California Girls

So, we went to San Diego this past week for Spring Break.  It was fun, but we were so tired by the end, we were really ready to be home.  Here are some highlight pictures from our trip.

Day 1 - We flew into San Diego early Sunday evening.  Unfortunately, the car rental process took so long that it was late evening by the time we got some dinner and settled into our hotel room.  This was doubly frustrating because I reserved the car rental online over a month earlier - we were in the rental place for over an hour.  Bad show, Avis.  Actually, based on my experience the last time I rented a car in San Diego (a couple of years ago for a business trip), this is typical for rental places in San Diego.  Pickup is poorly run, long, and inefficient, though drop off is smooth and easy.  Interestingly, this is something the Germans did much better.  I didn't spend more than ten minutes in the rental place during either of my Germany trips.

Anyway, we stayed in a cool hotel called The Catamaran.  On the back side of the hotel it opens right onto the beach on Mission Bay, and on the front side, it's just 500 ft to Pacific Beach.

The Catamaran Hotel from the Mission Bay side

The girls in the lobby of the hotel

Day 2 - On Monday, we spent most of the day in the San Diego Zoo.  Wow, it is quite a huge place!  After spending all day at the zoo, we spent a little time on the Mission Bay beach at our hotel.

The girls get up close and personal with a peacock

Day 3 - Tuesday was our day at Sea World.  We spent the whole day there, but didn't quite get to see everything.  That's not so much because there is too much to see in one day, but more because you have to line up early to get a good seat at the shows.  Also, the highlight of the day was the girls' participation in the "Dolphin Interaction Program", where they got to get into wetsuits and spend time in the water with dolphins.  It was expensive, but they will never forget that experience.  We also saw the very funny Sea Lions Live show, and of course, the Shamu show.

Holding starfish in the tide pool

Laughing at Biff, the stagehand at Sea Lions Live

Seymour, of Sea Lions Live

Getting splashed up close by a dolphin

Petting a wet tummy

Dolphin kisses

Going to get splashed!

All wet now!

Feeding time

Shamu and friends

Day 4 - On Wednesday we decided to go back to Sea World to catch the last remaining things we had missed the day before.  Our passes were good for five days, though we had to pay for parking again.  The main thing we missed on Tuesday was the dolphin show, called "Blue Horizon".  I say dolphin show, but it had choreography, parrots, pilot whales, cranes, and vultures too.  It was actually more impressive than the Shamu show, which was a little tame in comparison.  I think that must be because of the accident they had a couple of years ago with one of their whales.  Anyway, we also saw the polar exhibits, including polar bears, penguins, and beluga whales.  Also, Ashlee got to ride the Journey to Atlantis roller coaster, which made her day.  She's a brave kid!  That afternoon was spent visiting the USS Midway, an aircraft carrier permanently docked in San Diego harbor.  The girls enjoyed that more than I hoped, especially Ashlee.  We rounded out the evening with a little time on Pacific Beach, across from our hotel.

The dolphins of "Blue Horizon"

A pilot whale in "Blue Horizon"

A beluga whale

Those doorways in the USS Midway are small!

Tower, this is Ghost Rider requesting a flyby.

On the flight deck of the Midway

Playing in the surf on Pacific Beach

...and in the sand

Day 5 - Thursday we drove out to Point Loma and visited the lighthouse and Cabrillo National Monument.  Then we visited Children's Beach in La Jolla, where the harbor seals congregate, and the tide pools at Shell Beach.  Finally, we spent the rest of the afternoon playing at La Jolla Shores beach, which is really nice, and has flecks of fool's gold in the sand.

The view from Point Loma

Checking out hermit crabs in the tide pools

All the girls in the ocean at La Jolla Shores

Christine's sand castle at La Jolla Shores

Day 6 - Friday, we packed up and headed out, driving to see Old Town San Diego before returning our car and heading to the airport.  We kind of wished we'd had more time to spend at the Old Town, as it ended up being much cooler than we expected.  The girls (all three of them!) liked the country candy store the best, though the mining shop with all the crystals, fossils, and semi-precious stones was a close runner up.

Well, like I said, we had a lot of fun, but we were glad to be home.