San Diego

After arriving at its first California mooring spot, Rancho Los Coches (where frankly, even the views from the Wal-Mart parking lot were spectacular), the crew of the HMS Beagle set out to explore the City of San Diego.  The Captain especially was very impressed by the city’s fabulous mountain setting.  Even in the city itself there are hills and canyons, with the roads weaving through them from place to place.  San Diego, located on the Pacific Ocean, has a huge natural harbour created by what is called Coronado Island – which is really a very long peninsula running south to north creating a bay that separates the city from the Pacific Ocean.  San Diego is home to the largest US naval operations on the Pacific coast largely due to this harbour.  The varied landscape of the city and its suburbs is quite wonderful to see.  In this post to the Ship’s Blog, there will be several entries capturing the crew’s visits to various parts of the city. 

 

 

Balboa Park

 

 

In the heart of the city itself lies Balboa Park, a huge park/public space containing natural areas, gardens, performance areas and numerous museums and galleries.  It is both a significant cultural centre of San Diego and the home of the famous San Diego Zoo.  The Park has been marvellously planned with both walking trails through its various natural features and a pedestrian boulevard that runs through the area where most of the museums and galleries are located. This latter boulevard is called El Prado, perhaps after the Museo del Prado in Madrid, Spain.  Some of the museum buildings are very ornate and tucked amongst them is a replica of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre (please remember April 23 is Shakespeare 400).  On the day of the crew’s visit, many stalls and booths were set up along El Prado in support of a number of social causes, and at least two were proselytizing for the Christian religion, one Roman Catholic and one fundamentalist.  However the crew were surprised to also see a booth set up by an Atheist organization sporting the slogan “Atheism – a personal relationship with reality”.  At that point the crew knew it was well and truly in California.  A few buskers also entertained the visitors.

The crew of the Beagle wandered through the gardens and streets of the Park and stopped for lunch at a lovely restaurant attached to the San Diego Museum of Art.  After lunch it found itself in the large area set aside for canines, in which Mr Darwin made acquaintance with many a fellow traveller.  The crew returned to the Beagle having enjoyed an enchanting day at Balboa Park.  The first montage below shows some of what the crew saw in Balboa Park.

La Jolla

 

 

La Jolla is an uberaffluent community within the affluent city of San Diego. It is located on hilly seaside occupying 7 miles (11 km) of curving coastline along the Pacific Ocean within the northern city limits.  The Captain informed the rest of the crew that the residential real estate prices in La Jolla are the highest in the USA.  Although there are many elegant homes – some set in spectacular grounds – there are also many residential places available for seasonal rental as well as the usual range of hotels and guest houses.  A very Mediterranean look and feel pervades La Jolla, reminiscent of the Sorrentine Peninsula of Italy or perhaps the Riviera of France.  The roar of the Pacific Ocean has created coves and majestic rocks, with sea tunnels and small beaches for sea lions to lounge and mate and sea birds of many kinds to take refuge.  Many families of sea lions bask in the sun while their little ones play in the sea.   Pelicans look down from the rocks to spy out their next meal.  There is also a long wide beach for people, where umbrellas and lounge chairs dot the sand.  At an interface of disparate mammalian creatures, humans rent kayaks and paddle in groups to the rocks and coves to watch the sea lions at play. The crew walked along the high bluffs, marvelling at the scenery and wild life. They then repaired to a lovely bistro for a meal al fresco in the heart of the town.  La Jolla caters to the tourist and has many shops and restaurants to entice them.  Here is a brief tour of La Jolla.

 

 

Point Loma and Old Town

 

 

Loma is the Spanish word for hill. The original name of the peninsula was La Punta de la Loma de San Diego, translated as Hill Point of San Diego. This was later anglicized to Point Loma. It is a big headland that juts south and effectively encloses San Diego Bay in the north.  Point Loma was discovered by Europeans on September 28, 1542 when Portuguese navigator Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo departed from Mexico and led an expedition for the Spanish crown to explore the west coast of what is now the United States. Cabrillo described San Diego Bay as “a very good enclosed port”. Historians believe he docked his flagship on Point Loma’s east shore.  This was the first landing by a European in present-day California, so that Point Loma has been described as “where California began”.  The crew of the Beagle visited the Point which at its tip is the location of Cabrillo National Monument.  Like virtually all National Monument sites, the policy is not to allow pets anywhere on the grounds, even though there is plenty of open space.  The area where the crew could all visit was on the west side of the point facing the ocean where there were tide pools for people and their naturalist companions to explore.   Most of the southern end of the Point is occupied a large military cemetery and Naval facilities which one must pass through to get to the tip.  From the heights one can see all of San Diego and Coronado Island spread out below. 

 

 

Leaving Point Loma, the crew made its way to the area of San Diego known as Old Town.  This is where the first European settlement of San Diego was located before the current centre of the city was created to the south. It has largely been developed as a tourist and shopping area today although a few of the old buildings have been preserved.  The crew had lunch at an eatery called Fred’s which was the only canine friendly restaurant in Old Town.     Here are a few pictures of Point Loma and Old Town.

 

 

 

 

 

Coronado

 

 

Perhaps the most enjoyable excursion for the entire crew in San Diego were two visits to the City of Coronado at the northern end of Coronado Island.  Coronado Island spreads out into a large rounded area at this point and can be seen as the “Crown” sitting on top of the long thin island, hence the name, Coronado.  It is a separate city from SanDiego and faces the sea. One can see Point Loma to the north west.   

Coronado is essentially a beach town.  Its main shopping street is Orange Street with stores and restaurants.  Although not quite as intimidatingly high end as La Jolla, it enjoys some trendy shops along the wide boulevard.  There are several hotels and much of the housing seems to be available for seasonal rental.  The flagship hotel is the Hotel Coronado which can be seen standing majestically from the town and on the beach.  The crew enjoyed a delightful meal at the Irish Pub along Orange Street.

The real attraction for the crew of the Beagle was the beach at the very north end of Coronado Island beside the Naval Air Station.  Here the beach is wide with shallow water and mild surf, perfect for our canine friends to enjoy the sun and sand.  Mr. Darwin had a great time observing the water foul as well as becoming acquainted with many other canines who frequented the beach.  Indeed he was able to experience some vigorous exercise after many days travelling in the relatively confined spaces of the HMS Beagle.  Many canine readers of the Ship’s Blog enjoy watching Mr. Darwin at his leisure by the sea, so not to disappoint, here are some pictures of Coronado and Coronado Beach.