In the San Diego sunshine
Southern California city has become a wonderful vacation destination for chilly Canadians
Two recent visits to the south have raised my awareness of San Diego as a great city. Indeed, though many Ontarians turn to Florida for their winter warmth, one could not do better than to head for the Pacific coast while at the same time avoiding more crowded centres like Los Angeles and San Francisco.
San Diego is a key destination because it gives one access to some 60 miles of nearby Pacific beaches, vast deserts in the interior, and Mexico about a half hour south by the Trolley Blue line. Indeed one can take a comfortable train right to San Ysidro (Tijuana) in search of border culture and a taste of tequila. As well, if you aspire to urban clamour and traffic, Los Angeles is not far to the north.
San Diego offers an array of pleasures for visitors, but I want to begin here with a note about its special situation and charm for those in search of comfort, beauty, and culture.
First of all, it has what many deem an ideal climate. Temperatures range a little by season but one can expect high 70s to low 80s during all seasons but summer — and low humidity. And the days are mostly sunny. The desert to the interior is a testament to the low levels of rainfall along the southern coast and inland regions. We were there in early March and the weather was as advertised— sunny and warm each day. The city has one of the most user-friendly waterfronts in North America. The boardwalk along the “Big Bay” takes one past the Maritime Museum and the USS Midway Museum (the Second World War aircraft carrier with its upper deck full of aircraft) that is open daily to the public.
There are also many piers and restaurants, including the ferry terminal for cruise ships. Comfortable, relatively inexpensive hotels abound facing the water along the Embarcado. Across the bay lies Coronado Island, readily accessible by ferry or car. The ‘island’ is a treasure-trove in terms of history (its old Victorian hotel is a must visit) and there is plenty of pleasant strolling to be undertaken. By contrast, at the Island’s northern end is a fascinating web of military installations that are part of the city’s long history as a naval centre and the country’s major ship-building site.
Public transportation in San Diego is excellent. Gentle trollies, trains and buses take one to a wide range of storied locales like Tijuana (to the south), la Jolla (to the north) and, further north but readily accessible, such attractive seaside communities as Torrey Pines (one of America’s major golf destinations), along with Carlsbad and Ocean View. Within the city there are attractive areas like the Old Town, Little Italy, and the Gaslamp Quarter.
Many visitors prefer the Gaslamp Quarter with its range of restaurants, bars and music venues to the waterfront, but that is simply a matter of taste and experience. Such choices are a tossup. We’ve tried both and prefer the waterfront where things quiet down earlier and the bayside views are simply splendid. In addition San Diego offers attractive residential areas such as the Mission Hills. We were privileged to visit friends who have lived there for decades and were enchanted by the Spanish architecture (Mission style with hints of Frank Lloyd Wright) and the strong echoes of southwestern history that we met at every turn.
Another plus of San Diego is its in-town airport. One lands in the sunshine and finds oneself only a few miles from one’s accommodation, having only to proceed along the harbour front by taxi or shuttle to one’s destination. There is no long ride from the airport to the city proper.
But, of all San Diego’s attractions, the most amazing and substantial is Balboa Park. A vast tract of land no more than a few minutes from the waterfront or downtown, the Park is one of America’s constructed wonders.
It contains the world-famous San Diego Zoo and 15 major museums (archeology, space travel, railways, folklore, etc.) all speaking to different areas of human experience and expertise. As well, there are several stunning gardens. One can at best engage with two museums a day. Balboa is arguably the greatest urban park in North America, better still than New York’s Central Park.
The landscaped grounds (1,200 acres including several gardens) stretches over ravines and plateaus, and abounds in visual pleasures. The built heritage of Balboa Park is the legacy of two largescale Expositions –the 1915-16 Panama-California Exposition (commemorating the opening of the Panama Canal) and the 193536 California Pacific International Exposition (held especially to boost the local economy during the Great Depression).
The combined architectural heritage of the two events have been preserved at great cost and are now stands as one of the city’s great achievements. It is breath taking to behold and a pleasure to experience.
A stroll down the Prado is visually stunning. One is struck by the blend of traditional European styles with the comfortable features of southwestern architecture. Along the Prado and down adjacent lanes one moves easily from museum to museum and passes several fine eating establishments; for either lunch or dinner there is the Prado restaurant, carved attractively into the side of one of the Park’s ravines. To experience Balboa Park is to live for hours, perhaps days, in the openair “Smithsonian of the West.” As Matthew Jaffe has written, “The realm you enter is a living expression of what Southern California longs to be: a subtropical paradise where ideas and vegetation spring from the soil with an incomparable fecundity. To experience it is to be dazzled.” I certainly was.
Quality entertainment is also available. The open-air concert space or Starlight Bowl at the Park’s entrance houses the Spreckels Organ Pavilion where, each Sunday, its extraordinary organ is played at a free concert that draws crowds of locals and visitors. Nearby, the Old Globe Theatre, originally a facsimile of its London predecessor, is part of a theatre complex, rebuilt in 1982 after a devastating fire; it has three stages and runs at least two simultaneous shows throughout the year. Last Month we were delighted to get last-minute tickets to see Steve Martin’s zany play, Picasso at the Lapin Agile, which we thoroughly enjoyed. In it Picasso meets not only Albert Einstein (as advertised) but, belatedly and surprisingly, Elvis Presley who gyrates and sings Jailhouse Rock. Elvis’s late entry is both preposterous and magical, the magic of theatre far outweighing the audience’s need for any sign of realism for support.
In short, San Diego is an extraordinary place to visit. One is everywhere reminded of its Spanish heritage and the city’s proximity to Mexico and that country’s Catholic history. So too one is awakened to the shared Pacific Ocean connecting the Mexicans and the Americans. That linkage is rooted in many aspects of San Diego’s past and is to my mind it is one of great strength. I find myself wondering how and why a wall between the United States and Mexico would serve much purpose other than damaging the dynamic connection between adjacent energies and traditions. San Diego is bound to stimulate the visitor.