to move! 


The Bacon Wrapped Gourmet Jumbo Dog. 
This was $15 well spent... It was delicious. 


Natalie collects Foam Fingers at all of her MLB Stadiums! 
She was happy with this purchase. 

As the game came to a close, the Padres were still losing, so we made our way down to the ground level during the bottom of the 9th inning with the rest of the 44K fans in attendance. (I found out later that this game was sold out and had over 44,000 fans in attendance. The Opening Night game on April 14th had nearly 46,000.) 

As we exited the stadium, we were right on the street we parked on so we made our way to our car within 5 minutes of leaving the stadium. We thought this would be VERY busy since this street was one of only a few exits from the stadium but we were out of the parking garage within 10 minutes of leaving the park. In fact, the security workers had the gate open and told us to exit prior to paying. We never even paid the $35 to park. Chris told the workers "We have not paid" and she said "I do not care, just leave". It was a little weird but we just kept driving. 

By then it was well after 10PM and we were all so tired. We made our way back to our hotel and got ready for our flight home the next day. Poor Luke was so tired that he fell asleep on the couch helping me pack his suitcase! It was a GREAT day for sure! 

This was such a memorable day and we all LOVED Petco Park. It is has made it's way towards the top of the list... However, it will be hard to beat Fenway Park, Wrigley Field and Oracle Park which are my Top Three. I still cannot believe I only need THREE MORE stadiums! I may not get to them by my 40th birthday (September 2022) like I wanted to, but I will get to them, eventually! 

Check out our AWESOME day at Petco Park! 

Up Next... Our last day in San Diego and our flight back to God's Country! 

Did you miss Day 1, 2, 3 or 4? Check them out: 

Day 4- This is What I Call a Target Rich Environment

Day 3- Whale, That was a Bust

Day 2- Zootopia

Day 1- Yep... I Still Hate Flying

Thanks for following along! We appreciate your support! 

God is good... ALL THE TIME! 

 Check out ALL of our LAND travels:











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