San Diego!!

Day 8

The next AM, we woke up early, said our goodbyes to our gracious hosts, and drove to Chinatown for a quick stroll and some dim sum before we headed to San Diego. Chinatown was pretty small, but nice. We stopped at a place called Ocean Seafood for some pretty good Dim Sum. Then….2 hour drive south to San Diego! We arrived, checked into our hotel, and walked around the downtown gaslamp district. The gas lamp district was pretty big, lined with little shops and stores, and tons of bars and restaurants. We walked all the way to the end to PETCO park where the San Diego Padres play. We walked around the park, saw a statue of Tony Gwynn and walked back up through the gas lamp district. We walked down by the water to get some BBQ for dinner. We came across the restaurant, but decided against it. We were not sure why it had so much Top Gun paraphanelia around the restaurant, but after some research it turns out that it used to be the bar from the movie Top Gun. Still, unimpressed, we walked towards the water where we were able to witness an absolutely beautiful sunset. We walked through the Sea port Village which is quaint conglomeration of small shops and seafood restaurants. We found a nice, well reviewed seafood restaurant called the Fish Market, and had a decent meal. The chowder was delicious, the oysters fresh, but the fish a bit overcooked and tough. We were excited because they offered a Hawaiian Opah fish, which we loved in Hawaii, but it was overcooked. After dinner, we walked back to the hotel, saw a sculpture of Bob Hope performing a USO tour, and saw a big statue of the famous picture of a sailor kissing a nurse.

Day 9

It’s already been a week on our road trip!! We awoke the next AM to another sunny and beautiful San Diego day. The weather is just amazing, especially after seeing the snow and flooding in Seattle on the news. After a late start, we drove down to a restaurant named “Hash a go-go” for breakfast. Known for a grandiose style breakfast, with large portions of new American type breakfast food, we enjoyed a wonderful breakfast. Even though expensive, the food was great, albeit a bit spicy. Amy had some fried chicken and bacon mashed potatoes with a maple reduction and I had a crab cake benedict. The plates were the size of manhole covers, and they were filled with potatoes, biscuits, eggs, and other breakfast fare. We then went to the famous San Diego Zoo for the rest of the day. The zoo was awesome, and we had a great time. Usually, a zoo is a zoo, but the layout of the San Diego Zoo, was more like a nature hike and it took the majority of the day to explore the entire park. We took a tour of the park via double decker bus, a gondola ride over the length of the park called Skyfari (which was a bit scary secondary to my healthy fear of falling), and saw hundreds of animals. We got to see everything from Pandas to Rhinos to Leopards to alligators, not to mention Amy’s favorites the otters and Orangutans. Asked why she liked the otters, Amy said that's what animal she'd be cause they get to swim and play and lie in the sun and eat oysters all day. After the zoo, we drove to Old Town. The oldest part of San Diego, it was where the city originally started. It’s a shame now that the historical aspect sits on the backburner to cheesy tourist trap stores. We ate at a nice Mexican Café where old Mexican ladies make corn and flour tortillas upfront in the window. We shared a pork carnitas platter which was delicious with fresh cilantro, avocado, onions, tomatoes, and salsa. We made it back to the hotel that night, to try to get an early start on the next day. Again, we are planning things day by day. If we get a job, then we will drive to that location and start. Otherwise, we are just waiting in the wings, vacationing, until something comes up.

Day 10

We decided to stay in San Diego, as the weather is beautiful, and Amy wanted to be able to lie on the beach for a while before we headed inland. We found a great deal online to a hotel on the beach called the Pacific Terrace Hotel. Usually around $350 a night, we took advantage of the off- season and mid week rate of $99 a night. That AM we drove around Balboa Park, where the San Diego Zoo is found. The park is gorgeous, with all the city’s museums found in that area. We drove through the park, got our cars washed and then headed to the new hotel on the beach. After talking with the front desk, she said that we could have the same rate for another night!! So, we are staying here 2 nights. Our room wasn’t ready yet, so we walked down the boardwalk along the Pacific Ocean. The beach was long and the ocean calm, with small waves, but beautiful breaks and lines. We ended up getting one job in Flagstaff, but our company couldn’t secure another position, so we had to pass. It looks as if we might be heading back to Naples, FL, if they will have us! We sat by the pool, catching up on phone calls and emails until we could get into our room. The room was gorgeous!! It was easy to see why this place was rated 4 diamonds by AAA. We were greeted to our room with a 2 glasses of wine, and a phone call from the front desk welcoming us!! Great service! Tonight, we will just relax, grab some dinner and watch the BCS national championship game! GO GATORS!! Tomorrow, we will hope for better news on the job front, as I am getting a bit antsy. I have never taken this much time off before and am ready to make some money again! That should catch everyone up as of today. For all our family and friends, we are safe and having a fabulous time. On our trip back eastward (we may be giving up on AZ) we hope to visit some friends we know along the way. Until next time…..thanks for reading!