Visiting San Diego |
| I’ve been to California several times now, and even lived here for 6 months when I was in the Marines. The only major city I haven’t visited is Sacramento, and while I visited San Francisco I don’t have much to show for it until I return. On my most recent trip I visited the southwestern part of the state and for the first time went to Joshua Tree national park. The densely populated areas of southwestern California have almost an unlimited amount of things to see and do there, so I’ve only put the most famous parts on my website. When I return to the state again my priority will be to visit some of the central national parks and San Francisco and the redwoods up north. |
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| Surfing is possible in all parts of California, but it’s mostly popular in the Los Angeles and San Diego areas since the weather tends to be warmer. Above is a surfer getting ready to take on some of the west coast’s large waves, on the right is the beach area of La Jolla. |
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| I visited La Jolla because of their famous seal population. These guys hang out in a protected area and are guaranteed to be there. Above is a coastal shot of some waves moving in during a storm, the seals on the right where enjoying a nap until they got pounded by waves. |
   The species of seals here are called harbor seals, and live in the northern hemisphere from tropics like Mexico all the way north to the Arctic. Millions of harbor seals live around the world, so they are not a threatened species and are pretty common to find. Of course I’ve seen pelicans all over the world, but not in such large groups as in San Diego. It seems that every few minutes a flight of 20 pelicans or so comes soaring by. |
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| These two guys were found right by the seal park in San Diego. I suppose they are kind of cheating since there were so many of them and they are right in the city. I’ve never seen this many before, but they were still somewhat shy of people. |
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| The main beaches in San Diego are located directly west of the city. The water in the Pacific is generally cold year around, so even if its 70 outside during the winter time it will be too cold to swim without a wet suit. Many bars and other attractions line the streets and beaches here. Above is a rollercoaster and the main section of the beach on the right. |
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| Another coastal area of San Diego is the historic seaport village. This is another area where you can enjoy nightlife, seafood restaurants and other fun activities. There are plenty of historic ships here that you can tour, such as the submarine above and the world war II aircraft carrier. Below is a seafood restaurant extending out into the water, and a colonial sailing ship that can also be toured. |
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| Two last photos from the seaport village, the San Diego courthouse and a man playing music at a small park. While Los Angeles has lots of amazing neighbors and beaches that I haven’t yet visited, I still prefer San Diego over LA. The only negative part of San Diego is the homeless people that take up places throughout the city. This is the same in most parts of California and they generally mind their own business. |
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| San Diego is famous for its laid back and liberal atmosphere. Many people know about the smoke shops that are found all over the state. If marijuana is ever legalized for recreational use, people imagine it will first be done in the state of California. The state is also famous for its large population of Asians. I’ve seen plenty of signs all over the US in English and Spanish of course, but this was my first time seeing one in English, Spanish and Vietnamese. |
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| San Diego has a very large old town area with many buildings preserved. After visiting so many ‘old town’s in the mid west and south, I expected this to be a small area but instead it was packed with shops, nice restaurants, museums and spanned several blocks. This area was the start of what is now San Diego back when Spaniards occupied the area, above is a church, on the right is one of the shops selling souvenirs. |
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| When visiting some Spanish Missions in Texas, I thought about how much it must have sucked to have to work at a remote outpost in the middle of the desert with temperatures reaching over 100F. The missionaries in San Diego probably had a good life here with the nice weather and easy access to the beaches. Above are two photos of the inside of some of the old town buildings. |
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| A good hike in San Diego is the Mission Trails park within the city. The park borders are pretty small, but it’s a great place to hike without having to travel and seemed to be popular with people trying to get a good workout by jogging the steep trails. Within the park is Cowles mountain which reaches a height of nearly 1,600 feet and gives a great view of San Diego’s downtown area. Above is a photo of some of the landscape within the park, on the right is a green worm I found while hiking. |