Come Visit Us in San Diego

 Since we are often accused - and deservedly so - of wanting to move to whichever spot we've most recently vacationed, I anticipated we were in for trouble when we got to San Diego.  As vacationers, we enjoy exploring neighborhoods and dining in the restaurants that the locals favor, so it's difficult not to envision ourselves living in these neighborhoods and imagining what life would be like if we were to live here.

This one-week old giraffe ventured out for just a moment.

If we lived in San Diego, I can't say what our lives would be like, but I can say that they would be set to perfect weather.  With an average temperature of 70 (yes, that's right - 70!), this city may have the most ideal climate ever.  We arrived at the famed San Diego Zoo by 10 AM and left just before closing at 6 PM, and we all would have been content to spend hours longer.  The last time I took the kids to a zoo in the summer - in Washington D.C. - we were wilting after an hour.  It was difficult to tell who was more miserable, us or the animals.  And let's not even get started on the Miami Metrozoo!

This zoo, located in Balboa Park, just minutes from downtown San Diego, is famed for a reason. - San Diego Zoo -   You can take a bus tour, a sky tram, moving walkways up hills, or an express bus to get from one part of the zoo to the other, but it's just as lovely to walk, as we enjoyed low's of 65 and highs of 70, as we walked around on this June Monday.  The animals are spectacular, and my camera never more appreciated!  We did take the bus tour, the sky tram, the moving sidewalk, and the express bus (once, since Dana pointed out that "express" was a misnomer, to be sure) just to experience them all.  We spent ample time with the polar bears, the red pandas (which might be the "other panda" as far as most zoogoers are concerned, but are the main attraction for Maddie), the baby jaguars, the the zebras (which provided quite the unexpected spectacle) and the orangutans, as well as just enjoying the beautiful jacaranda trees, brought to San Diego and Balboa Park in the late 1800's by Kate Sessions, who has a statue (and a park) here honoring her for her efforts.

We concluded our day with a dinner stop at Hodad's, another local institution.  Named after the "posers" who hang out at the beach trying to pass themselves off as surfers though they do not surf, this is a local burger joint that is given credit for jump starting the recent burger renaissance.  The decor is just what you'd expect - lots of surfboards and license plates hanging on the walls.  It was a fun, casual place to dine, but I wouldn't move to San Diego because of it :)

I apologize for this photo, but Daniel insisted it would gain more viewers to the blog :)

On Tuesday, we will spend the early part of the day exploring La Jolla and Coronado, then head off to Palm Springs.  Going from this magnificent weather straight into the heart of the desert - the high today is reported to be 104 - should be quite the adjustment, but we're ready to hit the water slides! 

While we aren't ready to pack our bags for San Diego just yet, if Maddie decides to attend CalArts, Daniel has encouraged me to do what I can to "find a good job" here.   If that doesn't work out, we've been encouraged to visit again in November, when the temperature is, of course, perfect, and the rates very low.