San Diego is a beautiful city. Here is a view of the city from the Eurodam.
A Hop On Hop Off trolley tour was, once again, the order of the day.
HOHO is a great and convenient way to see a place if you have limited time. We boarded the trolley at the Embarcadero, just outside the cruise ship terminal. The entire ten loop trip takes about two hours and exposes you to all the tourist spots in San Diego. As with the tours in Vancouver and Santa Barbara, most of my photos are from a moving vehicle. I did the best I could.
Our first visit was to Seaport Village. As we passed by I was able to take this shot of a statue of this iconic moment in American history.
I also got this shot of part of the downtown skyline.
From there we were off to a stop at the Marriott Marquis & Marina Hotel where I took this shot of the landscaping in front and then a picture of the hotel itself.
The Horton Plaza Park area was next. Years ago JoAnn and I stayed in the U.S. Grant Hotel, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is part of the Luxury Hotel Collection. It is opposite Horton Plaza. Here is a photo of the hotel.
Enjoy a photo of the Horton Plaza Park Fountain . . .
. . . and the Balboa Theatre which was built in 1924 and is also listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.
Then we found ourselves headed into the Gaslamp Quarter. I took photos of these buildings in the quarter.
San Diego is connected to Coronado by the Coronado Bridge. I have always heard Coronado referred to as an island but it is a peninsula that connects to the mainland on its southern most point. The bridge is exceedingly high so that ships of all kinds can pass under it. Here is a picture of the bridge from the distance with Coronado on the right.
This photo of San Diego was taken as we crossed the bridge.
Coronado is very nice, and with a paltry sum of money, maybe $800,000 or more, you can buy a sliver of land to call your own. Here are a few photos of the area.
In the mood for a little more expensive place, modeled on the Del Coronado Hotel, then maybe this is the place for you.
Balboa Park, the home of the world famous San Diego Zoo, was next on our loop around the city. We only saw a small portion of what this wonderful public park has to offer. There is the House of Hospitality, two major art museums, the San Diego Museum of Man, the San Diego Automotive Museum, the Spreckels Organ Pavillion, the Botanical Gardens Building and even the Fleet Science Center.
Never got near the zoo but saw most of the above from my window seat. What follows are a couple of photos taken as we moved along. The first is of the Art Museum located in Plaza de Panama.
Next are two shots of the San Diego Museum of Man. The exterior is quite elaborate.
We passed through Little Italy on our way to Old Town. Being a Saturday, the Italian Market was up and running.
As we were enroute, through Little Italy, I caught a photo of this plane passing over the community. The international airport is only a few miles from Little Italy; I can’t imagine the noise. According to our driver, there are no flights between 11pm and 6am.
When we arrived in Old Town, where we had to change trolleys, we were greeted by this quartet.
After changing trolleys, our last stop was Seaport Village where we disembarked and walked back to the ship. I took these shots along the way.
This next one is a piece of art along the walkway. I found it attractive and interesting.
This tree also piqued my curiosity.
The tuna fleet was tied up for the day.
San Diego is home to the U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet. Along Harbor Drive is this memorial to the USS San Diego which was the second most decorated ship in World War II. A comment on “heroes” is in order. The men and women who served in World War II, who willingly gave their lives to protect the liberties that we as Americans enjoy, were truly heroes. Today the term is indiscriminately thrown around. Not everyone who does their job is a hero.
The USS Midway is also docked in San Diego. I took a couple of shots of the ship which now serves as a floating museum. I especially like the photo of the lookout watching for incoming aircraft.
This is of the flag flying high over the ship.
Before we knew it we were back on board the Eurodam, our floating home at sea. I took a couple of shots as we sailed away. Good bye San Diego.
