Opening Day!
When tickets went on sale, I looked online, but found that all of the “good” seats were already taken. StubHub was selling tickets at ridiculous prices. It was a pretty simple goal – I wanted to be at Padres Opening Day and I wanted that to be the first time I went to PETCO Park.
Disappointed that I couldn’t find good seats, I put the idea aside and figured I would look closer to the game. Alongside that, I also kept up with Padres information on Twitter and Facebook.
It turned out that through the Friarhood Fan Club, I won two tickets to the game! Woo hoo! So I called up my good friend Randy to see if his schedule was open and the two of us headed out to the game.
Downtown was absolutely packed for Opening Day. With luck, I squeezed the little Toyota Yarius I’m renting into the last spot on a lot on G Street. I hear it’s a good idea to park at the convention center?
With cheap seat tickets in hand (no complaints, they were free!), Randy and I explored the park, which I must say, is absolutely awesome. I love the layout, the ability to walk all around the park, get good views from some of the stand-only spots (where this photo was taken).
We enjoyed a couple beers, chatted with a few guys who always buy the cheap seats and stand in this spot because they feel for $5.00 it’s the best view in the park. Randy and I caught up a bit on our own lives, both at interesting junctures. Funny how a ball game brings out meaningful conversation.
Randy had to head out, but I caught up with my friend Michelle and just after the game, headed to the hot spot, Basic, a great bar which serves flat, square pizzas. Good stuff.
Best part of the day, Padres beat the Giants. Awesome home opener and a fun day at the ball park!
Cheers!
San Diego Treasures
All joking aside, today was a good day! I opened up my business bank account, and while downtown, decided to explore around a bit.
I drove up and down the streets, just let myself wonder from section to section, East Village to Little Italy and on over to the streets neighboring Balboa Park.
I love old houses. I love houses which have a lot of character. In San Diego, there are some wonderful Mission style homes and Victorian splendors. I thought I would share photos of just a couple I found.
One of the fun things about being back in San Diego is that it’s like a new city to me. And as I would in any new place, I like to explore my surroundings. I look forward to sharing many more discoveries!
Cheers!
Errand turned exploration…
Today was another errand day, as I had to renew my driver’s license. Always fun to make a trip to the DMV! There’s probably nothing that could be a greater reality check than the lines, employees and procedures at the DMV.
I made an appointment at the one in North Park, as the others had a longer wait and I wouldn’t be able to get an appointment until the end of the month/after my deadline. So off to North Park I went.
Surprisingly, the DMV was as smooth as pie. I was in and out of there in, I kid you not, twenty minutes. I even got to take a new photo, thank goodness. I decided to leave my weight at 120 lbs… incentive.
Since I was already in North Park, I thought I would check out a coffee house I had read about. Claire de Lune is on University Avenue, right near the North Park sign. Great coffee, good food and a nice, open floor plan with lots of seating arrangements to choose from. Only negative is that some of the furniture is a bit old, and therefore, a bit dingy.
After a couple hours at the coffee house, I drove on University headed West. I really had no idea where the street went, and so decided to do some exploring. University turns into Washington and ends up dumping you downtown near the railroad tracks. I drove further and ended up down near the Midway Pier, remembering that there was a regatta in town for the weekend. I figured they’d be on the water practicing. Well, was I treated to some up-close views of really cool sailboats!
I stood at the end of the pier and having just arrived just in time for a race. It was so awesome to see these racing boats whiz by right in front of the pier as they got in position for the start of the race. Since it was the middle of the day on Thursday, there were very few fans on the pier, which made it really easy to take pictures and get more information on the boats in the race. One sailing and photo fanatic gave me the scoop.
You know, today I set out to renew my driver’s license, but with an adventurous spirit and the will to go just a bit further, I ended up having a really great day and got to enjoy a unique San Diego event! Made me love my hometown even more. And renewed my excitement to uncover more treasures of the city.
Some official regatta information:
RC44 Class Regatta
World’s best sailors to compete on San Diego Bay on March 2-6, 2011
The Highly Competitive RC 44 Championship Tour Will Visit California For The First Time.
The biggest names in the sport of sailing, including Russell Coutts, Paul Cayard, James Spithill, Rod Davis and Terry Hutchinson are coming to race against each other on San Diego Bay from March 2-6, 2011 in identical 44-foot sailboats, the RC 44.
“I love racing in San Diego and I am looking forward to a great regatta”, said Coutts, who won the America’s Cup in San Diego for the first time in 1995 before winning the Cup three more times.
Cheers!
Whale Watching
Today, was definitely not the sunniest day in San Diego. Mette and I woke up early as we had to make it to the marina and catch a boat. We went whale watching today! I think the excitement of the activity makes up for the lack of sunshine! ;p
As we drove into the harbor area, we could see the marine layer sitting over the water. However, that layer never burned off as it normally does in America’s Finest City (tired of me saying that yet?). Needless to say, neither of us were quite prepared for the chilly wind and cold air at sea! Mette had to borrow my mom’s jacket and I just layered up what I had, as my big jackets are still in my boxes (which just happened to arrive, all in tact and in good condition, today).
Mette was very excited at the prospect of going whale watching. It’s been years since I’ve been and I knew the timing was good, so I was excited too! On our way out to sea, we saw a lot of naval ships coming and going. Later we learned that the high traffic of these ships, and the sonar they use, cause for a distinct absence of dolphins and porpoise. Truly, we did not see even ONE dolphin all day. For those of you who have been whale watching, you know this is not normal. I was concerned and a bit bummed out for this fact.
