San Diego: Day 1

We arrived in Los Angeles early in the morning. Neither one of us had any quality sleep on our 6 hour flight. It was long and uncomfortable and we were hungry. As soon as we got our rental car, a funny looking Chevy HHR, we headed to this place we had heard about on TV. Uncle Bill’s Pancake House. It’s like an IHOP, but small, intimate, friendly, and cleaner. Breakfast was yummy and we gorged ourselves.






Then we hit the road for San Diego. Thankfully it was only about an hour, and because I didn’t sleep at all on the flight, I conked right out when I got in the car. Jeff was struggling a bit too. We were tired. So what do you do when you’re exhausted? You go to Sea World!

The lady at the ticket booth was nice, she decided to give us the children’s admission price. How’d she know we act like children? Anywho, Sea World was good and HOT! Of course we saw Shamu, duh. I think there is a Shamu at every Sea World in the country.









We petted some critters, the dolphins were just a big tease. There you are dangling over the edge of their pool and you’d see them coming and you’re ready with your arm outstretched into the water and you’re super excited to tough their slimey rubbery body and then. . . . . . . . .wait for it. . . . . . ..they’d swim away. Those terds. The stingrays were super creepy. Ever since Steve Erwin, I suppose people are creeped out by them. I was. Even though the lady is telling everyone that their barbs had been removed, it’s still creepy to stick your hand down into the 50 degree water and reach for them as they swim by. I don’t know what I was expecting them to do, but it creeped me out. Did I mention it was creepy? Well, I finally managed to touch one and grab it by the end of the fin. It feels slimey and like a tongue. It was like touching a slippery muscle. Slimey and firm and it moves.


Jeff touched the sea stars. I’m a chicken.









We wandered around to the sea lions enclosure where you can buy a little container of fish to feed to them. It is really funny. They obviously know it’s feeding time and they start screaming. Literally! Perched on top of the pile of ricks screaming like a 5 year old until you throw them a fish, and then if they miss, then it’s a free for all to retrieve it.









They had really good shows. There was an entertaining pet show with dogs and pigs and cats and a ferret and ducks, but NO JACK RUSSELL!!!! There was a Sea Lion show with a big ol blubber boy. I’ll see if I have a picture of that behemoth.






My favorite show was called Cirque de la Mer. It was like a Cirque de Soliel but on water with Jet Skis and a water trampoline and one of those big beach balls with a person running around in it, trapeze artists and tumblers. I’m a fan!









After baking in the sun for many hours and after getting no sleep, we decided it was time to go home. We hit the hotel shower, which we badly needed and then we wandered down to Little Italy. We must have found THE place to eat because we waited probably 45 minutes in a LINE wandering through their Italian foodstore. Made me hungry just waiting and looking around at pesto, olive oils, pasta and wine! The name was Filippi's. Their food was very good! Yummy Caprese salad too. Tasty.

Eating was exhausting, so we went to bed.