A New Year Adventure, Part 3: Gaslamp Quarter & Coronado

Tuesday morning found the intrepid adventurers Summer and Meg leaving the hotel early-ish (9:15 or so) to hunt down some breakfast. We had intended to eat on Coronado Island, but ended up in the Gaslamp Quarter of downtown San Diego, a happy accident.

Good morning, La Jolla (from our room on the 7th floor).

Petco Park and downtwon San Diego, from the car.

Gaslamp Quarter

We ate breakfast at MaryJane's, the Hard Rock Hotel's
restaurant.

Gimme caffeine!!

Huge breakfast. Summer always gives me her bread these
days.

After breakfast, we wandered around the Gaslamp Quarter (named for the old lamps that were powered by gas for a long time), taking pictures and doing nothing much.

This part of San Diego reminds me vaguely of the Pioneer Square section
of Seattle.

As we left Gaslamp for Coronado Island, I got a couple more pics from the car.

We found our way to the bridge to Coronado Island, home of the famous Hotel del Coronado (and Navy boys, yum!). I got some skyline shots from the bridge.

Once on the island, we wandered around for a couple of hours, mostly at the hotel and adjacent beach. It was my first toes-in-sand moment on this trip, and in a long while. It was glorious.

Behind the marina, you can just make out the skyline of Downtwon San
Diego.

Looking up the hill towards the hotel.

I love everything about this picture--the light hitting the tree, the colors...
everything.

A fabulous vintage sign across the street.

In the lobby. This tree had to be 20 feet tall.

Ice skating on the beach on New Year's Eve. Only in SoCal.

This is what we refer to as a "Hell Yeah Moment" in
my world. The sand was incredibly fine and soft, and
warmed from the sun.

With the hotel behind us.

With the ocean behind us.

The incredible Pacific.

Cali and Sassy enjoying the sunshine.

Throughout the trip, I marveled at all the healthy palm trees. We have palms
here in NorCal, but they're not this lush and green.

After our time exploring the hotel, we got back in the car and drove a little ways to Silver Strand State Beach, which is famous for sand dollars. We didn't find any, but I got some more toes-in-sand time in a less crowded area, and took pictures of the remarkable patterns in the sand.

I don't know how/why it looks like that, but it's really cool.

I would later have some fresh crab, too, but I wouldn't have to fight the
shell.

Instead of heading back north to Coronado Island proper, we continued south around the bay through Imperial City, then headed back towards San Diego to visit Balboa Park...which really needs its own post.