We did get lucky, though, and caught up with not just one, but three California Gray Whales making their way to Baja. The captain suspected that we had found two females and a juvenile. They were really playful and curious, and they were very close to shore, no more than two miles out. We kept up with them, as the captain found them to be entertaining and there is never a guarantee that we would so easily find another group or solo traveler. Plus, these three provided lots of photo opportunities and were simply amazing to watch!
Have you been whale watching this season? When was the last time? You should go! What a humbling experience!
Mette and I had a farewell dinner with my parents tonight. We grilled steaks for the occasion. Yum! Tomorrow we are off to la la land after visits to Old Town, La Jolla and Del Mar. Let’s hope for better weather!
Sea World!
Today was the day I took Mette to Sea World. While she may have seen most of the zoo animals in their natural habitat, she has certainly not seen the likes of Shamu! If you are a native San Diegan, then you probably love Sea World as much as I do. Did any of you ever dream to be a trainer of Shamu or the dolphins? I think there is still a wee part of me that says “When I grow up…”
Suffice to say, it was a perfect day at Sea World today. It’s mid-January, it was in the low 80’s, the sun was shining and it was Tuesday. There were not enough people at the park to fill even the dolphin show stadium. There were moments when we were walking through the park and there was literally no one else we could see! It was awesome!
Of course we had to do and see everything! We fed the dolphins and the bat rays, watched both Shamu shows and the dolphin show, visited the sea lions, sharks, penguins, polar bears and beluga whales. We even stopped to feed the flamingoes, but they were too slow for the hungry ducks.
As much as I love my dolphins (I love love love the dolphins), I have a new appreciation for the bat rays. I was first amazed with how smooth and gentle they are. And they are very curious creatures. There is also a stall at the bat ray enclosure where you can buy a tray of squid and feed the rays. I had to try it. Admittedly, it’s not as easy as feeding dolphins. You have to squeeze the squid in between to of your fingers, submerge your hand in water and let the ray swim over your hand and suck it into their mouth. My first attempt was a success, but it completely freaked me out, as my hand wasn’t deep enough in the water and the ray’s suction noise was really loud! I thought he was going to eat my fingers!
After the second and third time, I got the hang of it. And I was more comfortable to pet them. They have a similar feel of a dolphin, but softer and more slimy! Yet, I was so intrigued by their behavior and kind nature, I didn’t care so much about the slime.
With so few guests at the park today, we had ample time to pet and play with the bat rays and to take some pictures. I sort of fell in love with these creatures and will look forward to feeding them again on my next visit to Sea World.
Once again, I have to say it – gorgeous day in America’s Finest City! ;p
Seen at the Zoo today…
This was one sight captured at the zoo today. While I loved seeing the elephants, the gorilla (only one was out, but he was entertaining), the meerkats and the monkeys and the bears, I did NOT enjoy seeing women in leggings. I’m going to have nightmares about this for weeks!
It’s no secret that I have returned from Vietnam a bit heavier than I normally am. And it’s no secret that Americans are way way way fatter than the Vietnamese. I, myself, could easily stand to loose about 10 pounds (maybe twelve after I’ve eaten all those Christmas cookies!). But I am in MUCH better shape than the woman pictured here, YET I would NEVER subject anyone to my legs and ass being squeezed into a pair of tights/leggings or whatever you want to call these fashionless bits of cotton.
I get that San Diego is a more causal kind of town. We have a certain culture of laid back-ness here that is unique to only us. BUT, have a little self-respect people, and do us all a favor – put some real clothes on!!! Stop wearing your pajamas in public! I am horrified by all these women who are walking around in sweats, leggings and what looks like pajama pants! Trust me, we cannot pull it off the same way the SE Asians can!
I am seriously very disturbed by this trend and the more women I see who are dressing like this, the closer I get to saying something to one of them. Even if I had a perfect body, I would not be dressed like this in public. Same goes for all the young girls who are wearing jean cut-off shorts and Ugg boots. It doesn’t work. It’s lazy. I am feeling embarrassed for Americans at the moment.
I’m not the most fashionable person by any means (please – I think jeans and a black t-shirt is the best outfit ever), but even if I were headed to the gym, my pants would not be so tight and I would not try to squeeze my fat ass into a tight cotton sausage casing. Please, please, please ladies – put some clothes on and cover that shit up! I want to see this trend on the extinction list!
Other than that, the World Famous San Diego Zoo was wonderful! And it was another sunny and beautiful day in America’s Finest City!
Here are some photos of the better-looking creatures:
Welcome Mette!
I recently mentioned how it was such a pleasure at Christmas time to bake all those cookies (and eat them) and prepare the Christmas lasagna. I miss being in the kitchen and cooking! It’s not like I had an inability to cook in Vietnam, but frankly, I didn’t have the time and never had much confidence in the products available at the street markets. Since I had a meal allowance, it was much easier to eat at the Press Club and had my main meals there.
My Danish friend Mette arrived from Vietnam last night, and I wanted to have her wake up in the Bright house to the smell of brewing coffee and freshly baked brownies and cookies. These items would be considered a luxury in Vietnam and I wanted to make sure to start her vacation in comfy mode. Plus, it was a good excuse to bake up a storm and enjoy some of my morning in the kitchen!
It’s Mette’s first time to California and so I have a San Diego/Los Angeles tour planned out for her this week. Today was rest and relaxation, an introduction to American football (which Mette says she never needs to watch again) and a shopping trip to Target (a good initiation into Americana). Target helped her get a few basic items which are hard to find in Vietnam, as well as fun stuff like plastic tumblers and teeth whitening strips!
The Golden Globes were on tonight, and so we enjoyed watching the stars parade in their formal attire while we ate a variety of chips and dips and drank wine. Heaven! Pure heaven!
Time to get some sleep and prepare for the World Famous San Diego Zoo tomorrow! I haven’t been to the zoo in years! Hooray!
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