Balboa Park

November 24, 2005

Today is Thursday and it's American Thanksgiving...HAPPY TURKEY DAY!

Will and I have been in Ramona with Mike and Susan Lavery since Monday afternoon.

Unfortunately, due to a freak bowling-hockey-ultimate-frisbee-mountain-biking-golf-defending-my-honor accident, Will finally was diagnosed with a hairline fracture to one of the little bones in his hand, possibly the trapezium or trapezoid. So, Will has a cast on his right hand and has been ineligible to golf all week.

I went golfing with Mike and Susan at the San Vicente Golf Course on Monday (shot a 109...ick!) and this morning (a 102...short game is still shameful). I am embroiled in a mad love affair with Susan's driver, a Ping Si3 women's driver with 12 degree loft, as I'm driving really well with that weapon. I guess technology can really help sometimes...

I digress...

So, yesterday, I took a day off from the links and went with Will into San Diego to do some exploring. We wanted to check out Balboa Park, tauted as America's largest urban cultural park. We hadn't a clue as to where to start, so we wandered aimlessly around El Prado and gazed at the map.

A view down El Prado in Balboa Park

An enticing sculpture in the Sculpture Garden by the Museum of Art in Balboa Park

A view of the California Tower and Old Globe Theatre in Balboa Park

We took a detour into Alcazar Garden, so named because its design is patterned after the gardens of Alcazar Castle in Seville, Spain. It is known for its ornate fountains, exquisite turquoise blue, yellow, and green Moorish tiles, shady pergola, and is planted with 7,000 annuals for a vibrant display of color throughout the year.

Alcazar Garden in Balboa Park

A friendly security lady suggested that we go to the Museum of Man, one of her favorites. The San Diego Museum of Man is located beneath the ornate 200-foot California Tower, and the city’s only museum devoted to anthropology, so it looked like a good choice.

Museum of Man in Balboa Park

The evolution of man in the Museum of Man in Balboa Park

Will strolling through a replica cave circa Cro-magnon era at the Museum of Man

Mummies on display at the Museum of Man in Balboa Park

After the Museum of Man, we wandered over to the Japanese Friendship Garden, which celebrates the relationship between the city of San Diego and its sister city Yokohama.

Bamboo water fountain at the Japanese Friendship Garden in Balboa Park

A magical koi pond in the Japanese Friendship Garden

Friendship Lantern from Yokohama in the Japanese Friendship Garden

Zen rock garden at the Japanese Friendship Garden

From the Japanese Friendship garden, we grabbed a latte from the coffee stand outside Prado restaurant and headed over to the Botanical Building, which houses more than 2,100 tropical plants plus changing seasonal displays, and the Lily Pond.

Botanical Building and Lily Pond in Balboa Park

A view from inside the Botanical Building

A freakin' big tree in Balboa Park near the San Diego Zoo

We did a little more walking and saw the Big Tree, Rose Garden, Cactus Garden, and the Miniature Railroad (that I think Will secretly wanted to ride).

As we were rapidly losing energy and sunlight, we got back in Lavonda the Honda and headed over to La Jolla along the coast. We stopped a few times driving up the coast to watch surfers take on the sweet waves and to catch the sunset.

The sunset in La Jolla, with surfers in the distance

Bea enjoying the sunset

And after the sunset, we headed to Prospect Street in downtown La Jolla, where a lot of pocket change can get you in the newest couture fashion or the sweet Lamborghini that we saw parked on the street. Will took me out on a hot date to George's At The Cove Restaurant, which was highly recommended by Mike and Susan. The combination of the wonderful seafood-heavy menu, the ocean terrace seating, and bottle of New Zealand Pinot Noir made for a fantastic evening. Another great place to check out if you're ever in the area.