San Diego

San Diego in a Day: Seeing the Sight in Twenty-Four Hours

By Sharon Miller and Don Miller

December 2004

“You can see all the way to Oceanside from here,” our tour guide, Marcella exclaimed. Perched on our mountain bikes at the top of Mount Soledad, we squinted toward the north, just able to make out the banana like curve of the California coastline. My father and I had only one day to explore the best of San Diego and we decided the most efficient way to start was by bike. Next, Marcella pointed out the huge cross that graced the very top of the mountain. American flags surrounded it, due to the fact that it was Veterans Day and it seemed as if the town was preparing for a celebration.

“That cross caused a lot of controversy here in La Jolla,” she explained. Apparently, certain citizens of the area found the religious significance of the cross offensive and actually petitioned to have it removed. Nevertheless, the petition failed and the cross continues to preside over La Jolla and the surrounding communities. With that thought, we all kicked off on our bikes and One of the most popular tourist destinations in San Diego, La Jolla Cove entices courageous swimmers and scuba divers to brave the cool waters. began the four mile down hill to the small surf community of Pacific Beach. Although speeding downhill while maneuvering around much larger vehicles frightened me, just a little bit, the ride was quite refreshing. The crisp, cool air blew past my face and seemed to cleanse me of all the stress from my normal daily life. As we cruised into Pacific Beach, the ground leveled out, and the realization that I was actually going to have to peddle set in. For the next 15 miles, we worked our way down the boardwalk through P.B. (as the locals call it), into Mission Beach, which Marcella claims is not nearly as cool as P.B. We cycled past multimillion-dollar shacks, with huge picture windows that stared across the white, sandy beaches out into the endless blue of the Pacific Ocean. We circled back, around the calm beauty of Mission Bay, and back toward La Jolla. On our way, we discovered secret surf spots, where only talented locals strut their stuff. We paused for a moment to watch sea lions and seals bask on the rocks just off the coast of Children’s Beach. We marveled at the brave souls swimming without wetsuits in the famed La Jolla Cove, but most amazing to me, were the neighborhoods. We rode through the old, historic neighborhoods of La Jolla where we witnessed the classic beauty that is Californian architecture. The strawberry stucco walls and marmalade tiled roofs loomed over perfectly manicured lawns. The multimillion-dollar price tags of these homes are almost understandable, considering the location, the view and the size.

Despite the beauty of the setting, the 15 miles of peddling began to quickly takes its toll on both my father and I and relief spread through our bodies when we spotted the familiar blue awning of La Jolla Kayak. As we pulled up to the store, my body wanted to collapse from shear exhaustion, nevertheless, we still had much more to see. We quickly thanked our guide for the morning, and headed off toward the island of Coronado.

San Diego is fairly easy to get around. From La Jolla, we jumped onto Interstate 5 and headed The burnt-orange spire of The Del presides over the sandy white beaches of Coronado Island. south through the city. Our plans were to enjoy a relaxing lunch at the Hotel Del Coronado before heading back to our hotel to get ready for the evening. We crossed the long and skinny Coronado Bridge and eventually found our way to the sea wall. The grand spire of The Del beckoned us as we made our way down the clean, white beach. It is easy to see why The Del has grown into such a famous landmark. The pearl colored walls and burnt-orange roof stood out against the deep indigo of the sea. There are several restaurants to choose from when dining at the Del, we chose Sheerwater, mainly because it was the first one we came upon and the growling of our stomachs was growing too loud to carry on a descent conversation. The service was excellent, as was the food despite it being a bit pricey (a cheeseburger cost $15). Our view was uninhibited as we munched on our culinary delights and quieted the rudeness of our bellies. Ahhhh, just the relaxation we deserved after such an arduous journey by bike. Despite our desperate need to rest our weary bones, the quiet call of San Diego’s nightlife summoned us to our feet. We headed back to our hotel, to prepare ourselves for the evening.

The concierge at the Hilton San Diego Resort secured us a reservation at Croce’s, a restaurant in the Gaslamp District of downtown San Diego. Opened in 1985, as a living memorial to the late, singer-songwriter Jim Croce, Croce’s displays all sorts of memorabilia, photos, guitars and records of the legend and features live jazz, rhythm and blues nightly. Describing their food as American Contemporary, Croce’s offers a wide variety of salads, seafood, pasta, poultry and meat with prices ranging from $6.00 to $15.00 for appetizers and $20.00 to $33.00 for entrees. My father and I chose to sit outside, enjoying an atmosphere reminiscent of a European street café. After finishing our meal and the accompanying bottle of wine, we decided to head to a new bar we had heard about that was all the rage in the Gaslamp District.

O The waitress flies to the top of the "wine cellar" to retrieve a bottle of red wine at Osetra Fishhouse. nly a block away from Croce’s, Osetra Fishhouse advertised a gimmick that was too unbelievable to miss. Bursting on the scene only four months ago, Osetra boasts a ring of ice that surrounds the bar (so you can keep your cocktails cold) and a waitress that literally “flies” to get your drink. Yes, when you order a bottle of red wine, and mind you, it must be a bottle, the sprightly waitress dressed all in black, straps herself into a harness system and magically floats into the air by motorized cables. The “wine cellar,” resides in the center of the bar and stretches from the floor to the ceiling and if you choose your wine correctly, the waitress may be forced to fly the two stories to the top. Hoping to see the flying waitress in action, my father and I pored over the lengthy wine list. Not to be discouraged by the $500 and $600 bottles of wine, we searched until we found one that was a bit more in our range, a $35 bottle of Chianti. We placed our order and waited, and to our delight, the waitress hooked herself in and flew up in the air, illuminated by the flashing of tourists’ cameras.

Although we were enjoying the bar-like atmosphere of Osetra, the day’s events and the alcohol finally began to take their toll. Our eyelids began to grow heavy and we knew it was time to head back to the hotel. Nevertheless, we had accomplished our goals for the day, to see the best that San Diego had to offer in 24 hours or less.

**All Photos by Don Miller

If You Go

Hilton San Diego Resort

1775 East Mission Bay Drive

San Diego, CA 92109

1-800-HILTON

La Jolla Kayak

Marcella Di Michieli

858-437-1224

www.lajollakayak.com

Hotel Del Coronado

1500 Orange Avenue