California Trip

Did not stay in the hotel, just went out to the beach to watch the sunset and to see the infamous haunted Del Coronado. The beach is beautiful and perfect and a great spot to watch the sunset over San Diego. My kids had tons of fun at the beach and swimming in the ocean. It is definitely worth the short trip out to the island from San Diego. Didn't see any ghosts though. Oh well, maybe next time.

This little area is really neat to see, and it's free. Lots of sea lions have just taken over the beach area and now just lounge around lazily and occasionally go out for a swim. It is really neat to be able to see sea lions outside of a zoo. I don't know, there is just something unique about it. Yeah, they mostly just lay there, but it is just something interesting to see if you are there. And did I mention it is free. That in itself is a rarity. They really are so cute.

This area is really beautiful and offers some great photo ops. The rugged beauty of the beach area and then the ocean against it creates a pretty area. The rocks are neat formations formed from the pounding surf. It is really cool to see the area if you get the chance.

This is a very nice, calm stretch of beach and the area has great trails to hike through the Torrey Pines. This is a good beach area to just bring a picnic and hang out on. Very beautiful, perfect for hiking or bike riding.

This is a wonderful place to spend time with your family. Tons of little, quaint, specialty shops to find those hard-to-find souvenirs. Great little restaurants, ice-cream stands, fountains, and even a carousel to ride. You could easily spend the whole day just enjoying the view of the Bay. This village is right on the water. There are restaurants all the way from burger places to seafood restaurants on the water. The stores have unique items such as a Tile Store with individualized tiles. A safari shop with everything you could ever want from a safari, along with tons of other unique shops. A very relaxing and entertaining way to spend the day in San Diego.

What was it like, hmmm… interesting. The streets are nasty and every market owner yells at you from their shops to come in and buy something or look at their merchandise. I actually had one guy yell out at me to please give him "one chance to rip me off". It made me actually not want to look in a lot of places. But I did get a pair of Versace sun glasses for $11.00. Oh, and once they finally get you in their store there are no prices on anything. They name a price and you are supposed to haggle them down, I am terrible at that. I went there mostly to get a Hard Rock glass and T-shirt as I collect the Hard Rock stuff. It is definitely cool to go so you can say that you went, but don't eat or drink anything, or touch anybody, get your cheap jewelry, leather or alcohol or whatever souvenir you came for, take some pictures for proof, then get back on the bus and get out. By the way, there are parking lots where you can park on the American side and they will take you over by bus to the downtown market and Revolution street(where everything is). I recommend this way of travel as you seem to get through customs a lot faster, it is probably safer too. The cost to park is $7 and the cost for round trip ticket is $6 per person. Just make sure to find out what time the last bus leaves for the evening. I don't think you want to spend the night there.

Old Town San Diego is a part of town you can park and walk around. It has quite a few museums, little restaurants, and the famous Whaley House. The area has a lot of neat little stores to browse through. It is a great place to spend a relaxing day. There is an old saloon, a jailhouse, and a Wells Fargo Stagecoach, among other things. The Whaley House is a haunted house that has been featured on the Travel Channel several times. It is definitely worth going through, and at only $5 a person it will not break your budget. Once you pay you can go through the house as many times as you would like that day and stay as long as you want. Some of the Whaley family actual artifacts are on display here. I saw no ghosts, but who knows what will show up in the pictures!!! This is a neat area and and a must see if in San Diego.

I got a chance to see Hollywood Boulevard and see the stars on the sidewalks. For me, it was great. Getting to see my favorite celebrities immortalized in cement. We also saw the Kodak Theatre, Gruman's Chinese Theatre, and the Hollywood and Highland complex, and the Hollywood sign of course. It was so neat to walk on the same spot as Marilyn Monroe walked so many years ago. It was just cool to walk around and see the sights. It is definitely a must-see.

Got to see the Le Brea Tar Pits but only at night. It was neat to get to see them. It is amazing that this spot can exist in the middle of such a large city. It truly is something to see.

This is an aircraft carrier docked in San Diego. You can take a self guided tour of the ship, which includes a tape player to help explain places and navigate you along your way. My husband and kids REALLY enjoyed this, I did as well. It was neat to see how these soldiers had to live on these ships for such long periods of time. On top they had different planes you could go on and see the insides. It was definitely an interesting experience.