Two Days in San Diego

Because of various factors, we were not able to make a trip to Oklahoma while Sondra was off-track from her job at the local elementary school.  She works part-time while school is in session, so we wanted to do something while she was on "vacation."  As an alternative to our usual trip to Oklahoma to visit family and grandkids, we took a little two-day jaunt down to San Diego.  So, early this past Tuesday morning, we left town for the 100-mile trip to San Diego.

David was able to go, so we went and drove to areas that were familiar to him as well.  We drove by the Baptist church where dad used to pastor in Allied Gardens.  We went by our old house at 5411 Waring Road.  We went to a San Diego Padres ballgame at Petco Park downtown for Opening Day.  Crystal and Shawn had bought me tickets to attend, as a birthday gift given on my birthday (March 7).  Naturally, the game was sold out (therefore, it was wonderful that we already had tickets) and it was a great day to be at the ballpark.  Sunshine and baseball!  The Padres beat the San Francisco Giants 3-1, so it was a happy day for us Padres fans.  There was a young man sitting next to us (right next to David) who was from Allied Gardens, who was drunk and who was happy.....and who kept us entertained!  Just before the game, though, we had to stop at our favorite "hole in the wall" Mexican spot for taquitos (Taco Fiesta).

After the game we went to Anthony's Seafood Grotto for a wonderful dinner on the bay, and we got a window seat with a great view while dining!  We had shrimp and scallops and chowder and pineapple coleslaw, and it was delicious.  We spent the night at a Sheraton Four Seasons hotel nearby, which I was able to get on Priceline with a huge discount.

On Wednesday morning, we went to Old Town and ate at the famous breakfast place called Perry's.  We then drove to Lakeside (just east of San Diego) where we first lived when moving from Urbana, Illinois, to California in 1955.  We found Lindo Lake Park but could not find the old church or the old house we lived in.  Yes, much has changed and disappeared.  David mentioned how the town of Santee (next to Lakeside) was just a spot in the road back in the "old days."

We went by the first mission established in California, the Mission San Diego de Alcala.  It is still being used today for Sunday masses.  We went by Hoover High School, where David graduated.  We also passed Roosevelt Junior High, where David attended for a while.  It was near the San Diego Zoo and Balboa Park, so we saw the museum buildings and the Old Globe Theater where Shakespeare plays are held each summer.

It was a gorgeous day as we walked around La Jolla Cove and smelled the salty ocean air.  We ended the day by eating at Tio Leo's Mexican restaurant in Allied Gardens on Mission Gorge Road.  (By the way, we drove by where our old house was on Mission Gorge Road, but the house has been replaced by apartment buildings and condos.)  It was a fun trip and we drove home with fond memories of both this trip and years gone by.