Last week, Elaine and her Mom spent five days enjoying all kinds of fun things to do in San Diego, Calif., on their once-a-year Mother-Daughter outing.
They flew roundtrip from Reno to San Diego with some great internet discount tickets from Southwest Airlines.
Then at the airport, the hotel shuttle picked them up and took the two of them to the Wyndham Hotel, which is located on the edge of the harbor.
Wyndham Hotel sightseeing:
At the hotel, they had an awesome view of the harbor and the surrounding countryside from the balcony of their 12th floor room.
They sat in comfort and watched all kinds of activities including:
The U.S.S. Midway, the famous aircraft carrier from World War II, which is now a moored naval museum.
The arrival and departure of the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier.
The arrival and departure of the U.S.S. Carl Vincent aircraft carrier.
The arrival and departure of various U.S. navy ships.
The arrival and departure of the cruise ship Statendam.
The arrival and departure of the large cruise ship Sapphire Princess.
The arrival and departure of all kinds of ferries and work boats.
The "Star of India," an old three mast sailing ship moored near their hotel.
Other boats and sailing boats that were moored or arriving or departing.
Plus as an added bonus, they were able to watch passenger planes land and take off at the nearby, super busy, San Diego airport (which has 600 flights each day).
San Diego Zoo:
One of the highlights (there were many) of their visit to San Diego was the day they spent sightseeing and taking photos at its world famous zoo.
They saw all kinds of animals and birds including: African Antelope, Pronghorn Antelope, Bighorn Sheep, Black Bears, Elephants, Flamingos, Giraffes, Hyenas, Impalas, Koala Bears, Macaws, Meerkats, Otters, Pangolin (Scaly Anteater), Peccaries, Rhinos, Vultures, Wild Dogs, etc; and even a white wolf on a leash, being led around the grounds by a handler.
Finally:
If you ever decide to visit San Diego, you might want to do as they did:
Fly roundtrip from Reno on Southwest Airlines on discount tickets.
Stay at the Wyndham Hotel (in an upper-level room with a view of the harbor).
Walk to Horton Plaza (a five story shopping mall) and do some shopping.
Have dinner at the hotel's Elephant and Castle Pub.
Take the hotel shuttle to the zoo.
At the zoo, ride the aerial tramway for a bird's eye view of San Diego.
Take the zoo tour bus to travel around the zoo.
Have a seafood dinner at Anthony's Fish Grotto at the harbor.
Take the Hop-On Trolley to Coronado to sightsee.
At Coronado, take the trolley to "Little Italy" to sightsee, shop and for lunch.
Walk along the harbor to visit the U.S.S. Midway and the maritime museum.
Take the Hop-On-Trolley to "Seaport Village" to sightsee and shop.
Take the Hop-On-Trolley to "Old Town" to sightsee, and shop and for lunch.
Take the Hop-On-Trolley for a 2-hour tour of San Diego attractions.
Bet Your Favorite Pigeon
Bet your favorite pigeon that he can't tell you where Elaine and her Mom (sometimes with me!) have gone on annual outings in past years.
If he grins, takes a deep breath and says, "In past years, they have gone to such places as: Alberta Canada, Alaska, Apple Hill California, Bodega Bay California, British Columbia, Denver Colorado, Rural Nevada (Gerlach, Fallon, Austin, Eureka, Ely, Tonopah and Hawthorne), Yosemite National Park, and Yukon Canada," he could be a relative or close friend of the family.
— Don Quilici is the Outdoor editor for Carson Now and www.SouthTahoeNow.com. He can be reached at donquilici@hotmail.com
