Goodbye Summer, Hello Pants Pt. 2

Ah yes, San Diego.  Literally translated in Spanish, it means whale's vagina.  OK, you're right, it doesn't.  But Anchorman is such an awesome movie.  I'm looking forward to the sequel.

The Salty Dog and I had the honor of attending her cousin's wedding in said city this past July.  If you've never been there, it's worth a trip.  Aside from the fact that it's California expensive, it really does have a lot to offer and it's not quite as plastic as LA.  The weather is San Diego is 80 and sunny year round.  It's also close to Tijuana if you have a desire for low cost prescription drugs or a burro show.

We stayed at the Hotel Solemar.  The hotel is right in the heart of downtown San Diego.  This boutique hotel seems to be where the beautiful people congregate.  While the most beautiful woman in the world is Salty Dog, all the other women here tied for second.  I'm not sure what it was, but good God those were some hard bodies around the pool.  I was too embarrassed to take my shirt off due to my manatee-like physique, so I sat at the bar and drank....and watched, then drank some more.  And the watching was good.  Surprisingly, so was the beer.

There is a wonderful bar out by the pool, and in the evening it turns into a hot spot for the see and be seen crowd.

SD has some great beer.  I had read about some of these beers and was eager to try them.  Coming from Michigan, the Great Beer State, I was doubtful that any of these Cali beers would measure up.  I was wrong.  While Michigan brewers Short's and Bell's will always be the best, SD made a strong showing.  One of my new favorites is the Ballast Point Sculpin IPA.  This beer is one of the better IPA's out there, maybe even the best.  Most reassuring, the Dry Fly can find this beer at Anderson's General Store in Toledo.  While it does cost a whopping $15 per six pack, it is worth every penny to the discerning IPA drinker.  Also around SD and worth a taste are the Stone Brewing Co.(home of Arrogant Bastard Ale), Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Green Flash brewing company, and San Diego Brewing Co. just to name a few.

Hotel Solemar is only a block or two from Petco Park where the Padres play.  Quite a few good bars around here as well.

The wedding was a great time.  The reception was held in the San Diego Museum of Art, located in Balboa Park.  Balboa Park is home to many museums and some great open space in metro SD.  The collection of the museum was quite impressive, as would be expected in a major metro art museum.  Food was located in the foyers on the first and second floor.  The museum was also open, so Salty Dog and I wandered around and took in the art.  It was nice that the docents noted how outstanding our museum in Toledo is when we mentioned it was our hometown.  The evening was punctuated with dancing and chatting with friends and family.  The bride and groom looked very happy.  I think it safe to say that a good time was had by all.

Salty Dog and her cousin sharing a dance at the reception.

After recovering from our hangovers, we grabbed a bite to eat at the Broken Yolk Cafe of Man vs. Food fame.  We didn't try the giant omelet, but we had a breakfast burrito and a Monte Cristo, coffee, mimosas.  Hangover cured!

Next, we were whisked off on a tour of San Diego culminating in a trip to Cabrillo National Monument and the Del Coronado Hotel.  The view from Cabrillo is impressive and whales can sometimes be seen migrating off the coast here.  It is also the entry to San Diego Harbor and has a view of Coronado Airfield. If you're lucky, you can catch a glimpse of fighter jets and naval ships coming and going over the harbor.  It's a bit out of town and there is a small entrace fee, but this was one of the prettier things I saw while here.

After driving around all day, we had some hungry folks in the car.  We stopped at a pricey Mexican place called Agave, which had hundreds of tequillas and numerous moles on the menu.  The rest of the group wasn't that interested in mole or tequilla, so we went the tourist route and headed to old town San Diego.  I'm so glad we did.  It's a complete tourist trap, but it had some great places that educated visitors on the early history of San Diego.

Salty Dog pestering the locals.  They weren't very animated.

Our main stop was the "haunted" Whaley House.  This is a historical home that has been turned into a museum.  The tour was great for the history alone, but people allegedly see ghosts and such.  No such luck for this group.  What I found particularly interesting was the practice of law in early America and the way that Courthouses were truly the centerpieces of community in early America.  On an related topic, many rural and semi-rural communities in our neck of the woods are trying to preserve their early courthouses for this very reason.  Click here for the story, pictures and a map.  Regardless, San Diego Viejo is worth a stop for an afternoon or evening, though many attractions close around 6.

The old courtroom / store / ballroom at the Whaley House.

I Object!  This court doesn't even present a spectre of justice!

After our whirlwind tour, it was time to get back to our dawgs who missed us so.  San Diego was great.  Drink the beer.  Eat a burrito.  Take in the culture.