Here in California

[pegkerr]

Our initial plans to join family for the day suffered a budgetary check; they wanted to go to Legoland, which would have cost us about $200, and since we're already going to Seaworld tomorrow, we decided to go off on our own today. The girls spent the morning in the hotel pool, cavorting and splashing like particularly happy otters, sleek and beautiful in the mild sunshine. We're about to head out to Old Town San Diego, to walk around and browse in the shops. And get some lunch too; I'm starving.

Comments

[kalquessa.livejournal.com]

Get a cheap trolley ride, if you can! I adore trolleys. Of course, as a suburban girl, it's probably just the novelty that amuses me.

[ame-chan.livejournal.com]

Oh, good call. Seaworld is infinitely preferable to Legoland - which is the suck. Seaworld is wonderful. There's a huge play area in the middle with piped in soothing music and lots of shady benches for parents, while the kids climb around in a big circle. Also? The food at Seaworld is great. Try the BBQ restaurant. Pricy but so worth it.

Do see the sharks and the pengies if you get a chance. Also, iirc, there's a show with dolphins and possibly some otters.

You can probably tell, I <3 Sea World!

[http://users.livejournal.com/anam_cara_/]

Really? We adored Legoland (and used coupons, and there was only two of us), I could spend all day wandering around the Mini-America, or whatever it's called, I was so enamored by all the details.

But it's so nice to enjoy an unscheduled day on vacation to just relax.

[tiellan.livejournal.com]

Old Town San Diego is wonderful! If you get a chance, grab a ride on a rickshaw. Several years ago we were there for Comic Con but we we had arrived too early, so we went to Old Town. It was early in the morning and we hadn't eaten yet but we didn't know the area at all, so we asked the driver, figuring they would know the town inside and out. I don't remember the name of the place he took us to, but it was a cute little corner cafe, the food was delicious and they made the best hot chocolate I've ever had.

[dichroic.livejournal.com]

We'll be out there this weekend. If I see someone who looks like your icon with a man and two girls in tow, I'll wave :-)

[pixelfish.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I think there's a penguin petting area, but you have to get separate tickets for it.

If you are looking for something to do in Sandy Eggo, check out Balboa Park. The grounds are beautiful to just walk through, and there are lots of cool museums there, plus the Zoo. (However, I feel that the San Diego Wild Animal Park is infinitely superior to the Zoo, as the Wild Animal Park has a tram that goes out into the canyons where they have the animals roaming around as if on a savannah. The Wild Animal Park is about half an hour up the 5, I think, and then another fifteen or twenty minutes into a canyon near Escondido. There are signs for it though, if you decide to go for it.)

Lunch: Near the convention centre downtown, there are some nice restaurants which are pretty decent. There's a really yummy Thai place on 5th, I believe. We eat there every year when we go down for Comic-con.

[silme.livejournal.com]

For a second there, I was confused; I mixed up that Legoland with the Legoland near Windsor, 1 1/2 hours from me. In England. :)

[aome.livejournal.com]

And I always think of the Legoland in Denmark, lol.

[silme.livejournal.com]

I didn't even know there was one in Denmark! They're everywhere! I used to work not that far from the one in England.

[aome.livejournal.com]

Actually, I think (could be wrong) that the Danish one was the original. I was there in 1979, anyway, and I believe Legos are a Danish product?

[silme.livejournal.com]

They very well could be; I honestly don't know. I do want to go to Denmark one of these days. I moved to the UK almost exactly five years ago, and I've done my best to travel as much as possible. (I plan to live here for the rest of my life, but there's so much to do and see and so little time and money! :)

I have a feeling I'll skip Legoland, though, when I do get there. :)

[peradastra.livejournal.com]

Yep, you are right. The Danish one is the first one every buildt. And yes, Lego is a Danish product and invention. Put together from the words "leg godt" - essentially meaning Play Well :)

[aome.livejournal.com]

There's a Ghirardelli ice cream soda shop thing in old town. Alas, we were not able to check it out while we were there, but I sure wanted to.

A fun place is Hilo Hattie's, which is a Hawaiian chain - just nifty upscale-kitchy stuff to look at. That was down by, uh, something like 4th or 5th, near the tram tracks, I think?

[dejaspirit.livejournal.com]

Legoland costs that much? You can buy a LOT of freakin' Lego's for $200...

[callunav.livejournal.com]

I'd forgotten until you wrote this the way that hotels were an adventure for me when I was a kid. It's not just the pool (though the pool is a major attraction). There's strange corridors and trying to remember the way to the ice machine, and being evil and flippin people's 'do not disturb' signs over to say 'please clean early' until a parent catches you and you go and change them all back again, and different views and different accomodations, and who knows, maybe a jaccuzzi somewhere.

It all comes back - a hotel is a /place/, full of interest. When people get too old and have spent too much time travelling, hotels - unless one splurges on some super-fahncy something-or-other is just somewhere to go back to when you don't have anything better to do. It's better when it's unfamiliar and exciting. Thank heaven you (intentionally or no) set aside some time for Delia and Fiona to enjoy the hotel itself.

[pixelfish.livejournal.com]

Ever read the Eloise books? Some hotels are an adventure, just like that....

[kijjohnson.livejournal.com]

SD is sort of fun, I thought. I cannot believe how much it costs to go to places like Legoland and Disneyland. Crazy money.

Love you, hon.

[ex-radparker580.livejournal.com]

San Diego is a great town, I go there for work every once in a while. Have fun! (And if you happened to notice any San Diego-related complaining in, say, my LJ, it's definitely not related to you at all!)

[naomikritzer]

San Diego is wonderful. If I went there again, we would go to the Wild Animal Park and the zoo, definitely; we would also spend time on beaches, and would go to Tijuana again. I have only been to Tijuana once, but you know, it was a lot of fun. I got this really nice leather bag -- it's the one I haul around at cons. The original asking price was $300 and I got it for $60. The bargaining skills I learned in Nepal stood me in good stead. The restaurants also rocked and were amazingly child-friendly (I was there with a toddler).

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

I'm a big fan of the San Diego Wild Animal Park.

B

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

San Diego has some great restaurants that your family would hate.

SeaWorld is way fun, as is the San Diego Zoo. Spend some time playing with the dolphins.

Have fun. Wish I were down there.

B

[airemay.livejournal.com]

I haven't been to Old Town in yeaaaars but I love it. I love all of San Diego. I could gush about SD for a long time. :D

[seajules]

Old Town is great fun (and only ten minutes from where I live). Kind of a pity you're down here during our heatwave, though. It's usually about ten degrees cooler.

If you have the time, you might enjoy taking a trip up to the old Cabrillo lighthouse and to the tidepools here on Point Loma. It's something like $5 a car to get in and the views are not to be missed.

Tips for SeaWorld which you probably already know: Bring a carrying case with your own bottled water and snacks (pricy things in the park itself), and arrive as early as possible to get the best seats for the dolphin and whale shows. I like to take a book and get in right when they start seating. Also, bring towels and possibly changes of clothing in case your girls can't resist sitting in the splash zone. If your budget can take it, the restaurants are fantastic, but that's another reason to bring your own snacks.

Whatever you do, don't forget the sunscreen, and apply it religiously every fifteen minutes. I don't know what it is, but the sun over SeaWorld is particularly strong, so also keep an eye out for signs of heat exhaustion.