Not So Classy San Diego...

Ladies and gentlemen, can I please have your attention. I've just been handed an urgent and horrifying news story. I need all of you, to stop what you're doing and listen.

I don't know how to put this, but the ladies of San Diego are really not as classy as Mr Ron Burgundy, from Anchorman fame, led me to believe they were. I had imagined images of Veronica Corningstone walking around with beautiful eyes and hair smelling like cinnamon. Instead I was confronted with brassy blonde hair, fake boobs and trashy outfits (One outfit was literally just a pair of panties with high heels vest and a cardigan?!). 

I know some of my male companions will be howling like dogs at the above outfit description, but as a rather British and as a result somewhat prudish female, I was well and truly shocked by my female counterparts. I'm not quite sure why I'm so appalled by it all, as you would have thought that after having spent the last few months travelling through Latin America I would be used to seeing women dressed like that - its all about the boobs, butt and long mane hair there - but for some reason having crossed the border into the USA I somehow expected it to be different?! 

Anyway, lack of female clothing aside, I really enjoyed my time in San Diego, it was kind of a big deal. It is full of things to do and places to see. And the best bit about it is the size - you can literally cycle most of it in a day. Which is exactly what I did. I cycled uphill from the Gaslamp Quarter where I was staying all the way to Balboa (no relation to Rocky) Park which is beautiful. There are a number of museums there as well as the famous Zoo (which I didn't go to but now regret in hindsight, but the queue to get in at the time was immense and it looked pretty extortionate to get in).

citygirlrides

Topiary elephant outside the zoo

Instead I spent my time meandering around the rather cool Museum of Photographic Arts and marvelling at the enormous Spreckles Pipe Organ Pavilion that can be found in the park. Its named after the two Brothers who donated the Organ to the park. I had heard the organ before I saw it, I was drawn by the sound of "God Save the Queen" being played which I thought was rather apt for my arrival but it was in fact being played because the organist was a British lady called Dr Carol Williams...ah well!

It turns out that free concerts are given every Sunday at 2pm so if you're in the area I would highly recommend you go and settle in one of the deck chairs and take in the music. You may want to bring an umbrella with you, not for the rain but for the sun as it can feel quite strong whilst you're sat down. I'm such an English Rose...

Spreckles Pipe Organ Pavilion

Dr Carol Williams performing

Desperately Seeking Shade

From Balboa, I cycled down to the port which involves passing the airport en route. You literally have planes almost skimming your head as they come into land they are flying that low!  

Coming into land

The port itself is actually quite pretty, considering the amount of ships (cruise & containers) and boats that are there. It is home to USS Midway which is apparently America's longest serving aircraft carriers. It is ENORMOUS. My travel buddy Tom spent the entire day (in his element of course) exploring the exhibits and restored aircraft that are on board. He did this alone I may add. Whilst I found the carrier fascinating to look at from afar, I certainly had no interest in boarding it and wasting a precious day there. No, instead I spent my time more wisely exploring the Gaslamp Quarter where I was staying and also Little Italy which is a neighbourhood nearby. Both are lovely but the Gaslamp Quarter wins my vote hands down in terms of shops, bars and restaurants. It really has it all. Yes it can get a little trashy at the weekends, but then so can Central London. Those that have been in Oxford Circus / Leicester Square / Piccadilly Circus on a Saturday night in London know what I'm talking about...

Scenic

Clipper

USS Midway. This picture does not do its size justice. My bad.

One thing I recommend you do whilst in the Gaslamp Quarter is visit the Petco Park baseball stadium which is home to the San Diego Padres. I find most sport pretty dull to watch but when its live my interest tends to increase. The match itself was pretty non descript (despite my travel buddy's repeat explanations I still had no idea what was going on) but being sat amongst die hard Padres fans dressed up as monks (Padre is Spanish for monk) is quite amusing. I spent most of my time consuming my weight in hot dogs and soft drinks, whilst frantically waving my big foam hand in the air in a vain attempt to get shown on the big screen shown in the stadium. I failed miserably. But the Padres won which I guess was a bonus. 

The entrance

The stadium

The winners!

Celebratory Padre Mexican wave

My last day in San Diego was spent visiting Coronado Island. The island is a short ferry ride away or if you don't fancy a boat you can drive or catch a bus and cross the bridge which connects the island to the mainland. I caught the ferry there and the bus back which gave me the best of both worlds : D

My reason for visiting Coronado Island was to go and see the Hotel Coronado which is famous for having been in the film "Some Like it Hot" with Marilyn Monroe and Tony Curtis. It didn't disappoint. You can walk in and around the hotel and take in its grandeur whilst sat in the restaurant sipping a cup of tea. Unfortunately the hotel staff had wised up and put in glass security doors preventing you from walking into the pool area.  My usual trick of just walking in to hotels and having a quick dip in the pool therefore didn't occur. Damn you Hotel Coronado!

Hotel Coronado

If the hotel isn't quite your cup of tea - travel buddy Tom I'm referring to you here - then the beach on the island is. According to the very modest visitor guide we spoke to, the beach is "the best in the World". Yes that is a bold statement, and one I wouldn't quite agree with given I have seen some rather spectacular beaches in my travels, but it certainly has good soft sand. I cant give such praise to the water though as it is freezing! Oh, and then there is the small fact of the Naval base that just happens to be situated at the end of the island. In the few hours we were on the beach I lost count of the number of fighter jets, air drones and light air craft that flew inches above us as they came into land. Not to mention the battleship that drifted past the beach. Hardly relaxing!

Soft sand

A familiar sighting

Spot the battleship...

Coming into land

Another thing I found amusing was the sign I kept seeing in most shops and restaurants we went to in and around San Diego. It said "This Faculty contains chemicals known to the state of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm". All rather bizarre and something I chose to ignore as I'm sure if you start thinking of all the hazardous things you come into contact with on a daily basis then you really wouldn't leave the house everyday.

You have been warned!

My last night in San Diego was spent at Shout Bar which is known for its dueling pianists. Basically two pianists sit and face each other and sing songs. It was really entertaining and being we were in the USA everybody was a willing participant. Sometimes with a little too much gusto for my liking but then there are always a few that get carried away. 

The bar

The duelers

Well, that's all from me here, I'm citygirltravels, you stay classy, San Diego.

N.B. For those of you who aren't familiar with the film Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy then you inevitably wont have got some of the references I made in this post. Shame on you. Go and watch the film now so you know what I'm talking about!