Sunday in Balboa Park, San Diego

Balboa Park in San Diego is 1,200 acres (1.9 sq. miles/4.8 sq. km) of open space, green belts, museums, gardens, attractions, restaurants, theaters, and the San Diego Zoo (a personal favorite).  I could spend a whole day at the Zoo and not see any more of the Park.  Or, at the Museum of Art or the Natural History Museum or the Air and Space Museum or the Japanese Garden or the Botanical Garden - there is just so much to do!

Today, I'm heading over to the Spreckels Organ Pavilion for their weekly concert. The Spreckels, founders of a transportation and real estate empire in San Diego, donated one of the world's largest outdoor pipe organs to the City of San Diego in 1915 for the Panama-California Exposition to celebrate the completion of the Panama Canal (competing with the Panama-Pacific International Exposition held at the same time in San Francisco). The organ contains 4,725 pipes ranging in length from the size of a pencil to 32 feet and is housed in an ornate pavilion in Balboa Park.  The organ has been played in a free weekly concert Sunday afternoon at 2 since 1917.

But first, I have to brave the Sunday afternoon traffic heading into Balboa Park.  I ark outside the park and walk in past the Lawn Bowling Area, where the San Diego Lawn Bowling Club (organized in 1931) plays most days of the week (and also gives lessons). 

Lawn Bowling Area

After the Lawn Bowling Area, I walk along El Prado, across the Cabrillo Bridge and into the park.  I can see the Zoo in the distance, but, here, am immediately surrounded by museums:  Museum of Man, San Diego Museum of Art, Timkin Museum of Art, Mingei International Museum, and the San Diego Art Institute, Old Globe Theater, and Botanical Garden.  After passing several of the museums, I enter the Plaza de Panama, open and welcoming, surrounded by all these great things to do and see.

Plaza de Panama, surrounded by museums

From the Plaza, I can see the Spreckels Organ Pavilion, just one green area away.

Spreckels Organ Pavilion across the green belt

I walk over to the Pavilion and take a seat for the hour-long concert.  The organ produces a tremendous sound and what a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon!  The San Diego Civic Organist, Dr. Carol Williams, is not playing today and we have a Family Day Concert with guest organist Alison Luedecke, along with several of her young students.

Sitting in the Organ Pavilion for the concert

 Viewing the organ up close afterwards

Slight aircraft noise accompaniment

 

After the concert, I wander out of the park, admiring the gnarled old trees in the green areas.

 Gnarled trees

There is so much to do in Balboa Park that I could (and have in the past) spend days wandering.  But, today it's a quick trip for the organ concert, then back up to Carlsbad for the evening and, then, time for this long weekend to come to a close.  But, before moving on, I'll share one more picture from the park - a serpent sculpture playground just off the Plaza de Panama.

 Serpent sculpture for play

Spring Weekend in San Diego, Continued

After lunch, we wander through the Gaslamp Quarter and into Little Italy, on our way back to our car parked by the airport.  San Diego's downtown area is tucked between the San Diego Bay on the west/southwest and the hills and Balboa Park on the north and east.  Downtown is composed of nine districts and we have already walked through the Marina and Seaport Village, a tourist district in the Marina, on our way to the Gaslamp Quarter.  On our way back, we'll wander through the Horton district with the Horton Plaza massive outdoor mall and Little Italy.

 Downtown San Diego

In a square outside Horton Plaza, we encounter a statue of Alonzo Horton, founder of the current downtown San Diego.  In 1876, Horton purchased 800 acres of downtown property from the city for $265 and developed the property to become the new city center, replacing the Old Town to the north, where the first Europeans in California originally settled and, in 1769, Father Junipero Serra established the very first mission in a chain of 21 missions that were to be the cornerstone of California’s colonization.

Alonzo Horton

After leaving the square with Alonzo Horton's statue, we come across a grand old hotel, the US Grant, opened in 1910 and built by Ulysses S. Grant, Jr., son of president Ulysses S. Grant.

