Old Town San Diego USA - September 2012

On our first day in San Diego we decided to try out the train system which was walking distance from our hotel.  We wanted to see the old part of the city which has museums with collections from the old era of San Diego.  It was a very hot day to be walking around and thankfully there were some shady areas to escape to.  I was very taken with the use of succulent plants that have been growing happily for many years in the blistering heat..

I took a lot of photos so I can relate the combination of plants and their arrangements when I am looking for inspiration for a succulent garden at home.  They had some great ideas and the plants looked good in spite of the heat trauma they live through..

We had our first Margarita and Mexican food for lunch in one of the outdoor restaurant areas which had three entertainers going from table to table to entertain guests.  For a good tip they would sing you a personal song.  There were some boutique and gift shops for souvenirs as well as the museums.

We caught the train back without any hassles and went to the Gaslamp Quarter to have dinner that night. It is just two blocks from our hotel and there are heaps of restaurants to choose from and a lot of retail shops that stay open late.  

Baseball at San Diego USA - September 2012

Our accommodation in San Diego was the San Diego Marriott Gaslamp Quarter which was very conveniently across the road from the Baseball Stadium which was the home ground of the San Diego Padres.

The Padres are not on the top of the ladder in the Baseball Competition so there were good seats available and they were not expensive.  The Padres were playing the St Louie Cardinals so it was a good match to watch with some extremely well paid players taking part.  They talk in hundreds of thousands in players payments  per player in America.  We saw one home run which was exciting.

The seating was comfortable with plenty of food outlets and drinks available.  It was a good experience and the crowds were very enthusiastic supporters of the game.  We had a basic knowledge of the game so could follow the excitement.

It was a good experience and the Padres won so we are now Padre Fans by default.    

Torrey Pines Golf Course, San Diego USA - September 2012

We had Torrey Pines Golf Course on our wish list when visiting San Diego.  We could have got a game if we wanted to get up and be ready to play at first light.  We opted to call in for a visit to check the place out and then go on to see other places in San Diego.

We hired a driver for the day to take us out there as it is very much out of the way and a taxi was unpractical. It was a good choice as the hotel recommended "Flexi Transport" and their driver James picked us up at the hotel, drove us to Torrey Pines Golf Course and waited for us to check out the course and the Pro Shop.

James then took us on to see La Jolla Cove (pronounced " La Hoya") where he dropped us off for a few hours.  When we rang him he picked us up and took us back to the City waterfront where we wanted to see the USS Midway.  The cost for our days excursion was $80 which was amazing.  James acted as a tour guide and driver and we were very impressed with his service.

Torrey Pines looked great and the boys would have loved to have played the course.  The Pro Shop was good and the grounds were nicely kept.  There were of course a lot of pine trees.