Hello, San Diego – Part 2

Day 2 of my San Diego mini-vacay brought even more sightseeing at the side of Design Milk! Our first stop – after bagels, duh – was the island of Coronado. I’m not sure what I expected, if anything, but I completely fell under the spell of this beachy village, its sweet shops, and its cottages.

 

 

Then of course there was the Hotel del Coronado, which I’ve dreamed of visiting for ages. I’d always pictured it living on a small cliff, but there it was right on the beach. The Del (as locals refer to it) is currently celebrating its 125th birthday, check out the oversize gold bow on the left turret!

 

 

The interior was pure old Hollywood magic and I really appreciated that the grounds are open to the public to enjoy as well as guests. Though I have to say it’s definitely high on my list to stay here for a getaway sooner than later!

 

Next up were the tide pools at Point Loma. It’s a long drive through the town, up a big hill, and past several military facilities to get there. Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery was a beautifully sobering site as we neared our destination. The cemetery is spread out quite a bit, but all areas have this incredible view of either the bay or ocean side of the Point. Such a peaceful resting place for those who gave up their life for our country, and so well-deserved.

 

We made our way down the other side of the gigantic hill to the tide pools… only had neglected to think of what time the tide would actually be out. It wasn’t and the pools were covered, but we still walked down the crazy cliffside and admired the striated cuts.

 

 

We then stopped at the Cabrillo National Monument for some stunning views. All the way to right? Mexico. For real.

 

Our last stop was Old Town, the birthplace of California where the first Europeans settled. Everyone was dressed in era-appropriate clothing and the signage was especially noteworthy to this designer.

 

 

 

 

All of the shops were so cute, I left the pottery one with a small piece – a cat of course! My only regret is that I made Jaime eat ice cream for lunch at the Hotel del Coronado and we were too full to stop at one of the restaurants for a bite.

 

 

 

 

In the information center they had a to scale version of the town as it most likely looked in 1850, this is only about 1/3 of it all. I’ve visited lots of settlements like this in the northeast, but it was really interesting to see one in a different region of the U.S.

Many thanks to Jaime and family for a super fun visit!

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