A Day in San Diego

We've all been there, done that, and some of us even "got the T-Shirt".....we helped a friend or family member to move their household to a new home. And when the work is all done, there is usually a celebration of sharing a large pizza, but in this case it was Mexican food.

I just returned from a trip in southern California to help my daughter, Erica, and her family, make a major move four hours away. There was a heat wave during the whole week that I was there. My packing of shorts and tank tops worked just fine.

I was raised south of the San Diego area and some of my family still live there. Over the years we took many trips to the usual tourist's spots such as Tijuana, Balboa Park and Sea World. My sister, Cory, asked me what I wanted to do with my one free day before the BIG MOVE.  " Oh, let's go to the beach, I haven't seen the Pacific Ocean for quite some time now," I replied. So along with my mother, we drove out to Ocean Beach. This was on the last weekend before school started. Seems like everyone had a desire for one last summer hurrah.

We could quickly see that there was not one single parking space available. Ditching that idea, Cory suggested Dog Beach, where "it's so entertaining to watch the dogs play in the waves." ( Dog Beach is the most popular canine hotspot in San Diego.)  Not only was there NO parking spaces , we got stuck in a line of cars trying to escape OUT of the parking lot.We then drove over to Shelter Island. After two minutes of gazing out at the San Diego Harbor, the heat wave forced us back into the air conditioned car.

One last effort was a short drive south to the Seaport Village area where The Headquarters is located. Yea! At last, we found a precious parking space! Presented in 2013, the open-air market offers a range of specialty shops and eateries. The buildings served as the headquarters for the San Diego Police Department from 1939-1987. Building began in 1937 and the architecture represents a  Spanish mission style along with a mixture of Ancient Greece and Rome Classical Revival. It is now on the National Registrar of Historic Places because of this eclectic gathering of architectual mode.

At one time the building housed a crime lab, five courtrooms, an emergency hospital, an indoor shooting range, and an extensive law library. Some of the original jail cells from the 1930's still exist. Of course, we couldn't resist playing jailbirds and had our photo taken. There is a Hall of History displaying original mug shots of men and women who also got their picture taken, but not happily. Adding to the historic value is the tower where the San Diego police officers watched the Pacific Ocean for enemy aircraft during World War II.  

Fortunately these lovely vintage buildings were not torn down but instead were refurbished into a center where art and music events take place all year long. We had lunch at The Cheesecake Factory and topped it by sharing a piece of Salted Caramel Cheesecake. Excellent decision.

We drove back to my sister's house and I sat on her back patio looking at the Pacific Ocean in the distance with a cool breeze brushing across my sweaty face. Holding my glass of minted iced water, I was reminded of what I use to tell my kids when traveling: "Go with the flow!"  We did that on this San Diego Day and it turned out to be quite  pleasant after all.