Last week's spring break trip to San Diego was incredible, but we're still worn out from "vacation" so this post might be big on pictures and really random otherwise! I'll break it out by days in some attempt at organized thought.
DAY 1: Sea World San Diego
Ugh - the park now has rides. Shawn and I are both old school and think they detract from the whole sea life experience, but whatever... The kids, of course, dug them.
Rest assured, there are still plenty of happy animal activities to be had.
And more fun in kiddieland.
We lasted most of the day, Greta picked out the tackiest souvenir in the place (a pink dolphin she immediately named "Bubblegum"), and we headed back to our hotel for pizza and an early night.
DAY 2: Torrey Pines State Reserve, La Jolla Beaches, etc.
We started our second full day well-rested and ready for some hiking in beautiful Torrey Pines.
Did I mention it was foggy? And cooler in California than Albuquerque for the entire week?
But a bit of weather wasn't about to keep us away from the ocean.
We spent the rest of the morning and afternoon playing on the beaches in La Jolla.
Including this one, with some extremely stinky regulars!
Then back to the hotel for some swimming, dinner out, and Sponge Bob (I'm pretty convinced that show is on Nickelodeon every minute of the day, and absolutely giddy we don't have cable at home to see it again!).
DAY 3: Legoland California
On the third morning, we headed north to Carlsbad for a day of theme park fun. Legoland is really geared toward the 8 and under crowd; the sooner you accept the fact that you'll be squeezing yourself into minuscule rides for the duration and let the kiddos pick the itinerary for the day, the better things will go! Greta was in lame kiddie-ride paradise (and we were equally happy watching her take it all in).
Liam was also into the rides, but really reached peak excitement after we found the Star Wars portion of Miniland. Whole figures and scenes from the movies made entirely from Legos...
Why yes, that is an Imperial Walker you see in the background.
And Darth Vader himself.
The last few hours we were there, clouds and cold rolled in and the place cleared out. It was great!! We lingered at the playground area, walked right on rides, took in a 3D movie, and hit up the giant Lego store right at closing time.
DAY 4: USS Midway, harbor cruise, Coronado Island
We kicked off our last full day in San Diego with a visit to the USS Midway aircraft carrier.
Liam was endlessly fascinated by the planes; alas, a subsequent viewing of "Top Gun" upon return home didn't hold his attention (hard to compete with Sponge Bob).
We enjoyed a cruise around San Diego's north harbor after the Midway, but were too occupied with the sights (and drinks) aboard to take any photos. After a tasty seafood lunch at The Fish Market, we headed over the bridge to Coronado Island for a final beach excursion.
The ocean is really bliss. We'd probably be there still, but Liam's pants eventually took on so much sand and water that they'd no longer stay up, and we had to call it a night before the sun set.
No worries, the filthy-child-factor gave us a good excuse to hit an In-N-Out Burger en route to the hotel. We left the Residence Inn with plenty of sand in the bath tub, and took plenty of wonderful memories home with us the next day.
San Diego, you remain one of my very favorite cities and a place I'd love to live if we had enormous piles of money. Thanks for the good times! -Amelia
3 comments:
Aren't vacation wonderful. Glad you had a great time. Sand is always in the mix for a wonderful time.
G K
Thanks for the pictures. Feels like I was there with you. Glad you had a great time.
Grandpa Mike
Oh my word, talk about a perfect family vacation. I didn't even know you were going. Super fun. I couldn't stop laughing at the picture of Liam and his underwear in the sand :)
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