Our lovely counterman - Ashley (don't let his name fool you, he was a larger than life African-American man with a fantastically deep voice & was my newest best friend for the 20 min we spent at the office) asked what kind of car we wanted...on the plane we had joked about getting a two seater.
Aside: I may have actually proposed a three seater, and I know they don't make them, it just came out. C looked I had just suggested the world was flat.
Well Ashely did happen to have something for us. So we drove off in the below, although C found lots to complain about the vehicle - the poor rear vision was a plague. It was lovely for a weekend drive around. Sunday it was actually sunny and we drove along the Pacific Coast Highway with the top down. If we hadn't happened to be the palest individuals in sight we almost could have belonged in SD.
Complaints: I could not find the blow dryer to save my life - it was hanging in the closet, hiding behind C's suit. I found in Saturday, but not before I called and had them deliver a blow dryer Friday. There was no fan in the bathroom and the window did not open - which meant my hair was frizzy as frizzy could be the entire time, even the straightener could not save it.
Best moment: It's about 4 am (I think?) Sunday morning, people have been making quite a bit of noise in the hall all night. At one point, what I assumed were a group of drunken idiots tried to get into our room presumably thinking it was their own. At 4 I'm awake and extremely thirsty. I get up, grab my key and head out into the hall to visit the beverage vending station around the corner. As I walk out I notice a girl standing in front of one of the doors down the hall and I'm feeling really bad for her that she is locked out - probably also after visiting the vending machine, right?
I grab my terribly overpriced bottled water and head back. As I turn the corner I see the girl go into a room on the opposite side from where she was previously standing and I snicker a little that she was so tired that she had been trying the wrong door. Then as I get closer I realize that she just walked into my room. My first thought was horror that I had left the door open. When I finally walk up C is standing in the entry in his striped pj's holding the door open. He said something I can't exactly recall about me being in the right place and then looked over at our guest, who had walked all the way into the room and was looking very confused. "I guess this isn't my family", she says. Now I am feeling terrible for this poor girl who has been roaming the halls for who knows how long, but is looking longingly at C's bed. I was concerned she was actually going to crawl into it - and then what were we supposed to do with her - forcibly remove her?
Trying to be helpful I asked, "What room are they staying in?" She responded with, "They live down the street". At this point I realized there was a 90% chance she was sleepwalking, the chances of the other 10% she seemed to young to be in the realm of probability of. She sighed, looked at the bed one more time and then wandered right back out the door.
The door shut and it took several moments for the 4am brain to process what had just happened. When I asked C how she got inside (again thinking I had left the door open) he said that he was awake and had heard me leave so when she tried the door he thought it was me. I pointed out that I would obviously bring my key with me. He rebuttaled with the argument that it was 4am and who else would be trying to open the door. A 15 year old sleep walker obviously. I couldn't fall back asleep, I could hear her trying doors outside. I resolved to take her down to the lobby and figure out where she was supposed to be - but when I got out to the hall she was gone. Hopefully she found her family...
It was honestly the strangest thing that has ever happened to me in a hotel. At least that I can remember.
Friday was non-stop. We walked to breakfast, walked to Balboa Park, it was almost like being pioneer children for the day - only there was no singing.
The Botanical Garden's at Balboa Park.
The fabulous Model Train Museum.
The model above perfectly typified a typical SD downtown block: bail bonds, exotic massage parlor, corner store, and a pawn shop. It was our walk from breakfast to the park block after block.
Do you love the drive-in. Later we walked by and Looney Tunes was actually playing on the little screen.
After a selection of museum's we headed over to the San Diego zoo. Which I managed not to take a single photo of - it was everything I hoped it would be. If I ever get copies of C's photos, he lugged his big camera around all day and captured the animals on film. The zoo stayed open until 9pm, which meant that we were able to really pack the day. I refused to walk the 5 miles back to the hotel - we took a cab.
Saturday was K and A's wedding. It was perfect. The sealing was just right for them. After waiting for the photos to finish C and I headed to old town where we went through the Mormon Battalion visitor's center. They just re-modeled a year or so ago and it was impressively well done. The video's were cheesy at times but I was very impressed, and may have even unsuccessfully tried to choke back a few tears. Highly recommended.
Of course you can't go anywhere without running into someone...at the temple C and I had been commenting on one incredibly sharply dresses 3 or 4 year old. We walk into the visitor's center and the cute little sister missionary (who my heart went out to when she was called upon to 'act' in the Mormon battalion presentation as the photo's came to life - I'm not sure preaching the gospel and acting skills were a combination she had in mind when she put in her papers) asked us where we were from. From around a corner someone we couldn't even see pipes up "Are you here for A and K's wedding?" Dumbfounded, until the sharp little man ran around the corner to his grandma - A's aunt, who I did recognize from the temple.
We eventually met C, H, and K for lunch and then had to leave right away to drive up to Sun City for the reception. We got to the restaurant after the waiter had deposited the chips and salsa and left before the check came - beautiful timing. A's family did great things with the cultural hall. The reception stayed on schedule and we were out before 9 while having had a fantastic time. The brilliant Ss had catered Chinese food (which sadly I could not even think of eating - even the salad at old town stretched my limit after all the food we ate on Friday) and an Ice Cream Bar (there is however always room for hand dipped ice cream.
On the way back to SD I tried to squeeze in watching the meteor shower. I google mapped a park and we hunkered down with blankets I'd borrowed from the hotel. I had been sharing anecdotes about star gazing in Provo and how the police always showed up at Kiwanis Park with their high beams. Within 5 min of settling down the most disgruntled city employee I have ever come across appears next to us and proceeds to yell at us. C thankfully did not open his mouth and we escaped the $700 worth of fines the man was threatening us with. I was very polite and appropriately ignorant. What was absolutely ridiculous is that as we were driving out of the parking lot, a mere 200 feet from where city employee Grump had accosted us, there was a group of underage teens right under a lamp post dancing around open bottles of wine. Which apparently is less of a concern to the city than star gazers.
Sunday morning we walked over to a charming French cafe for breakfast. I must say that the food in SD really racked up big points. After a day of fasting Saturday the food was fantastic and thankfully a much smaller portion than breakfast Friday morning.
Then it was off to the Maritime Museum. Which I thoroughly enjoyed. We didn't spend too much time in the actual museum but hit the ships instead.
A U.S. Submarine,
A Russian submarine,
C climbing through one of the inner hatches. There was a interesting fellow who followed us through the entire ship - pretty sure C figures in about 14 of this man's photos and I am in about 6 - apparently he was on vacation with us.
At the helm,
Walking the same deck as Russell Crowe did in Master and Commander. The captain's quarters put the submarine's accommodations to shame.
If you can see this dolls eye's they were seriously creepy - as were all the mannequins used to make the experience more "real".
After the Maritime Museum we walked back down the street to the USS Midway. It's amazing that something so big can feel so crowded and claustrophobic.
On deck.
The most important room on the USS Midway - the War Room. Well I'm not sure that's really what it's called, but I think this is where some of the most interesting stuff goes on. Digging the radar!
After finishing with one of the world's largest floating cities we drove up the Pacific Coast Highway with the top down and headed back to Old Town for ice cream and J's favorite gift shop before heading to the airport.
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