Entries about bridges

Ocean fog blanketed San Diego and made for a serene, cool start to our first full day in the city. I took advantage of the time by spending it on our hotel lanai, drinking coffee and photographing the ships coming and going in the bay.

Chris isn't an early riser, so I was able to enjoy the breeze and watch the city slowly come to life. The fog began to lift, and after dressing for the day, we both walked over to the the main resort building where we enjoyed an excellent breakfast. The sun sparkled over the marina while Chris and I discussed what to do, deciding to drive over to Balboa Park first. The park is enormous and very beautiful, and unlike anything I was expecting.

There were gorgeous flowers in bloom, and a lot of interesting, baroque architecture. We took our time strolling the grounds and admiring the landscapes, along with many other visitors on that beautiful day.

As the sun continued its climb into a cloudless sky, we opted to visit one of the city's beaches. We drove west to Ocean Beach, a hip neighborhood on the Pacific coast.

One of my reasons for wanting to visit O.B., besides wanting to spend time at the beach, is that it also features a 601 meter long concrete pier! The pier was constructed in the 1960s and features a small restaurant and gift shop.

Views from the pier are terrific, and many people were out and about that day. Some of them were sightseers, like us, while others were fishing off the end of the pier. Seagulls kept their eyes on all of us, waiting for an opportunity to grab food, while dolphins could be seen in the waters nearby.

You might think we'd be tired from running around so much (and after having driven across half the country the previous two days), but we weren't yet, so we headed south to Point Loma and the Cabrillo National Monument. After paying a small fee to enter the monument, we parked the car and started exploring the many paved walking trails on the southern end of the point. The Old Point Loma Lighthouse stood guard in the wind, while many people could be seen surrounding the statue erected to Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, commemorating his landing at San Diego Bay in 1542, and the city rising beyond it.

We spent a lot of time watching ships enter and exit the bay and got a closer look at Cabrillo's monument.

Only then were we finally ready for a rest and a late lunch, so we headed back to the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina. From there, we could enjoy the pleasant weather and watch everyone on the water beneath us.

Once we were sufficiently rested, we decided to drive around dowtown and cross the Coronado Bridge. Coronado Beach beckoned, so we spent time walking on its cool sand and watching people splash about in the cold Pacific water. Waves were rougher than I expected, but it didn't seem to stop anyone from having fun.

We took in the sea air and then explored some of Coronado Island (which is technically not an island!), admiring the stately homes and shaded avenues, before crossing the bridge back to San Diego. By then, it was time for dinner, and as we had spent most of the day out and about, we opted to enjoy it in the hotel's fine dining restaurant, Harbor's Edge. We were seated near large windows facing the marina and were able to watch the sun set as we enjoyed a wine flight. This is probably my favorite way to end a day!

After dinner, we retreated to our suite and admired the city lights, capping off the end of a great day in San Diego.