San Diego
Donna and I visited the San Diego area in October of 2017. San Diego has great views of the Pacific ocean from places like Sunset cliffs and La Jolla Cove, attractions like the USS Midway and and the Air and Space museum and one of the best Zoos in the country The San Diego Zoo has two huge Zoos. One within the city and one North of the City. There are also many resorts along the coast and opportunities to see Sea life like Sea Lions and Whales. Seaworld is also located in San Diego. Its a great city with beautiful countryside, sunny beaches and a wild side at the zoo and coast.
Getting to San Diego and Transportiation
Getting to San Diego you have quite a few flight options getting into San Diego. The San Diego International Airport is minutes from downtown San Diego and attractions such as the USS Midway and the San Diego waterfront. Most major carriers fly to the airport. You could also fly to the Los Angeles area and drive into the San Diego. The drive will take up to a couple hours. Donna and I flew Frontier Airlines and rented a car. Within the city they do have a trolley system but we opted to rent a car to leave the city area to go to the Safari Zoo and other sights.
USS Midway
The aircraft carrier USS Midway is named after the Battle that was the turning point during the war in the pacific. It was commissioned right after WWII and served for nearly five decades. The museum has multiple self guided tours through the various areas of the ship that have been preserved very well. You can see areas like the flight deck full of aircraft, the bridge, crew quarters, the kitchen and many others. There are interactive exhibits and a theater with a presentation on the Battle of Midway that is very well done. The museum is a great memorial to all that have served on the USS Midway and fought in the US Navy. Its a great ship to visit and will take you at least half a day to tour the entire ship. Being in downtown there is pay parking at the ship. The USS Midway museum is only a few minutes away from the airport so Donna and I visited it immediately after our flight arrived.
San Diego Zoo
On our next day in San Diego we visited the world famous San Diego Zoo located in Balboa Park. The San Diego Zoo is one of the best I have been to in the world. Aside from being a very large Zoo with many unique animals. The zoo has an aerial tram that takes you across the park and gives you a sky view of the animals as you pass over. You can also take a bus tour of the zoo to get your bearings since the zoo is truly a huge place. There are multiple trails through the zoo and different places in the world represented such as the jungles of Asia, the rocky areas of Africa and many others. You can spend an entire day and not see it all depending on your pace through the zoo. Be prepared for a lot of walking but its worth it. We purchased a two day pass that could be used for two days at the both the Safari Zoo and the San Diego Zoo. You could use both days at one park or at two separate parks.
San Diego Zoo Safari Park
Our next stop the net day of our trip was to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park that is about 30 miles North of San Diego near the city of Escondido. The park is a massive area that is part zoo and part wildlife reserve where the animals can freely roam through a large area of the park. The scenery surrounding the park is beautiful with small mountains and rolling hills. Like the original San Diego Zoo this park is split up into different regions like Asia and Africa. The walking trails are very nice as you walk past many different animals, lakes, and jungles in some areas. There is a large jungle area for the Tigers and a Savannah for the elephants. At this zoo you can take a Safari truck ride through the large African plains area to see the free roaming animals there. You can also for a reasonable price (around $20) go up in a Balloon to see the Park and area from 400 feet up. Its not a hot air balloon, but a balloon filled with Helium that is on a tether. You can see California Condors towards the back of the park as you are high on a hill at the end of the park. The park will take you at least a day to see everything as long as you keep up a good pace. Be ready for a lot of walking as the park has many trails and some that are uphill. The park is a great one that is unique compared to many zoos.
Carlsbad, California and Cape Rey Carlsbad Resort
Donna and I spent a night in Carlsbad, California at the Cap Rey Carlsbad Resort for our Anniversary. It’s a small but nice resort in a medium sized city around 35 minutes up the coast from San Diego. The resort is part of the Hilton brand of hotels. Its a quieter area and you are right along the Pacific coast from the hotel. There are nice restaurants in the area and an outdoor mall a few minutes away. The resort has restaurants, a nice pool and hot tub and good views of the Pacific Ocean. To go to the beach you need to walk across the street and take the stairs down the cliff. Th beach is a stone and not sandy beach. There is a camp site across the street as well if you do not want to stay at the resort. We had a very nice stay enjoying the pool and looking at the ocean. If you want more excitement Legoland is near by. We did not visit Legoland and just decided to relax after all the walking at the Zoos.
La Jolla Cove
On our final day of our three day trip we stopped by La Jolla Cove that is just North of San Diego in the morning. This free park along the coast can get very crowded even in the fall when we went so getting there early is important. We got the last parking spot at the park. They have a nice sidewalk viewing the cliffs and the pacific ocean at the park. We saw Sea Lions relaxing on the rocks at the park. They were very tame so we were able to get fairly close to them. There were people snorkeling in the rather rough water while we were there. Its a nice stop that you could take some time to relax or just a few minutes to take in the view.
Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial
A short drive fro La Jolla Cove up Mt. Soledad lies a Memorial to many of our nations heros who fought in the many wars our nation has participated in. At this free site you can take in views of the Pacific Ocean and San Diego while remembering the many soldiers the sight honors.
San Diego Tips
There is a lot to do in the San Diego area and the San Diego Zoo is the spot you do not want to miss in the area. There are also many parks like La Jolla where you can enjoy the ocean for free while you are in San Diego. Donna and I stayed outside the downtown area at the Hotel Circle that is a short drive from Old Town San Diego where you can shop and eat at nice restaurants. I do not recommend going across the border to nearby Tijuana due to the escalating violence in Mexico, especially along the border. You time is better spent seeing the many sights of San Diego. You can find affordable airfare to San Diego fairly often and it can be cheaper at times than other areas of California.