 US Grant Hotel

Next, Little Italy, originally an Italian fishing neighborhood, but now restaurants, shops, stores, galleries, and apartments.  We see a lot of good-looking Italian dining opportunities (too bad we just ate), but the most popular one is a surprise, a Mexican restaurant with a kitchen and a window through which they sell food to walk-up business.  People are lined up and standing around eating the great food.

 Attractive dining opportunities in Little Italy

Most popular place

 Past Little Italy, we turn left, back to the Bay, and come across City Hall, a historic Spanish-style building completed in 1938.  Two years ago, the parking lots next to the City Hall were converted to a Waterfront park with open grassy areas, a playground, fountain and sculpture.

San Diego City Hall (San Diego Bay on the other side)

 Sculpture "Arbre de Serpents (Serpent Tree)"

in Waterfront Park next to City Hall

We stroll back up the Bay to the airport, passing the sailboats, Coast Guard helicopter base, and then the airport itself.

  Helicopter coming in over the sailboats and after landing

Just outside the entrance to the airport, we find a San Diego DecoBike station.  DecoBike is a bike sharing system rolled out in 2011, now with 180 stations and over 1,800 bikes located throughout the city.  What a great idea - walk off your flight and hop on a bike to go where you want.

But, it is time for us to get in our car and head up the coast about 30 miles to Carlsbad, with one last look back along the Bay at the city from where we walked.

View of the city from our parking spot

Spring Weekend in San Diego

We head down to San Diego for a long weekend, a combination of business and pleasure.  But first, a stroll around San Diego.  We park over by the airport and walk into the city along the San Diego Bay, over to the convention center, about 4 miles.  The view of the pleasure boards, cruise boats and aircraft carriers are somehow all complementary.

Downtown San Diego from the Airport (we are walking there)
 

Aircraft carriers across the Bay

Bougainvillea in full bloom at the airport

 Sailboats anchored along the way, cruise boat in the background

San Diego's climate is quite temperate, with a average high of 69.8°F (21°C), an average low of 57.5°F (14°C) and only 43 rainy days each year.  San Diego was the first part of California that Europeans settled in and is still an incredibly attractive and popular place to live and visit.

Along the walk way are signs about the creatures with whom we share the bay.

Our neighbors in and above the water

The San Diego Embarcadero stretches all along the San Diego Harbor, from the cruise boat terminal past the USS Midway to the convention center, with museums, hotels, restaurants and shops.  It's a little crowded around the cruise boat terminal as people get on and off the ship, but fine for walking, biking, jogging, and just enjoying the day.  The USS Midway, about halfway down the Embarcadero, is the longest-serving aircraft carrier in the Navy and is now a museum with over 1 million visitors each year

USS Midway

 As we continue on past the USS Midway, we come to the commercial fishing fleet.

Fishing boats at rest

Fish for sale, fresh off the boat

We continue on to the San Diego Convention center, about 4 miles from where we parked and started walking, and turn away from the water to enter the Gaslamp Quarter, 16.5 blocks of entertainment, dining, shopping and hotels located in historic buildings dating from the Victorian Era.  The term "Gaslamp" refers to the gas lamps that were common in San Diego in the 19th and 20th centuries.

View of downtown from the Convention Center

 Entering the Gaslamp Quarter across from the Convention Center

As we wander through the Gaslamp Quarter, we start to think about lunch and spot the Gaslamp Union Kitchen & Tap with an open table outside.  Although the craft beer list is appealing, we settle for Diet Cokes and some great food. We share fish tacos (beer battered cod with cabbage, jalapeno cream and pico de gallo on corn tortillas) and a blackened chicken wrap (with corn and red pepper salsa, avocado, cotija cheese and roasted red pepper aoli). Both are excellent.

Sitting outside at the Gaslamp Union Kitchen & Tap

We relax and prepare to wander back to our car and head up the coast to Carlsbad.